The Pantheon of Nine
by Finn Mertenz
Summary: After saving Naruto from a group of Taki kunoichi, what if Iruka adopted Naruto? What if Naruto lived with Iruka for six years? What if Sasuke and Naruto became good friends? What if Itachi sealed Shisui's eye and chakra inside of Naruto's stomach? Rinnegan/NarutoxTayuya/GaaraxFuu/HakuxKarin/SasukexIno/SuigetsuxIsaribi
1. Chapter 1

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **The Naruto timeline is a mess, so I'll have to use headcanon and make a timeline. Because of this, B** **oth Madara and Hashirama will be 27 during their valley of the end battle.**

 **S** **ince the battle in the valley of end took place three years after the foundation of Konoha, t** **hat would mean Madara died in 3 SSP or Shinobi States Period while both Hashirama and him were born in 167 WSP or the Warring States period.**

 **The foundation of Shinobi villages reset the calendar into the SSP.**

 **This means both Hashirama and Madara were 24 when the Leaf village was founded. S** **ince Hashirama has vivid memories of 3-5 yr old Tsunade that would mean Tsunade was born in 0SSP, 3 years before 3 SPP since Hashirama died shortly after Madara.**

 **Tobirama was born in 168 WSP while Hashirama died before the 1st Shinobi war. T** **hat means Tobirama became Hokage shortly after Hashirama's death and his death sparked the 1st Shinobi War.**

 **But Tobirama died during the 1st Shinobi war, since the 1st Shinobi war is when Hiruzen was made Hokage. Since Hiruzen was 24 when he became Hokage that means he was born in 181WSP.**

 **This makes Hiruzen 13 years younger than Hashirama and 12 years younger than Tobirama.**

 **Warring States Period 1WSP-191WSP (Ends with the foundation of Shinobi villages.)**

 **1st Shinobi World War 4SSP-14SSP**

 **2nd Shinobi World War 28SSP-36SSP**

 **3rd Shinobi World War 42SSP-44SSP**

 **Madara Uchiha 167 WSP-3SSP(Age 27)**

 **Hashirama Senju 167WSP-3SSP(Age 27) (Hokage for 3 years)**

 **Tobirama Senju 168WSP-14SSP (Age 29) (Hokage for 11 years)**

 **Tsunade Senju 0SSP-?SSP(Age 58)**

 **Orochimaru 0SSP-?SSP(Age 58)**

 **Jiraiya 0SSP-?SSP(Age 58)**

 **Hiruzen Sarutobi 181WSP-?SSP (Age 68) (Hokage term ongoing.)**

 **Minato Namikaze 22SSP-46SSP(Age 24) (Hokage for 2 years)**

 **Sasuke Uchiha July 23rd 46SSP-?SSP(Age 12)**

 **Sakura Haruno March 28th 46SSP-?SSP(Age 13)**

 **Naruto Uzumaki October 10th 46SSP-?SSP(Age 12)**

 **Garaa ? Janurary 19th 45SSP-?SSP(Age 13)**

 **Tayuya ? February 15th 44SSP-?SSP(Age 14)**

 **If you are here ONLY for Tayuya x Naruto - her first appearance is chapter 20 and her introduction is chapter 30.**

 **Summary: (Spoiler)** After saving Naruto from the Hidden Waterfall Shinobi and deciding to teach him - What if Iruka decided to adopt Naruto?

What if Naruto lived with Iruka for six years?

What if Sasuke and Naruto became good friends and rivals both trying to prove themselves to their father figures?

What if 1 year later when Itachi left he visited Naruto and placed Shisui"s left Sharingan inside him aswell as a piece of Uchiha Chakra?

What if the night Naruto stole the Forbidden scroll Iruka died before his very eyes? What if Iruka's death triggered Naruto to awaken the Rinnegan?

What if Iruka's passionate teaching of the "Will of Fire" instilled such a burning flame in Naruto that he vowed to protect everyone - not just the leaf but everyone who had endured his same pain?

 **Season 1: Chapters 1-46**

 **Season 2: Chapters 47-102**

 **Season 3: Chapters 103-Ongoing**

 **Introduction: Chapters 1-3**

 **Land of Waves: Chapters 4-9**

 **Tales of Konoha: Chapters 10-14**

 **Forest of Death: Chapters 15-20**

 **Preliminary Exam: Chapters 21-28**

 **The Red Thread of Fate: Chapters 29-34**

 **Chunin Exam: Chapters 35-38**

 **Konoha Crush: Chapters 39-46**

 **Naruto Retrieval: Chapters 47-60**

 **Land of Sound: Chapters 61-65**

 **Curse of Hatred: Chapters 66-70**

 **Land of Steam: Chapters 71-80**

 **Search For Tsunade: Chapters 81-85**

 **Will of Fire: Chapters 86-87**

 **Land of Snow: Chapters 88-94**

 **Land of Waterfalls: Chapters 95-96**

 **Land of Tea: Chapter 97-102**

 **Land of Rivers: Chapters 103-106**

 **Land of Sea: 107-108**

 **Return To Waves: 109-110**

 **Stone of Gelel: Coming soon**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

 **Scene Change:**

* * *

 **Tailed Beast: "What should i expect from a weak mortal?"**

 **Conversation: "** Naruto - have you seen Kakashi-sensei today?"

 **Internal Dialogue:** He's pouring even more chakra into his technique?!

 **Thank you to Jetslinger and their "Melody of the Fox" Fanfiction because it inspired me to write this - my very first fanfiction.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Enter: Naruto Uzumaki! The Beginning Of A Legend.**

Wednesday 4:34pm, November 7th _52SSP._

A 6 year old Naruto and a 18 year old Iruka stood inside the grass-covered playground of the Konoha academy. They were arguing over a recent incident that Naruto got into before Kakashi saved them.

"Give me a break! How could you have lost that Kunai!?" Naruto pleaded before crossing both arms in front of his chest.

"YOU IDIOT!" Iruka retorted.

"You almost lost your life today! Do you have any idea what you put me through?!" While he spoke, he scratched his nose in the iconic Iruka fashion.

This created an awkward period of silence as Naruto scoffed before glancing at the ground. During this, Iruka continued to scratch the bridge of his nose.

"You know Naruto, you remind me a lot of myself... But even I wasn't foolish enough to leave the village walls." After speaking, another awkward period of silence filled the air.

""It's not like anyone cares." Naruto mumbled before staring at the ground.

These words created a stiff frown across Iruka's face while a twisted sense of familiarity swelled in his stomach. Soon, Iruka thought back to his own childhood, a time in his life that he greatly cherished before the nine tails demon ruined everything.

However, these thoughts also sent a dark realization through Iruka, Naruto had none of those memories. This realization caused Iruka to sigh with defeat while rubbing the back of his head.

"Well then I guess that settles its Naruto..." Iruka spoke with a stern voice before gripping the top of Naruto's head.

"Let's go Home." These words forced each of Naruto's each to bulge before glancing up at Iruka.

"H-home?" Naruto stuttered.

"Yep, but let's take a ramen break on the way, okay?" Iruka remarked with a smile.

Suddenly, Naruto glanced between Iruka and the ground several times while mumbling various words. During this, a wide and joyful smile remained present across Iruka's face.

"Okay!" Naruto cheered before giving Iruka a thumbs up and giggling.

At this moment, Naruto ran past Iruka before dashing towards the distant Ichiraku ramen stand. At the same time, Iruka trailed behind Naruto while dreams of his own childhood once again drifted through his mind.

* * *

 _One day later._

Iruka and Hiruzen Sarutobi were gathered inside the iconic Hokage office while rays of sunlight sparkled through the nearby window. These rays of sunlight illuminated the freshly sighed paperwork that was sprawled across Hiruzen's desk.

"Lord Hokage... I need to talk to you about Naruto" Iruka spoke, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

Soon, an extended period of silence filled the ground as Hiruzen took several hits from his pipe. While this occurred, Iruka was giggling in a sheepishly manner while rubbing the back of his head.

"What it is, Iruka?" Hiruzen mumbled as streams of smoke poured from his nose.

"T-thank you for making me Naruto's teacher." Iruka remarked, causing Hiruzen to choke on his pipe.

After gagging for several moments, a tense and stern expression spread across Hiruzen's face. This expression forced Iruka to swallow a wad of spit that swelled in his throat.

"Iruka, I'm glad you've developed so quickly with Naruto... but you must understand my precautions." Hiruzen exclaimed.

"Just last week you were begging for Naruto to be removed from your class..." After speaking, Hiruzen's words forced Iruka to downcast his face with shame.

"Does this have something to do with those Waterfall shinobi Kakashi brought in for interrogation yesterday?" These words we answered with a brief nod from Iruka.

"Yes, lord Hokage... I finally understood what you meant that day." Iruka answered before briefly drifting away into his thoughts.

Iruka... The elderly voice of Hiruzen echoed through Iruka's mind.

I agree with you to a point, but he is just like you... He never knew parental love and because of that incident, people in the village avoided him... As these memories progressed, Iruka continued to stare at the floor.

So in order to get attention he turned to mischief... In whatever shape or form he wants desperately to validate his existence and his worth... Just like you. These memories forced Iruka to swell with regret.

After all this time, Iruka finally understood the connection between him and Naruto. The unspoken bond that they both shared as orphans.

"For a long time... I hated him..." Iruka admitted while clenching each of his fists with rage.

Soon, a tense silence filled the air before Iruka unclenched his fists and relaxed. At the same time, Hiruzen was inhaling a massive hit of leaf from is pipe.

"But now I understand, I don't hate Naruto... I only hate the demon that he contains." While speaking, Iruka continued to stare at the floor.

"I will never, never forgive the nine tails... But I can't blame Naruto either..." As Iruka spoke, he continued to think about his own childhood after his parents died, a lonely childhood.

"I must ask if you truly want this Iruka? To be his caretaker? The villagers will hear of this and the council aswell..." Hiruzen interjected with smoke pouring from his nose.

"My father told me a parents duty is to protect their child... I will make Naruto my child and protect him." Iruka replied before finally raising his face.

This statement forced Hiruzen to sighed as smoke continued to pour from his nose. Afterwards, he pinched the bridge of his nose while a brief period of silence filled the air.

"Is Naruto with you now?" Hiruzen asked, earning a nod of approval in response.

"Why was Naruto in the woods anyway?" This question forced Iruka the rub the back of his head before replying.

"One of my students promised to be Naruto's friend if he brought something back from the battle that our patrol units got into a few days ago." After Iruka spoke, he once again downcast his face.

Soon, an extended period of silence once again filled the air as Iruka continued to star at the ground. During this, Hiruzen take several fresh hits of leaf from his pipe.

"Very well... You may take care of Naruto." Hiruzen exclaimed with a wide smile.

These words forced Iruka to once again bow his head with respect before Hiruzen went back to signing paperwork. Afterwards, Iruka turned around before beginning his short journey home, ready to begin his life with Naruto.

* * *

 _One week later._

"STOP FOOLING AROUND!" Iruka shrieked before Naruto laughed in response..

Naruto was sitting inside the living room of Iruka's house, his first real home. This was a type of life Naruto never experience before, a life of parental love.

"But It stays on my head for twenty seconds... That's good right?!" Naruto remarked.

Naruto and Iruka had spent all week practicing the Leaf Concentration technique with remarkable results. Iruka was surprised to see just how high Naruto's chakra reserves actually were.

"It's wonderful, Naruto..." Iruka muttered with defeated before scratching the bridge of his nose.

"But you know how I feel about your sexy Jutsu..." As he spoke, Iruka was organized a pair of freshly cleaned dishes.

"Yea, yea... But how long can you keep the leaf on your head? Two or three minutes?" Naruto asked, completely changing the conversation.

"Naruto my limit is thirty seconds, the Leaf Concentration technique requires extreme high levels of chakra control." Iruka remarked.

This statement forced Naruto to jump up from the couch before skipping towards Iruka with joy. Afterwards, Naruto repetitively jumped in front of Iruka while laughing.

"Are you saying I'm better than you, sensei!?" Naruto teased with joy, earning an innocent smile in response.

Naruto always had a way of making Iruka smile and brightening his day with pure innocence. While Iruka continued to smile, Naruto turned around before disappearing in the swirling vortex of Iruka's house.

Iruka inherited his house from his parents, a two-story tine house that was constructed entirely of maple. The exterior of this house was paint leaf green with a pair of matching leaf green shingles that lined the roof.

There was also a neatly swept dirt sidewalk that paved the way up to Iruka's front door. This sidewalk was lined was various bushes that also decorated Iruka's front yard.

The backdoor lead onto a patio with several wooden leaning chair decorating it with a small circular table placed in the right corner of the patio since the staircase descending to the backyard was place on in the left corner and a chest high railing stationed around the side.

Iruka's backyard was small and compact with a small maple tree in the far corner with a wooden swing hanging from it. Also, there was a small pond of blue water that was resting near the edge of Iruka's back porch.

Meanwhile, the interior held two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living rooms, four closest, one kitchen and a washing room. When entering the house from the front door, you would be met with a black metal spiral staircase to the left and a shoe mat to the right.

Also, several paintings of Konoha were hung throughout the surrounding walls. Naruto's favorite was a briefly painted picture of the Hokage monument, a monument that he absolutely adored.

Past the stairs and the shoe mat, there was three separate door ways. The left was Iruka's bedroom, the right was the kitchen and the front doorway lead to a living room. If you walked upstairs, you would instantly be greeted with another living room and three more doorways.

"Hey, Naruto..." Iruka stuttered after finally breaking free from his thoughts.

This created a brief period of silence before Naruto came running down stairs with a smile on his face. At the same time, Iruka was drying his hands after finally finishing the dishes.

At this moment, Iruka's right hand firmly gripped Naruto's hair before rubbing his hair. During this, he began to smile with pride and love towards the innocent blond in front of him.

"Once you get that leaf on your head for five minutes straight... I'll take you out for ramen." Iruka encouraged, causing a cheerful laugh in response.

Suddenly, Naruto ran into the backyard with the goal of practicing his chakra control. While this occurred, Iruka chuckled several times before slowly walking up stairs, eager to catch a nap.

* * *

 _Two weeks later._

Iruka and his class of young academy students were gathered outside of recess. Each of these students were gathered in a line to practice their chakra control.

"Execellent Ino, twenty seconds... Up next Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka spoke before a breeze of wind blew in from the south.

This breeze dislodged a leaf from one of the nearby trees, allowing it to float and dance through the air until Sasuke snagged it with one hand. This action caused many of the nearby girls to sigh as they daydreamed about Sasuke.

Sasuke then placed this leaf upon his forehead before closing both eyes while a period of silence followed. After several seconds, the leaf across Sasuke's face began to wrinkle before plummeting to the ground.

"Thirty seconds, nice job Sasuke... Next, Naruto Uzumaki." These words were met with a chorus of boos from several girls.

Despite this protest, Naruto approached a nearby tree before picking up a freshly fallen leaf and placing it to his head. Afterwards, Naruto briefly daydreamed about all his recent practice and training with Iruka.

Soon, Naruto began to think back across the past three weeks of his life, time spent living with Iruka. During this, Naruto began so distracted by these thoughts that he didn't even recognize how much time had passed.

"Amazing Naruto! Absolutely amazing!" These words finally brought Naruto back to reality.=

"Fifty seconds! Great job, Naruto!" This statement was met with several sighs of disbelief while Sasuke glared at Naruto.

Soon, the class resumed exercises as Naruto ran next to Choji and Shikamaru. At the same time, Sasuke walked back to his tree before quietly snorting as his glanced at Naruto.

Suddenly, Iruka made a mental note for Naruto to hide some of his abilities. Concerned that Naruto might display too much of his own abilities.

After several moments, Iruka snapped back to reality as his class erupted into laughter. This laughter originated from Ino giving a flower to Sasuke before he threw it on the ground.

Iruka then went back to teaching his class on various methods of chakra and chakra control. While this occurred, he couldn't helped but smile at Naruto's sudden growth.

* * *

 _Six months later._

Faint rays of moonlight sparkled down as Naruto and Sasuke walked beside each other inside the Uchiha compound. This pair of friends had just finished training at the academy after they stayed late to practice.

"Yea, yea... You scored a 98% but still I got a 66%!" Naruto remarked with a wide on his face.

"And if you turn the page upside down, it actually says 99%... So in a way I did beat you!" After he spoke, Sasuke scoffed in response.

Soon, Naruto and Sasuke garnished the attention of a nearby elderly lady, a retired librarian. After several moments, this lady began to giggle while staring at Sasuke.

This librarian was so old that perfectly remembered Itachi's childhood, a childhood he shared with Shisui. However, she also understood that Sasuke didn't really have any friends, until Naruto.

Recently, Sasuke had consecutively brought Naruto into the Uchiha compound almost every day after school. At first it was just to practice on home work or chakra control, but over time they developed into true friends.

Soon, Naruto and Sasuke finally heard the elderly woman's constant giggling. This realization forced each of the young friends to glance at the elderly Uchiha.

"Sarada! Have you seen any of my big brothers?" Sasuke asked.

"I havent seen Itachi in some time but I believe young Shisui is in that spot you favor so much, the cliffs next to the waterfalls." Sarada explained before Sasuke quickly waved and began walking away.

While Sasuke walked away, Naruto got distracted by a green book the woman had for sell. This book had the kanji for' History of Clans in the Leaf.' sprawled across it, evidence to Sarada's extensive career as a librarian.

This book caused Naruto to briefly freeze as his mind several back to a conversation with Iruka. During this, Sasuke continued walking away without looking back.

 _-Flashback-_

"Iruka-sensei." Naruto mumbled.

"Yes, Naruto...What is it?" Iruka asked.

This father and son duo each sat inside the living room of Iruka's house while watching TV. This was one of Naruto's favorite things about living with Iruka, actually being able to afford cable.

Soon, an extensive period of silence filled the air as Naruto downcast his face while briefly stuttering. After several moments, Iruka gripped the top of Naruto's head before rubbing his hair, bringing him back to reality.

"Well I was just wondering... Who taught lord old man?" Naruto questioned with a lone tone.

"I TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES! HIS NAME IS LORD HOKAGE!" Iruka shrieked after jumping from his chair.

"Yea, yea... But there must be a secret he has, right? Or a hidden jutsu?" Naruto mumbled while rubbing the back of his head.

"All shinobi have hidden jutsu knucklehead... And if you ever read a book you'd know he was taught by the first and second lord Hokage's himself..." Iruka sighed.

"Books? You mean those things in the library?" Naruto asked.

"Exactly, let's go visit a library and check out some books?" Iruka remarked, creating a tense silence as Naruto downcast his face.

"I'm not allowed in the library..." Naruto mumbled in a depressed tone.

"That's fine, Naruto... I'll just check out some books for you." Iruka replied with a forced smile, upset that people still hated Naruto.

"But don't show off!... This is special jutsu and shinobi techniques, not triple pork ramen!" After shouting, Naruto grabbed his arm at the mention of ramen before motioning towards Ichiraku's ramen stand.

"Fine, fine... But after we eat, we're going to the library." Iruka sighed with defeat.

This statement created a joyful laugh from Naruto before he dragged Iruka down that street. This was a beautiful memory and moment for Naruto, the moment when someone finally showed him unconditional love.

 _-Flashback ends-_

"NARUTO!" Sasuke shrieked, finally bringing Naruto back to reality.

This created an awkward period of silence as Naruto glanced between Sasuke and Sarada several times. During this, Sarada continued to giggle with an elderly tone.

"S-... Sorry, I was thinking about this book." Naruto explained while pointing at the previous green book that garnished his attention.

Suddenly, Sarada limped to her bookstand before pulling the green book loose. Afterwards, the elderly lady casually gave it to Naruto while smiling at him.

This creating a brief period of silence before Naruto quickly smiled back and grabbed the back with both hands. Naruto then got distracted when Sasuke scoffed before turning around and walking away.

"T-thank you so much, old lady!" Naruto stuttered before trailing after Sasuke

Soon, the only sound that could be heard was Sarada's laughter, mixing in with distant owls. After several moments, this laughter turned to rage after Sarada finally noticed what Naruto said.

"OLD LADY!? WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD!" Sarada shrieked before Naruto and Sasuke each disappeared from sight.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

"Thats the Uzumaki clan, Naruto." Shisui explained with a slght chuckled.

Shisui, Naruto and Sasuke were each gathered around the top of a large waterfall. Also, each of these friends were engulfed on all sides by various trees and bushes.

"S-... So... I have a clan?" Naruto stuttered, earning a nod of approval.

This realization caused Naruto to jump to his feet before dashing towards a distant Sasuke who was practicing his Hand Seals. During this, Shisui once again erupted into a series of laughter.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! I have a clan!" Naruto screamed with joy.

"Really? What do they specialize in?" Sasuke asked, one of the few times him actually showed interest in something.

"I have no idea! I'll have to go talk to Shisui some more!" Naruto answered before dramatically turning around and running away.

This action caused Shisui's mouth to fall open as his laughter crew in volume. At the same time, Sasuke scoffed with defeat before returning to his practice.

Soon, each of these friends became completely devoted to their clan techniques. While this occurred, Shisui was continuously standing beside them, eager to off any assistance when necessary.

* * *

 _One Year later_ _._

Faint rays of moonlight sparkled down on Naruto as he sat in a chair on the porch. This created an extended period of silence as Naruto glared up at the moon for what felt like minutes.

Soon, Naruto noticed a brief silhouette flickering in the corner of his backyard while crows soared overhead. Afterwards, Naruto squinted several times while attempting to stare at the silhouette.

"Hey Itachi! Is Shisui with you?" Naruto asked, creating an awkward silence.

After several moments, Itachi slowly crept into view as fresh blood dripped from his mask and outfit. Despite this brutal appearance, Naruto's innocence prevented him from reacting with dread.

"Shisui was gonna teach me the Body Flicker technique tomorrow, wanna watch?" While speaking, Naruto scratched the bridge of his nose.

An awkward period of silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by the call of nearby crows. After several moments, Itachi finally pulled his Anbu mask loose was drops of blood bombarded the nearby ground.

"I would like to thank you for everything you've done, for Sasuke." Itachi spoke with an odd light of sincerity.

"No big deal! I know how dramatic Sasuke can be!" Naruto giggled before rubbing the back of his head.

"Did you wanna come inside? I can have Iruka make you a snack for your mission?" While Naruto spoke, he occasionally glanced blood that stained Itach's outfit.

This question created a tense silence as Naruto and Itachi sat in the darkness for what felt like hours. Soon, Naruto tilted his head with confusion while waiting for a response.

"Itachi, is something wrong?" After mumbling these words, another period of silence filled the air.

At this moment, the sky overhead slowly swirled with a bright crimson aura while crows fanatically flew overhead. At the same time, Naruto casually scratched the bridge of his nose in an Iruka-like fashion.

The entire air then began silent as Itachi stood completely stood for what felt like minutes. While this occurred, Naruto was so innocent and childish that he didn't even perceive Itachi as a threat.

Soon, dozens of distant crows slowly fell overhead while multiple black feathers fell before plummeting to the ground. Among these flock of crows was a single rave, but Naruto was too distracted to notice.

What? Naruto pondered while glancing up at dozens of crows.

This is kind of nice... Those eyes are pretty. While thinking these thoughts, Naruto glanced at a pair of spiraling Sharingan overhead.

A brief silence then filled the air as Naruto became completely distracted by Itachi's swirling crows. After several moments, a nearby raven soared down at Naruto before attacking the distract Uzumaki.

This raven slowly showed its beak into Naruto's mouth before wiggling its body down his throat. This action forced Naruto to violently gag and fall on both knees while Itachi's raven slowly disappeared down his throat.

Suddenly, the raven inside Naruto's throat abruptly disappeared before fading away, as if it was never there. Afterwards, an extensive silence filled the air as Naruto gagged and choked for several minutes while staring at the ground.

Soon, Naruto slowly raised his gasping face before glancing from side-to-side, searching for Itachi. This allowed Naruto to realize that Itachi had completely disappeared from view.

Wa-… Was that a prank? Naruto asked himself while rubbing his throat.

For several minutes, Naruto then stood on his back porch while glancing from side-to-side multiple times. Naruto then sighed with defeat before turning around and walking inside his home, unaware of the deep power that Itachi just stored inside of him.

* * *

 _Two years later._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on Naruto and Iruka as they stood atop the Hokage Monument. This was Naruto's 10th birthday, a date that had become scared to Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei" Naruto mumbled while staring at the distant sun.

"Yes, Naruto? What is it?" Iruka asked with a smile on his face.

A brief period of silence then filled the air as Iruka gripped the top of Naruto's head in a fatherly fashion. At the same time, Naruto continued to stare off at the distant sun.

"I've been thinking... About all the hatred in the world..." Naruto once again mumbled.

"Do you remember talking about that?" After speaking, Naruto earned a nod of approval in response.

"Of course! And what have you been thinking about it?" Iruka remarked while rubbing Naruto's hair.

"Well... How do you fight hatred?" Naruto continued to mumble.

"You protect people, Naruto... Like how I protected you." Iruka explained, forcing each of Naruto's concealed eyes to briefly bulge.

"But Iruka-sensei... Why do people protect others?" Naruto asked, earning an inquisitive hum in response.

"Well... It's called love, Naruto." Iruka replied with a joyful giggle.

"Because when you love someone, you want to protect it." After speaking, a brief period of silence once again filled the air.

"An-... And love, love is something precious, like ramen?" Naruto muttered, earning a nod of approval in response.

"That's right Naruto, love is the hearts desire to protect something that is precious to you..." Iruka explained while continuing to rub Naruto's hair.

"Love is something sweet, people will do anything to protect the ones they love." As Iruka spoke, the faint silhouette of his own parents briefly pierced his mind.

"An-... And you would protect me?" Naruto stuttered.

"I would protect you no matter what Naruto." Iruka answered, creating an extended period of silence.

"Iruka-sensei... Why? why do people sacrifice themselves?" Naruto asked while continuing to stare at the distant sun.

"Well... When someone passes away, it's the end of both his past and future, all the dreams he once had." Iruka explained while rubbing his chin.

"His dreams, thoughts and goals disappeared with him... Everything except his memories." While speaking, these words created a small sparkle inside Naruto's eyes.

"We all have ties that bind use together and when someone dies, all those ties and strings are broken... Except for one." After speaking, Iruka allowed a brief period of silence to fill the air.

"Memories, the memories that we hold dear to our hearts." As he spoke, the memories of his own parents floated through his mind.

"Wh-... What if I'm not strong enough to protect anyone?" Naruto muttered with a timid tone.

"Well... Think of someone you love? Think of someone or someplace you care about?" Iruka suggested.

"Maybe, maybe... Think about someone who's not with you anymore?" After speaking, Iruka finally tore his hand away from Naruto's hair.

"Because when you have someone to protect, your true power will emerge." After he spoke, Iruka scratched the bridge of his nose.

"M-... My true power?" Naruto stuttered.

A tense silence then filled then air as Naruto reach out with his right hand towards the distant sun. Afterwards, Naruto held his hand in front of the sun, creating a bright silhouette of light around his hand.

Naruto then held his hand in this same position for what felt like minutes while Iruka smiled from ear-to-ear. During this, the faint sound of distant commerce and conversations resonated out from the village of Konoha.

"Sensei... Why do people hate others?" Naruto asked before finally looking away from the sun and staring at Iruka.

"Well, getting injured in any shape or form will give birth to hatred, but injuring someone one else will cause them to hate you... That's what pain is." Iruka explained while rubbing the back of his head.

"If we all understood each others pain, than we'd finally understand each other... And a new world could be built." While speaking, Iruka briefly scratched the bridge of his nose.

"There is a lot of pain in this world, Naruto..." As he spoke, Iruka once again grabbed Naruto's head while glancing down at him.

"But I truly believe that a day will come when all that pain and hatred can be put aside, and everyone will live in love and peace..." After speaking, Iruka crouched down to Naruto's eye level.

This father and son duo then briefly smiled at one another before staring off at the distant sunset. During this, an extended period of silence filled the air as Naruto tried to understand what Iruka was saying.

"And maybe, just maybe... If that doesn't happen in my time, you'll be the one to build that world Naruto." After he spoke, Iruka giggled several times while rubbing Naruto's hair.

"H-how do I do that?" Naruto mumbled.

"You first have to grow up... That's one of the last lessons I have to teach you." Iruka remarked.

"But I'm sure if you apply yourself and work had, you'll figure it out all alone one day!" As Iruka spoke, a wide smile spread across his face.

This statement forced Naruto to downcast his face as Iruka continued to play with his hair. Naruto's hair had grown much longer since his childhood, giving him cheek-length hair while a majority of his bangs hung over his forehead and eyes. (A young Nagato's haircut.)

"I know you'll find a way Naruto, because you're my student and you know what they say, right?" Iruka asked, forcing Naruto to slowly raise his head.

"A student inheirits his ninja way from his teacher, isn't that right, Naruto?" After speaking, his words forced a bright smile to bloom across Naruto's face.

"Yes sir!" Naruto answered with a slight chuckle.

"I mean... I can't turn down a request from my master, now can I?" As Naruto spoke, the smile on Iruka's face grew even more wide.

"Oh! Sensei, check this out." After speaking, Naruto ran towards a nearby fence before picking up leaf off the ground.

"I think you're gonna love this Sensei, check this out!" After he spoke, Naruto placed this leaf against his forehead before pressing both hands together and closing his eyes.

Soon, an extended period of silence filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of rustling leaves. During this, Iruka swelled with pride and love as he stared at Naruto with eyes full of joy.

He's really grown. Iruka concluded.

Lord 3rd Hokage...Lord 4th Hokage... While these thoughts raced, Iruka glanced down at the stone face of the 4th Hokage.

Our hero has grown up, don't you think? While these thoughts progressed, Iruka briefly scratched the bridge of his nose.

Iruka was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't even notice the sheer amount of time that passed. Because of this, the leaf across Naruto's forehead slowly began to wrinkle before falling to the ground after five minutes.

However, Naruto was so focused on his chakra control that he didn't even notice when his leaf hit the ground. At the same time, Iruka smiled from ear-to-ear before turning around and walking down the path towards Konoha.

"Naruto, let's go." Iruka spoke out after walking 20ft away from Naruto.

"We can get that all you can eat ramen I promised." This statement forced Naruto to instantly snap back to reality before running with joy towards Iruka.

The day will soon come Naruto. Iruka told himself.

The day when you stand as a shinobi of Konoha. After thinking these thoughts, Naruto finally arrived next to Iruka before they each walked into the sunset.

This was an important moment and day for Naruto, a day he would never forget. The day when he finally understood what his dream and purpose really was.

* * *

 _Two years later._

Various girls were siting in the academy classroom while groaning as they stared at Sasuke. During this, the flickering silhouette of Itachi was repetiviely drifting through Sasuke's mind for what felt like minutes.

As Sasuke became lost in thoughts, nearby girls were intently observing his outfit and clothes. Sasuke's hair was extremely spiky with a pair of side bangs that hung across each of his cheeks.

This hair matched the black armbands that Sasuke wore on each wrist, and the black shinobi shoes he wore. Also, his outfit was a sleeveless blue tunic with a white skirt-like garment worn around his waist.

Under this tunic, Sasuke wore a pair blue shorts while a solid black grasscutter-style sword was sheathed behind the back of his waist. This sword was a direct gift from Shisui.

As nearby girls continued to observe Sasuke, he didn't even notice when Sakura and Ino entered the room. Each of these kunoichi then sat in the row behind Sasuke before glancing directly at him.

"Yo, yo Naruto!" Shikamaru muttered as his friend finally entered the classroom.

"Are those new clothes?" Weird to see you in something other than orange." After he spoke, Shikamaru yawned with exhaustion.

"Y-... Yea!" Naruto stuttered before becoming briefly lost in his thoughts.

Naruto's life with Iruka had been a drastic change from his previous existence as an orphan. Naruto had grown much more quiet and reserved ever since Iruka came into his life, erasing his previous display of pranks.

Naruto didn't really need to pull pranks anymore, he only did them in the first place to attract attention. But since Naruto had Iruka, he didn't need to pull pranks or be loud which gave him a quiet personality.

The recent life with Iruka also gave Naruto a collection of friends, people like Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke and even Kakashi. Naruto actually never met Kakashi yet but Iruka always spoke very highly off him.

Despite Naruto's familiarity with Sasuke, Choji and Shikamaru, he basically never spoke with any of his other classmates. However, many of these unspoken classmates would occasionally direct hateful glares of mocking laughs at Naruto.

This rampant mockery was always present in Naruto's life, but his recent time with Sasuke had significantly dampened the insults. The Naruto and Sasuke rivalry was well known in the academy, aswell as their odd friendship.

After several moments, Naruto finally managed to shake his head from side-to-side before walking towards Sasuke. During this, each of his nearby classmates were intently observing his new outfit.

Iruka had spent weeks nagging Naruto to change out of his bright orange jumpsuit, concerned for his safety. Iruka made it very clear that no shinobi was be stupid enough to wear such bright colors in combat.

Naruto's outfit consisted of an angle-length purple tunic that was parted in the front, revealing his black pants. The sleeves of this outfit was significantly long while the inside was lined with a pale yellow color, similar to Naruto's hair.

The collar of this tunic was also raised, concealing a small portion of Naruto's lower face and nose from view. This brought attention to Naruto's black shinobi shoes with white shin-guards worn around his ankles. (Obito's 4th SWW outfit with Akatsuki shoes).

"Yea... Iruka-sensei took me out shopping for graduation..." Naruto mumbled while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

At this moment, Naruto casually approached Sasuke before pulling a chair loose and sitting down. This action forced Ino and Sakura to both glare at him with pure hatred.

"He already promised to take me out for ramen when I graduate!" After speaking, Choji began to drool at the mention of food.

"Ramen, you say? I would like to join in! A contest to celebrate the old days gone by... Eh, Shikamaru?" Choji questioned, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Just try and be civilized... I don't want a repeat of last time... How do you eat glass?" Shikamaru mumbled before shaking off the horrific flashbacks.

"Sasuke, wanna come with?" Naruto asked, earning a hostile snort from Sakura and Ino.

Naruto better stop hanging out with him. Sakura concluded.

That freak can be so annoying sometimes. Ino thought.

"Sure, whatever." Sasuke muttered while shrugging both shoulders.

"That reminds me, I have that book you loaned me..." After speaking, Sasuke reached into his Uchiha backpack.

"It really has a lot of info... Thanks." While he spoke, Sasuke pulled out an the green book with the kanji for 'History of Clans in the Leaf' spread across it.

This was the same book that Naruto received from Sarada Uchiha almost five years ago. Also, that was the last time Sasuke ever saw Sarada alive, a realization that caused him to briefly pause.

"Sure thing... We're you reading up on the Hyuga clan again? Naruto asked, earning a scoff in response.

"I'm just glad Iruka bought you some new clothes... That orange stuff was a killer on my eyes." Sasuke remarked, forcing Naruto to chuckle several times.

At this moment, Iruka entered the classroom before a chorus of boo's followed. After several moments, Iruka managed to silence the complaining children before walking up to the chalkboard.

"Listen up everyone..." Iruka spoke out.

"In preparation for the upcoming graduation exam, we're going to be practicing the Transformation jutsu." After speaking, the entire class erupted into a chorus of boo's

"Up first - Sasuke Uchiha." As he spoke, Sasuke abruptly stood up from his chair before approaching the chalkboard.

This statement forced Ino and Sakura to both stand up before cheering Sasuke on from the back of the classroom. Afterwards, Sasuke casually approached Iruka before preforming a Chunin-level display of the Transformation technique, turning into a perfect copy of Iruka except for his voice.

"Nice job, you get an A-, Sasuke... Up next, Sakura Haruno." After speaking, a heated argument erupted between Sakura and Ino

After screaming for several moments, Sakura dashed past Sasuke before charging towards the chalkboard. Sakura then managed to preform a Genin-level display of the Transformation technique, earning a B- before she returned to her seat.

A brief period of silence then filled the room as Iruka approached his desk before grabbing his clipboard. The Chunin instructor then flipped through several pages while returning to the chalkboard.

"Up next - Naruto Uzumaki." This statement was followed by a tense and brief silence.

Suddenly, Choji stood up from his chair before cheering Naruto on as potato crumbs spewed from his mouth. This walked forced Shikamaru to downcast his face while a smiling Naruto slowly walked towards the chalkboard.

Naruto then stood beside Iruka for several moments before clapping each of his gloved hands together. Afterwards, Naruto erupted into a cloud of smoke before a barely transparent and distorted version of Iruka wiggled into view.

This display forced the entire classroom to erupt into laughter as Naruto reverted to his normal form before falling to the ground. Naruto then pretended to gasp and pant for air even though he was completely fine.

While a vast majority of the class laughed at Naruto for his failure, Iruka, Shikamaru and Sasuke each narrowed their eyes with interest. Soon, Iruka made a mental note to confront Naruto about this moment.

* * *

 _One week later._

Naruto, Iruka and Mizuki were all gathered in the iconic classroom of team 7. They were holding tryouts for the graduation exam and only one student was allowed inside the classroom at a time.

"Next, Naruto Uzumaki" Mizuki spoke while sitting at a desk beside Iruka.

A tense period of silence then filled the air as Naruto slowly approached the pair of Chunin. Afterwards, Naruto stood in front of their desk for what felt like minutes while an expression of concern spread across Iruka's face.

Iruka had spent the past weeks encouraging Naruto to display his true talents, and keep nothing hidden. However, Mizuki also spoke to Naruto, telling him about a special graduation exam that Iruka once took.

Mizuki's words actually managed to convince Naruto, eager to follow in Iruka's footsteps. Because of this, Naruto already decided to fail this exam so he could take the special exam with Mizuki.

"Ninja art: Clone Jutsu!" Naruto's voice pierced the air before he erupted into a cloud of smoke.

After several moments, this smoke began to dissipate before revealing the worst clone Iruka had ever seen in his entire life. This clone was extremely pale and as thin as paper, forcing it to slowly faceplant against the hard floor before exploding into a puff of smoke.

"I-... I can't believe this, Naruto! I can't pass you like this!" Iruka stuttered.

"Come on, Naruto's clearly working hard... Why not just give him the special exam?" Mizuki suggested, trying to use the right words to convince Naruto.

"A special exam is exactly what he needs." Iruka scoffed out in response.

"Naruto, I want you to go home and continue to practice." As he spoke, his tone was clearly depressed.

At this moment, Naruto turned around before a wide smile sprawled across his concealed face. Naruto then skipped for joy as he left the classroom, unaware of the deep horror that loomed on the horizon.

* * *

 _Four hours later, Friday 8:39pm, April 6th 58SSP._

Bright rays of moonlight sparkled down on the dirt-filled road as Iruka slowly walked home. During this walk, Iruka was pinching the bridge of his nose while the face of Naruto drifted through this mind.

Iruka felt like a complete failure, he felt like a terrible teacher and a terrible father. This conclusion created a tense silence as Iruka continued to walk home, daydreaming about his next conversation with Naruto.

"IRUKA!." A winded Chunin shouted before landing beside Iruka in a crouched position

"What is it, Iwana? What's happening?" Iruka asked.

"Nar-... Naruto! H-... He-... He's-..." Iwana stuttered while gasping for air.

"Naruto's stolen the forbidden scroll!" An unknown Chunin interjected after appearing atop a nearby house.

"WHAT?! How long has he been missing, Bekko?" Iruka panicked.

"I don't know... But Lord Hokage has summoned has issued a summoning, come with us at once." Bekko exclaimed before gasping for air.

"Right away! Lead on!" Iruka shouted with agreement before the trio of Chunin began dashing from roof to roof, beginning their journey.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"Lord Hokage, this isnt a joke!" Iwana screamed.

"This is a serious crime, one that needs punishment!" As he spoke, the 3rd Hokage stood outside his office with over three dozen Chunin and Jounin surrounding him.

"That's right! That scroll contains secrets that were sealed by the first Hokage! Secrets known only to our village!" Bekko interjected.

"If it falls into the wrong hands, they could destroy our village!" A shinobi known as Daikoku cut in.

Suddenly, a tense period of silence filled the air as Hiruzen inhaled a fresh hit of leaf from his pipe. During this, each of the surrounding ninja wait for orders from their Hokage.

"Very well" Hiruzen mumbled as streams of smoke poured from his nose.

"Bring Naruto Uzumaki here, at once!" After speaking, his orders were met with a chorus of approval.

At this moment, Hiruzen's outfit began to rustle and waver as dozens of Jounin and Chunin disappeared with the Body Flicker technique. This was a very important moment, the moment that would decided Naruto's future and the future of Konoha as a whole.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Bright rays of moonlight sparkled down before the dense foliage as Naruto sat in a large grove of a forest. This forest was one of hundreds the surrounded Konoha, giving Naruto an excellent hiding location.

"Forbidden Art: Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto's voice pierced the air while preforming the iconic clone Hand Seals.

This statement created a consecutive explosion of smoke all around Naruto before forty clones came into view. After the smoke fully dissipated, each of these clones sat down in a similar fashion to Naruto before staring directly at him.

Naruto had been practicing and reading from the forbidden scroll for over four hours at this point. This allowed him to basically master an extremely difficult technique, the Multiple Shadow Clone jutsu.

Naruto was actually surprised to notice how easy this technique was to learn and use. However, Naruto failed to realize just how massive his chakra reserves actually were, Kage-level chakra reserves.

Because of this, Naruto decided to continue studying the scroll, eager to appease Iruka in anyway he could. This conclusion forced Naruto to unroll the forbidden scroll even further, revealing an odd yet familiar swirl pattern.

This pattern was the Eight Trigrams Seal, a special technique used by the 4th Hokage himself to seal the nine tails demon inside a young boy over 12 years ago. This seal created an odd feeling inside Naruto's stomach, but he quickly shrugged it off before unrolling the scroll even further.

This allowed Naruto's vision to focus upon another techinique, a jutsu that sucked in Naruto's attention like a vortex. This technique was called Flying Thunder God and Naruto's head began to ache with confusion before struggling to read it.

"To activate this technique, the user places a special seal to mark an intended destination... " Naruto mumbled while rubbing his hair.

"The user can then, at will, enter a dimensional void that instantaneously teleports them to the location of the seal..." These words were spoken very slowly as Naruto struggled to understand them.

"SO MUCH WORK." After screaming, Naruto dramatically fell backwards against a nearby tree.

Soon, Naruto closed both eyes while his clones picked up the forbidden scroll before passing it among one another. After several moments, Naruto completely past out while each of the surrounding clones continued working hard, allowing him to sleep and work at the same time.

* * *

 _Seven hours later._

"NARUTO! NARUTO!" Iruka screamed while dashing over several tree branches.

Iruka was fully aware that Naruto loved hiding in the woods, causing him to search the nearby forest around Konoha. Naruto wasn't just his little brother anymore - he was his son.

After several moments, a bright flashed erupted from between a pair of distant trees. This light forced Iruka to stomp both his feet atop a tree branch before soaring through the air, moving with Chunin-level speed.

This speed allowed Iruka to fly into a kunai-filled grove before landing atop the ground with a heavy thud. Afterwards, Iruka quickly noticed an exhausted Naruto that was sprawled across the ground and gasping for air.

"NARUTO!" DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN?!" Iruka shrieked, causing Naruto to briefly jolt.

"Hah looks like you finally found me Sensei." Naruto chuckled out.

"But took you long enough. I had time to learn and develop two forbidden technique's!" After speaking, Naruto barely managed to sit up.

"Do I pass the secret exam sensei?" These question filled Iruka with uttered confusion.

"What are you talking about? What Secret exam?" Iruka murmured.

"Dont play dumb! Mizuki told me all about the secret exam and how you passed it." Naruto explained, creating a horrified expression across Iruka's face.

During this expression of horror, Naruto closed both eyes while smiling at his sensei. At the same time, Iruka realized Mizuki was trying to frame Naruto and steal the scroll for himself.

"Hey there, Naruto..." The voice of Mizuki spoke out from atop a nearby tree branch.

"I see Iruka has found you hard at work, how's the exam going?" As he spoke, his tone was innocent and kind.

"Hey, Mizuki-sensei! Iruka was just abo-." Naruto attempted to replied before Iruka cut him off.

"Naruto! Dont listen to him! This entire exam was a step up! Get back to the village, now!" Iruka interjected, filling Naruto with confusion.

"What do you mean? I thought I already passed the exam?" Naruto mumbled.

"I passed, right Mizuki-sensei? While speaking, Naruto glanced up at Mizuki.

This question caused Mizuki to chuckle for several seconds before a tense period of silence filled the air. During this, Iruka already had his hand spread across his kunai pouch.

"This isn't where I told you to train at Naruto. Do you know how long I've been searching?" Mizuki exclaimed.

"Naruto! Don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden jutsu that could put our village in great danger!" Iruka screamed, forcing Naruto's grip on the scroll to tighten.

"Iruka is just trying to scare you because he's afraid of you breaking his record." Mizuki replied nonchalantly, causing Naruto to breathe a sigh of relief.

This was a rather confusing moment for Naruto, filling him with hesitation. Naruto thought the pair of Chunin were trying to give him a final test, causing him to just play.

"Stop lying Mizuki! Don't let him trick you, Naruto!" Iruka screamed.

Suddenly, Mizuki started to laughed in a extended and twisted fashion, forcing Naruto to abruptly gasp. As Mizuki continued to laugh, it took several moments before he finally stopped.

"I'll tell you whose really lying, Naruto." Mizuki spoke, forcing Iruka to tense.

"NO MIZUKI!" Iruka bellowed.

At this moment, Iruka pulled a kunai loose in each hand before entering a Taijutsu stance. Afterwards, a tense period of silence filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of Mizuki's laughter.

Soon, Naruto's grip on the forbidden scroll tightened as he briefly struggled to breathe. This was a tense moment for Naruto, a moment he didn't want to fail.

"They've been lying to you, Naruto. They've been lying to you for your entire life." Mizuki exclaimed.

"Everyone knows except you, Iruka's trying to hide it from you even now... He'd do anything to shut me up." After speaking, his words filled Naruto with confusion.

"What lie? What does everyone else know about it?" Naruto mumbled.

"DON'T TELL HIM! ITS FORBIDDEN MIZUKI!" Iruka shrieked.

Suddenly, the only sound that could be heard for minutes was the faint sound of distant owls. Also, flickering rays of moonlight would occasionally sparkle down upon the confused and exhausted Naruto.

"You don't even know, do you?" Mizuki spoke before a dense gust of wind blew in from the south.

"The nine tailed fox is sealed inside you!" These words forced each of Naruto's concealed eyes to bulge with shock.

"The demon who destroyed our village, murdered Iruka's parents and killed hundreds of our villagers is sealed inside you! YOU ARE THE NINE TAILED FOX DEMON!" While screaming, this words forced Naruto's entire body to twitch.

"They've all hiding things behind you're back your entire life... Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? How they hated you for just being alive!?" These words were spoken with a sadistic tone.

Soon, Naruto began to bite his lip while his entire body continued to twitch. At the same time, Iruka charged forward at Chunin-level speed.

"STOP IT" Iruka screamed before leaping into the air.

Iruka then disappeared into the shadowy tree line as a fierce Chunin-level battle erupted in the shadows. During this, Naruto's body was completely still while each of his eyes occasionally twitched and pulsated.

Suddenly, the sound of metal striking metal filled the air as Iruka and Mizuki continued to battle each other. This sound finally brought Naruto back to reality before he struggle to stand up only to fall backwards into a nearby tree.

Naruto spent the past seven hours training with dozens of Shadow clones, displaying Kage-level feat of chakra control. Because of this, Naruto was completely and totally exhausted, barely able to move.

Naruto was so exhausted that he slowly curled up into a fetal position before huddling next to a tree root. Afterwards, Iruka jumped from a nearby tree branch before landing on the ground next to Naruto.

"Naruto! I need you to take the scroll and report to the Lord Hokage!" Iruka shrieked.

Instead of moving, Naruto continued to pant and gasp for air as chakra exhaustion left him completely paralyzed. This realization forced panic to swell inside of Iruka, filled with genuine fear for Naruto's safety. But it was no good Naruto was beyond exhausted he couldn't move.

At this moment, Mizuki landed atop a nearby tree branch before hurling several shuriken through the air. As these weapons approached, Iruka pulled a kunai loose with his left hand before deflecting each of these shuriken with a single strike.

This action created the sound of metal striking metal while a spray of sparks filled the air. Afterwards, each of these shuriken harmlessly fell to the ground beside Naruto's feet.

"Naruto! Run! Run!" Iruka screamed before Mizuki jumped to the forest floor.

Iruka then charged towards Mizuki while an exhausted Naruto continued to struggle for air. As Iruka approached, Mizuki casually sidestepped his attack before kneeing him in the stomach.

After disarming Iruka, Mizuki grabbed him by the collar of his outfit before tossing him to the ground. During this, each of Naruto's eyes began to violently twitch while struggling to breathe.

"Pathetic, pathet-" Mizuki mocked before being cut off as Iruka once again charged at him.

Iruka and Mizuki then clashed in a fierce Chunin-level display of Taijutsu for several seconds. Despite Iruka's determination, Mizuki was able to sidestep a backhanded slash from the fatherly shinobi.

Mizuki then plunged a kunai directly through Iruka's right hand, disarming him while drops of blood spread across the ground. Afterwards, each of the battling shinobi jumped back over 5ft before Iruka quickly pulled Mizuki's kunai loose from his hand.

Iruka then briefly gasped for air before tossing Mizuki's kunai to the ground. At the same time, Iruka realized that no one else would arrive in time, filling him with dread.

"You would really defend the sane demon that killed your parents?" Mizuki asked.

"The only demon here is you Mizuki!" Iruka protested.

"Hmph... I didnt want you to get involved Iruka but if you wont give up..." Mizuki mumbled, forcing each of Iruka's eyes to violently twitch.

"I never give it! That's my ninja way!" Iruka screamed before glancing at Naruto.

This image then forced Iruka's mouth to fall open with shock after noticing the expression of fear that was spread across Naruto's face. This fear briefly overwhelmed Iruka before the distant memory of his own father drifted through his mind.

A parents duty is to protect their children! A single phrase echoed through Iruka's mind.

This thought forced Iruka to swell with confidence before jumping over 10ft backwards through the air. At the same time, Iruka clapped both hands together and weaved through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals before landing atop the ground.

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!" Iruka exhaled a condensed spray of chakra-filled flames.

These flames burnt the surrounding earth and nearby trees before surging out towards Mizuki. As these flames approached, Mizuki chuckled in response before clapping both hands together and weaving through the Tiger, Rabbit, Boar and Dog Seals.

"Earth style: Mud Wall!" Mizuki screamed before crouching down and slamming both hands into the ground.

Suddenly, several portions of nearby earth and hardened mud rose several feet from the ground, creating a wall. This wall was then engulfed by a condense explosion of chakra-filled flames after Iruka's technique collided with Mizuki's.

After several moments, Iruka's technique finally dissipated while Mizuki continued to stand behind his partially collapsed wall. Afterwards, Mizuki grabbed one of the massive shuriken strapped across his back before hurling it through the air.

"NOW DIE, DEMON!" As these words pierced the air, Iruka's eyes bulged with horror.

A tense silence then filled the air as Naruto tried to stand up before falling back time. This realization forced Iruka's entire world to slow down as he swelled with panic.

"NARUTO, WATCH OUT!" Iruka screamed with a mixture of pain, rage and fear.

At this moment, Naruto buried his head into both hands before tears slowly began to pour from his eyes. Afterwards, the sound of melt piercing flesh could be heard before an extended period of silence filled the air.

Suddenly, Naruto finally came back to reality after several cold drops of blood began to bombard his head. This realization forced each of Naruto's lips to briefly quiver before raising his head.

This action allowed Naruto to notice a blood-stained Iruka that was standing directly in front of his fetal body. As Iruka stood, his right hand was propped against the tree behind Naruto for support.

The blood was Iruka's hand was also dripping atop Naruto, staining his once blond hair. This brought attention to several wounds, cutes and bruises that covered Iruka's face, a result of his concealed battle with Mizuki.

"Naru-Naruto... Naruto." Iruka stuttered while blood streamed from his mouth.

Soon, Iruka fell on both knees in front of Naruto before coughing up several drops of blood. This blood was sprayed across Naruto's expressionless face while stared at Iruka's blood stained face without even blinking.

Despite his injuries, a wide and prominent smile then spread across Iruka's face. This was an expression that filled Naruto with a brief moment of hope, convinced that everything around him was just a test.

"I'm so-... Sorry Naruto..." While stuttering, blooding continued to drip from his mouth.

"This is it." After speaking, Iruka closed both eyes before smiling from ear-to-ear.

Iruka then pulled his right hand from the nearby tree before gripping Naruto's head and playing with his hair for one last time. During this, fresh drops of blood continued to stain Naruto's hair as Iruka struggled to breathe.

"Yo-... you are my torch..." After speaking, Iruka cough up several drops of blood. out,

"You're m-... My Will of Fire..." A final phrase escaped from Iruka's mouth before his lifeless hand slowly slid from Naruto's hair.

Iruka's lifeless body then slowly fell sideways through the air before he hit the ground with a heavy thud. The force of this impact forced Iruka's skull to bounce back up before once again hit the ground as his entire body went limp.

An extensive silence then pierced the air while each of Naruto's hands twitched several times. While this occurred, the faint laughter of Mizuki could continuously be heard.

"Hahaha pathetic!" Mizuki mocked.

"How does that make you feel, demon? I bet it you love it don't you?" As he spoke, Naruto began to hyperventilate.

Naruto's gasps for air began so frequent and drastic that nothing else could be heard, causing Mizuki to laugh with pride. He never thought it would be this easy.

"Lets get this over with, I need to get this scroll to Orochimaru..." While speaking, Mizuki began to lazily stroll towards Naruto.

"Besides, no one cares about a 3rd rate academy teacher and some freak." While he spoke, Naruto's entire body began to twitch.

"He was right you know... I did lie to you. I used you to get this scroll all to myself." After speaking, Mizuki laughed with joy.

"And not only did you bring me the scroll, you also killed Iruka." This statement forced each of Naruto's downcast eyes to violently convulse.

Suddenly, Mizuki gasped with shocked while nearby trees and portions of earth abruptly cracked. Afterwards, Naruto finally raised his face before a faint glimmer of purple erupted into existence from his eyes.

"Aa-... AAa-... AAAHHH **!"** Naruto's pain-filled screams pieced the air as tears poured from his new pair of violet eyes.

These eyes created a fierce yet unseen force that rippled out from Naruto with the strength of gravity. This force then effortlessly flung Mizuki back while uprooting trees and portions of earth.

Several shockwaves of dust and debris then resonated out in all directions as Mizuki was instantly crushed to death. During this, the nearby earth quaked under the weight of Naruto's chakra.

Suddenly, a fierce explosion of dust, debris and trees erupted into existence, polluting the air. Afterwards, an extended period of silence filled the air as the debris slowly dissipated.

Soon, a motionless and gasping Naruto came into view before he fell onto his back with a heavy thud. Naruto's vision was this briefly overwhelmed by a hazy blur as he struggled to see anything.

Naruto then slowly turned his face to his left before his eyes slowly noticed the blood stained corpse of Iruka. Also, Naruto finally noticed a massive shuriken that was lodged into Iruka's back, the same shuriken that was aimed for him.

This image combined with the dark realization of Iruka's sacrifice forced tears to swell inside Naruto's violet eyes. Naruto then stared at Iruka's limp and lifeless face for what felt like hours before chakra exhaustion finally overwhelmed him.

At this moment, Naruto fell unconscious next to the lifeless corpse of Iruka while rays of moonlight sparkled down from overhead. At the same time, dozens of Anbu were now racing towards his location after noticing the extensive shockwave that Naruto just created.

This was a horrific and nightmarish moment for Naruto, the moment when Iruka gave his life to save him.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Point out my mistakes.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DON'T CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: I Miss You, Dad! Alone Again.**

 _Friday 11:49pm, April 6th 58SSP._

Faint rays of moonlight sparkled down on a damaged grove in the distant forest around Konoha. This grove was filled with a massive crater and dozens of Anbu that escorted the 3rd Hokage.

"Hmm?" Hiruzen mumbled to himself while approaching a freshly made crater in the earth, a lake-sized crater.

Kunai also littered the nearby ground and trees, suggesting a past battle However, Iruka and Naruto were the people Hiruzen discovered after approaching the large gust of dust, smoke and debris.

Soon, Hiruzen's gazed softened upon glancing at Iruka's lifeless corpse, a corpse that was smiling. This smile caused Hiruzen to sigh with regret before turning his attention towards Naruto.

Hiruzen then quickly noticed Naruto was entirely unharmed other than Iruka's blood, blood that stained his hair. After several moments, his gaze shift to the forbidden scroll that was sprawled across the ground beside Naruto, revealed three forbidden jutsu.

"Clear this area of any evidence!" After speaking, a chorus of Anbu nodded their heads in approval.

"Yugao!" After he spoke, a cat-masked Anbu with shoulder-length hair appeared in a kneeling position beside him. screamed.

"Yes lord Hokage?" The young, feminine and elite Anbu spoke out.

"Care and clean Iruka's body and prepare him for a proper burial..." Hiruzen ordered before slowly approaching Naruto.

Hiruzen then crouched down before picking Naruto up with both arms, carrying him like his son.

Suddenly a nearby Anbu instinctively strapped the forbidden scroll across Hiruzen's back in a slanted vertical fashion before kneeling down beside his Kage. Afterwards, multiple Anbu became sweeping the areas and removing any signs of evidence.

"Recall Kakashi Hatake at once!" After he screamed, Hiruzen slammed each of his feet in the ground, causing him to disappear in a whirlwind of Leaf's as multiple elite Anbu escorted him.

Hiruzen was moving with such speed and determination, that he failed to even hear the chorus of approval from his order. After Hiruzen disappeared with Kage-level speed, the remaining Anbu shuffled to remove the evidence, eager to leave nothing behind.

* * *

 _Five days later._

 _Wednesday 11:27am, April 11th, 58SSP_

The air was cold and dark while Naruto's stomach rumbled for food. At the same time, a crippling pain erupted from Naruto's eyes as he struggled to see anything for minutes.

Soon, Naruto grabbed the corners of his sheets before throwing them to the side. Afterwards, Naruto jumped from his bed before instantly shivering as he touched the cold tile floor of a hospital.

"Naruto?" An unknown silhouette asked while sitting inside a nearby chair.

This question caught Naruto completely off guard, confused that someone would care enough to visit him. This created an awkward period of silence as the shadowy silhouette stood up before approaching Naruto.

Shikamaru, Choji, Old man, Sasuke... Naruto began to mentally count up a list of his friends.

And of course Iruk- As these thoughts raced, they froze midway once the memory of Iruka pierced his mind.

Naruto then struggled to remember what happened, finding it difficult to remember anything. He thought about Iruka telling him to run and live, but everything after that began a blurry haze.

Finally, the image of Iruka's smiling and bloody face pierced Naruto's mind before he fully remembered what happened. This dark realization forced Naruto to downcast his face before a depressing aura filled the room.

Suddenly, Naruto's mind before to drifted and fade away, thinking about a better time in his left. After several seconds, Naruto began completely lost in thought before drifting into his memories.

- _Flashback-_

"Naruto, why?" Iruka asked.

Iruka and Naruto each sat in the living room while watching Billy and Mandy on TV. This was the same day Naruto pretended to failed the transformation technique inside class.

"You don't have to pretend to be horrible at Ninjutsu... I know you, you're not that stupid, why don't you try to prove yourself?" While speaking, Iruka rubbed the back of his head.

"Prove myself? I already have." Naruto mumbled.

"You're the only one I need to prove myself too, ya'know." After speaking, his words created a brief smile on Iruka's face.

"I just dont want anyone elses attention, ya'know?" As Naruto spoke, he continued to stare at the TV.

This created an extended period of silence, a silence pierced only by Naruto's occasional laugh. During this, Iruka smile from ear-to-ear while watching Naruto.

"Naruto, what is your dream?" Iruka asked, catching Naruto completely off guard.

"M-... My dream?" Naruto stuttered.

"Yes, a dream... Kind of like your deepest desire." Iruka explained.

This question forced Naruto to briefly paused before scratching the bridge of his nose. After several moments, Iruka gripped the top of Naruto's head before rubbing his hair in a fatherly fashion.

"M-... My dream..." Naruto once again stuttered.

"I want to protect people, like how you protect me." As Naruto spoke, he finally tore his gaze away from the TV before staring at Iruka.

"What about the people you hate?" Iruka asked, creating a brief period of silence.

"Sasuke hated me before, and now were best friends!" Naruto proclaimed with a joyful giggle.

"Believe it, sensei! One day, everyone in this village will look up to me! I promise!" As Naruto spoke, a wide smile bloomed across his face.

"You promise eh? Well here then." Iruka spoke before extending his left pinky left out.

"What's that?" Naruto mumbled.

"Its a pinky promise, Naruto, its a sacred vow." Iruka explained with a slight chuckle.

Iruka's laughed then infected Naruto before he also began to laugh. Afterwards, Naruto extended his right pinky out before wrapping it around Iruka's.

"I pinky promise!" Naruto giggled.

"How about some ramen? My treat?" Iruka suggested.

This statement forced Naruto to abruptly jump up from the couch before dashing out the door while Iruka followed him. As Iruka locked the front door of his house, he had no idea that Naruto's life would soon take a dramatic turn.

 _-Flashback ends-_

"Naruto." The unknown shinobi spoke out while casually poking Naruto in his face.

This action finally brought Naruto back to reality before he quickly downcast his face after pushing the shinobi's hand away. Afterwards, each of Naruto's concealed eyes bulged with shock before touching each of his concealed eyes.

Naruto was somehow able to directly see chakra and his own chakra network, an ability that usually reserved only for the Byakugan. This realization shocked Naruto before he slowly raised his face and observed his surroundings.

A tense period of silence then filled then air as Naruto swelled with confusion. He knew that only the Byakugan had the ability to properly view the chakra network, but Naruto wasn't a Hyuga.

Suddenly, Naruto was once again brought back to reality after the unknown shinobi casually poked him in the face. This action forced Naruto to once again knock his hand away before taking several steps backwards.

"Well... It's good to see your up and about." After the shinobi spoke, an extended period of silence filled the air.

"If your hungry, we can get some food." As he spoke, Naruto's stomach growled in approval.

However, despite the loud and apparent sounds of his stomach, Naruto refused to speak. This realization forced the unknown shinobi to casually sigh while rubbing his head.

"Let's go get some Dango… My treat!" After speaking, the shinobi turning around before walking towards the door.

A tense period of silence then once again filled the air as Naruto downcast his face with shame. At the same time, the blood-stain face of Iruka drifted through his mind.

I'm sorry... This is it, Naruto. Iruka's dying voice echoed through Naruto's mind.

Soon, Naruto once again became lost in his thoughts while the unnamed shinobi stood at the front door of his hospital room. After several moments, the unknown shinobi sighed with defeat while rubbing his head.

"I'll meet you outside." After the shinobi spoke, he disappeared with a Jounin-level Body Flicker technique.

A brief silence then filled the air before Naruto dashed over to his shoes and put them on. Afterwards, he glanced at a nearby mirror before noticing that Iruka's dry blood was staining portions of his blond hair.

Despite this realization, Naruto turned around before dashing towards the nearby window and throwing it open. Naruto then jumped out before falling over 10ft to the ground.

Naruto then began to run away, running towards Iruka's house while hoping that everything was a dream. After running for several seconds, Naruto abruptly faceplant the previous shinobi before falling to the ground.

"Hey, where are you going?" As the unknown shinobi spoke, Naruto slowly sat up before rubbing is back.

"We need to wash that blood out of your hair." As he spoke, Naruto shook his head in protest before once again trying to run away.

Naruto then found himself gripped by the back collar of his outfit before struggling to free himself. During this, the unknown shinobi was casually holding Naruto up with one hand, as if it took no effort for him.

Suddenly, Naruto stopped squirming after he noticed the dark and foreboding clouds that swirled overhead. Also, the occasional sound of thunder and lightning could be heard in the distance.

"Oh looking at the sky are you?" While speaking, the shinobi slowly lowered Naruto back onto his feet.

"Been like that for five straight days... No rain though, really odd." As he spoke, the shinobi carried a very carefree and loose attitude.

At this moment, the shinobi pulled an orange book from the shuriken pouch on his back before reading it. Afterwards, Naruto finally took the time to observe the shinobi, looking at his outfit and hair.

He wore the standard Jounin outfit of Konoha and spiky silver hair that protruded into the air around him. He also wore a facemask covering the entirety of his lower face and a headband of Konoha over his left eye.

After observing these features, an extended period of silence filled the air as Naruto followed the shinobi for several minutes. During this extensive journey, the blood-stain face of Iruka continuously drifted from Naruto's mind.

"We're here!" After speaking the shinobi snapped his book shut before putting it away.

Naruto was so distracted by his previous thoughts that he failed to realize just how much time had passed. Because of this, Naruto briefly shook his side-to-side before staring up at the nearby restaurant.

The silvered haired shinobi then casually walked into this restaurant while Naruto hesitated for several seconds. Afterwards, Naruto managed to regain his resolved before sheepishly walking into the restaurant while staring at the floor.

"NO! Go away!" The lady behind the front counter shrieked.

These screams garnished the attention of the entire restaurant as Naruto froze before continuing to stare at the floor. Also, these screams forced a nearby purple haired lady to casual stroll towards the front counter.

"I wont have some frea-" As the lady spoke, she was abruptly abruptly cut off after a dango stick cut a gash across her cheek.

This dango was thrown by a seductive looking purple haired lady with a spiky ponytail. She also wore a knee-length tan trench coat and a brown skirt, underneath this, she wore a thigh-length set of mesh body armor that barely concealed anything from view.

Suddenly, this purple haired lady raised her foot into the air before slamming it atop the front counter. This action created dozens of splinters while the sound of snapping wood could be heard.

"What did you say?" The purple haired lady asked with a surprisingly innocent tone.

"This kid is a member of our village and you wont serve him?" As she spoke, she quickly grabbed Naruto by the shoulder before pulling him close.

"Sounds to me like someone hates the villagers of Konoha..." While speaking, she propped her right arm atop Naruto's head like an armrest.

"Actually, sounds like a spy to me... Ill have to report you to Ibiki for interrogation." While she spoke, Naruto was confused that someone wanted to be this close to him.

"Now now, Anko..." The unnamed shopkeeper spoke out after walking in from the kitchen.

"Just because you give me good business doesn't mean I can allow you to harass my wif-..." These words froze mid sentence after he noticed Naruto.

"Your wife here doesn't wanna serve my little friend." Anko explained while poking Naruto in the face.

"Y-... You would consider that thing-..." The shopkeeper stuttered before Anko glared at him with lethal intent.

At this moment, Anko reached into one of the pockets in her trench coat before pulling a kunai loose. Afterwards, the elite kunoichi licked this kunai in a sexual fashion, revealing her snake-like tongue.

"Watch your words, old man, I may like your food but Kakashi say's this kid is okay... So he's okay." Anko proclaimed before giggling with an innocent tone.

"Besides he's as shy and quiet as a turtle! I haven't heard him say one word." While speaking, Anko poked Naruto several times in his face.

Without waiting for a reply, Anko wrapped her left arm around Naruto's shoulder before escorting him towards a nearby booth. Soon, Kakashi finally came into view while he was reading his iconic orange book.

"Sit kid, have some Dango." After speaking, Anko shoved Naruto into the booth against Kakashi before sitting down on the opposite side.

"Oh come on now, Kakashi... Don't be such a sad sack." Anko stated.

At this moment, Naruto finally recognized Kakashi's name while distant conversations with Iruka replied themselves inside his man. This realization forced Naruto to glare at Kakashi with pure hatred, upset that Kakashi didn't arrive in time.

"I can only eat so much of the same food before I get tired of it, and this is the only thing you want." Kakashi mumbled while reading his book.

Suddenly, Anko pulled Kakashi's orange book loose from his hands before hiding it in her coat. During this, Naruto continued to glare at Kakashi, convinced that he was to blame for Iruka's death.

"Stop reading your porn for five minutes and talk to the kid." Anko before once again poking Naruto in his face.

"Naruto, I know what you're thinking..." Kakashi sighed.

"But, I wasn't in the village that night, Naruto..." After speaking, Kakashi's words forced Naruto to downcast his face in shame.

"Anyway, speaking of Iruka... We were waiting for you to wake up before we did his funeral." As he spoke, Naruto continued to stare at the ground.

"Hahah! Cheer up kid your alive aren't you!" Anko remarked before poking Naruto in his downcast and expressionless face.

An awkward silence then filled the air as Anko repetitively poked Naruto in his face several times but never reacted. While this occurred, Anko laughed for several moments before she finally stopped.

"Anko, just let him eat, dear." Kakashi mumbled before lazily resting his chin atop his right palm.

"Okay, bitch." Anko remarked with a seductive and flirty tone before smiling at Kakashi.

This group of Konoha ninja then sat in the boot for an extended time while feasting and ordering Dango. At the same time, the blood-stain face of Iruka continuously pierced Naruto's mind.

* * *

 _Three hours later._

Naruto and Kakashi both stood atop the Hokage monument while staring at the distant sunset on the horizon..

"Kakashi..." Naruto mumbled.

"Mm?" Kakashi hummed while casually reading from his orange book with one hand.

"Do... Do you hate me?" Naruto once again mumbled while staring at the sunset.

"Nah... Not really..." Kakashi remarked with a carefree tone.

Suddenly, Kakashi's right hand gripped the top of Naruto's head before casually rubbing his hair. During this, Kakashi continued to read from his book without even looking at Naruto.

Soon, a tense and awkward silence filled the air before Naruto glanced at the ground. Afterwards, the blood-stained face of Iruka drifted through Naruto's face multiple times.

"Well.. I.. I can feel this pain, right here..." Naruto muttered before pressing both hands against his heart.

"But there's no blood or wound, why does it hurt? I'm not bleeding, is something wrong?." After speaking, Naruto's words forced Kakashi to hum for several seconds.

"It's a wound to the heart" Kakashi sighed before the face of Rin briefly pierced his mind.

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"Wounds to the heart are a little different than wounds to the flesh..." Kakashi exclaimed before rubbing the back of his head.

"Unlike a injury to the body, there is no medicine to a wounded heart and sometimes it never heals." As Kakashi spoke, Naruto downcast his face before staring at the ground.

"But don't worry..." After speaking, he poked Naruto in the head.

"There is one thing that can heal a broken heart..." After Kakashi spoke, he snapped his book shut in a dramatic fashion.

"It's love, Naruto." These words forced Naruto's downcast eyes to briefly bulge.

"Love.." Naruto mumbled as the blood-stain face of Iruka once again pierced his face.

An extended period of silence then filled the air as Naruto continued to stare at the ground for what felt like hours. During this, Kakashi was casually scratching the bridge of his nose.

"Let's go, we need to grab our funeral cloths." Kakashi mumbled before Naruto ran past him.

Despite the depressing circumstances that Naruto found himself in, he still ran full speed towards the Hokage office. Eager to pay his respects to Iruka, the same man who gave Naruto everything, including his purpose.

* * *

 _One hour later._

Dark clouds polluted the air over Konoha, cascading the entire village with a foreboding aura. Despite this depressing skyline, dozens of Konoha citizens were slowly walking up the exterior stairs outside the Hokage office.

Soon, each of these citizens arrived atop the roof while Naruto was already standing at the front of Iruka's closed coffin. Also, the veteran 3rd Hokage stood beside Naruto while smoking from his pipe.

"I'm sad he's gone..." Naruto mumbled.

"Think how sad you would be if he had died for nothing." Hiruzen remarked with smoke pouring from his nose.

"Wh-... Why? Why did he have to die..." Naruto asked while tears swelled in his concealed eyes.

"So you could live, Naruto." Hiruzen remarked before wrapping his left arm around Naruto's shoulders.

"Do not pity him, Naruto. Because his sacrifice is what gave you another chance." After speaking, an extended period of silence filled the air.

Suddenly, a light drizzle of rain slowly began to bombard the surprised villagers of Konoha. The clouds had been dark and twisted for over five days but this was the first time it ever rained.

Because of this, only four people at the funeral even brought umbrella's, forcing many to panic. Some even left Iruka's funeral without paying their respects, eager to get out of the rain.

At this moment, Hiruzen glanced at Naruto's downcast face before noticing a trail of tears the stain his whiskers. These tears managed to perfectly mixed in with the surrounding rain, giving them also perfect camouflage.

"Naruto..." After speaking, Hiruzen's words forced Naruto to rub both arms against his downcast face.

"Yea, yea... I know... Don't cry... It's a shinobi rule..." Naruto mumbled.

"Never show your feelings and keep your mind on your mission, no matter what..." As Naruto spoke, he continued to rub the tears from his violet eyes.

A tense period of silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of rain drops hitting wood. Despite this constant rainfall, Hiruzen somehow managed to keep smoking from his pipe.

"I will not tell you how to act Naruto..." Hiruzen replied.

"But I will say that Iruka loved this village, almost as much as he loved you." While speaking, Hiruzen inhaled a fresh hit of leaf.

"And he entrusted you to protect this village when he finally past." After he spoke, a brief period of silence filled the air.

"To me, Naruto... There is no greater act of love, than being trusted to protect others." While Hiruzen spoke, the face of the 2nd Hokage drifted through his mind.

"No greater act of love...?" Naruto mumbled as he continued to stare at the ground.

This was an awkward and tense moment for Naruto. The moment when he finally had to accept that Iruka died.

* * *

 _One hour later._

One by one, the visiting parents and students to the Iruka's funeral placed a rose atop his casket before walking away. During this, an intense and chaotic downpour of rain bombard Konoha, forcing many people to run instead.

Soon, a majority of the visiting parents and children left before continuing on with their life's, as if Iruka never even mattered. As these people walked around, Naruto stood completely still while staring at a distant picture of Iruka.

"Yo, Naruto, let"s get out of this downpour?" Sasuke remarked before earning a period of silence in response.

Inside of trying to comfort Naruto, Sasuke just shrugged his shoulders before walking away, fully away of the trauma that affected Naruto. At the same time, Shikamaru and Choji both slowly walked past Naruto.

"Come hang out with us when you get the chance!" Choji and Shikamaru spoke in unison before walking away.

"Later Naruto! We'll see you around!" Sakura and Ino spoke out before leaving.

This left Naruto completely alone with Kakashi and the 3rd Hokage standing on either side of him. Despite the intense downpour of rain, Naruto was completely unaffected.

"Naruto." Hiruzen interjected after several moments of silence..

"Lord Hokage can... Can I have this picture?" Naruto asked while pointing at a picture of Iruka scratching his nose.

"Of course Naruto." Hiruzen remarked before turning around and walking away.

"Also, come by my office tomorrow morning." After speaking, Hiruzen and Kakashi each left, leaving Naruto alone atop the roof of the Hokage office.

This created an awkard and tense period of silence as Naruto glanced at the picture of Iruka for several moments. Afterwards Naruto reached out with both arms before grabbing the picture of pulling it to his chest.

A mixture of rain and tears that bombarded the picture of Iruka as Naruto stood completely still for what felt like years. This was a tough moment for Naruto, the moment when he finally had to move on.

* * *

 _One day later._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on Naruto as he quietly walked through the streets of Konoha on his journey towards the Hokage's building. During this journey, dozens of citizens whispered hateful remarks while staring at Naruto with distrust or fear.

These remarks forced Naruto to suddenly sprint down the street as the face of Iruka drifted through his mind. Soon, Naruto finally entered the Hokage's building before dashing past the clerk and running upstairs.

After running for several moments, Naruto finally approached the door to the Hokage's office before flinging it open. Afterwards, Naruto casually strolled into the empty office while scratching the bridge of his nose.

An awkward silence then filled the air while Naruto glanced at the empty Hokage's chair before a wide smile spread across his face. Naruto then leapt air the air before landing into the Hokage's chair and swirling around several times.

At this moment, a puff of smoke erupted into existence beside Naruto before a bird masked Anbu phased into existence. This Anbu the casually gripped the collar of Naruto's outfit before raising him into the air.

Naruto and the Anbu then both disappeared in a textbook perfect Body Flicker technique. Afterwards, Naruto finally realized he was standing inside one of the many rooms of the Konoha academy.

"Naruto I said come to my office in the morning... You're late." Hiruzen sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Now let's get your graduation picture over with." After speaking, his words forced Naruto to briefly stutter several times.

"Grad-graduation?" Naruto stuttered.

"Yes, Naruto... You displayed considerable talent..." Hiruzen remarked before burying his desire for questions.

At this moment, a nearby man stood up before revealing a simply camera with three wooden legs. This man then walked directly in front of Naruto before placing the camera on the ground.

"Part of graduation is being fully recognized as a shinobi, every shinobi has a special photo ID to identify them, so we will take yours now." As Hiruzen spoke, his words forced Naruto to once again stutter.

Suddenly, Naruto was haunted by a traumatic memories of his childhood eyes, eyes before Iruka. These blue eyes were filled with hatred and loneliness, something that Iruka slowly managed to erase.

However, the idea of his old eyes, eyes filled with hatred, forced Naruto to have a natural hatred for showing his face. This was even something that Iruka struggled to deal with anytime he tried to cut Naruto's hair.

"Now, pull your hair out of your eyes." This statement forced Naruto to sweat before taking several steps backwards.

"Do I have to? I will always look like this." Naruto mumbled, earning a sigh in response.

"Naruto a photo ID will identify you on missions that represent our village." Hiruzen explained as smoke poured from his nose.

"I can't hav-...!?" As Hiruzen spoke, he was interrupted mid sentence after a nearby sliding door was pushed open.

After this door was opened, a 6 year old boy charged into the run with a shuriken gripped in his right hand. As he ran, Naruto noticed an extremely long scarf that was draped across the boy's neck before observing the rest of his attire.

His outfit consisted of an odd grey helmet with a strand of brown hair jolting out from a cracked hole. This helmet matched his knee-length shorts and shinobi shoes while contrasting the tan shirt he wore across his torso.

"Old Man! I challenge you! I'm going to defeat you and become the 5th Hoka-" The young boy spoke before tripping over his scarf.

This action forced the young boy to abruptly faceplant into the hard wooden floors with a heavy thud. Afterwards, Hiruzen slowly rubbed the bridge of his nose while sighing several times.

Uuh… My grandson, another headache. Hiruzen thought while rubbing his forehead.

After several seconds, an unknown shinobi from Konoha entered the room before staring at the faceplanting boy with shock. This shinobi wore standard outfit of all Konoha jounin except he wasn't wearing a vest, he also wore a pair of glasses that matched his bandana.

"Are you alright, honorable grandson?" The unknown leaf Shinobi spoke out.

"Hey! You tripped me!" The young boy accused Naruto while pointing at him.

This accusation forced Naruto to tilt his head sideways with confusion as the nearby shinobi glanced at him with pure disgust. During this, Hiruzen inhaled a significant hit of leaf from his pipe.

"You tripped me, I know you did!" After the boy spoke, a brief period of silence filled the air.

"You're just upset that I'm the grandson of legendary 3rd Hokage! I, Konohamaru Sarutobi will be the next Hokage!." After speaking, these words created a deep frown across Naruto's face.

"What did you say?" Naruto mumbled.

"I said I'm gonna be the next Hokage!" Konohamaru remarked with a condescending tone.

"No one is gonna have it as easy as me! And my sensei is the greatest teacher in this village." This statement forced Naruto to jolt up from his chair, knocking it to the ground in the process.

After standing up, Naruto's left hand abruptly gripped Konohamaru's scarf before pulling him close. This action forced Ebisu's jawline to fall open with disbelief before pointing at Naruto with an accusatory glare.

"Release him at once, he's the honorable grandson!" Ebisu ordered, creating a smile across Konohamaru's face.

"See! I'm gonna be the next Hokage!" Konohamaru giggled.

At this moment, Naruto thrust his right fist down against the helmet on Konohamaru's head, knocking him to the floor. Afterwards, Naruto stepped over Konohamaru before placing his whiskered face in front of the camera and smiling.

Naruto then took his ID picture before turning around and dashing out of the room while Ebisu twitched with disbelief. After several seconds, Ebisu glanced at Hiruzen before earning a smoke-filled sigh in response.

Ebisu was so focused on Hiruzen that he didn't even notice when Konohamaru dashed out of the room. This realization forced Ebisu to panic before running full speed after Konohamaru.

After Ebisu disappeared from view, Hiruzen leaned back in his chair before inhaling a significant hit of leaf. At the same time, Hiruzen was smiling with joy, happy that Konoha finally had someone to chase after.

* * *

 _Five hours later._

Faint rays of sunlight pierced a bundled of tree branches overhead as Konohamaru and Naruto sat in a forest on the outskirts of Konoha. After several seconds, the elite Jounin known as Ebisu appeared atop a nearby tree branch.

"I found you!" Ebisu screamed while staring at Naruto with pure disgust.

The Nine-tailed fox demon. As these thoughts raced, Ebisu jumped to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Let's go, honorable grandson." After speaking, Ebisu a hostile scoff in protest.

"NO WAY! I'm learning how to become Hokage! No ones gonna stop me so just stay out of my way!" Konoha argued.

"Honorable grandson the Hokage is more than just a fighter, he's a diplomat, a father figure, a poet and a philosopher..." Ebisu exclaimed while pushing his glasses up against his face.

"How can this thing know anything about that stuff?" While speaking, Ebisu glared at Naruto with hatred.

This statement forced Naruto to clenched each of his fists with rage while staring at the ground. At the same time, the blood-stained face of Iruka one again floated through Naruto's mind.

"You need a good teacher to become Hokage, and I'm the only one that fits that description." After speaking, these words forced a disgusting snarl to bloom across Naruto's face.

"Forbidden art: Multi Shadow clone Jutsu!" Naruto's voice pierced the clearing before pressing both hands into the iconic clone Hand Seal.

This declaration created fifty separate explosions of smoke before dozens of Naruto's came into view. This realization forced Ebisu's mouth to fall open before hitting the ground with disbelief.

"Impossible! How can you summon so many?" Ebisu stuttered.

"Because I had the best sensei!" Dozen's of Naruto's spoke in unison.

At this moment, each of Naruto's clones charged at Ebisu before tackling him to the ground. Afterwards, each of these clones formed a line in front of Ebisu before consecutively striking him against the head.

This consistent bombardment easily knocked Ebisu unconscious before Naruto dropped him to the ground. At the same time, each of Naruto's clones erupted into a puff of smoke while Konohamaru glared at him with admiration and respect.

"Remember Konohamaru... There is no short cut to becoming Hokage." Naruto remarked as the smiling face of Iruka pierced his mind.

"But I can't even beat my sensei! How can I become the Hokage?" Konohamaru mumbled with defeat.

"You need to believe in yourself, or get someone else to believe in you." Naruto replied while the face of Iruka continued to pierce his mind.

"Sure thing boss I'll never forget it! And I'll try my hardest and always believe!" Konohamaru exclaimed before smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Can you teach me that jutsu!? Pretty please." After speaking, Naruto merely chuckled in response before turning around.

"I will another time Konohamaru, just make sure you believe in yourself until then." Naruto spoke before walking around.

Soon, Naruto disappeared into the setting sun while waving goodbye to Konohamaru. During this, Konohamaru's heart swelled with pure respect before beginning his long and dangerous path towards becoming Hokage.

* * *

 _One day later. 8:42am Friday, April 13th 58SSP._

"Yo, Naruto!" Shikamaru spoke out as Naruto entered the classroom.

All nine rookies were gathered inside the same classroom from their childhood, a room that filled Naruto with depression. Before Naruto could even respond, both Sakura and Ino dashed into the room while screaming at each other.

Soon, Sakura dashed past Ino before charging towards the empty seat beside Sasuke. At the last moment, Sakura froze after noticing that Naruto was standing directly in front of her.

"Naruto, I saved you a seat." Sasuke remarked, filling Sakura with rage.

After screaming dozens of insults inside her mind, Sakura turned around before sitting at an empty desk behind Sasuke. Afterwards, Ebisu casually walked into the room with a clipboard in hand.

"Listen up kids, I will be replacin-" Ebisu's spoke out before freezing mid sentence after he noticed Naruto.

"I will be taking over all processes for Iruka from now on, so let's be quick." While speaking, Ebisu began to shift through the papers on his clipboard.

"You will all be put into teams, three man teams. And each team will be led by a skilled Jounin." As Ebisu spoke, he pressed his glasses up against his face.

This statement caused several girls to squeal with glee while daydreaming about being on the same team as Sasuke. At the same time, Naruto and Sasuke daydreamed about being on the same team because of their extensive five year friendship.

(All squads contain the same members, since Naruto still had deadlast grades and Sasuke was still the head of the class)

"Now to celebrate your orientation" Ebisu exclaimed.

"You're all given the rest of the period off for lunch, return here at noon to meet your new Jounin instructor!" After speaking, Ebisu erupted into a puff of smoke before disappearing from view.

"That gives us four hours to eat! Where shall we go Shikamaru, Ino?" Choji asked, earning a dramatic sigh from both of his teammates.

"Sure... I guess I'll tag along, what are we eating?" Ino asked.

"Good question." Shikamaru mumbled before glaring at Naruto.

"Yo, Naruto, Sasuke... We're gonna go grab a bite to eat while we wait, wanna go get some ramen?" As Shikamaru spoke, his forced created a wide smile across Naruto's whiskered face.

"Sure thing, that sounds great!" Naruto remarked before Shikamaru glanced at Sakura

"Are you coming with your teammates" Shikamaru asked, creating an awkward period of silence.

Suddenly, the realization of being close to Sasuke forced Sakura to clap both hands together with joy before nodding in agreement. Afterwards, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke each left the Konohamaru academy before going out for lunch.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

"Naruto!" The elderly man known as Teuchi spoke out with a smile.

Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, Choji, Shikamaru and Ino had all gathered inside Ichiraku's ramen stand. This was basically a second home to Naruto and his favorite food.

"It's great to see my favorite customer! First round for everyone is on the house! I have a new special and I need your opinions on it." After speaking, Teuchi quickly disappeared into the kitchen before reemerging with a plate that held six separate bowls.

Each of these bowls were filled to the brim with roasted pork and sautéed eggs, Iruka's favorite. This realization forced Naruto to briefly stuttered while glancing at the elderly shopkeeper.

"He-hey Teuchi isn't tha-" Naruto asked, only to be cut off by Teuchi.

"Sure is Naruto, its Iruka's favorite!" Teuchi bellowed before notioning towards the special flyer on the wall.

This flyer contained a detailed poster that explained and offered the favorite meal of Iruka Umino, one of Teuchi's greatest customers. This image briefly forced a pair of tears to swell underneath Naruto's bangs as Choji began inhaling his food without chopsticks.

"More please!" Choji exclaimed after finishing his food and slamming a handful of Ryo onto the counter.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Soon, Shikamaru, Sakura, Sasuke and Ino each took a seat while Naruto continued to look at the poster for Iruka's ramen. After several seconds, Naruto finally turned around before sitting next to Choji and inhaling his own bowl of ramen.

After Naruto finished his meal, Teuchi emerged from the kitchen just in time with a bowl of ramen in each hand. The elderly man then placed each of these bowls in front of Naruto and Choji before they were inhaled in seconds.

"More please!" Choji and Naruto spoke in unison.

This declared forced Teuchi to once again disappear into the kitchen before emerging with four bowls held between his arms. During this, Shikamaru and Sasuke were both shaking their heads from side-to-side

Teuchi then placed a pair of two bowls in front of each of these shinobi while smiling. Afterwards, Naruto and Choji were inhaled these bowls in seconds without even using chopsticks.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered as Teuchi once again disappeared into the kitchen.

After several moments, Teuchi emerged with six separate bowls held between his arms while smiling. The elderly man then placed three of these bowls in front of Naruto and Choji.

Like before, Naruto and Choji instantly inhaled two of these bowls in a matter of seconds before Naruto casually reached out for another. However, Choji hands froze midair before grabbing his two after finishing his two bowls.

Naruto then casually inhaled his last bowl before licking the juice off his whiskers. Afterwards, Naruto began to drool while staring at Choji's food.

"Choji... Are you gonna eat that?" Naruto asked, creating an awkward silence.

"N-... No... You can have it." Choji muttered with pure shame and defeat filled his voice.

Naruto then grabbed Choji's bowl of ramen before inhaling the entire thing in mere seconds. Naruto was basically just dumping ramen into his mouth, acting like a trash can.

You've got to be kidding me, how does he eat this much? Sasuke asked himself.

"Oh that was good, Teuchi!" Naruto spoke before slamming the appropriate amount of Ryo onto the counter.

"Sure thing kid, I always love having you around." Teuchi chuckled in response.

Naruto then smiled for several moments before a frown sprawled across his face. Naruto then glanced between Teuchi and the ground for several seconds in a timid fashion.

"Thank you for giving him his own ramen." Naruto mumbled, earning a cheerful head rub in response.

"No problem, kid! Now get out of here, you got some shinobi stuff to do!" Teuchi remarked, forcing Naruto to smile.

Soon, Sasuke, Ino, Sakura, Choji, Shikamaru and Naruto each stood up from their chairs before waving goodbye. Afterwards, they each began they journey towards the Konoha academy, eager to begin their lives as shinobi.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Point out my mistakes.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Pass or Fail! Birth of Shinobi.**

 _12:49pm Friday April 13th, 58SSP._

"He's late!" Sakura complained.

The pink haired kunoichi was standing between an opened doorway that lead into her iconic childhood classroom. While she complain, Naruto and Sasuke be sitting in their seats behind her while reading about the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans.

"I can't stand this! How come everyone else got to leave already?! Why is our teacher the only one that's late?" While complaining, Sakura stomped her right foot atop the floor.

At this moment, a bright twinkle erupted from Sakura's eyes as a mischievous grin spread across her face. Afterwards, she skipped towards the nearby chalk board before grabbing the dust stained eraser.

"Sasuke! Watch this!" After speaking Sakura dashed back towards the open doorway.

Sakura then prompt the door partially opened before planting the eraser on top, a prank for anyone who was foolish enough to enter. This action forced Sasuke to sigh while Naruto was still think about that moment when he saw Kakashi's chakra network.

Soon, Sakura took several steps back to admire her work before a strange hand reached through the door way. This hand pushed the door completely open before Kakashi's head poked in.

Kakashi's hair was then bombarded by the freshly planted eraser that Sakura placed. This action forced Sakura to fall to the ground before rolling from side-to-side with delight.

"My first impression of this group, Sakura is the weak link." Kakashi mumbled.

This statement caused Sakura to jump to her feet while clenching both fists while her inner voice raged with fury. At the same time, Sasuke actually laughed at Kakashi's remark before Sakura was too distracted to notice.

"Naruto where's your headband? You're a graduate now, you have to wear it." While speaking, Kakashi was rubbing the back of his head.

This statement caused Naruto to pull down the raised collar of his purple tunic, revealing his headband tied to his neck, Iruka's headband. This was one of many things that Iruka gave to Naruto, but the blond Uzumaki considered this item to be the most sacred.

"Wearing a headband around your neck?" As Kakashi spoke, Sakura giggled in agreement.

"It just feels comfortable ,ya'know?" Naruto stuttered.

This created a brief period of silence after Kakashi sighed with an exaggerated tone. Afterwards, the elite Jounin pulled his orange book loose before raising it to his face.

"Meet me on the roof." After speaking, Kakashi disappeared with a textbook perfect Body Flicker technique.

This realization forced Naruto to jump over his desk before running out of the room with a smile on his face. Naruto the ran down the hall before scaling four flight of stairs and arriving at the rooftop.

This allowed Naruto to notice that Kakashi was sitting atop a railing while reading from his orange book. Because of this, Naruto ran towards a nearby staircase surrounded by trees before sitting down and smiling.

Soon, Sasuke and Sakura finally arrived on the roof while the young Uchiha held both hands over his eyes. Despite this, Sakura continued to talk to Sasuke as if he was listening.

"First off... Let's introduce yourselfs, one at a time." As Kakashi spoke, he didn't even raise his attention from his book.

"What are we supposed to say." Sakura asked, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Your name, things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies, things like that." Kakashi mumbled.

"Why don't you talk first, so we can see how it works?" Sakura once again asked, earning another dramatic sigh in response.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake, I'm not telling you what I like or hate, my dreams for the future? Never really thought about it and as for my hobbies? Well I have lots of hobbies." Kakashi muttered

"You, pinky, since you talk so much you can go first." While speaking, Kakashi pointed at Sakura without even looking up from his book.

"My name is Sakura Haruno! What I like... Um... Um I mean the person I like is..." Sakura stuttered while glancing between Sasuke and the floor.

"Uhhh… Uh my Hobby is..." After speaking, Sakura briefly squealed with joy while blushing.

"A... And my dream is..." While speaking, Sakura clapped both hands together before glancing at Sasuke.

"And what do you hate?" Kakashi questioned.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed.

This statement forced Naruto to wrap both arms around his knees before staring at the ground. At the same time, Sasuke scoffed with annoyance before looking away from Sakura.

Of course. Girls that age are interested in nothing but boys. Kakashi concluded.

"And you, Swordboy." Kakashi spoke out while pointing at Kakashi.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I hate waterfalls and people who never shut up and... I like... Naruto" Sasuke mumbled while scratching the bridge of his nose.

"What I have isn't a dream... Because I will make it a reality... I'm going to restore my clan and... Avenge all of them." As Sasuke spoke, his words forced Sakura to groan with delight.

HE'S SO HOT. Sakura concluded.

Figures he'd grow up that way... So sad, I hope it's not to late for him. Kakashi thought.

"And I'll be beside you step by step, we'll restore our clans together!" Naruto exclaimed after finally recovering from Sakura's previous words.

"Alright that leaves you mophead." Kakashi mumbled.

"My name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki... An-... And, I hate it when people judge others because of how they were born." Naruto stuttered while rubbing the back of his head.

"I like it when people see others for who they are, not what they look like... And rain, I love rain... And um." After speaking, Naruto glanced up at the sky for several minutes.

"My hobby is reading and my dream...well my dream is..." While he spoke, Naruto's train of thought drifted back over several weeks.

My dream is to protect people... Like how you protected me, I want to protect everyone. The memory of a distant conversation with Iruka drifted through Naruto's mind.

"My dream is to protect everyone." Naruto mumbled..

Sensei... He's grown into a fine shinobi,... Kakashi concluded.

A kind hearted child, please sensei, give me the strength you had... Give me the virtue to teach him as you taught me. While these thoughts progressed, Kakashi dramatically snapped his book shut.

"Good, you're all unique, have your own idea's and your own goals... This is really good, we'll have our first mission tomorrow." Kakashi exclaimed.

"What kinda mission are we going to have, sensei?" Sakura asked with a cheerful tone, happy to be on the same team as Sasuke.

"It's a task, that the four of us... Will do together." Kakashi replied in a dramatic and slow fashion.

"What kind, sensei? What kind?" Sakura pleaded.

"Survival exercise." Kakashi sighed.

"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, we already did this stuff at the academy thats why we're here." Sakura complained.

"This exercise is different than anything you've done before... Out of the twenty-seven graduates who just came here only nine will fully accepted to become Genin." Kakashi explained.

"The other eight-teen will be sent back to the academy... The chance you fail is 66% and if one of you fail - all of you fail." As he spoke, Kakashi stared intently at Sakura.

"Great, now me and Naruto are going to fail cause we get placed with a 2nd rate Kunoichi." Sasuke mumbled, sending Sakura into depression.

"Actually if you and Naruto fail it's because both of you let Sakura drag you down... Id blame both of you before her." Kakashi remarked before standing up and stretching both arms.

"Be at the designated training grounds at 5 am, bring everything you'll need for a mission." After speaking, Kakashi turned around before walking towards the distant staircase.

"Oh and don't eat anything for breakfast... Or you'll puke." While speaking, Kakashi waved his air through the air for several moments before disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves.

Fine by me, I'm on a diet anyway. Sakura concluded.

I'll just eat before I go to sleep then. Sasuke thoughts.

Iruka always taught me to eat my breakfast... Naruto remarked before staring at the ground.

"Naruto, wanna swing by my house at 3am and we'll do some early training?" Sasuke asked.

"I can come to right, Sasuke." Sakura pleaded.

"Sure, Sakura, we are a team now after all." Naruto replied, eager to make Sakura see him for who he really was.

"We sure are! I can't wait, Sasuke! Well I'm going home to get ready for our date, see you then!" Sakura exclaimed before turning around and running away.

"Really, Naruto?" Sasuke muttered, earning an innocent grin in response.

"Well, she's apart of the team now..." Naruto mumbled.

"Kakashi was right, if she holds us back it's our fault for letting her..." While speaking, Naruto briefly scratched the bridge of his nose.

"Well I'm going home to catch some sleep since we gotta be up so early..." Sasuke sighed.

"I'll see you and Pinky tomorrow." After speaking, Sasuke stood up before lazily strolling towards the distant staircase.

"Later, Naruto!" While speaking, Sasuke waved goodbye before disappearing from view.

"Later, Sasuke! See ya tomorrow!" Naruto exclaimed before an extended period of silence filled the air.

This silence allowed Naruto's thoughts to drifted back to the moment inside the Konoha hospital. The moment when he saw Kakashi's chakra network, something that Naruto still couldn't explain.

Naruto then walked towards the nearby railing before glancing out at Konoha from behind his bangs. During this, Naruto was mentally reading scrolls about the Hyuga clan, a scrolls that detailed how to activate or deactivate the Byakugan.

These moments forced Naruto to closed both of his violet rippled-patterned eyes while pressing both hands into the Ram Seal. At the same time, Naruto began to relive all those hours he spent on the Leaf Concentration technique.

Soon, Naruto began to funnel a Jounin-level amount of chakra into each of his violet eyes. While this occurred, Naruto lazily opened his eyes both each of their black pupils began to expand and bulge.

These pupils then pushed each of the ripple patterned rings inside Naruto's eyes to the edge. This action forced Naruto's vision to abruptly shifted into the chakra filled world, a world only visible to the Rinnegan and Byakugan.

Naruto's mouth then fell open with shock after noticing hundreds of chakra networks that walked through Konoha. Some of these chakra networks belong to trained shinobi while others belong to normal citizens.

Naruto then continued to stare out across the village of Konoha for what felt like hours. Afterwards he closed both eyes before releasing the chakra he had stored in them.

A brief silence the filled the air before Naruto opened both eyes only for confusion to swell inside of him. Each of Naruto's hands then began to touch and search around his eyes, searching for bulging eye veins, a prominent trait of the Byakugan.

After searching for several moments, Naruto sighed with defeat before lowering both hands in front of his face. This forced Naruto to gasp with shock after noticing his own chakra network that pulsated through his hands, a violet chakra network.

Why... Why me, why am I always different. Naruto asked himself.

Soon, Naruto's thoughts began to shifted and contort back to the first day he ever met Konohamaru. By default, this was also the first day that Naruto ever met Ebisu.

 _-Flashback-_

A 12 year old Naruto was walking down a narrow and dirt-filled road on his way home. This road lead to a desolated and abandon section of houses that rested on the northeastern outskirts of the village.

Before Naruto moved in, this entire street was once a vibrant and beautiful neighborhood. However, after Iruka adopted Naruto, many of his neighbors moved away out of fear and no one took there place.

This meant that Naruto not only lived in an empty house by himself, he basically lived on an empty street by himself. However, Many villagers actually preferred it this way because at least they could avoid him.

Soon, Naruto finally approached his house before walking past a set of bushes on his journey towards the front door. Naruto then pulled out the key that Iruka gave him before unlocking the door and swinging it open.

At this moment, a tense and awkward silence filled the air as Naruto realized he didn't have the strength to enter the house, not without Iruka. Because of this, Naruto closing the front door before running around the house and entering the backyard.

Naruto's gaze then fell upon the nearby swing set in the backyard before his pulsated and throb with pain. This was the result of summoning so many clones against Ebisu, clones that gave Naruto an extended field of view.

However, when Naruto summoned these clones, he could only keep four eyes open in total, and even that hurt his head. Despite this pain, Naruto was genuinely confused and interested to practice with his clones.

"Forbidden art: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto's voice pierced the air before pressing both hands into the iconic clone seal.

This declaration created five puffs of smoke that erupted into existence all around Naruto before five separate clones came into view. Once these clones appeared, they each forced Naruto's head to throb with pain before they all closed their eyes.

After several seconds of rest and rubbing both hands against his head, the orginal Naruto with a dramatic sighed. During this, the sound of nearby frogs and crickets could be heard as Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose.

At this moment, each of Naruto's clones erupted into a puff of smoke before disappearing from view as Naruto stood up. Naruto then stretched for several moments before rushing inside, making a mental note to work on this later.

 _-Flaskback ends-_

"Forbidden art: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto proclaimed before pressing both hands into the iconic clone seal.

This declaration created two identical clones of Naruto that erupted into existence behind him. Each of these clones instinictvely closed their eyes after erupting into reality.

Soon, Naruto began to stretch before each of his clones began to mimic his movements. Naruto was about to practice seeing through the eyes of his clones, a unique ability that was only available through the Rinnegan.

* * *

One day later. 6:55am Saturday April 14th, 58SSP.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!" Sakura complained.

"How can he be so late, this is crazy?" While complaining, Sakura was sitting on the ground next to several ninja tools and flowers she brought, for Sasuke.

As Sakura complained, Sasuke was laying across a nearby tree branch while Naruto was sitting in front of a kunai shaped black marble memorial stone. This was the same stone that Kakashi and Naruto visited the first day they met, the same memorial that Iruka's name was carved into.

"Morning everyone, ready for practice?" The spiky gray haired lated Sensei of the 3 young shinobi in training stated, while throwing his right hand up in a friendly greeting.

"HEY, YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura bellowed.

"Well a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way." Kakashi explained before innocently winking at Sakura.

"Morning, sensei." Naruto cut in with a wide smile across his face.

"Morning, Naruto... So let's gets started, this alarm is set for noon." Kakashi mumbled before pulling out a pair of two bells.

"Your assignment is very simply, you just have to get these bells from me..." While speaking, Kakashi jingled the bells several times.

"If you can't get them by noon, you won't get lunch, and you'll be tied to those posts and watch me eat my lunch." After speaking, his words forced Sasuke to snort in response.

He told us not to eat breakfast to make it harder on us... Sakura's inner dialogue asserted.

So that's why... Damn Kakashi... Sasuke's thoughts boomed.

I wonder why he would lie to us. Naruto pondered, he felt something the other two didn't, he actually felt betrayed.

"Wait a minute, there's three of us so why are there only two bells, sensei?" Sakura questioned.

"That's a great question Sakura, that's because atleast one of you will fail and be sent back to the academy." Kakashi remarked with a joyful tone.

I'm not failing, I'm going to prove myself to Sasuke and win his love! Sakura concluded.

I must pass, not an option. Sasuke remarked.

If he lied about eating... Could he be lying about this? What all does he lie about? Naruto asked himself.

"Then again all three of you could flunk too, I fail a lot of students." Kakashi spoke out with a carefree tone.

"You can use any weapons at your disposal, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you'll never get the bells." While speaking, Kakashi continued to jingle the pair of bells through the air.

"But those weapons are too dangerous, sensei! You couldn't even avoid that class eraser." Sakura protested before laughing.

"Class clowns are always the weakest links. You can safely avoid them, lowest scores, losers." Kakashi proclaimed before pulling his iconic orange book loose.

"HELL NO!" Sakura retorted before hurling three separate shuriken through the air at Kakashi.

As these shuriken approached, Kakashi casually managed to grab each of him between his fingers in midair. This action forced Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke to all gasp with shock.

"Don't be so hasty, I haven't even said start yet." Kakashi mumbled

"But I'm impressed, you threw those with the intent to harm me... There maybe hope for you, Pinky." While speaking, Kakashi continued to read from his book.

"Ready... Set... Go." After speaking, Sasuke and Sakura each rushed towards the nearby forest at Genin-level speed.

However, Naruto somehow managed to disappear in a blur of speed that was easily Kage-level, shocking Kakashi. This realization forced Kakashi to briefly pull his gaze away from his book before staring at Naruto's previous location.

That technique... It wasn't a body flicker. Kakashi concluded.

"Ninja must know how to conceal their movements and hide effectively." Kakashi spoke out before glancing from side-to-side.

Well, at least they know that much. After these thoughts progressed, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto each came into view from a nearby tree-line.

This revelation forced Kakashi's visible eye to narrow after noticing that the real Sakura ran in the opposite direction. This filled Kakashi with interest as all three of his students rushed towards him in unison.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura then each pulled loose a kunai both slashing out at Kakashi from several different angles. Despite this concentrated barrage of attacks, Kakashi managed to casually evade each of them while reading his book.

Kakashi then caught Sakura's left wrist before hurling her left knee up towards her stomach. At the last moment, Sakura managed to dodge this attack without even looking, forcing Kakashi to audibly gasp.

Naruto then dropped to the ground before swiping his right leg out in a counter clockwise fashion. This forced Kakashi to jump into the air before preforming a backflip and landing behind Naruto.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke's voice pierced the air before he loudly clapped both hands together.

"WHAT!? Genin can't use Fire Style, it takes to much chakra!" Kakashi concluded before grabbing Sakura and Naruto both by the wrist and throwing them aside.

"Boom!" The distant voice of Naruto pierced the air.

This declaration forced dozens of explosive tags to spread out across, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura with igniting. Afterwards, these explosive tags erupted into a fierce explosion on all sides around Kakashi.

These explosions creating a house-sized pillar of dust and debris while a distant Sakura was snorting . At the same time, the real Sasuke slowly came into view behind Naruto as they both stood atop a tree branch.

After the dirt and smoke settled from the previous explosions, Naruto noticed a large dug hole that was dug into the ground. A brief silence filled the air as team 7 waited for Kakashi to come back into view.

"Naruto, where i-...?" Sasuke asked after jumping to the ground.

Naruto attempted to reach out and grab Sasuke, but he was to late. Because of this, Sasuke fell to the ground before instantly sinking neck-deep into the earth.

"Need to be more aware, Sasuke." Kakashi spoke out after popping out from the ground.

"Forbidden art: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto's voice pierced the air before five separate puffs of smoke erupted into existence.

I see... It looks like the rumors are true, after that last distraction, and now this, there's no doubt about it, he can create shadow clones... Kakashi concluded.

Nar-... Naruto, what are you planning? Sasuke asked himself.

All five Naruto's then charged towards Kakashi in unison while the elite Jounin continued to read from his book. Kakashi then dropped to the ground before sweeping his right leg out in a count clockwise fashion, forcing two Naruto's to jump back.

Kakashi then rose from the ground before directing his left foot towards a nearby clone. As this foot approach, the clone managed to dodge Kakashi without even looking before grabbing his ankle and throwing him into the air while Sasuke crawled out from the ground.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke exclaimed clapping both hands together.

Sasuke then weaved through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger seals before inhaling a significant breath of air. While this occurred, Kakashi quickly snapped his book shut before pressing both hands together and weaving through the Tiger, Rabbit, Boar and Dog seals.

Sasuke then exhaled a condensed spray of chakra-filled flames that erupted towards Kakashi. As these flames advanced, nearby portions of earth and grass were scorched under its heat.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu." Kakashi mumbled with a carefree tone.

This declaration forced an impressive amount of dirt, mud and stone to instantly erupt from the ground in front Kakashi. This wall was then bombarded by Sasuke's chakra-filled flames, creating a fiery shockwave on impact.

While Kakashi stood behind this wall, all five Naruto's charged towards him behind jumping into the air. Afterwards, dozens of explosive tags spread across their bodies before they each ignited.

"Boom!" Naruto's voice once again pierced the after before preforming the Seal of Confrontation with his left hand.

Suddenly, Sakura finally entered the clearing before Naruto's wrapped his right arm around her waist while grabbing Sasuke. Naruto then appeared atop a nearby shallow stream with an impressive display of speed, easily Jounin-level.

"Fighting like this, you'll never get the bells before noon, as failures." Kakashi mumbled with a carefree tone.

Failure?! Hell nah, Sasuke will be mine! Sakura concluded.

Failure...Failure? I AM the Uchiha! Sasuke protested.

But I truly believe that a day will come when all the pain and hatred can be put aside... The distant voice of Iruka pierced Naruto's mind.

And then, everyone will live in love and happiness... As these memories progressed, Naruto downcast his face before staring at the rippling water that he stood on.

A tense silence then filled the air as Sakura and Sasuke entered a Taijutsu stance while Naruto continued to stare at the water. Afterwards, Naruto appeared behind Kakashi in a Kage-level blur of speed before casually poking the bells on his back.

"Na-... Naruto!?" Kakashi gasped.

"How did you do that Naruto?" While speaking, Kakashi dramatically turned around.

"I-... I don't know...I just didnt wanna fail again..." Naruto stuttered as the blood-stained face of Iruka drifted through his mind.

Is...Is this Genjutsu? What did Naruto do? No way Naruto could do it, he had even worse grades than me. Sakura asked herself.

Na-... Naruto...What are you hiding. Sasuke pondered.

No doubt about it Sensei...that's your technique...but how? Kakashi wondered.

"So uh... Do... Do we pass?" Naruto stammered before once again starting at the ground.

"Yes, you and Sasuke pass, Sakura fails just as predicted." Kakashi replied with an eye wink.

Kakashi then instantly appeared behind Sakura in a textbook perfect body flicker before reappearing beside a nearby wooden post. Kakashi then tied a squirming Sakura to this protest with no effort at all.

"Unfair! I'm the best Kunoichi of my class!" Sakura shrieked, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto interrupted, garnishing everyone's attention.

"Is there a way Sakura could pass?" While speaking, Naruto's words created a smile across Kakashi's concealed face.

"Well, okay, in there hours, we'll have round two... But if Sakura drags the two of you down again, then all three of you will fail." After speaking, his words forced Sasuke to scoff in a hostile fashion.

"Awesome, just let me eat, then nap befo-" Sakura was cutoff mid sentence by Kakashi.

"You're not going anywhere, and you're not eating anything, you're going to stay right there tied to the post, a punishment for being useless." Kakashi barked out.

"Also, if anyone tries to feed her, you fail." While speaking, Kakashi lazily scratched the bridge of his nose.

"I make the rules, you follow them." After speaking, Kakashi disappeared into a whirlwind of leaves.

Naruto and Sasuke then each grabbed one of the food containers and opening then. At the same time, Sakura's stomach began to growl with hunger.

"Rice, pork, chicken, dried baby corn and a fried egg, not bad... But I have a certain love for fish." Naruto proclaimed.

After speaking, Naruto put his tray of food down before reaching into the shuriken satchel on the back of his waist. Afterwards, Naruto pulled out three separate scrolls before unrolling and unsealing each of them, creating three small clouds of smoke.

"He's some cups we can use for the stream over there." Naruto exclaimed before four wooden cups came into view.

"Na-... Naruto." Sakura choked out shyly.

"How did you do that?" While speaking, Sakura was almost speechless, surprised that Naruto knew so much.

"Just something I've been working for on, ya'know?" Naruto mumbled.

"Here, have some fish." After speaking, Naruto grabbed a freshly made roll of sushi before shoving it in Sakura's mouth.

This action forced a dense tornado of chakra-filled wind to erupted into existence in front of the nearby tree line. After several moments, an imitdating Kakashi came into view with both arms crossed in front of his chest.

"YOUUU!" Kakashi screamed.

"You broke the rules, I hope you're ready for the punishment." While speaking, Kakashi clapped both hands together before weaving through the Ox, Boar and Rat Seals.

"Any last words?" After speaking, these words forced Sakura to twitch with fear.

"I wont' let my teammate go hungry. Iruka-sensei always taught me to eat 3 times a day, especially breakfast." Naruto remarked.

"You've been setting us up to fail since the very start haven't you?" While speaking, Naruto's amount of knowledge forced Sakura and Sasuke to both gasp.

"You pass." Kakashi mumbled in a carefree toon.

"Bu-... But what do you mean? How did I pass? All I did was hide, feint and fall over, do I get points for that?" Sakura stuttered.

"You're the first squad that ever succeeded. The others did exactly what I said and fell into the trap, they couldn't think for themselves..." Kakashi remarked before pulling his iconic book loose.

"A Ninja must see through deception. In the shinobi world, those who break the rules are scum, true... But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." After speaking, Kakashi cheerful smile towards team 7 from behind his mask.

"So... So we're shinobi?" Naruto mumbled.

"Yes, you're all offically members of team 7,everyone passes. Squad 7 starts it first mission tomorrow." Kakashi replied.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered while raising both hands into the air..

"I did it, I did it! I'm a ninja! I'm a ninja!" Sakura screamed.

"About time." Sasuke scoff.

"Now, lets go home." Kakashi suggest before turning around and walking away.

"Hey wai-" Sakura attempted to protest before Naruto cut her loose from the wooden post.

"Oh-... Uh, thanks Naruto... HEY SASUKE WANNA GO GRAB SOMETHING TO EAT!" Sakura shrieked after dashing past Naruto.

Sakura then caught up with Sasuke and Kakashi before the all walked beside each other. During this, Naruto was staring at each of them before the transparent image of Iruka slowly faded in view between them.

"Naruto... Catch up, I'm buying you all ramen to celebrate, all you can eat." Kakashi spoke out before turning around.

This statement forced, Sasuke, Sakura and even the transparent image of Iruka to all turn around before smiling at Naruto. At the same time, the distant setting sun was illuminating each of these figures, creating a beautiful image in Naruto's mind.

A real and genuine smile then stretched across Naruto's face before he began to giggle. Naruto then ran towards his friends as a moment of happiness spread across his life, finally overwhelming the void that was left from Iruka's death.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Point out my mistakes.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Journey To A New Land. Rise Of A Hero!**

 _Tuesday 10:27am, April 30th 58SSP._

"Sasuke, I'm at point B, over." Sasuke whispered into his earpiece while crouched atop a tree branch.

"Sakura, I'm at point C, over." Sakura mumbled into her earpiece.

"Naruto, I'm at point A, over." Naruto muttered while hiding inside a thick bush.

"The target has moved!" Kakashi's panic-filled voice pierced the earpiece.

After Kakashi spoke, a small and black silhouette charged into Naruto's view. Afterwards, the silhouette jumped over Naruto's bush before dashing between nearby trees.

"Naruto, what's your distance from the target?" While speaking through the earpiece, Kakashi was casually reading his orange book.

"Five meters, sensei." Naruto replied before Sasuke appeared in the bush beside him.

"I'm ready too." Sasuke cut up, eager to show off in front of Naruto.

"I think I'm lost..." Sakura whispered, earning a dramatic sigh from both Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Sensei, Im moving in." Naruto exclaimed before leaping out of the bush.

Naruto then charged towards a nearby black cat that had a small red bow tied around its left ear. This cat then took one glance at Naruto before loudly purring and walking towards him.

This reaction forced Naruto to slow down before extending his left hand out and petting the cat. A wide smile then spread across Naruto's face after the cat curled around his left foot while purring.

"Naruto, cats sure do love you, don't they?" Sasuke remarked after causally walking out of a nearby bush.

"The target should have a red ribbon tied to its right ear." Kakashi explained over the mic.

"Copy Kakashi, Naruto has accquired the target, doesnt seen anywhere near as dangerous as the report stated." Sasuke mumbled in response.

"Right, lost pet Tora, captured... Mission accomplished." Kakashi spoke.

"CAN'T WE GET A BETTER MISSION!? I HATE CATS!" Sakura screamed.

"AND IM STILL LOST!" While screaming, the static from Sakura's voice forced Sasuke to abruptly toss his earpiece onto the ground.

Team 7 then began the long and difficult journey of locating Sakura before beginning their journey back home. During this, Sasuke sighed and scoffed several times, tired of dealing with Sakura.

* * *

 _One hour later._

"OHHHH my sweet Tora, mommy missed you so much!." An obese woman screamed while rubbing Tora's fear-covered face against hers.

"Haha stupid cat, that thing deserves to be squished." Sakura giggled.

"No wonder she ran away..." Sasuke mumbled.

"Now then." Hiruzen interjected before blowing streams of smoke from his nose.

Hiruzen was seated at a boomerang-shaped table with six chairs but only three individuals to fill them. Also, Ebisu was seated next to Hiruzen, a stark reminder that Iruka was gone forever.

"For team 7's next mission, we have several tasks..." While speaking, Hiruzen exhaled even more smoke from his nose.

"Among them, babysitting the chief councilors 3yr old, taking his wife on shopping, picking up potatoes an-" As Hiruzen spoke, he was abruptly cut off by Sakura.

"NOoo!" Sakura shrieked while using both arms to form an 'X' in front of her nonexistent chest.

"I wanna go on a REAL mission! Something challenging and exciting, not this kid stuff!" While screaming, Sakura tried to act cool in front of Sasuke.

"We've been at this for weeks! This was our 7th D-ranked mission, I want a real mission!" After shouting, her words forced Sasuke to sigh in agreement.

"She has a point..." Sasuke mumbled.

UUhhh, I knew this was coming. Kakashi concluded before sinking into a deep depression.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU'RE JUST A BRAND NEW GENIN WITHOUT ANY EXPERIENCE!" Ebisu protested before dramatically standing up.

"I want a real mission!" Sakura complained before dropping to the ground like a baby and whining.

I'm going to hear about this later. Kakashi remarked.

"Lord old man, can we have a real mission?" Naruto spoke up, garnishing everyones attention.

"Oh, so even you think you're prepared for the task?" Hiruzen questioned before inhaling a fresh hit of leaf from his pipe.

"If my teammates are, I am too, lord old man." Naruto mumbled before smiling.

"Very well. If all three of you agree and Kakashi does not deny you..." Hiruzen replied with smoke pouring from his nose.

"Really?!" Sakura interrupted before jumping up from the ground.

"What are we doing? Are we escorting a princess? Or, or, or maybe saving a threatened village? Or are we delivering at important message?" While speaking, Sakura earning a dramatic sigh from Sasuke.

"You'll be bodyguards on a journey to a nearby land." Hiruzen explained.

"To who!?" Sakura pleaded with joy.

"Don't be so impatient. I'll have him sent in now." Hiruzen sighed.

"Send in our visitor!" After shouting, Hiruzen once again inhaled a fresh hit of leaf from his pipe.

The sliding door behind team 7 was then pushed open before a 40ish year old man walk in the room. He had shaggy grey hair and a poorly trimmed goatee that was dripping with sake.

This man wore a sleeve grey tunic with a deep V cut into the front, revealing portions of his hairy chest. Also, he had pale purple sash that was tied around his waist, contrasting his ankle-length tan pants and civilian shoes.

"What's this? A bunchs of snort nosed kids." The elderly man complained before pulling a bottle of sake loose from his backpack.

"And you, the loud one with the weird hair color. Am I suppose to believe you're a ninja?" After speaking, the elderly man began to chug his sake.

"Hahah! Who's the loud one with the wei-" Sakura chuckled before freezing after Sasuke and Naruto both stared at her.

This created a tense period of silence, a silence pierced only by the sound of the nearby man chugging his sake. Afterwards, a distorted expression and rage spread across Sakura's face before she charged forward.

"I'LL DEMOLISH YOU!" Sakura screamed before Kakashi casually grabbed the back of her collar at the last moment.

"You can't demolish the client, Sakura... That's not how it works." Kakashi sighed.

Sakura then continued to worm and wiggle before Kakashi effortlessly lifted her into the air while reading his book. At the same time, the elderly man finally stopped drinking his sake before wiping the alcohol from his face as several drops fell to the floor.

"I am Tazuna, the master bridge builder and I must return to my country..." The elderly man spoke out before loudly burping.

"I'm building a bridge that will change my land and I expect you to get me there safely... Even if it means giving up your life." After speaking, drops of sake continued to drip from Tazuna's face.

"You're only a C-rank mission, so you can't be that important." Naruto mumbled before staring at the ground.

"You'd be surprised what you see if you cut your hair kid." Tazuna remarked with a hostile tone.

"Everyone go get everything you'll need for a mission and meet up at the western gate in 2 hours..." Hiruzen ordered as smoke poured from his nose.

"Kakashi and Tazuna have paper work to do, so that gives you three plenty of time." While speaking, Hiruzen's words force Kakashi to sigh with defeat.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura then all turned around and ran outside of the Konoha academy together. Afterwards, each of these teammates waved goodbye to one another before rushing home, eager to prepare for their first real mission.

* * *

 _Two hours later._

Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and Tazuna all leisurely out of the western gate with Sakura leading the way. As she led her team down the road, a wide and prominent smile was sprawled across Sakura's face.

"Hell yea! This is the first time I've ever left the village! I'm a traveler now! My mom will be so proud when I get back!" Sakura cheered while glancing from side-to-side.

"Am I supposed to trust my life to this brat? She's a joke!" Tazuna complained while pointing at Sakura with an accusatory glare.

"Oh don't worry, I'm a jounin and she's with me." Kakashi mumbled before concealing his orange book from view.

"HEY! Someday I'll be the greatest Kunoichi to ever exist! Greater than Tsunade! And Sasuke will be right by my side!" Sakura retorted before glancing at Sasuke with love in her heart.

This declaration forced Sasuke to sigh with defeat while Tazuna pulled another bottle of sake loose and took several gulps. During this, drops of sake dripped from his face and goatee before staining his shirt and shoes.

"Tsunade is smart and collective, wise and seductive... You are none of those things kid, and you never will be." Tazuna muttered before burping.

"ARGHH! I'LL DESTROY YOU!" Sakura shrieked before charging at Tazuna.

As Sakura approached, Kakashi walked past her before casually grabbing the back of her collar. Kakashi then lifted Sakura into the air as she began to swing and kick in protest.

"I told you, you can't destroy the client. if you do, who pays us?" Kakashi sighed.

Soon, team 7 began their first journey away from Konoha while Sakura took several minutes to calm down. At the same time, team 7 was unaware of the dangerous and foreboding circumstances that loomed in the distant horizon.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

Tazuna led team 7 across and old and worn bridge that swayed under their combined weight. Afterwards, each of these individuals entered a dirt-filled road that was surrounded by several streams and trees.

"So drunk, you're from the Land of Waves, right?" Sakura asked.

"Yea, what of it?" Tazuna barked out without even turning around.

"Kakashi-sensei, are there shinobi in that land?" Sakura questioned.

"No, there are no shinobi in the Land of Waves." Kakashi muttered in a carefree tone.

"A small island like the Land of Waves has natural protection from the sea, so there is no need for a shinobi village." After speaking, Kakashi's words forced Tazuna to chuckle.

"Oh sure, the sea is plenty of protection... Unless you have boats, which everyone does." Tazuna spat out, clearly upset over Kakashi's statement.

"Tazuna. What's the relationship between our villages?" Sasuke spoke up.

"Well... My land has no shinobi and no school to teach them. We're just a small island that relies on Konoha for trade and food." Tazuna explained.

"Why don't you hire a Shinobi to teach them? Or to create an academy there?" Naruto asked, causing Tazuna's eyes to briefly sparkle with hope.

"My village is small, no shinobi would give us the time of day or care." Tazuna mumbled with defeat.

"Well... I'm a shinobi, and I care." Naruto replied with a sincere tone before smiling from ear-to-ear.

"You seem nice ,kid. But you're just a kid, my people need a hero..." Tazuna muttered.

"Well, I hope you find that hero." Naruto exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I'm sure his village isnt that bad, he just drinks too much." Sakura cut in.

"HEY BRAT! Watch it!" Tazuna complained.

"Sakura, please do not upset the client, he is paying us after all." Kakashi sighed.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto mumbled, garnishing everyone's attention.

"I was wondering, what other nations are there besides the big five?" While speaking, these question seemed rather odd because it completely changed the conversation.

"Iruka always told me stories about the village hidden in the waterfalls." After speaking, these words forced Kakashi to nod in agreement.

"That actually makes sense, considering you almost got kidnapped by that village a few years ago." Kakashi remarked.

"Wai-... What?" Sasuke stuttered.

"Hah well... Uhhh" Naruto choked out while rubbing the back of his head.

"Naruto wondered off into the hills around Konoha by himself a few years ago before Iruka and I showed up..." Kakashi sighed, eager to keep the details a secret.

An extended silence then filled the air as team 7 continued to escorted Tazuna towards the Land of Waves. During this, Sasuke was glancing between Naruto and the ground several times.

"Hey, Naruto..." Sasuke mumbled.

"What actually happened to Iruka?" After speaking, Sasuke's words created an awkward silence as Naruto abruptly downcast his face.

"That's an S-rank secret..." Kakashi sighed.

"Anyway... There are more nations than just the five great nations..." As he spoke, Kakashi was determined to change the conversation.

"For example, our village borders many of these nations..." While speaking, Kakashi briefly scratched the bridge of his nose.

"The Land of Rivers is to our west. The Land of Rain is to the northwest and the Land of Sound is up north..." After speaking, Kakashi sighed in a dramatic fashion, too tired to continue.

"So will we see any shinobi on this mission?" Sakura asked.

"Oh no, there is no shinobi combat on C-ranked mission... So don't worry." Kakashi remarked before gently patting the top of Sakura's head.

"So we're not going to run into any other foreign shinobi or stuff like that?" Sakura questioned.

"Hahah... No, not likely... So you can relax." Kakashi chuckled.

This statement forced Tazuna to visibly tense before staring at the ground, obviously bothered by Kakashi's words. At the same time, Kakashi was so elite and experienced that he easily noticed Tazuna's discomfort, filling him with anticipation.

* * *

Two hours later.

A puddle? But it hasnt rained all day? Naruto thought while walking ahead of team 7.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, when's that last time it rained?" While speaking, Naruto's words forced Kakashi's visible eye to briefly twitch.

"I don't know, maybe yesterday? No way to be sure." Kakashi shrugged, fully away that it hadn't rained in weeks.

This statement created an awkward period of silence as Naruto turned around before continuing his walk. After several moments, the pupils inside Naruto's eyes began to expand before his field of vision shifted into the chakra-filled world.

This allowed Naruto to quickly observe his chakra-filled surroundings before focusing on the approaching pond. This pond was filled with an odd mixture of blue and green chakra, a Chunin-level amount of chakra.

A tense silence then filled the air as Kakashi nonchalantly focused on Naruto. Afterwards, Kakashi's visible eye narrowed with interest after Naruto waited for his teammates to catch up.

"Hey Naruto, what's up? Sasuke questioned.

"Oh nothing, just bored..." Naruto mumbled.

This statement forced Kakashi's visible eye to narrow because Naruto was a terrible liar. At the same time, Tazuna and Sakura each walked past the puddle of nearby water, forcing Naruto to breathe a sigh of relief.

"What's your problem kid?" Tazuna muttered without even looking at Naruto.

"Nothing." Naruto exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I'm sure everyone will be fine." Kakashi remarked with an eye wink.

At this moment, two mask-covered figures slowly phased out from the previous water puddle before glancing at team 7. Each of these figures wore the headband of Kiri tied around their foreheads while a massive amount of their body was concealed by tattered grey cloaks.

Each of these figures then phased out from the water, revealing a heavy trench coat that concealed their mud-colored pants. Also, each of these shinobi wore a large metal claw on one of their hands with a massive chain conjoining both claws.

One of these shinobi was then hurled through the air, stretching the chain that connected both shinobi. This shinobi then landed beside Kakashi with a Chunin-level blur of speed before pulling on the chain.

"What?!" Kakashi stuttered before his entire body was entrapped by dense chains.

"Huh!? Sakura panicked

"What the-...?!" Sasuke stammered.

All three members of team 7 and Tazuna then abruptly turned around as Kakashi struggled to free himself. During this, each of Naruto's eyes were pulsating with a bright purple aura.

Shit... They've found me! Tazuna panicked.

"Do it!" Both Kiri shinobi yelled it unison before pulling their connect chain.

"Nuh…?!" Kakashi choked out as his entire body was torn into several pieces.

Naruto's eyes then bulged as black blood and pale white limbs decorated the ground near Kakashi's previous location. This image left Naruto briefly stuttered for several seconds as the blood-stained face of Iruka drifted through his mind.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Sakura screamed.

"Quickly! Get the old man!" Both Kiri shinobi screamed in unison before charging forward.

As these shinobi approached, Sasuke unsheathed his sword before parrying a metal claw, creating several sparks. Afterwards, the other Kiri shinobi appeared directly behind Sasuke, forcing the young Uchiha to gasp.

"This is it worm!" Both Kiri shinobi yelled in unison.

"SASUKE!" Sakura screamed before falling on both knees.

A tense silence then filled the air as Naruto's entire world abruptly slowed down. During this, Naruto's concealed eyes pulsated and twitched several times.

Sen-... Sensei...I have that feeling...that desire you once spoke of... Naruto remarked as distant memories drifted through his mind.

Love is... Love is the hearts desire to protect someone. The innocent voice of Iruka pierced Naruto's mind.

Think of someone you love, think of someone you care about... Maybe think of someone who's not with you anymore. As these thoughts raced, each of Naruto's hands slowly clenched with rage.

"No, No! **"** Naruto's pain-filled voice resonated through the air.

At this moment, a brief flash of violet erupted from Naruto's eyes, forcing his bangs to slightly waver. Afterwards, the shinobi behind Sasuke was abruptly gripped by some unseen and unknown force.

This unseen force then slammed the Chunin-level shinobi against a nearby tree-line, slamming against a tree in the process. Also, this shinobi then pulled his teammate into the woods before he also hit a tree, a result of their conjoined chain.

"Sasuke!" While screaming, Naruto ran up to his friend.

"Argh - I think my claw arm is broken." The left clawed shinobi spat out while gripping his left arm with his right hand.

"They're just kids! We can't fail Zabuza, blitz the old man!" The right clawed shinobi retorted.

Both of these Chunin-level opponents then appeared behind Tazuna while Sakura continued to rest on both knees. This action forced Tazuna to gasp with shock before he even had time to turn around.

"Gato sends his regards!" Both Kiri shinobi chuckled in unison before attack Tazuna.

At the last moment, a bright flash of light erupted from Tazuna's back before Naruto instantly appeared behind him. Afterwards, both of the attacking Kiri shinobi were overwhelmed by some unseen and unknown flash.

Suddenly, each of these shinobi were flung backwards over 20ft before crashing through a series of trees. At the same time, a small cloud of dust and debris swelled into existence around Naruto, taking several seconds to dissipate.

"Is everyone alright?" Naruto mumbled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't know what Sasuke did, but he's amazing!" Sakura cheered after jumping up from the ground.

This statement created an awkward silence as Sasuke glared at the back of Naruto's head with awe and rivalry. During this, Naruto was smiling from ear-to-ear while glancing at Sakura, happy that she felt so safe.

Naruto... What aren't you telling me... Sasuke pondered.

"Good job everyone." Kakashi interjected after appearing atop a nearby tree branch.

Kakashi had both of the attacking Kiri shinobi causally resting in each arm while his concealed face gave of a carefree expression. While this occurred, Tazuna breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Kakashi-sensei! He's alive!" Sakura cheered.

Looks like they managed to save me after all. Tazuna's thoughts echoed.

"Great reflexs Sasuke, you reacted very fast and Naruto good job you protected everyone, Sasuke didnt even get stratched because of you.." Kakashi remarked with an eye wink.

At this moment, Kakashi casually appeared between each of his students with a textbook perfect Body Flicker technique. Afterwards, Kakashi dropped both of the unconscious Kiri shinobi to the ground before yawning in an extended and dramatic fashion.

"Sakura, we have a lot of progress." While speaking, Kakashi's words forced Sakura to downcast her face with shame.

"Oh... And Mr. Tazuna." As Kakashi spoke, Tazuna became tense as sweat poured from his face.

"U-... Uh, what?" Tazuna stuttered.

"We need to talk." Kakashi sighed.

Suddenly, Kakashi began to casually kick and nudge each of the unconscious Kiri shinobi across the ground with his feet. Kakashi then kicked each of these shinobi towards a pair of nearby trees, eager for some questions.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

A pair of unconscious Chunin from Kiri were each tied to a tree in front of team 7 and Tazuna. These Chunin were the fabled Demon Brothers, a high-level pair of Chunin that served a fierce rogue ninja.

"Their Chunin from the village hidden in the mist, our Kiri." Kakashi sighed while rubbing the back of his head.

"Say, Kakashi-sensei... Why did you use the substitution Justu instead of just taking them out yourself?" Sakura interrupted.

"I could have taken them out easily - but then I would have learned nothing..." Kakashi explained with a carefree tone.

"I had to see who their target was, and what they were after." While speaking, Kakashi's visible eye narrowed before focusing on Tazuna.

"What are you getting at!" Tazuna spat out in a defensive tone.

"I wanted to know if they were after us, or if they were after you, Tazuna. The master bridge builder." Kakashi spoke out, forcing Tazuna to downcast his face.

"When you put in your request, you asked for standard protection from robbers or highwaymen..." While speaking, Kakashi glanced up at collection of clouds overhead.

"You didn't say their were shinobi looking for you... If we knew this, it would be a B-rank mission or higher." After speaking, a tense silence filled the air.

"If we knew we would be fighting against foreign shinobi, we would have staffed differently." After Kakashi spoke, he sighed in a dramatic fashion.

"Lying to us is unacceptable, we are now beyond the scope of this mission." While Kakashi spoke, Naruto glanced between him and Tazuna several times.

"We're Genin... This is to advanced for our leveling of training, we should go back." Sakura suggested.

"Agreed, let's head back to the village." Kakashi mumbled before casually turning around.

Sakura and Sasuke the instantly followed after Kakashi while Tazuna continued to stare at the ground. During this, Naruto was torn between his friends and an elderly man who need help.

"Wait." Naruto protested, garnishing everyone's attention.

"Tazuna, there's something you're not telling us." As Naruto spoke, Tazuna grinded his teeth together with rage.

"Like your Sensei said, this is way beyond the scope of your mission..." Tazuna muttered.

"The one who seeks my life is a very short man, who casts a very long and deadly shadow." While speaking, Tazuna continued to stare at the ground.

"Gato? That guy the Kiri shinobi were screaming about?" Naruto interrupted.

"Yes, Gato of Gato transport, he is a well know business leader." Tazuna remarked.

"But below the surface, below all the lies and facades... Gato sells drugs and contraband by using gangs and shinobi." As Tazuna spoke, a deep frown spread across Naruto's face.

"It was one year ago when Gato first set his sight on the Land of Waves... He used his vast wealth to take total control of our transports and anyone who stood in his way disappeared." While speaking Tazuna's fists clenched tighter with each word.

"What can you do, you're just an old man?" Sakura interjected.

"In an island nation the man who controls the sea controls everything..." Tazuna exclaimed.

"But there is one thing that Gato fears, and it's the bridge." Tazuna explained.

"When it is complete it will join our island nation to the mainland and break us free of his control." While speaking, Tazuna's voice was filled with pride for his country.

"I owe it to my country to build this bridge even if it means my life... If you leave me here, I will have to continue, even if it is alone." After speaking, Tazuna downcast his face.

"I don't understand, if you knew he would send shinobi, why did you hide that from us." Kakashi asked, creating a brief silence.

"The Land of Waves is a small and poor nation..." Tazuna explained.

"Even our nobles have little money, the common people who are building this bridge can't pay for a A or B rank mission..." While speaking, Tazuna's tone was filled with shame.

"It took months of hiding Ryo from Gato's henchmen to build up the money for a C-rank mission." After speaking, Kakashi sighed in response.

"No one cares about us because were poor. But we didn't ask for this, not everyone is lucky enough to be born under constant protection and wealth." As Tazuna spoke, his words carried deep weight inside of Naruto.

No one cares... I know that feeling... Naruto thought before distant memories of his childhood drifted through his mind.

Back before... While these thoughts raced, the smiling face of Iruka pierced Naruto's mind.

Sensei... You gave me a chance to prove myself... Why did no one give that to the from the Land of Waves... While thinking these thoughts, Naruto glanced at up the drifting clouds overhead.

They didn't ask to suffer. After thinking these thoughts, the innocent face of Iruka was contorted and covered in blood, forcing Naruto to twitch.

Naruto could connect with Tazuna more than anyone else inside team 7, he was probably the only one who could. Naruto understood how it felt to be the outcast or forgotten and he didn't choose to be, it was forced upon him.

"Very well." Naruto mumbled.

Suddenly, Naruto's tone became more serious as the blood-stained face of Iruka continued to echo through his mind. Because of this, Naruto narrowed each of his concealed eyes before forcing on Tazuna.

"When the bridge is completed, you will be expected to pay the appropriate costs." While speaking, Naruto's words forced Kakashi to sigh.

"Also, you will sign a trade deal with the Land of Fire aswell as a non-aggression pact." As Naruto spoke, distant homework sessions with Iruka fueled his words.

"What gives you the right to make deals for your village? You're just a kid." Tazuna barked out, earning an innocent smile in response.

"Don't worry! Me and the Hokage are very close..." Naruto replied.

"And I know deep down he would never want your village or any village to suffer." While speaking, Naruto continued to smile.

Th-this kid who's kid is this? Tazuna asked himself.

"Kakashi-sensei... I can't abandon someone in need." Naruto explained, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Come." After speaking, Naruto casually walked past Tazuna before continuing their journey.

This kid... He's really serious... Tazuna concluded.

When did he get so bossy. Sakura pondered.

He's hiding something... Sasuke remarked.

Sensei... Your son is full of surprises. Kakashi's thoughts boomed.

"Yo, Naruto... Wait for us." Sasuke spoke out, forcing Naruto to freeze mid step before turning around.

Naruto then gasped with shock after noticing a transparent Iruka, Shikamaru, Choji and Hiruzen all walking beside his teammates. This was a collection of everyone in Naruto's life that brought him joy.

This image filled Naruto with genuine love and happiness, causing he to giggle with joy for several seconds. This was a very important moment in Naruto's life, the moment when he finally started to move on from Iruka.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Danger Emerges! Assassin Of The Mist.**

 _7:27pm Tuesday April 30th, 58SSP._

"This looks like a great spot... Wouldn't the four of you agree?" Kakashi spoke while leading team 7 down the road.

Kakashi was talking about a nearby grove on the side of the road with a dirt path leading there, as if several other people and travelers stopped in the same spot to sleep and rest. The sun had already started to set as rays of pink, orange and purple mixed together in the skyline overhead while the distant sun clung to the horizon.

"Sure, better than walking all night." Sasuke mumbled as he walked infront of Sakura and Tazuna but behind Kakashi and Naruto.

"Yea mhmph Sasuke's right." The pink kunoichi snorted out in approval.

"Is it wise to sleep out in the open like this, Kakashi?" Tazuna asked the experienced Jonin.

"Everyone must sleep, even in times of war." Kakashi shrugged.

"Says the grown man who abandons his students to fight 2 Chunin alone!" Sakura complained, only for a teasing chuckle to escape from Kakashi.

"What's so funny Sensei? Why are you laughing?!" As she screamed, she began to breathe dramatically.

"Oh its nothing - its just that you didn't do any fighting." Kakashi mumbled with an eye wink.

"Well Sasuke defeated them anyway." Sakura retorted as she crossed her arms before looking down at the ground.

"How would you know? You sat on your knees the entire time, some protection you are, atleast I got the other three." Tazuna replied as he walked a few feet ahead of Sakura.

"Woah, it's massive! I like how there is a burn pile where the sun shines through." Sasuke blurted out, referring to the grove of trees his team sat in, one of the few times excitement could be heard in his voice.

"Yea its nice, but nothing like the beauty of my island... Rivers and streams countlessly dancing across the landscape and roads..." Tazuna exclaimed.

"Its truly a beautiful sight and thankfully much more colder than the Land of Fire." As he spoke, Sasuke and Sakura began unpacking their bags inside the grove.

"Tazuna." Naruto mumbled, gathering the old bridge builders attention.

"Yes, what is it kid?" Tazuna asked, still grateful to Naruto.

"You told us about the military, government and financial aspect of your land... But what about its people, what about you?" Naruto pondered, his question catching Tazuna, Sakura and Sasuke all off guard.

"U-uh-well..." Tazuna spoke as as he finally unrolled his bedroll before sitting down in the iconic dad stance.

"The people of the Land of Waves are a quiet people..." While speaking, he used his left hand to rub his beard.

"We tend to keep to ourselves, cause like your Sensei said, we have no Shinobi school or Kage..." As he spoke, his words were filled with depression.

"And since we have no Shinobi clans, the people of our lands are simple folk, we work ships and sail for months at a time..." Tazuna huffed out.

"We tend farms that flood easily when the tide rises and constantly shuffle to maintain our makeshift roads." As he spoke, the taste of shame was clear in his voice.

"Why dont you just move?" Sakura questioned before unrolling her bedroll and sitting down.

"Obviously you have no pride for the place of your birth..." Tazuna retorted in a disgusted manner.

"But I do however. I will not abandon my fellow citizens." As he spoke, a depressed look stretched across his face.

"Before Gato life was hard, brutal and flooding was constant but we weren't getting murdered in the streets." While speaking, Tazuna gently stroked his facial hair.

"And once this bridge is built, the people of my land can hold their heads high once more." After speaking, Tazuna grabbed a sealed cup of sake from his backpack before drowning his sorrow.

"Geez thats so gross old drunk." Sakura complained before laying back across her bedroll.

"When you've lived aslong as I have you'll drink as much as I do." Tazuna exclaimed with a harsh yet honest tone.

Soon, Sasuke finally finished unpacking before sitting down beside Sakura as she glared at Tazuna. During this, Naruto continued to examine the grove that team 7 was camping in.

"Yo Naruto, did you seal everything?" Sasuke interjected, garnishing everyone's attention.

"Ya'know it! Tooth brush, cups, plates, drinks and my bedroll. All those hours with Shisui really helped." Naruto remarked as a brief smile spread across his face.

"D-did you just say Shisui... As in Shisui of the body flicker?" Tazuna stuttered after choking on his drink.

"Yea - how do you know of Shisui? He died when we were both kids." Sasuke cut in.

"Are you kidding? EVERYONE knows of Shisui of the body flicker." Tazuna barked out.

"As a mere Genin he was already well feared and known across several villages - even the tiny huts on my island." As he spoke, Tazuna gently scratch the bridge of his nose.

"You had the honor to learn under such a powerful shinobi and didn't even know it? Talk about ungrateful." After speaking, Tazuna once again began drinking his sake.

Wh-what!? Shisui was really that good? Sasuke asked himself, he knew Shisui was powerful but not that powerful.

Sh-Shisui...that's why you knew so much about the body flicker...I cant believe I didn't see it until now. Naruto's thoughts concluded before he downcast his face

"Anyway Im going to bed - where is your teacher at?" Tazuna questioned.

"Dont worry he's somewhere." Naruto spoke with a smile on his face.

"That sounds good - I could use some sleep." Sasuke remarked before yawning.

The young Uchiha then pulled his sword loose from his back before laying it across the nearby ground. Afterwards, Sasuke laid down on his back before glancing up at the bright stars overhead.

Tomorrow - tomorrow I'll find out what Naruto is hiding for sure. Sasuke concluded before closing both eyes and falling asleep.

Soon, Tazuna and Sakura also fell asleep as Naruto casually stood in the same spot for over twenty minutes. As Naruto glanced over his sleeping friends, his thoughts began to drift back to Iruka and Hiruzen.

Naruto...to me...there is no greater act of love and trust than to be entrusted to protect others, as Iruka entrusted you to protect this village and world. The kind memory of Hiruzen spoke with a Sage-like tone.

Suddenly, each of Naruto's hands shot up before grasping his chest as an intense pain ruptured, erasing his previous smile. This pain was resonating from Naruto's heart, an area that was filled with pain and loss ever since Iruka's death.

Entrusted...to protect others... Naruto's thoughts slowly progressed before a smile once again stretched across his face.

I shall be worthy of your trust, Sensei. After these thoughts progressed, Naruto disappeared in a text-book perfect Body Flick technique.

* * *

 _Three hours later._

Faint rays of moonlight sparkled down on Naruto as he sat atop a isolated tree branch that was surrounded by foliage. Naruto was glancing at up at the bright stars overhead while Kakashi quietly stood behind him in the shadows.

"Naruto you should sleep." Kakashi spoke before emerging from the shadows.

"Its fine Sensei...I don't need to sleep, its a choice for me." Naruto remarked without even looking away from the stars.

"Everyone sleeps Naruto." Kakashi exclaimed.

"What I would give to be like everyone else Sensei." Naruto spoke, creating a tense period of silence.

"Naruto you are my student, just like Sakura and Sasuke... You're like everyone else." Kakashi asserted.

"But I'm different, Kakashi-sensei, you know I am." Naruto argued.

"I've read the books people wrote about me - or rather the people like me." As he spoke, Naruto continued to focus on the distant stars.

"It is forbidden to speak of that." Kakashi interjected while crossing both arm in front of his chest.

"What will they do? Seal a demon inside of me?" Naruto mumbled.

This statement created an extended period of silence as Naruto and Kakashi each glanced up at the stars. During this, Naruto was intently focused on the demon that was sealed inside him.

"Ka-kakashi-sensei." Naruto murmured.

"Yes Naruto?" Kakashi remarked with a kind tone.

"D-... Do you think it will ever break free?" Naruto questioned, causing Kakashi's visible eye to narrow.

"I cant say." Kakashi spoke casually while shrugging both shoulders.

Naruto's eyes then bulged underneath his bangs while he peered up towards the night sky. Naruto was using his Kekkai Genkai to search for Chakra networks in the stars.

"Wh-what if it breaks free?" Naruto mumbled before Kakashi's right hand casually gripped his head.

"Then I, shall remain by your side, Naruto Uzumaki." Kakashi spoke before gently tossing Naruto's hair in his hand.

This statement created a bright smile across Naruto's face, a true and genuine smile. The type of smile that was usually only reserved for Iruka or Sasuke.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto muttered.

"Now, tell me what happened today?" Kakashi questioned before using Naruto's head as an arm rest.

"Is that what happened today? Did the tailed beast break free?" As he spoke, Kakashi continued to rub Naruto's hair.

"I-I dont know...I- I just wanted to protect everyone and it just kinda happened..." Naruto mumbled in response.

Sensei...something happened that night...I know it... Kakashi concluded.

What I felt today...It wasn't the nine tails chakra, so how? How can a Genin do such a thing... As these thoughts progressed, Kakashi once again glanced up at the stars.

But if it wasn't the nine tails, than what was it? Sensei... I don't understand. While thinking these thoughts, the faint sound of distant owls could be heard.

I've watched over him since birth -Sensei, child pranks, late nights running around the village, even him and Iruka going to get ramen. But this...I've never seen this before. After these thoughts finished, Kakashi found himself lost in dense memories.

 _-Flashback-_

"So - Naruto is finally awake and moving around?" The voice of Hiruzen spoke out before hitting his pipe.

Hiruzen and Kakashi were each gathered into the iconic Hokage's office. This meeting was taking place after Naruto woke up, but before Iruka's funeral.

"The pain he must've endured from that event will linger in his head forever, much like the loss of Obito endures inside you." While he spoke, streams of smoke poured from his mouth.

"Me and Anko tried to cheer him up by taking him out for dango - but even than the owner refused to serve him." Kakashi exclaimed.

"Yes - Im fully aware, the shop owner filled a compliant... I had to read a three page report before listening testimony." Hiruzen replied before once again hitting his pipe.

"Hah... Yea sorry about that, you know how Anko gets." Kakashi spoke up while rubbing the back of his head in an Iruka-like fashion.

"Anko reacted perfectly fine, I will not tolerate those who mock the heros of our village, and Naruto is one of those heroes." Hiruzen remarked.

"Anyway... In a few days the new graduation teams will be chosen, and I've already made up my mind on who shall lead them." While speaking, smoke poured from his nose.

"What? Are you not going to postpone them because of Iruka!?" Kakashi reacted with shock.

"Kakashi... I once stood where you stand now, and the 1st Hokage sat where I sit now. On that day, I finally understood what the Will of Fire represented." Hiruzen spoke out.

"The Will of Fire is our undying resolve to protect those that are dear to us, lord Hokage." Kakashi repeated the same phrase that was drilled into his mind.

"Tell me Kakashi, what is it that you wish for?" Hiruzen interjected, catching Kakashi completely off guard.

"Well I...I guess..." Kakashi stuttered for several moments.

"You dont need to say it, because I already know." Hiruzen remarked before inhaling a fresh hit of leaf.

"You wish that Obito had lived and you had died, you wish to trade places with your old friends... Is my assumption correct?" As he spoke, his words caused Kakashi to visibly tense.

"Yes...lord Hokage." Kakashi mumbled before staring at the floor.

This created an awkward period of silence that filled the room, a silence pierced on by the sound of Hiruzen smoking. During this silence, Kakashi's mind drift back to his childhood with Rin and Obito.

"It is true that everything we wish for will not come to be... However, things that we must do always begin with a wish." Hiruzen explained.

"The Will of Fire is like a leaf... At birth it is fresh, vibrant and pure but no leaf lasts forever." While speaking, Hiruzen stood up from his desk.

The elite 3rd Hokage then approached a nearby window before sliding it open and sticking his left hand out. After several moments, Hiruzen grabbed a freshly torn green leaf from the air before presenting it to Kakashi.

"The 1st generation must nurture and cultivate those that come after them, so their dreams and wishes may live on inside them." After speaking, Hiruzen walking up to Kakashi before placing the leaf in his hands.

"Similar to how you carry the dream of Obito inside your left eye." As he spoke, Hiruzen turned around before returning to his desk.

"There is a reason both blood and the dead leaves of Autumn carry the same color of red, because they fall for a purpose." While speaking, Hiruzen inhaled a fresh hit of leaf from his pipe.

"The dead leaves of Autumn will indeed wither and decay, but they shall become the fresh nutrients for fresh green leaves that bud each spring." With each word that was spoke, smoke poured from Hiruzen's nose.

Father... A single word etched itself into Kakashi's mind.

"That is why I will not postpone the graduation, because Iruka is an Autumn leaf that has fallen." Hiruzen remarked.

"And the ground he fell upon shall cause a fresh green leaf to bloom in his place." While speaking, the whiskered face of Naruto drifted through his mind.

"That is why I am assigning you to lead team 7." As he spoke, smoke poured from his nose and mouth.

This created an extended period of silence as Hiruzen and Kakashi each stood in the Hokage's office for several minutes. During this silence, Kakashi was staring at the floor with a downcast and far away expression on his face.

"Do you know anything about the incident?" Kakashi questioned, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"No, there was no blood on him, except of the blood of Iruka... But a massive crater was carved into the very earth with Mizuki's corpse inside." Hiruzen explained.

"Something, some force inside Naruto broke out... But it wasn't the nine tails." As he spoke, Hiruzen's tone instantly began tense and concerned.

"Then how could I lead him? I dont even know what he's capable of, nor can I surpress the tailed beast." Kakashi asked while continuing to stare at the floor.

"Im putting you as his teacher because I dont know what he's capable of..." Hiruzen admitted.

"Naruto is a sensitive child, when he was younger he craved attention, either good or ill but his years with Iruka have made him a soft hearted and quiet child, no direct form of confrontation will gain answers from him." After speaking, his words finally caused Kakashi to raise his face.

"Do we know anything? His record at the Academy has him at the deadlast?" Kakashi questioned, causing Hiruzen to once again sigh.

"That may be my fault... I told Iruka to surpess as much knowledge from Naruto as he could... But I suspect Iruka told Naruto to just hide all of his abilities." Hiruzen exclaimed with smoke pouring from his nose.

"So we know nothing, lord Hokage? Nothing at all?" Kakashi interrupted.

"Well, Naruto was lying unconscious next to the forbidden scroll, a scroll that was opened..." Hiruzen explained.

"However, I don't know if this means Naruto was able to read and practice those techniques. And even if he did, not jutsu from that scroll could create a crater of that size." After speaking, Hiruzen inhaled a fresh hit of leaf from his pipe.

"What would you have me do, lord Hokage?" Kakashi asked.

"I would have you lead Naruto, as his father led you." Hiruzen spoke, causing Kakashi to slightly bow his head.

"Yes, lord Hokage."

"Starting today, you shall be the guardian of Naruto." Hiruzen declared, unaware of the top secret mission Kakashi was assigned to 12 years ago to watch over a pregnant Kushina.

Soon Kakashi was drawn out of his thoughts by the voice of the very child he was guarding.

 _-Flashback ends-_

"Kakashi-sensei please get some sleep, I'll shall keep watch." Naruto spoke up - earning a loud sigh from Kakashi.

"Uhhhh okay Naruto - but no complaining about not getting to sleep." Kakashi remarked before turning around and disappearing into the shadows.

This created an extended period of silence as Naruto simply continued to sit there. During this silence, Naruto continued to glance up at the night sky before focusing on the moon, allowing time to fly back in an instant.

* * *

 _Nine hours later._

This mist is so thick I can't see anything. Sakura thought to herself.

Team 7 and Tazuna were gathered on a small boat that was headed towards the Land of Waves. This boat was controlled by an unknown citizen who insisted they travel during the morning mist.

"The bridge isnt far now, if you look ahead, through the mist, you'll see our destination - the Land of Waves." The unknown driver spoke up.

Soon, a large arch of solid stone and concrete came into view, causing Sakura's mouth to fall open with shock. Afterwards, signs, barricades and construction equipment could be seen, even through the dense mist.

"WOAH! THATS HUGE!" Sakura shrieked, causing Naruto to partially fall out of the boat before Kakashi caught him at the last moment.

"QUIET!" The driver yelled in a hushed tone towards Sakura before continuing.

"I told you no noise! Why do you think we're traveling like this? Cutting off the engine? Rowing? Moving through the dense morning fog? Following the current into the island? So they don't see us!" While speaking, these words forced Sakura to slam both hands over her mouth.

"Tazuna, we've been extremely fortunate that no one has noticed us so far." After speaking, the driver earned a nod of agreement from Tazuna.

"All thanks to your driving." Tazuna remarked.

Soon, the boat entered one of the many tunnels that was carved into the stone of Tazuna's new bridge. This brought attention to a pair of flickering white light at the end of the turned, forcing Naruto's pupils to grow as his Rinnegan shifted into the chakra-filled world.

After several moments, Naruto's boat finally left the long tunnel before rays of bright sunlight illuminated everything in view. For the first time in their lives, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto each looked upon a village that wasn't their own.

Several clouds floated through the blue sky overhead as seagulls could be heard in the distance. Also, oddly shaped trees were growing from the nearby water several huts and wooden platforms sat atop the water.

Naruto's boat then approached one of these platforms before Kakashi quickly stood up and stepped off first. Afterwards, his eye glanced from side-to-side before each of his student followed behind.

After the Genin stepped off, they all began to stretch, popping several joints and bones in the process. During this, Tazuna shuffled past each of the Genin before approaching Kakashi.

"This place is beautiful, Tazuna! I love the view! Can these houses flood?" Sakura asked, one of the view times she displayed genuine interest in something other than Sasuke.

"Nah... The flooded district further inland, its basically impossible for these houses to flood." Tazuna explained.

"This is as far as I go Tazuna, good luck." The boat driver spoke before pushing away from the dock.

This statement caused Tazuna to turn around before waving at the boat driver with respect. At the same time, each of the Genin inside team 7 became shocked at how kind Tazuna was being.

"Thank you so much for taking this risk." Tazuna spoke before slightly bowing his head.

"We need your bridge, Tazuna... We're depending on you." The boat driver spoke with pure sincerity.

"He'll be fine." Naruto assured before standing before Tazuna and smiling.

"I'm glad, good luck." The boat driver remarked before rowing away into the distance.

"Okay - now take me to my house, alive." Tazuna asserted before turning around and walking past Kakashi.

"Right, of course." Kakashi answered in a carefree tone while his thoughts became tense.

The next Shinobi they send wont be a rookie, it will be an elite Jounin. Kakashi concluded, fully aware that danger was just around the corner.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"That's so amazing Sasuke!" Sakura cheered.

The source of this joy was Sasuke pulling a scroll from his back before releasing it. This action revealed a fresh plate of Sushi that he was sharing with Naruto as they walked beside each other.

While these Genin walked behind, Kakashi led the group with Tazuna beside him. During this, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of Naruto stuffing Sushi into his mouth.

"It's neat, ask Naruto if you need any, I suck at sealing." Sasuke answered, filling Sakura with pure confusion.

"Hey Naruto, last time Kakashi-sensei interrupted before I could ask, how did you learn sealing jutsu?" Sakura asked with a sour expression on her face.

"I thought that was a extremely adept shinobi skill? But you were the deadlast in class..." After speaking, a brief period of silence filled the air.

"Questions like that are why you annoy me." Sasuke interjected before shoving even more Sushi into his mouth.

"But I mean... Like who taught you?" Sakura asked while swelling with pain from Sasuke's word.

"Well I just read a lot ya'know? And Shisui, of course." Naruto explained.

"So you just read a lot of books?" Sakura repeated.

"Naruto is just too modest. Sealing is the only thing he's better at than me." Sasuke interjected.

I'm NOT letting Naruto get all the attention this time! Sakura's inner thoughts bellowed.

Suddenly, Sakura entered a dramatic stance before running past her teammates and sensei. Afterwards, Sakura jumped the air before preforming a front flip and landing in a crouched position.

"Watch out! Over there!" Sakura shrieked before hurling kunai towards a nearby bush.

This kunai then sliced through the moisture soaked planet before disappearing from view. This action forced each of Sasuke's teammates to sigh while Sasuke facepalmed.

An awkward period of silence then filled then air as Sakura sat in a crouched position, trying to look cool. During this, each of her teammates and even Tazuna stared at her with confusion.

"Hmph… Don't worry it was just a mouse." Sakura spoke before causally flickering her hair to the side, trying to look cool.

"SAKURA! Those are Kunai knifes! They're dangerous! Not toys!" Kakashi complained.

"STOP TRYING TO SCARE ME YOU PINK HAIRED BRAT!" Tazuna screamed.

Tazuna's words then resonated throughout the nearby forest, causing even more panic to swell inside of Kakashi. At this moment, Kakashi notice a pair bushes were rustling near the road, that same bushes that Sakura just attacked.

"I told you!" Sakura screamed before hurling a second kunai towards the bush.

Before Tazuna, Sasuke or Naruto could say anything, Kakashi quickly walked past all of them. Soon, Kakashi even walked pasted Sakura before casually walking through the bushes that Sakura just attacked.

Walking up to the bushs, pushing them aside then strolling between them, Kakashi soon came across a solid white rabbit, laying on its back, its legs twitching from fear, its head leaned up against a tree with the very same Kunai Sakura had just thrown lodged mere inchs above its head.

Soon, Sakura walked behind Kakashi before gasping after she noticed a solid white rabbi. This rabbit was shaking with fear as Sakura's kunai was plunged into the ground mere inches away from it.

"AHHH! A rabbit!" Sakura screamed before running past Kakashi.

After approaching the rabbit, Sakura quickly dropped both on both knees while Kakashi glanced from side-to-side. Sakura then reached out with both arms before cradling the soft rabbit like a baby and nuzzling it against her face.

"Oh I'm sorry little rabbit, I didnt mean to do that!" As she spoke, Kakashi intently studied the nearby tree line.

That's a snow rabbit, but their fur is only white in winter, when the days are short and there's little sunlight. Kakashi analyzed, a result of his high-level intellect.

This rabbit was raised indoors away from the sunlight - which could only be for one purpose, a replacement technique. As these thoughts raced, Kakashi began tense while Sakura continued to nuzzle the rabbit.

So... They're already here... While thinking, Kakashi glanced from side-to-side.

No wonder the demon brothers failed in their mission... An unknown shinobi observed from atop a nearby tree branch.

That's the copy cat, Kakashi of the Sharingan... As these thoughts raced, the unknown shinobi continued to study team 7 from the distance.

His outfit consisted of the Headband of Kiri that was tiled around the side of his head in a slanted fashion. This headband contrasted the white linen fabric that was wrapped around the entirety of his mouth and neck.

He wore a pair of ankle-length purple pants with vertical stripped and no shirt, revealing his pale skinned chest. Also, the only thing worn across his torso was a dark blue cord that connected to the massive sword on his back, the legendary Kubikiribōchō.

Finally, he wore a pair of matching shin-guards and armbands on his sleeve that were each painted with a mud-style camo pattern. This was a unique style of camouflage that was used by the shinobi of Kiri, the Land of Mist.

Suddenly, this masked shinobi gripped the hilt of his massive blade before pulling it loose. He then hurled this massive weapon through the air like a massive boomerang that cut through the nearby air.

"Everyone get down!" Kakashi ordered.

This statement force Sakura and Sasuke to instantly hit the ground as Naruto tackled Tazuna. Afterwards, the legendary Kubikiribōchō sliced through the air, barely missing the Genin of team 7.

After this sword missed it continued to swirl through the air before slicing into a nearby tree. The previous masked shinobi then appeared in a blur of mist atop this sword, standing with pure confidence.

That must be...Kakashi's thoughts concluded as he studied the masked Shinobi.

Here it is... My chance to shine! Sakura concluded.

"Well, well... If it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rogue shinobi from the village hidden in the mist." Kakashi spoke with a tense tone, fully aware of how elite Zabuza actually was.

Rogue shinobi? What ever... He's nothing to me! Watch this Sasuke! Sakura's inner thoughts echoed as she attempted to dashed past Kakashi only for him to instantly grip the top of her head tightly.

"Stay back, this guy isnt like the other two... He's in a whole other league." Kakashi explained, creating a tense period of silence.

"Sasuke, Sakura! The bridge builder!" Naruto panicked as he stood beside Tazuna.

This plea for help garnished each of Naruto's teammates before they encircled Tazuna in a protective stance. This was something Naruto and Sasuke could do without even talking while Sakura was easily the weak link.

This is it Naruto... I'll show you how much I've grown. Sasuke concluded.

Sheesh so bossy. Sakura complained.

"I guess I was in your bingo book too... What an honor." Zabuza muttered.

"I never imagined I'd get to meet the fabled Kakashi of the Sharingan." As he spoke, his words forced Sasuke to visibly tense.

Sasuke knew about Kakashi's title because of his extensive friend with Naruto, so he wasn't upset about that. Instead, Sasuke was upset because he didn't know how Kakashi got a Sharingan.

"I guess you won't hand that old man over, will you?" As Zabuza spoke, he continued to glare at Kakashi.

"Well, if you're my opponent then I'm going to need to use this..." Kakashi muttered before lazily rising his hand.

Soon, Kakashi gripped his headband before Naruto swelled with anticipation. This feeling forced the pupils inside Naruto's eyes to grow as his Rinnegan shifted into the chakra-filled world.

"Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight!" As Kakashi spoke, he raised his headband before revealing a closed eye was massive scar cut through it in a vertical fashion.

Suddenly, a tense silence filled the air before Kakashi's left eye shot open, revealing a 3 tomoe Sharingan. This revelation shocked Sakura because it was the first Sharingan that she ever saw.

"Will someone please tell me what the Sharingan is?" Sakura questioned.

"We dont have time to deal with you right now, ask later." Sasuke complained.

"There is no later for you. I was paid to leave no witnesses." Zabuza chuckled.

"As for you Kakashi..." As he spoke, a dense level of chakra filled the air.

"In the assassination unit of the hidden mist... We have a standing order to kill you on sight." While speaking, Tazuna found it difficult to stand underneath the intense chakra.

"Enough talking, I need to end that old mans life now." After speaking, Zabuza instantly disappeared into a blur of mist with his sword.

At this moment, Zabuza appeared atop the water of a nearby lake before clasping both hands together. Afterwards, Zabuza weaved through the Ox, Snake and Ram Seal while balancing Kubikiribōchō atop his feet.

Soon, mist and chakra-filled drops of water began to swirl around Zabuza as he released a Jounin-level amount of chakra. During this, Kakashi's elite Sharingan observed and analyzed Zabuza with great speed.

"Ninja art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Zabuza's voice pierced the air before water and mist began to swirl around him.

Soon, Zabuza's mist completely concealed his body from view before resonating out in all directions. This mist then slowly surged out towards team 7, forcing each of them to tense.

As this mist approached, the pupils inside Naruto's eyes slowly extended before his field of vision shifted into the chakra-filled world. This action discolored the approaching mist, giving it the appreance of purple mist, the chakra of Zabuza Momochi.

"Naruto! Focus!" Sasuke bellowed, garnishing his teammates attention.

"Right... Sorry." Naruto stuttered

"He will attack me first... So just stay behind me." Kakashi mumbled in a carefree tone.

"Now then... What blood vein shall I cut first? There's so many ways you could all die." Zabuza spat out from the dense mist.

"How about none." Kakashi remarked.

At this moment, Kakashi clapped both hands together before weaving into the Ram Seal. This created a barely visible shockwave of blue chakra that forced the nearby mist to partially dissipate.

What! Chakra can't be visible?! Sasuke concluded

Uh, finally I can see again. Sakura remarked

So this is the power of a Jounin... Naruto pondered.

What an intense thirst for blood... Is this what shinobi do on a daily basis? Tazuna panicked.

Suddenly, Zabuza appeared directly behind the group of Genin with his revered Kubikiribōchō held in the air with both hands. Afterwards, Zabuza flung this sword down with extreme focus, cracking the ground as team 7 and Tazuna barely had time to jump out of the way.

Kakashi then appeared in the air above Zabuza before slamming the heel of his right foot down. This foot then collided with Zabuza's forehead before his entire body erupted into water and fell to the ground.

"Damn... A water clone." Kakashi muttered.

Suddenly, Zabuza appeared directly behind Kakashi with an insane amount of speed, almost Kage-level. The elite rogue ninja then sliced his sacred Kubikiribōchō out in a horizontal fashion towards Kakashi.

"DIE!" Zabuza shrieked before effortlessly cutting Kakashi in half, spraying the air with blood.

"What!?" While speaking, Zabuza's eyes bulged with shock after Kakashi's blood morphed into water.

Even in the dense mist - he saw through my illusion and copied it in an instant! Zabuza's inner thoughts observed.

"Dont move." Kakashi whispered after appearing behind Zabuza with a kunai held against his throat.

"You're technique is nothing but an imitation - you'll never be anything like the original." Zabuza chuckled.

"But I'm not that easy to fool!" After speaking, Zabuza erupted into a puddle of water.

"That one was a water clone too!?" Sakura screamed.

Zabuza then once again appeared behind Kakashi before swinging his legendary Kubikiribōchō out in a horizontal slash. As this blade approached, Kakashi ducked to the ground before getting kicked in the jaw by Zabuza's left foot and flying back over 10ft.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura bellowed.

Zabuza then continued his assault by charging forward only to freeze mid step after noticing dozens of spiked devices that littered the ground. Each of these weapons were manufactured and developed in Konoha, evidence of their military power.

"Caltrops? Clever Kakashi." Zabuza declared.

As this Jounin-level battle took place, then fresh Genin of team 7 each regroup around Tazuna. Afterwards, Naruto stared at Kakashi for several moments before pressing both hands into the clone seal.

Four separate puffs of smoke then erupted into existence all around Naruto before four clones came into view. These clones were the result of the forbidden technique, multi shadow clone jutsu, a technique that required Kage-level chakra reserves.

"Naruto, how you create four clones? I can barely create one." Sakura asked.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto closed both eyes before taking a deep breath of air. At the same time, each of his clones charged off into the nearby mist, connected to Naruto's field of vision through their eyes.

"Naruto don't ignore me!" Sakura continued.

"Sakura, I need absolute focus." Naruto mumbled, earning a hostile scoff in response.

While this conversation was unfolding, the spiky-haired silhouette of Kakashi slowly emerged from a nearby lake. While this occurred, thick streams of syrup-like water dripped off of Kakashi's visible body.

This isn't normal water... It's dense. Kakashi's concluded.

At this moment, Zabuza instantly appeared behind Kakashi with a impressive burst of speed, almost Kage-level. Afterwards, Zabuza quickly sheathed his Kubikiribōchō before pressing both hands together and weaving through the Snake, Ram, Horse, Hare, Ram, Horse, and Hare Seals.

"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!" Zabuza declared, forcing Kakashi's Sharingan eye to visibly widen.

"Kakashi-sensei!" All four Naruto clones yelled in unison before three of them swarmed after Zabuza.

While these clones distracted Zabuza, the final cone ran to Kakashi before pulling him loose from the rotating water. This action disrupted Zabuza's previous technique before a puddle of chakra-filled water mixed in with the lake below.

"Blond brat!" Zabuza insulted before casually side-stepping each of Naruto's clones.

Those aren't just illusions... They're solid clones Zabuza concluded.

"Out of my way!" After speaking, Zabuza's right hand gripped the hilt of his Kubikiribōchō before slicing it out in a horizontal slash.

This attack was directed at the back of two separate Naruto clones, giving Zabuza the element of surprise. However, each of these clones managed to duck down at the last moment, dodging the fierce attack while Zabuza gasped with shock.

Now's my chance. While think these thoughts, Zabuza hurled his left leg forward with extreme force.

This kick then soared over a portion of rippling water before raising into the air barely a few inches away from one of Naruto's clones. At the last moment, this clone managed to barrel roll across the waters surface without even looking at Zabuza's attack.

How... There was no way he could have seen that! Zabuza told himself.

Soon, a pair of Naruto's appeared on either side of Zabuza before dropping to the waters surface in a manner very similar to Rock Lee. Afterwards, each of these Naruto's swung their legs across the water's surface before Zabuza casually jumped over them.

"You're nothing to me!" As Zabuza spoke, he extended both his legs out in mid air.

This allowed Zabuza to kick both Naruto's directly in the jawline before they were hurled backwards over 10ft across the water's surface. After flipping, skipping and twirling across the water for several moments, each of these clones erupted into a puff of smoke before disappearing.

"Naruto, I told you not to get involved." Kakashi mumbled as they each hid behind a nearby bush.

"I have a plan." Naruto barked out almost as if he didnt even hear Kakashi.

"Plan?" Kakashi questioned before crouching down next to Naruto with interest.

"Just because you can create real clones, that doesn't make you shinobi." Zabuza barked out from the water's surface.

"To be shinobi, you have to walk the line of death on a daily basis. You have to breathe and act as a weapon with no emotion... That is shinobi" After speaking, Naruto's final clone surged across the water's surface, earning a sadistic chuckle in response.

As Zabuza laughed, his left hand preformed the Seal of Confrontation in front of his chest while sheathing his revered Kubikiribōchō. At the same time, a pair of fair-skinned hands reached out from the water's surface before grabbing Zabuza's ankles.

"What?!" Zabuza panicked before Naruto's clone embraced the rogue shinobi with a fierce bear hug.

Suddenly, a collection of explosive tags and seals spread across Naruto's body, forcing Zabuza to gasp. Afterwards, this ground erupted into a fierce explosion of chakra-filled fire.

This explosion created a 20ft tall geyser of smoke, debris and fire that rose into the air, piercing the dense mist. During this, a distant Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna all narrowed their eyes with interest.

"Kid, what was that?" Tazuna asked.

Instead of replying with words, Naruto once again pressed both hands into the iconic Clone Seal before four puffs of smoke erupted into existence. After several seconds, four Naruto's came into view before they once again dashed towards the battling Jounin.

"Naruto! No fair! Leave one clone here, so I can go." Sasuke complained.

This statement created an awkward moment of silence as Naruto stuttered for several moments. While this occurred, Naruto was using his left hand the scratch the bridge of his nose.

"No... No shadow clones for you." Naruto mumbled before all four of his clones reappeared beside him.

"You'll get the real one!" While speaking, Naruto gave Sasuke one of his iconic thumbs up.

"Sakura you are one of us - come." Naruto encouraged, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Yea, yea, sure." Sakura sighed.

"You're just going to leave me here with clones?" Tazuna questioned.

"Don't worry, Mr. Tazuna I see what my clones see." Naruto asserted, confusing Sasuke with his words.

"Let's go." After speaking, team 7 all disappeared into the mist while Sakura struggled to keep up.

As team 7 rushed towards the battlefield, a scarred, burnt and bloodied Zabuza was crouched atop the water's surface. Zabuza was staring at the burnt portion of his face and his shark-like teeth.

The little brat - I can't believe I let my guard down. Zabuza cursed his own failure.

Zabuzu's sleeves were both completely burnt off, drawing attention to his charred and blackened skin underneath. Also, his pants, shoes and the hilt of his legendary Kubikiribōchō were all stained with soot and charcoal.

"I will not be defeated by a mere child." While speaking, Zabuza continued to glare at the water's surface.

Soon, a collection of three kunai were hurled through the air at Zabuza, forcing both of his eyes to narrow. At the last moment, Zabuza casually barrel rolled across the water's surface, causing the cold water to refresh and cool his freshly burnt skin.

Kakashi then abruptly appeared behind Zabuza with a text-book perfect body flicker before slicing a kunai through the air in a horizontal slash. Despite his quick appearance, Zabuza casually dodged Kakashi's attack before grabbing the elite Jounin by his left wrist.

"Where is the blond brat? I need to return this gift." Zabuza spoke before hurling Kakashi across the water's surface.

Kakashi then flew through the mist before landing atop the water with body feet and sliding backwards. This action created a series of ripples across the water's surface as a dense mist concealed Zabuza from view.

"WATER STYLE: WATER PRISON JUTSU!" As Zabuza spoke, he protruded out from the water's surface with both hands pressed into the Hare Seal.

This declaration force Kakashi to gasp as a swirling vortex of chakra-filled water swirled underneath him. Soon, this water surged across Kakashi's ankles and shins before raising towards his chest and completely engulfing the elite Jounin.

"This water is stronger than steel... It's hard to fight if you can't move or breathe" While speaking, Zabuza's left hand was connect to the freshly made water prison while his right hand was preforming the Seal of Confrontation.

"Water Clone Jutsu." After speaking, three puddles of water rose from the lake before morphing into a clones of Zabuza.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura panicked after team 7 came into view.

"LISTEN! GET THE BRIDGE BUILDER AND RUN! YOU CAN'T WIN THIS FIGHT!" Kakashi screamed before choking on Zabuza's chakra-filled water.

This statement shocked Sakura, filling her with anxiety and fear while both her legs began to tremble. While this occurred, Sasuke's right hand gripped the hilt of his black grass cutter sword before pulling it loose.

Suddenly, each of Naruto's concealed eyes began to twitch several times as the blood-stained face of Iruka drifted through his mind. This created a tense period of silence as Naruto's heart began to beat more rapidly.

"I'll kill all three of them in front of you!" Zabuza chuckled before each of his clones surged forward.

"Haaa!" Sasuke screamed while swinging the tip of his sword through the air in a horizontal slash.

Sasuke then became embroiled in a fierce Kenjutsu battle with Zabuza as two other clones ran right past him. As these clones approached, Naruto once again pressed both hands into the Clone Seal before two puffs of smoke erupted nearby.

Soon, a two Naruto's charged out from one of these smoke clouds before rushing towards Zabuza. While this occurred, Zabuza's clones scoffed with annoyance before gripping the hilt of his legendary Kubikiribōchō.

"No more clones!" Zabuza shrieked before slashing his blade through the air in a horizontal slash.

This attack managed to effortlessly bisect one of Naruto's clones before the other one jumped back at the last moment. Afterwards, Naruto's dead clone fell to the water's surface before exploding into a puff of smoke.

Now's my chance! I'll show Sasuke what I'm made of! Sakura concluded before hurling a kunai at the real Zabuza only to be deflected at the last moment.

"I can't believe you actually qualify as a shinobi." One of Zabuza's clones mumbled after instantly appearing behind Sakura.

"Sakura!" Naruto bellowed before sending his remaining clone to help Sakura.

"Naruto! Stay focused!" A struggling Sasuke choked out.

Soon, the sound of metal striking metal pierced the air while sparks sprayed atop the nearby water, a result of Sasuke and Zabuza battling with swords. After several moments, a distant Kakashi began to harshly gag from inside Zabuza's technique.

"I guess instead of killing your students in front of you. I'll have you kill you in front of your students." The real Zabuza mumbled with joy.

"Tell me - have you even seen your sensei killed before your very eyes?" After speaking, a small barrage of fresh rain drops began to bombard the nearby trees and water.

"This is the world of shinobi - love, compassion and emotion are worthless and do nothing but hold us back" While speaking, a condense downpour of rain began to drizzle down on everyone, soaking their outfits and hair with fresh rain.

At this moment, one of Zabuza's clones kicked Naruto off his feet before the blond boy feel against the water's surface. Afterwards, Zabuza used his right foot to kick Naruto in the stomach, forcing the young blond to flip and slid across the water's surface for over 10ft.

This action stained a vast majority of Naruto's whiskered face while drenching his bangs with water. At the same time, a nearby Sasuke was completely disarmed before Zabuza's kicked him in the stomach, knocking him to the water's surface.

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke spat out before clapping both hands together.

Sasuke then weaved through the Snake, Sheep, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger seals while inhaling a massive amount of air. After several moments, Sasuke exhaled a condensed spray of chakra-filled flames that illuminated the nearby water with a fiery aura.

"Hahah! Interesting." Zabuza's clone declared before causally sinking into the water.

This allowed Zabuza to effortlessly dodge Sasuke's attack before a tense period of silence filled the air. Soon, Zabuza abruptly rose from the water behind Sasuke before raising his Kubikiribōchō into the air.

"Sasuke!" Sakura panicked before throwing two kunai at the elite ninja.

Zabuza then causally deflected each of these kunai with his Kubikiribōchō before laughing in a sadistic manner. At the same time, another Zabuza shoved his left knee against Sakura's stomach, forcing her to gag before falling to the water's surface.

Kakashi's head then hung limp inside Zabuza's water prison because he finally ran out of air to breathe. While this occurred, the entire world began to slow down for Naruto as one of Zabuza's clones slowly walked up behind him.

Love is... Well, love is the hearts desire to protect someone who is precious to you. Iruka's voice echoed through Naruto's mind.

To me there is no greater act of love than being entrusted to protect others. The voice of Hiruzen abruptly pierced Naruto's mind.

There is only one thing that can heal a broken heart Naruto, and one thing alone... It's love. Kakashi's voice boomed loudly in his mind.

"Go ahead and die now." Zabuza mumbled in a carefree tone before raising his Kubikiribōchō above Naruto's head.

Suddenly, the blood-stained face of Iruka began to repetitively flash and flicker through Naruto's mind, forcing each of his shoulders to rise and fall. During this, each of Naruto's hands began to twitch and shake as he struggled to breathe

At this moment, Naruto shoved his right hand against him mouth before harshly biting into his own flesh. This action drew several drops of blood that dripped atop the water's surface.

Naruto then slammed this blood-stained hand atop the water's surface while each of his Rinnegan eyes began to violently twitch. At the same time, Naruto managed to crouch down at the last moment before Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō sliced several inches over his head.

"GEDO MAZO!" Naruto screamed with a mixture of rage and pain.

This declaration forced the entire lake to ripple before a giant humanoid-shaped hand ruptured out from the water's surface. This hand then abruptly wrapped around Zabuza's clone before crushing him to death in a gruesome and brutal display.

"WHAT!?" Zabuza panicked.

"AAAUAH!" Naruto's pain-filled screams once again pierced the air as he struggled to stand on both feet.

Soon, another humanoid-shaped hand protruded from the water's surface, a hand that was shackled to the other hand. Afterwards, a the strange face of some humanoid-shape creature rose from the water, drawing attention to the white blindfold around it's eyes.

This creature was easily over 30ft tall, dwarfing the surrounding trees even though half of it's body was concealed underwater. Also, this creature had a collection of nine separate spikes that were protruding out from it's back at different angles.

What? What is this!? Zabuza asked him.

Suddenly, the large shackles that restrained Naruto's summoning were abruptly snapped before the large beast began to roar. This roar then mixed in with Naruto's pain-filled screams as each of his Rinnegan continued to twitch and pulsate.

At this moment, both Sasuke and Sakura raised their eyes before gasping with shocking after looking at Naruto. Soon, a bright flicker of violet light began to sparkle and radiate from Naruto's eyes as he continued to scream.

The massive Gedo massive then reached out with both hands before grabbing each of Zabuza's clones as they towered over Sakura and Sasuke. Afterwards, the Gedo Mazo crushed both of these clones, creating a brutal display of blood that quickly morphed back into water.

The screams of Naruto and the Gedo Mazo then continued to resonate through the air for what felt like minutes. While this occurred, Naruto was so distracted by his pain that each of his clones next to Tazuna abruptly dispersed.

Impossible I can't move! Zabuza panicked as he was gripped by some unseen forced.

I... I can breathe again? Kakashi stuttered after falling to the water's surface with a heavy splash.

Kakashi's blurred vision then forced on Zabuza as he was pulled through the air towards the Gedo Mazo. Afterwards, the sound of cracking bones could be heard after the Gedo Mazo wrapped both hands around Zabuza.

"Naruto! Naruto!" Sasuke panicked as he ran across the water's surface.

"Naruto! Naruto!" After shouting, Sasuke tackled Naruto into the water.

Naruto and Sasuke then briefly float through the water while a violet aura illuminated the nearby liquid. This aura forced Sasuke to glance at Naruto's eyes before becoming paralyzed by his violet, ripple-patterned eyes, the Rinnegan.

Doijutsu?! Sasuke stuttered.

Soon, each of Naruto's eyes began to violently twitch before he fell unconscious underneath the water. Sasuke then grabbed Naruto before swimming to the water's surface and gasping for air.

"You think...you've won." A broken and burnt Zabuza groaned.

"Even with a broken arm and burnt skin... You are noth-" While speaking, Zabuza's words were cut-off mid sentence after three senbon plunged into the back of his neck.

Zabuza then fell face first into the water before an elite Anbu from the village of Kiri appeared behind him. The features of this Anbu were vastily concealed by his unique mask and the mud-style kimono he wore, matching his sandals.

"Thank you, I've been tracking that man for over two months... And you finally gave me my opening." The unnamed Anbu spoke out.

"By your mask, I'd say you're from the village hidden in the mist... A member of the tracker unit." Kakashi mumbled after standing up on both feet.

From his size and voice he must be the same age as Sakura... And yet he's an elite assassin of the mist. While thinking these thoughts, Kakashi pulled his headband down over his Sharingan.

"Your struggle in the fight is over... Thank you and farewell." The masked Shinobi asserted as he disappeared in a textbook bodyflicker, shocking Kakashi due to the young age of the masked Shinobi, but he had gotten used to surprises because of Naruto.

"Hey - Naruto are you alright? What did you do?" Sasuke asked while violently shacking Naruto, trying to wake him up.

"Relax, Sasuke." Kakashi muttered.

He mostly like passed out from Chakra exhaustion from...whatever that thing was. Kakashi concluded.

Sasuke felt weak and helpless because he had to rely on Naruto, he felt disappointed in himself. Ever since Shisui disappeared and Itachi left the village, Naruto was Sasuke's only friend and their strong bond reflected that.

"HEY! WHERE IS EVERYONE!" Tazuna panicked.

At this moment, Kakashi abruptly appeared beside Tazuna in a Jounin-level Body flicker technique. At the same time, Sakura and Sasuke came into view while the latter was carrying an unconscious Naruto by his side.

"Tazuna... I hope you plan to pay the entirety of this bill... It'll be at least an A-rank bill." Kakashi remarked.

"Uh-h-uh yes, yes... I swear I shall repay this debt." Tazuna stuttered.

"I'll do it right now! You can rest and eat at my house for free!" After speaking, Tazuna smiled for the first time ever.

Naruto... How?  Sasuke asked himself.

I hope I can get a bath. Sakura concluded.

"Follow me everyone! I'll fed you a grand meal to thank you for your service" Tazuna barked out before walking in front of team 7.

Soon, all members of team 7 trailed behind Tazuna as Sasuke held an unconscious Naruto next to his side while walking. During this, Sakura was daydreaming of a warm shower and bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Jose9299 - Tayuya is indeed my favorite pairing for Naruto, the order being Tayuya, Karin, Fuu, Sakura than Isaribi.**

 **If you mean a harem I have no plan for it and here's why, Naruto is a freak, the villagers hate him and they always have.** **By this logic I can't confidently write a love interest for someone that's inside Konoha because everyone hates him and I hate Hinata.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Lesson Of Failure! The Uchiha burden.**

 _4:32pm Tuesday, April 30th 58SSP._

"Home sweet home." Tazuna exclaimed.

Tazuna was escorting team 7 down a partially rotten dock that led to his two-story house. This was a lake house, one the most common and iconic trademarks of the Land of Waves.

"I have a guest bed in the back that you can throw the blond on." While speaking, Tazuna pointed at his house.

The house had a balcony overlooking the entranceway with a sliding glass door. Also, the roof tiles of this house were all worn and partially aged while a large three-story shed rested nearby, eclipsing the house and bridgeway.

"Hey drunk, what's that?" Sakura asked before pointing at the shed.

"That's a fish hatchery... It's a necessity in this village." Tazuna remarked.

"I thought your village was heavily dependant on sea trade?" Sasuke mumbled while carrying Naruto next to him as he walked.

Suddenly the front door to Tazuna's house was shoved open before the silhouette of a 6 year old boy came into view. This boy wore a short-sleeve yellow shirt underneath a pair of green overalls that matched his shoes while contrasting his grey bucket hat.

"GRANDPA!" The young boy yelled.

"Inari!" Tazuna chuckled before crouching down and embracing his grandson with a warm hug.

"Welcome home, Grandpa!" Inari shouted with pure joy in his voice.

"You must be Tazuna's grandson - its a pleasure to meet you." Kakashi mumbled as he strolled up in front of the young boy.

"No pleasure at all." Inari barked out before completely ignore Kakashi's presence.

This declaration force Kakashi's head and arms to hang limp in the air while groan with defeat. At the same time, Sakura was giggling with delight and victory, garnishing everyone's attention.

"Hahah! Serves you right Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura insulted.

"Who's the hag with the weird hair color?" Inari questioned, creating an awkward period of silence.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT! I'LL DEMOLISH YOU!" Sakura shrieked before lunging at Inari.

At the last moment, Kakashi grabbed the back of Sakura's outfit with his left hand while dramatically sigh. During this, Sasuke was staring at Naruto's unconscious face as he drifted through deep thoughts.

"Sakura, I already explained that you can't demolish the cilent, that means for the cilents family too." Kakashi mumbled.

"Grandpa why are they even here? They're all going to die, Gato will come back and kill all of them." Inari muttered, causing each of Tazuna's eyes to abruptly twitch.

"HEY WHAT DID YOU SAY?! I'M A SUPER SHINOBI, KID!" Sakura screamed while squirming to break free from Kakashi.

"You never stop..." An exhausted Kakashi sighed.

"Inari, what did you just say? Don't be rude to these fine shinobi, they escorted your Grandpa here safely." A young 23 young woman spoke out.

She had pale skin that deep constrasted her dark blue her and sapphire blue eyes. Also, her outfit consisted of an ankle length blue kimono and blue civilians shoes with a white apron worn across her torso.

"Hah don't worry about it... I'm rude to them aswell, hahah!" Tazuna chuckled.

"Mom, don't you see they're all going to die? Just like dad!" Inari protested before quickly turning around and running inside the house.

"Uhh... Should we?" Sakura mumbled before pointing at the front door.

"I'm sorry - he's never been the same since Gato came to our village." The beautiful woman known as Tsunami spoke out, otherwise known as Tazuna's daughter.

"But please, come inside! I just finished lunch, white rice with seared fish and sweet tea." While speaking, Tsunami waved towards the front door with a welcoming tone.

"Excuse me, could I take a bath?" Sakura mumbled.

"Sure, brat." Tazuna spat out with a joyful chuckle

"Thanks, drunk! You're the best!" Sakura cheer.

Soon, Tazuna escorted team 7 inside his house, a location that was smelled like fish and clams, an odd combination. After enter the house, you were met with a shoe mat on your right side before a 10ft long hallway extended through the dimly-lit house.

At this end of this hallway was an empty and barren living room that was devoid of all furniture or paintings. This was evidence to the poor nature inside the Land of Waves, even a wealthy man like Tazuna couldn't avoid furniture.

After everyone took their shoes off, they slowly walked down the extended hallway while passing a staircase that lead up to the 2nd floor. Also, they past three separate sliding doors that were all close.

"The guest bed is in here." Tazuna explained before walking next to a sliding door and throwing it open, revealing an empty room with an ocean-colored bedroll placed in the center.

"Does that count as a bed?" Sasuke muttered..

Instead of responding with words, Tazuna released a hostile scoff before turning around and walking up stairs. Afterwards, Kakashi pulled his iconic orange book loose before causally reading it.

"Sakura, can you help me with Naruto?" Sasuke, earning a cheerful groan in response.

Sakura then ran up next to Sakura before partially fondling him as she pretended to pick up Naruto. Soon, Sakura and Sasuke slowly lowered Naruto into the dust-covered bedroll before an extended silence filled the room.

Naruto... Please be okay. Sasuke pleaded.

He is so HOT. Sakura concluded while glaring at Sasuke.

"It's best we get some sleep, we'll be safe for awhile." Kakashi mumbled before Tsunami walked into the room.

"Where can I take a bath?" Sakura asked

"This way please, I'll show you." Tsunami exclaimed before leading Sakura out of the room.

An awkward silence the filled the room as Sasuke and Kakashi were both alone with an unconscious Naruto. During this silence, Kakashi was casually reading from his book, as if he wasn't even pay attention.

"Yes, Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned, fully aware that Sasuke was about to ask a question

"Well... Have you noticed anything, odd about Naruto? I mean lately?" Sasuke asked.

"Odd like what?" Kakashi muttered, acting like an idiot.

"Well... Like... That weird thing he summoned..." Sasuke stuttered, earning an inquisitive hum in response.

"Sasuke, it's always good to be inquisitive… But I don't know that much more than you do, honestly." Kakashi mumbled in a carefree tone.

An awkward silence then once again filled the air as Sasuke stared at Naruto's unconscious face. Soon, the sound of poping muscles and joints could be heard as Sasuke violently gripp each of his knees.

"If Naruto wasn't there..." Sasuke stuttered.

"But Naruto was there." Kakashi exclaimed with an iconic eye wink.

"Sasuke, I know you and Naruto have been close for many years..." While speaking, Kakashi scratched the bridge of his nose.

"But Naruto is a unique child, there are some things about him that no one understand." After speaking, Kakashi turned one of the pages inside his book.

"What is unique about him? What makes him different from me or Sakura?" Sasuke questioned, creating a tense silence.

"I can't say, It is an S-rank secret." Kakashi mumbled.

"And I couldn't do anything...me and Sakura were knocked back like ants..." Sasuke cursed his own weakness.

"You and Sakura weren't alone - even I became trapped by Zabuza, he was an extremly well renowned Shinobi from the mist - even if he was a rogue Shinobi he was never to scoff at." Kakashi spat out in an attempt to confront his student.

An awkward silence then filled the air after Kakashi sighed in a dramatic fashion while rubbing the back of his head. During this, the distorted silhouette of Itachi abruptly pierced Sasuke's mind, forcing each of his fists to tightly clench.

"I'm going to head outside and train, is that okay Sensei?" While speaking, Sasuke stood before walking towards the door.

"Of course just be careful..." Kakashi murmured while reading his book.

An extended silence then polluted the air as Kakashi was left completely alone with a sleeping Naruto. While this silence continued to stretch on, Kakashi casually glanced at Naruto with his visible eye.

Naruto... A single word echoed through Kakashi's mind.

At this moment, the ripple patterned silhouette of Naruto's violet eyes drifted through Kakashi's mind, briefly paralyzing him. During the confrontation with Zabuza, Kakashi managed to sneak a quick glimpse of Naruto's eyes, eyes that pierced his very soul.

Sleep well. After concluding these thoughts, Kakashi causally sat down before reading his book beside Naruto.

Naruto was Kakashi's greatest legacy and mission, he held the young blond to an extremely high standard. Before Naruto was even born, Kakashi was watching over him inside his mothers womb.

This was the deep bond between Naruto and Kakashi, a bond that was extremely strong and parental. A bond that Kakashi that do anything to protect or defend.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The masked Anbu from Kiri was towering over the limp corpse of Zabuza while mist polluted the nearby air. Zabuza's body was scorched, broken and scarred while his legendary Kubikiribōchō blade was protruding vertically out from the nearby ground.

That kid did some major damage to him... The masked Anbu concluded.

And that creature - I've never seen anything like it... While thinking these thoughts, the sound of seagulls could be heard.

Suddenly, the masked Anbu abruptly shrugged both his shoulders before shaking the collection of thoughts from his mind. Afterwards, he began to rapidly pull each of the senbon loose from Zabuza's neck.

After harshly pulling a handful of senbon loose, the scorched right hand of Zabuza shot up before grabbing the Anbu's wrist. Zabuza then growled and scoffed in a hostile fashion before pushing the Anbu's hand away.

"Thats enough, I'll do it!" Zabuza spat out.

"And why are you still wearing that creepy mask? Take it off." After speaking, Zabuza slowly pulled a collection of senbon loose from his neck and shoulders.

"I have good memories of this mask." The masked Anbu spoke out with a feminine voice.

At this moment, the Anbu raised both hands to his face before pulling his Anbu mask loose. This brought attention to the headband of Kiri that was tied around his forehead, contrasting his sparkling brown eyes and pale-skinned face.

"Damnit - you're brutal Haku." Zabuza groaned before pulling a senbon loose from an important vein in his neck.

"That kid sure had you -" Haku joked, earning a hostile scoff in response.

"I'll crush that kids throat under my grasp, next time I won't underestimate him." Zabuza proclaimed..

"If I hadn't intervened - you would be dead right now... That young blond would have killed you, that is certain." Haku explained with a gentle smile on his face.

"Give me a week to rest up, then I'll finish that blond runt." Zabuza muttered.

Zabuza then slowly sat up straight before resting his back against the sacred blade of Kubikiribōchō. Afterwards, a brief period of silence filled the air as Haku quietly smiled while staring at Zabuza.

"What about those burns? Your skin is seared like a fish." Haku exclaimed.

"You and your pathetic jokes." Zabuza mumbled.

"I find them quite enjoyable." Haku remarked with a playful tone.

"You're so innocent - and yet clever at the same time... It's the main reason I keep you around." Zabuza grumbled.

"Next time, will you be alright?" Haku questioned, completely changing the conversation as he stood up as glanced at a flock of distant seagulls.

"Next time... I'll kill the kid first." Zabuza replied.

"Perhaps I could handle the child?" Haku cut in.

"Oh? What has your interest peaked?" Zabuza questioned before glancing up at Haku.

"The child shows much promise. I've never seen a purple Doijutsu before." Haku spoke up, causing Zabuza's eyebrows to raise.

"Did you say purple Doijutsu? The blond kid? I didn't notice anything." Zabuza mumbled.

"That's because I was studying the battlefield, while you taunted the enemy like a brute." Haku remarked with a gentle tone while smiling.

"Yea, whatever." Zabuza spat out.

Suddenly, Zabuza once again closed both eyes before slowly drifting back to sleep as Haku stared at him with pure love. Despite Zabuza's harsh personality and lethal backstory, he was only person who gave Haku a purpose in life, a purpose that the 15 year old boy would do anything to defend.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

Sasuke stood in a small grove of trees while various rays of sunlight sparkled down between various tree branches. After several moments, Sasuke tightly clench both fists creating scoffing with rage.

Naruto, if you weren't there... A single thought echoed through Sasuke's mind, followed by the distorted shadow of Itachi.

This image forced Sasuke to raise both fists before bombarding a nearby tree while grinding his teeth together. Soon, chunks of wooden debris began to polluted the air as Sasuke continued to punch the tree.

"Useless! Everything I've done! I havent grown at all!" While screaming, small drops of blood began to drip from Sasuke's knuckles.

As Sasuke continued to beat the innocent tree in front of him, his blood slowly dripped across nearby portions of grass. Afterwards, Sasuke's mind slowly slip away before daydreaming about the recent past.

 _-Flashback-_

 _3 am - Naruto and Sakura enter the Uchiha compound catching Sasukes attention._

 _"_ ITS BEAUTIFUL" Sakura shrieked aloud as her voice filled almost the entirety of the now empty Uchiha clan, clear enough for Sasuke to hear even far inside the compound and living inside the clan leaders den.

"Yea, sadly its not as lively as it used to be, but even back then I only came here to visit Sasuke so atleast not to much has changed." Naruto spat out as he continued to walk inside the now semi empty Uchiha compound with the pink Kunoichi close behind him.

"Do you and Sasuke always meet this early?" Sakura asserted loudly as she and Naruto walked towards the clan leaders den , the hint of jealously filling her voice.

"Totally, me and Sasuke always hang out either before or after school but since you're apart of the team now you are more than welcomed." Naruto spoke out in a kind tone, attempting to earn Sakura's favor after the recent outburst of hate she gave him atop the Academy roof the day before.

"Cool I can't wait to see my Sasuke!" Sakura shrieked aloud - attempting to ignore the idea that Sasuke and Naruto had been meeting like this without her for years.

"YO! NARUTO! SAKURA!" Sasuke bellowed aloud from the balcony of his 2nd story room as the sliding door leading from his room to the balcony laid open, evident that Sasuke had been waiting for them.

"SASUKKKKKKE!" Sakura screamed aloud as sure jumped into the air and extended both her arms towards the sky, sheer joy filling her tone, causing a loud sigh to escape from the Uchiha, one so loud both the 2 young genin on the street were easily able to hear it.

"Yo Sasuke!" I brought some breakfast!" The young 12 year old blond bellowed up towards the balcony that the Uchiha boy stood upon, leaned against the railing of the balcony overlooking the blond boy and the pink haired kunoichi following him.

This statement caused Sasuke's stomach to growl and roar at the mention of food, over the past few years Naruto had become very acustomed to cooking, though Sasuke didn't know it, this was mainly due to his desire to avoid going outside and if he did it was only to Ichiraku Ramen stand with Iruka close by his side.

"Come on up, just jump, thats what I do." Sasuke asserted.

"Sure thing." Naruto stated as he entered a running stance and began dashing towards the small 6 foot shingled wall lining the exterior of the clan leader den compound before quickly jumping atop it, then jumping atop Sasuke's balcony all the well a wide mouth Sakura just stared.

Whaaaaat?! How can a deadlast like him have so much finesse and agility? I'll be damned if I get shown up infront of my Sasuke. The young pink haired Kunoichi thought to herself as she copied Naruto and entered a running stance as she began to dash towards the clan leader walls and jump, only for her face to smack into one of the many Uchiha symbols lining the wall before sliding down and falling on the ground.

"Sakura are you okay?" A concerned Naruto questioned aloud as he heard the sound of something falling from the direction he had just left the pink haired kunoichi at.

"Can she not jump properly?" Sasuke asked Naruto who instantly shrugged before pulling a scroll out from the heavy purple arm cloth that extended from his purple tunic and handing it to Sasuke.

"Here - some poached eggs and bread - I figured you could toast the bread with your firestyle and I know how much you like poached eggs - I'm going to go check on Sakura." Naruto asserted as Sasuke reached out and gripped the scroll in his grasp before Naruto released it and jumped back towards the direction he had just come from.

"Oh that really hurt - I hope Sasuke didnt notice." Sakura spoke to herself outloud as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, the area that had taken the main force of impact from her running into the wall.

"Sakura are you okay? Would you like me to help?" Naruto asked the sitting pink haired Kunoichi as he stood atop the Uchiha clan leader walls looking down upon Sakura, both his hands hanging down by his sides.

Sakura instantly looked up, panic feeling her mind as she thought Sasuke had noticed, but instead she was filled with annoyance upon one more seeing the young 12 year old blond.

"Im okay - and I don't need your help Naruto." Sakura spat out in a hurtful tone, causing a great frown to grow upon Naruto's face.

Sakura stood up and stepped several feet backwards before once more running towards the wall but instead of jump over it she jumped towards it, the heels of both her feet sticking to the wall as she ran up the small 6 foot wall and jumped up, clinging to the shingles lining the roof of the wall and pulling her self up.

"Sakura that was amazing!" Naruto shrieked aloud, Sakura can swear she never heard him scream that loud before, and she also noticed a weird hint of pride in his voice, why would he care about her?

"Yo Sasuke! Come look at what Sakura can do!" Naruto screamed aloud as he raised his right hand to his mouth and turned towards the balcony that Sasuke was sitting upon, having already unsealed the scrolled and begun digging into the breakfast Naruto had prepared for him.

"Eh? What can Sakura do?" Sasuke asked, while chewing a piece of bread he had freshly toasted only mere moments before.

"She can walk on walls! Show him Sakura!" Naruto bellowed aloud as his raised his left hand and gripped Sakura's right shoulder tightly with it, staring at her under his bangs while notioning towards the direction of Sasuke.

While usually Sakura would beat down anyone who touched her that wasnt Sasuke, Naruto was encouraging her to show Sasuke her worth, aswell as making Sasuke notice her, so for this time she would let Naruto off.

Sakura instantly raised her left hand to the back of head - in a manner very similar to what Iruka had done.

"Well - I -y-you kn-know its not tha-that cool." Sakura spat out in a shy tone, her inner mind raging at her to be more direct.

"Nah Naruto seems excited and he only does that over cool stuff, whatcha' got Sakura?" Sasuke spot aloud as he stood up and walked to the railing of his balcony before leaning against it and staring at the 2 young genin standing atop the walls of the clan leader den.

The last 3 words of his sentence sent Sakura into a frenzy as she had never garnished so much of Sasuke's attention before but she quickly readjusted herself before setting into action.

"Sure thing Sasuke watch this!" Sakura bellowed as she leaped off the 6 foot wall and landed on the ground of the Uchiha compound quickly slamming her hands together into the ram seal as she gathered and focused chakra to her feet.

Soon Sakura began dashing towards the walls of the clan leader house, Naruto's eyes pulsating as his Kekkai Genkai actived and he stared at her aswell as the large amount of chakra building up in her feet.

As she reached the walls of the clan leader house she leaped towards them - the heels of her feet sticking to the exterior of the house as she began to run upwards - scaling to the roof of the 1st story of the house before leaping up and gripping the shingles of the roof, before pulling herself up and standing upon the roof.

At this Sasuke's eyes bulged as he continued to stare down upon the pink haired kunoichi who was now scaling his house.

As quickly as Sakura had scaled the first story of the building she began to scale the second, jogging up the 2nd story wall before once again leaping upwards and gripping the shingles of the 2nd story rooftop before pulling herself up and standing triumphantly atop the roof all the while staring down upon Sasuke with a smile on her face.

"Sakura! How did you do that!" Sasuke yelled aloud, the first time he had shown real interest in Sakura, the action causing her to blush heavily.

"Well I just focus chakra too my feet its beyond helpful and improves chakra control." Sakura asserted in a flirty tone as she strolled across the 2nd story roof top and leaped down to Sasukes balcony before continuing.

"Do you always jump up here? You don't use the front door or scale the wall?" Sakura questioned, eager to keep the conversation going.

"Yea I haven't used the front door in years but anyway can you teach that too me?" Sasuke questioned, eager to get their training started, it was 3:13 am so if they hurried they could train until 4:30 am and get to the training ground at 5am.

"Sure where should we practice? Some place private?" Sakura questioned, wanting to make her ultimate move.

"We could always use the trees in your backyard right Sasuke? Don't you have three back there?" Naruto interrupted into the conversation as he jumped back ontop of the balcony connected to Sasuke's room all the while a jealous Sakura stared at him.

"Sure lets finish breakfast first, aren't you and Sakura gonna eat anything?" Sasuke questioned as he walked back to the plate of eggs and toast sitting atop the unsealed scroll and proceeded to shove toast into his mouth.

"Me and Sakura already ate - I made some breakfast burrito's out of eggs, cheese and some ham that the old man gives me from time to time." Naruto spoke, attempting to put his best foot forward for Sakura, she was now apart of their team and he needed to get along with her, even if she didn't get along with him.

Though Sakura did hate Naruto for holding almost the entirety of Sasuke's attention she also really loved the burrito Naruto had brought to her front doorstep, ready to walk to Sasuke's house with her, the action not sounding like much but oddly comforting her.

"Yea - it was really good too Naruto." Sakura spot out trying her best not to sound kind, she hated Naruto for taking all of Sasuke's time and she wasn't going to stop just because of food.

"Woah woah - why didn't I get any ham." The now depressed Uchiha choked out as he jaw fell down low.

"Sorry lord old man only gives me so much and I dont really have any money to buy this stuff." Naruto choked out as he raised his left hand to the back of his head in the fashion Iruka had done infront of him for years.

"Say - Naruto that reminds me - how do you survive now? I-I mean you know - since..." Sakura's question trailed off as she noticed the deadpan look Sasuke was giving her.

"Oh well I fish alot, and Iruka did leave me money - I just - ya know - don't wanna spend it cause it is kinda his money...and um I mean Kakashi-sensei takes me out to eat sometimes." Naruto spoke out in a tone that appeared joyful but Sasuke could sense the saddness in it.

"What?! You've gone out to eat with Sensei? I thought we all just met him Yesterday?" Sakura question as she placed her left hand on her hip and stared at the young blond.

"Well I haven't kno-" Naruto spoke up only to be cut-off by Sasuke.

"I'm done eating - lets get started on our training I really learn how to walk up walls like you Sakura, lets hurry we have to leave at 4:30." Sasuke asserted as he stretched his joints and proceeded to dash past both Naruto and Sakura towards the backyard, the two of them quickly following.

Sasuke's backyard was 4 times the size of Naruto's, and Sakura lived in an appartment complex so she didn't even have a backyard, it held 3 massive trees almost all the same height and age while dozens of bushs lining the interior of the clan leader wall that surrounded the compound.

Much like Naruto's backyard a pond was placed inside Sasuke's, however it was twice the size of Naruto's and even frogs and lily pads could be seen dancing within it, someone Naruto had never noticed as they stopped coming back here years ago.

"Sasuke when did those frogs move in?" Naruto questioned as he raised his hand and pointed towards the reptiles with his index finger extended.

"Eh - I don't know but the noise they make helps me sleep so I let them stay." Sasuke shrugged out as he walked past the pond and approached the middle of the trio of trees before standing aside it and turning around, staring towards Sakura.

"Can you walk up this tree too Sakura?" Sasuke question, genuinly curious to see how much Sakura could do, he honestly didn't think she did anything besides screaming.

"Sure thing Sasuke!" Sakura asserted loudly as she once more slammed her hands together into the ram seal, her chakra control funneling chakra to the base of her feet before she quickly began dashing towards the tree, passing Sasuke as she leaped forward, her feet gripping the tree bark as the ran upwards.

Sasuke stared up in awe as the pink haired kunoichi continued to dash up the tree, almost as if it wasn't even a problem for her, something that shocked him.

"SAKURA TEACH ME!" Sasuke screamed as the excitement became to much for him to take.

The sheer volume of Sasuke's statement caused Sakura to loss her focus as he feet quickly disconnected from the tree and she began to fall the 15 feet she had run up so easily, however this time she couldn't connect her chakra to the tree.

"Sakura!" Both Naruto and Sasuke yelled in unison as they charged towards the falling kunoichi, fear filling their tone as they didn't expect such a fatal outcome.

As both Sasuke and Naruto dashed towards the falling Sakura it became clear to Sasuke that they wouldn't make it in time, before suddenly Naruto passed by him in a blur of leaves, almost as if he had been holding back before.

4 feet above the ground Naruto intercepted Sakura in mid air, his feet slamming into the bark of the tree and surprising even Naruto himself - sticking firmly, as he continued to stand off the tree 4 feet up with Sakura still in his arms.

"Thanks Sasu-" Sakura spoke out in a flirty tone before instantly cutting off her sentence as she saw it was Naruto who had saved her instead of Sasuke as she began to worm and wiggle in an attempt to free herself of Naruto's grip.

"Sorry Sakura here let me put you down, Naruto choked out as he leaped onto the ground and released his right hand off of her bare skin shoulder, neither Sakura or Sasuke noticing the small black ink seal that appeared atop Sakura's skin before instantly disappearing, evidence Naruto was concerned for her safety.

"Naruto you can wall walk too?" A shocked Sasuke questioned aloud.

"Hahah - I uh didn't think I could - that was the first time." Naruto choked out as he raised his left hand to the back of his head in an Iruka fashion.

"I got this!" Sasuke bellowed loudly, echoing throughout the entirety of his backyard as he charged towards the same tree Sakura just had, attempting to stick to the bark similar to Naruto and run up, only to make 3 foot steps upon the tree and quickly falling backwards, sideflipping and landing on his right palm avoiding falling down.

"That was an amazing save Sasuukkkke!" Sakura spoke out, intentionly dragging out his name, only for Sasuke to growl with disappointment.

"You got this Sasuke!" Naruto screamed aloud, entering a running stance and dashing towards the tree to the left of the middle one before continuing.

"But I'll beat you there!" Naruto barked out, remembering how both Naruto and Sasuke's teacher, Iruka, had always stressed the importance of never giving up.

"Yea right!" Sasuke scoffed aloud sarcastically as he charged towards the middle tree, attempting to focus his chakra to the bottom of his feet as Sakura had instructed.

At the same time both Naruto and Sasuke leaped forward upon the tree, their feet sticking firmly to the bark as both dashed upwards, Naruto outrunning and speeding Sasuke, soon after 10 feet Sasuke lost his focus and fell back towards the ground while Naruto stopped running and stood their firmly, evidence of the years of chakra control.

"Sasuke you alright?" Naruto questioned, knowing full well the answer, 15 feet was dangerous for Sakura but 10 feet was nothing for Sasuke

"Yea yea - I'll get the hang of out." Sasuke choked out.

 _30 minutes later, 4 am the morning of the bell test._

"That was amazing Sasuke!" Sakura shrieked, clapping her hands, as both he and Naruto had finally ran all 25 feet up the tree and ran back down, the exercise causing Sasuke to pant heavily while Naruto was just attempting to appear exhausted, fooling both his teammates.

"We'll be genin in no time Naruto! Sakura!" Sasuke asserted confindently, staring over to the seemingly exhausted Naruto to his right, not noticing Naruto was just pretending, while Naruto was right it was his first day wall walking, he spent years practicing chakra control, the concept was as easy as breathing to him.

"Naruto! Lets spar just like old times!" Sasuke asserted loudly the statement catching Naruto off guard.

"Really? We haven't spared since we were 10." Naruto spoke out.

"Exactly its been 2 years! We're overdue!" A excited Sasuke spoke out as he raised both his clenched fists to his face.

Naruto...you're just exhausted as I am...In the past you could never keep up...you've grown strong - how strong? Sasuke's thoughts questioned aloud.

"Of course." A smiling Naruto stated as he turned and took several steps away from Sasuke before redirecting his gaze back upon him.

"Taijutsu only - just like the old times." Sasuke barked out as Naruto continued to smile, as Sakura ran inbetween the both of them, towards the middle tree before sitting down and leaning her back against it, intent to watch her teammates.

Both Naruto and Sasuke raised their right hands to their face - preforming the Seal of confrontation, Sasuke staring at Naruto while Naruto glared back at Sasuke under his bangs.

"Begin!" Both Sasuke and Naruto yelled as they charged towards one another, a fresh gust of wind blowing into the backyard, blowing several leaves into the air as they begun to dance and swirl throughout the air as Naruto and Sasuke neared one another.

Sasuke threw his right fist forward aiming for Naruto's face, attempting to end the duel before it even begun, only for Naruto to raise his left arm vertically instantly shoving the exterior of his forearm against the interior of Sasuke's forearm, forcing his punch to miss.

As soon as Naruto pushed Sasuke's fist away he copied his action, sending his own right fist foreward only for Sasuke to copy Naruto's previous action and used his own forearm to push away Naruto's punch, as both missed they proceeded to jump back 5 feet before once again charging at eachother.

"Go Sasuke!" Sakura cheered from the side-lines.

Naruto leaped up into the air, twirling around as he swirled both his legs in a spinning rotation, much like his friend Lee who he met in the forest at age 9 had showed him, they hadn't talked since last year when Lee graduated, but Naruto remembered him well and looked forward to the day they would meet again.

As Naruto swirled side-ways through the air Sasuke dropped to the ground and slide underneath his kicks, not expecting Naruto to use his legs, during their last spar at age 10 he only used the standard fighting style.

Noticing that his kicks missed Naruto froze midair and stomped his left foot down, firmly connecting to the ground before swinging his right foot forward in an attempt to knock Sasuke in the jaw only for him to instead catch Naruto's foot and throwing his own right foot towards Naruto.

Much like Sasuke Naruto caught the kick, both of them locked in a close struggle and they gripped the opposing individuals right leg with their left hand as they continued to spar, strike and parry one another with their right hand.

How hasn't Sasuke won already? Its not like Naruto knows anything, he is deadlast after all. Sakura's thought asserted loudly.

Instantly both Sasuke and Naruto gripped the bottom of their opponents foot, pushing eachother back several inchs before Sasuke threw another right fist towards Naruto who side stepped to the left and knelt down slightly as he threw his knee upward to catch Sasuke in the stomach, while Sasuke used both his hands to halt his advancing knee.

While both of Sasuke's hand was busy halting Naruto's powerful knee, Naruto attempted to swing his left fist downward in an attempt to strike Sasuke who merely side rolled to the left, barely avoiding his left punch aswell as his knee.

He's grown... Sasuke thought to himself as he began charging towards Naruto who entered a defensive stance, atleast the best one he could, he had practiced taijutsu with Lee but they never sparred and all Naruto had to go off of was what he had seen.

As Sasuke approached Naruto he dropped to the ground and preformed a sweeping kick, attempting to break Naruto's footing only for Naruto to backflip out of his range and swing his right leg outward, once more in an attempt to knock Sasuke in the jaw, who merely side rolled out of the way.

I can't even hit him...but he can't hit me either...Naruto how much have you grown? Sasuke's thoughts questioned.

How is Naruto giving Sasuke such a hard time - Sasuke was the best one in our entire class. Sakura's thought asserted as she raised her clenched right hand to her chest.

A true Shinobi always has a hidden Jutsu. Iruka's voice echoed loudly throughout Naruto's mind.

Sasuke pushed himself off the ground with the full force his legs would exert, rushing towards Naruto before extending his right fist foreward, Naruto copied this and sent his own right fist causing both their fist to smash together, the light sound of their knuckles popping echoing throughout the air.

As soon as their fist connected both threw their right legs foreward, in an attempt to kick the other in the jaw, only for their shins to smash together, once more the sound echoing throughout the backyard.

As if they were reading eachother movements before instantly swirled clockwise, turning around entirely before once more extending their right leg outward as their calfs slammed together in midair, once more parrying one anothers blow.

Lowering their right legs they instantly swung both their left fists forward clockwise, similar to before, both the knuckles of their fists slammed into one another, evident that they were on equal footing, neither of them had managed to strike the other.

Having entered into a close stance with one another and having no option to jump back both Sasuke and Naruto began throwing their fists forward, one after another, the knuckles of their fist slamming into one another again and again as they attempted to break through the defense of the other.

As the sound of their knuckles smashing together filled the air Sakura stared at the two of them in awe, she had no idea they were both so strong, especially Naruto, how was he even keeping up with Sasuke?

As their fists hurried to meet eachother one final time both Sasuke and Naruto opened their left hands, gripping the opposing persons right fist tightly, stalling the battle momentarily, Sasuke so distracted he didn't even notice a black ink seal sprawling across the knuckles of his right hand that Naruto was clenching, before similar to the seal that had appeared on Sakura it disappeared.

For several seconds they stood their, their opponents fists gripped tightly in their hands before they pushed one another back several feet and once more quickly charging towards their opponent.

I can't believe their still going at it...am I really that weak compared to them...even Naruto? Sakura's thoughts questioned, before quickly noticing the time.

As the 2 genin neared one another Sasuke extended his right arm forward before sweeping it clockwise it an attempt to side swipe Naruto who stepped 2 feet backwards, ducking and sending his own right fist upward, in an attempt to uppercut Sasuke's jaw.

Sasuke gripped Naruto's right wrist, pulling it to the left with his left hand to prevent his fist from striking his jaw, only for Naruto to leap upwards aiming his right knee directly to Sasuke's jaw.

Instantly released Naruto's wrist and applied both his open palms infront of his chest, blocking and forcing Naruto's knee back barely avoiding his jaw before Sasuke proceeded to backflip 3 feet backwards.

"Guys its 4:26! We need to get start." The young pink haired kunoichi yelled as she stood up from leaning against the tree, extending her limbs outwards causing her joints to pop, the entire action and statement tearing both Naruto and Sasuke's focus off of their spar.

"Oh shit - I haven't even packed yet, give me 5 minutes - I'll meet you at the entrance to the Uchiha compound - see you in 5 minutes!" Sasuke screamed as he ran past both Naruto and Sasuke, dashing up to the 1st story roof and running around the corner to the balcony of his room, eager to pack and prepare for his first 'Shinobi mission'.

The action caused a pure smile to blossom upon Naruto's face, one that had grown very rare since the death of Iruka.

"Naruto lets get going I don't want Sasuke to be waiting on us if we're slow." Sakura barked out as she began strolling towards the frontyard of Sasuke's house, with Naruto close behind, all 3 genin eager to become Shinobi all for completely different reasons.

 _-Flashback ends-_

"He's grown so much, even Sakura - and I - I haven't changed at all - I'm just as weak as that day..." Sasuke choked out as he now bruised and bloodied knuckles continued to slam against the bark of the tree.

The 2 Purple black ringed eyes that Naruto possesssed creeped into Sasuke's mind, remembering how they had hypnotized him earlier that day, always as that Naruto was the only reason he was still alive.

Why - why have Naruto's eyes grown but mine remain the same. Why does Naruto even have those eyes... Sasuke's thoughts asserted as he continued to beat against the tree bark, now a visible area of erosion appearing where he was striking.

At this rate - I'll never... Sasuke thought to himself as his mind raced with images of the Uchiha massacre, Images his serial brother had used Genjutsu to force him to experince firsthand.

"Damnit - damnit damnit!" Sasuke screamed aloud as he finally halted his relentless beating of the tree and dug his fingernails deep into the area he had been striking.

He's stronger than me...Shishu...what all did you teach him... Sasuke's thoughts questioned as he continued to dig his nails even deeper into the tree.

Run, run and keep running - cling to your worthless life and one day when you have the same eyes as I - come before me so I may end your life. Itachi's voice once more echoed aloud inside Sasuke's mind, forcing him to tear his fierce grip away from the tree and direct it upon his forehead as he feel to his knees infront of the tree, tightly gripping his head.

It's not use...I'll never...I'll never... Sasuke's thoughts asserted hopelessly as he continued to grip his head, afraid of being to weak to avenge Shishu and his clan, to weak to protect his friends, to weak to be Naruto's rival.

I never give up - I never go back on my word. A confindent Naruto asserted loudly inside Sasuke's mind, causing his eyes to shoot open and several images of him and his young best friend spending time together filling his mind.

Until I prove to Iruka that I was worth protecting, I'll never give up no matter what. Naruto once more asserted loudly, causing Sasuke to remember the years he had spent with Iruka as his teacher.

I never give up, because that's my Ninja way, and as everyone knows, a student inherit his Ninja way from his teacher, isn't that right Sasuke? Iruka's voiced filled Sasuke's mind, Sasuke not knowing Iruka had told every student that sameline, even Naruto, because to him every student needed to hear it.

Naruto...from this moment on - I shall no longer settle for being just a rival. Sasuke's thoughts echoed boldly as he fully stood up, his arms hanging at his side as small amounts of blood dripped from his knuckles.

I shall surpass you...and when that day comes! I shall than surpass my brother! Sasuke thought to himself as he fiercely closed his right hand into a tight fist, before a blur of leaves appearing directly behind him caused him to lose his train of thought of turn around.

"Ka-kakashi-Sensei? Whats wrong?" Sasuke questioned as he turned and noticed the human figure now standing infront of him, Kakashi's eyes squinted heavily almost as if he was on alert.

"Sasuke...do you feel it?" Kakashi questioned, once more attempting to find out what all Sasuke knew, only was Sasuke to tilt his head sideways in confusion, the blood still dripping from his knuckles.

"Feel what Sensei?" Sasuke asked, having no idea what Kakashi was talking about.

"Naruto is still asleep, Sakura is taking a bath, Tazuna is a civilian aswell as his wife and daughter, that leaves us - its Zabuza - his chakra, its returned." Kakashi spat out, waiting for any sign of his student to notice himself.

At the sound of this student, Sasuke's eyes flew wide open, as his thoughts raced ahead of him.

Wh-what? Alive? B-but I thought Naruto...How? Sasuke thought to himself, before tightly clenching both his fists and raising them to just below his jawline.

"That means we get another chance to face him, right Sensei?" Sasuke questioned, eager to prove himself to Naruto and his Sensei, the latter began smiling under his facemask.

"Maybe, maybe - but from what I can tell, from the burns and the damage that summoning did, I'd say atleast a week for him to even be considered a threat, maybe 2 weeks, hopefully the latter cause Tazuna sat it would take 2 weeks to finish the bridge." Kakashi stated, causing the young Uchiha to sigh loudly.

"You mean we gotta stay here for 2 weeks." Sasuke stated as he hung his head low, the action causing Kakashi to preform his iconic eye wink.

"Don't worry I'm sure it'll be fine, and you do get to fight Zabuza again afterall." Kakashi spoke in a kind tone, as kind as he could.

"Awesome!" Sasuke cheered as he threw both his hands into the sky.

Naruto...next time I'll show you what I can do. Sasuke thought to himself, only to be cut off mid thought as his stomach roared, evidence that he hadn't eat all day.

"Come on, lets go back to Tazuna's house and you can get something to eat." Kakashi stated, a smile hidden under his face mask.

"Sure thing that sounds wonderful!" Sasuke yelled as he began running, soon even dashing past Kakashi towards the house, showing off just how hungry he was, the action causing Kakashi smile to grow even wider before disappearing entirely

He's nothing like Itachi, he has his isolated moments... Kakashi thought.

But overall its almost as if they had an entirely different upbringing... Kakashi noted.

Is this the result of his father only paying attention to Itachi? Kakashi pondered.

Or...Naruto...is this your doing. Kakashi asked, causing him to clench his fists tightly at the mention of a father, remembering how kind and happy life was then, back when Kakashi still had his own father.

Instantly Kakashi turned clockwise and began strolling towards his young Uchiha student, it was finally afternoon, 5:43pm to be exact, and Kakashi was eager for the day to be over, atleast that what he told himself, he was more eager for Naruto to wake up, he had questions...questions that only Naruto could answer.

As Kakashi strolled through the trees back towards Tazuna's house, he couldn't help but think of the laughs, the joy, the fun, all these things that his 3 students brought him, and he wondered if this was they same feeling his own Sensei felt.

Sensei...I don't know what Naruto can do... Kakashi admitted to himself.

But I swear as his guardian I shall see him through this... Kakashi concluded.

And restrain Sasuke from becoming anything like Itachi... Kakashi pondered.

But maybe...Sensei...I feel your son has already done that. Kakashi thought as he closed his eyes while a wide smile grew upon his face under his mask, joy filling his hopes and dreams for the future of his team, of team 7.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Strainet - There are 3 ways to obtain the Rinnegan, none of which involve inheriting it.**

 **These include, eating the fruit of the senju tree (impossible). B** **eing directly approached by the sage of six paths (stupid). Or** **recreating the chakra of the Sage of Six Paths by merging the chakra of Indra and Ashura, or their descendants.**

 **While you are correct this process doesn't occur instantly, it never has in the story. Naruto was given Uchiha chakra at age 7 when Itachi placed Shisui's eye inside of him.**

 **Naruto didn't awaken his Rinnegan until age 12, five years later when his father figure was murdered infront of him, similar to Nagato. The** **reincarnation plot point is (subjectively) retarded and I plan to write Naruto and Sasuke as mere descendants instead of reincarnations.**

 **The ability to mix both Uzumaki chakra and Uchiha chakra in this story will have the same outcome as mixing Indra and Ashura chakra.**

 **Guest -** **In regards to ancient Uchiha and Uzumaki mating together. The Senju and Uchiha would never mate because their bitter rivals and the Uzumaki clan created the village hidden in the whirlpools.**

 **Because of this, the distance between the Uzumaki and the Uchiha would prevent any real concept of mating. Even the Uzumaki who lived in Konoha wouldn't be realistic because the Uchiha clan would never marry outside of their bloodline.**

 **If Madara can rub some Hashirama DNA into his body and earn the Rinnegan, why can't Naruto do the same with Uchiha chakra?** **In this story, Uzumaki and Uchiha chakra being fused together will create the Rinnegan over time because I consider that to be realistic.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Land Where A Hero Lived! A Desire To Heal.**

 _Thursday 10:29am, May 2nd 58SSP._

"Some elite jounin just got beat, limping back home... Retreating like some pathetic has-been." A short, suit wearing business man mocked an injured Zabuza as Haku sat nearby.

Each of these individuals were gathered in a secret hideout on the western edge of the Land of Waves. This hideout was carved into a massive tree and engulfed with dense mist, Zabuza's mist.

"Demon of the hidden mist? More like coward of the hidden mist - hahah!" As he spoke, his words filled Haku with pure rage.

Suddenly, Haku shot up from his chair beside Zabuza's bed, knocking his chair to the floor. This action forced a pair of nearby bodyguards to grab the hilts of their swords.

"Hang on guys I don't have time for this, alright lets hear what you have to say about your failure." The business man exclaimed before walking past both bodyguards while Zabuza stared at the ceiling.

"Dont play dead I know you're alive, your little servant here would never le-" While speaking, the man reached his left hand before Haku's right hand to instantly gripped his wrist.

"Keep your filthy hands away from him - Gato" Haku spat out before snapping Gato's wrist.

This action caused the sound of bones snapping to fill the entire room while Gato screamed with agony. These screams caused each of his bodyguards to draw their swords, an action that caused Haku's brown eyes to bulge vastly.

"Don't push me." As Haku spoke, he instantly appeared between both bodyguards.

Haku had each of their swords now gripped in his own hands with both blades he placed against their throats. This was an extremely high-level display of speed, even beyond Kakashi.

Impossible... The tan, shirtless, tattoo covered bodyguard thought to himself.

No ones that fast... The pale, beanie wearing, eye makeup wearing bodyguard's thoughts asserted.

"Arggghhh!" Gato growled before turning away from Zabuza.

Gato then grabbed his now broken left wrist before Haku causally knocked his bodyguards to the ground. Afterwards, Haku slowly walked back towards Zabuza with an innocent smile as his face.

"One chance! One more time and then you're finished do you hear me?!" While speaking, Gato stomped past his pair of bodyguards.

"That bridge will be finished in 12 days atleast! If you fail this time I'll cut you off and they'll be no one to hide you!" After speaking, Gato walked out the door of the hideout with both bodyguards crawling after him.

As Haku finally returned to Zabuza, he picked up his chair up before quickly sitting down and smiling at his master. This smile created a dramatic scoff from Zabuza as he finally stopped staring at the ceiling.

"Haku - that wasn't necessary." Zabuza mumbled before revealing a hidden kunai in his left hand, clearly he planned to kill Gato mere moments earlier.

"But there is no reason to kill Gato yet, its too early, he is still our be cover..." Haku remarked with a kind tone.

"Think about it, the murders would draw their attention...and then we would be on the run again." As Haku spoke, the image of several dozen Anbu from the Mist Village pierced his mind.

"Hmph." Zabuza huffed in response.

"We need restraint." Haku spoke while staring at Zabuza with pure love, clearly Zabuza held an important place in his heart.

"Right." Zabuza mumbled.

Soon, Zabuza once again stared up at the ceiling before slowly closing both eyes as Haku watched over him. After several minutes, Zabuza fell fast asleep, still attempting to recover from his previous battle.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of rapid construction filled the air, mixing with the consecutive sound of nearby seagulls and crashing waves. This construction was the result of several cranes and lifts that that carried various piles and steel beams across Tazuna's bridge.

Soon, various crowds of poorly clothed men came into view while each of them wore a fresh construction hat, a gift from Tazuna. Some of these men where operating cranes while others unloaded boats and some were even screwing bolts into the railings.

After several moments, the yawning silhouette of Sakura came into view as she walked beside Sasuke. Each of these Genin were escorting Tazuna around his bridge, offering protection while Kakashi was busy watching over Naruto.

"Where's the quiet blond kid? And your Sensei?" Tazuna questioned before studying his clipboard.

"Naruto hasn't woke up yet..." Sasuke stuttered.

"And Kakashi-Sensei wanted to stay home to watch after him." Sakura interjected.

"Hmph - how lucky for me." Tazuna scoffed in a dramatic tone.

"Tazuna - I need to speak with you." The unknown man interrupted the conversation..

"What about?" Tazuna asked before wiping a collection of sweat from his face.

"It's about the bridge... I've pushed my luck to far, I want out." The man declared, filling Tazuna into a rage.

"WHAT? NOW YOU'RE GOING TO QUIT ON ME JUST LIKE THAT!?" Tazuna screamed, garnishing the attention of nearby construction workers.

"That only reason I've stayed this long is because of our friendship..." The man admitted.

"But it's only a matter of time before Gato comes back here and kills you." While speaking, these words forced each of Tazuna's eyes to narrow.

"It's a lost cause Tazuna." After speaking, an awkward period of silence filled the air.

"No chance... This is our bridge, our island and our people." Tazuna spat out in a disgusted tone.

"Tazu-" The man spoke out before being interrupted by the elite bridge builder.

"Enough, it's time for lunch, everyone go eat!" Tazuna ordered, dispersing the nearby crowd of workers.

"Oh - and Geichi…." As Tazuna spoke, he turned around before glancing at the Geichi with one eye.

"Don't bother coming back. Cowards like you are the reason Kaiza died." After speaking, Tazuna stomping both feet atop the concrete bridge before walking away.

Soon both Sasuke and Sakura stood up from the railing before trailing after Tazuna, eager to fulfil their mission.

* * *

 _4 hours later after the working day, in the market, at 5:30 pm_

Several small boats swarmed through the small river cutting throughthe center of the small town, as even smaller amounts of people walked through its street, kids and families sitting in the street leaned up against the walls of the rotten buildings, a sight shocking both Sakura and Sasuke.

"Thief" Was screamed loudly on the same street team 7 escorted Tazuna down as a small child could be seen running and dashing through the small crowds of people, a rotten potato held in his hands.

How could it get this bad? Sakura questioned as she continued to look around and observe the going ons of the market.

This is...this is no way to live. Sasuke thought to himself as he saw the sickening images happening infront of him.

"Um where are we going?" Sakura questioned, eager to leave the depressing area.

"You wanna eat tonight dont you? I need to pick up some stuff for dinner." Tazuna asserted as he continued to walk down the street before turning and eating a store with Sasuke and Sakura both close behind him.

As they entered the store both Sasuke and Sakura were shocked at what this land had to endure, while several shelves and stalls decorated the store they were all decrepit and bare and the stalls that contained food the majority of it was rotten and some was even beginning to decay.

As Sakura and Sasuke continued to stare around and observe the store while Tazuna purchased food he had paid to reserve, a tall man wearing a dark trench coat and matching hat entering the store, clearly he held an intent to rob or even steal food.

As the man entered the store instead of going to the stalls like he planned he instantly noticed the heavy, bulging back Sakura kept straped around her body, the idea of it being filled with food forcing to man to reach out in an attempt to get the bag and run, she was only a girl after all.

As the mans hand approached the bag, his palm accidently brushed and rubbed against Sakura's ass, instantly sending the pink haired kunoichi in a fit of rage.

"PERVERT!" Sakura screamed as she raised her right leg in the air and spun clockwise, striking to would be thief directly in the jaw.

"No-n I was stea- Im not a peado-" The man attempt to pleaded has he flew through to air sideways, spit leaving his mouth before he struck the floor, the action surprising Sasuke as he didn't know she could do that.

The story owner was just happy some of the little food she possessed wasn't stolen.

* * *

 _5 minutes later as Sasuke and Sakura escorted down the street back home._

"You really surprised me back there, girls here don't fight like that." Tazuna asserted as he walked inbetween both Sakura and Sasuke.

"Well they should something is seriously wrong with this place!" Sakura replied violently as she stomped down the street beside Tazuna, her clenched fist held to her side.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt another hand reach out grip her ass before pulling on her cloths, the action once more sending Sakura into rage mode out how disgusting people in this town acted.

"Again!? Sakura bellowed as she swirled around and rasied her left hand high into the sky into a position to beat the new harasser, her eyes and fists visible softening as she saw the piercing ocean blue eyes of a young 6 year old child, covered in bruises and cuts, evidence he had been beaten recently.

Sasuke and Tazuna followed Sakura's example and turned their gaze upon the newcomer, the child, Sasuke feeling a weird sense of connection to the small 6 year old, he kinda reminded him of himself, while Tazuna's resolved to build the bridge grew even more.

Once the bridge is built...you won't suffer anymore child...please hold out until then. Tazuna thought to himself as he usual harden and stiff gaze softened.

The young child held both of his hands out in a begging fashion, cupping both the open palms of his hands together.

"Please - do you have any food." The child stated, a kind smile placed upon his face, the action confusing Tazuna and Sakura but sending Sasuke into a state of shock, seeing one of the same smiles on this child that he had seen so many times on Naruto.

Why - why is he smiling - like that? Wh-what does he have to smile about? Sasuke thought to himself.

"I - I'm sorry I didn't bring any food, this bag is full of Shinobi tools." Sakura stated, clearly sad she had nothing to offer the child.

Wait - I did grab a scroll from Naruto's room. Sasuke thought to himself as he reached inside his tunic and pulled out a small scroll, quickly walking up to the child and placing in on the ground infront of him.

As quickly as he pulled the scroll out Sasuke continued to unroll it, revealing the long scroll with black ink scribbles placed inside it, something the child had never seen as he stared down at it in awe and confusion.

Sasuke placed in hand in the center of the scroll - filling it with his chakra before a puff of smoke erupted from it, shocking the child as he fell back, landing on the ground as he continued to stare at the puff of smoke.

As the puff of smoke cleared and Sasuke stood up, the child was able to make out a small wooden plate filled with 8 perfectly seared fish, one of the scrolls Naruto had brought with him on his journey that Sasuke had snagged after Naruto passed out 2 days ago.

The young child instantly sat up, gripping the plate in his hands.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" The young child screamed as he ran away from the 2 members of team 7 and Tazuna, towards the ally they had just pasted, giving the plate full of fish to his dad and mother, all 3 of whom quickly consumed the fish, even the heads and tails.

They were really that hungry...this place...if the bridge isn't finished soon - they'll all - Sasuke was cut off mid thought as Tazuna spoke.

"This is my land - the land Gato has poisioned and drained dry - the children suffer and the adults are afraid to stand up for our people." Tazuna spoke, visibly filled with rage.

"My people have lost all hope - that is why I must finish the bridge, the bridge is a symbol of hope - I must restore the spirit of my people." Tazuna choked out as he tightly clenched his left fist.

"When the bridge is finished - my people will start to believe it - to believe that we can live with dignaty again - we can't - I wont let Gato stop us." Tazuna asserted as he turned around and once more began walking towards the house, with Sasuke and Sakura quickly following him.

Sasuke - you have to save these people. Sakura thought to herself aloud as she stared towards Sasuke.

Naruto...we have to save these people...please wake up. Sasuke thought to himself as both him, Sakura and Tazuna continued their journey to Tazuna's house.

* * *

 _3 hours later, at 8:30 pm inside of Tazuna's 2nd story kitchen._

"Hah - this is amazing its been ages since we had so many guests inside our house." Tazuna stated as his daughter, Tsunami, washed dishes and Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi and even young Inari all sat at the same table as him, all of them consuming the dish of seared fish topped with roasted carrots, potatoes and diced celery.

"Its wonderful - Thank you Ms. Tsunami." Kakashi stated, trying his best to show that his team held some sort of manners.

"Yea it was declious." Sakura declared as she stood up and stretched her arms, the sound of her joints popping filling the kitchen.

"Why thank you! My father is correct is been so long since we had guest I forgot what it felt like for my food to be complemented." Tsunami stated as a smile grew upon her face as she continued to wash the dishes.

After she finished stretching Sakura proceeded to walk around the entirety of the kitchen, having eaten in the living room the past 2 days she had never seen the kitchen before today.

As she strolled throughout the kitchen she approached a frame picture on the wall, the top right corner of the picture being torn.

"Excuse me - this picture is torn, is there some reason for that, Inari you kept glancing at it all dinner - it looks like there was someone else in it but they got torn out." Sakura questioned.

This statement created a tense period of silence as every one in the room focused intently on Sakura. During this, Inari silently clenched both of his fists with rage.

"It was my husband." Tsunami answered.

"They used to call him the hero of this land..." Tazuna mumbled before staring at the floor.

Suddenly, Inari stood up and quietly left the table before quickly leaving the kitchen. While this occurred, Inari ignored the constant glared that Kakashi was giving him.

"Inari where are you going?" Tsunami asked before turning away from the dishes and chasing after her son.

After several moments, Tsunami froze mid step before sighing with an exhausted tone. Afterwards, Tsunami turned around before glaring at her father in a hostile manner.

"Dad! You know you can't talk about Kaiza like that infront of Inari!" After speaking, Tsunami quickly left the kitchen before slamming the door shut behind her.

This action created an eerie period of silence as Sakura sheepishly twirled her thumbs together. During this, Tazuna continued to stare at the floor while distant memories replayed themselves through his mind.

"Kaiza… Isn't that who you were talking about on the bridge this afternoon? You said he died for nothing?" Sakura mumbled.

"Is there a story behind this?" Kakashi murmured.

"He wasn't Inari's real father, he came into our family later..." Tazuna explained.

"But he brought so much happiness. He brought joy, back then Inari used to laugh and smile all the time." As he spoke, Sakura turned to look upon the picture, focusing intently on where Kaiza had been torn out of the page.

"But then -" Tazuna mumbled before three small tears fell from his face.

"All that ended... He never laughs or smiles anymore, ever since that day, the day our courage was killed infront of all of us." While speaking, Tazuna briefly removed his glasses before rubbing the tears from his eyes.

"Tell us - what happened to Kaiza?" Kakashi questioned.

"He - he was..." Tazuna choked out before wiping away a pair of tears that swelled under his glasses.

"Gato happened..." After speaking, Tazuna was left utterly speechless, unable to describe what Gato did to Kaiza.

"Since Gato - Since that day...Inari had changed - aswell as my daughter and my people entirely, he was our hero, our courage...and Gato took that away from us, he took everything away." Tazuna spat out, finally being able to stop the tears.

As he spoke Sasuke slowly lowered his gaze to the floor, his mind drifting off and remembering what the young boy screamed at them when they first arrived.

Their all going to die, Gato is going to come back and kill them all. Don't you see mom? The young boys voice filled Sasuke's head, the sentence filling Sasuke with rage and determination as the same sentence that burned itself into his mind repeated itself again.

Run, run and keep running, cling to your filthy life. Itachi's voiced echoed inside his head, causing Sasuke to tightly clench both his fists.

"Kakashi-sensei, can I talk to you outside please." Sasuke stated as he stood up and strolled towards the same door Inari and Tsunami left from, intent to walk downstairs and then sit on the dock overlooking the lake, wanting Kakashi to follow.

"Sure Sasuke." As Kakashi stood up and began following the young Uchiha, Sakura spoke out in protest.

"I'll come too." Sakura stated as she began to follow them only to instantly be cut-off by Sasuke.

"No - only Kakashi." Sasuke spat out as he opened the door and proceeded down the stairs with Kakashi close behind, while a jaw dropping Sasuke and quiet Tazuna remained in the kitchen.

After several moments of walking both Kakashi and Sasuke had finally arrived at the dock surrounding the entirety of Tazuna's house, with the lake placed directly infront of them, Sasuke sitting indian style with Kakashi standing beside him both overlooking the lake.

"S-Sensei." Sasuke spoke out, still staring out across the lake, waiting for his teacher to respond.

"Yes Sasuke? What did you want to talk about? Naruto hasn't shown any signs of waking up, but knowing Naruto he'll eat several dozen pounds of food once he wakes up." Kakashi asserted, eager to be the positive one in the conversation, knowing full well had depressed Sasuke had become ever since Naruto passed out.

"Well, its not really about Naruto - but it is about what you know." Sasuke stated, still staring across the lake.

"Oh? If its not about Naruto then what?" Kakashi questioned, he had genuinely thought Sasuke wanted to talk about Naruto.

"Its your title, Kakashi of the Sharingan." Sasuke spoke out, the statement instantly causing Kakashi's right eye to stiffen, knowing full well where this conversation was leading.

"Naruto likes to read alot, so he told us all about your titles and what you've done during the bell test, infact Naruto and me having been talking about you for a couple of weeks now." Sasuke asserted, causing Kakashi to tear his gaze off the lake and direct it down to his right side, down towards Sasuke.

"And what have you and Naruto been discussing?" Kakashi probed.

"Well I mainly talk about asking you where your Sharingan came from because the Sharingan is a clan unique trait to my clan, the Uchiha clan, a clan you, Hatake, are not apart of." Sasuke stated before continuing.

"While Naruto mainly wants to ask about your Genin team, at first I didn't think about it but he mentions it so much its hard not too, what do you and your teammates do? When will we meet them?" Sasuke questioned, finally tearing his own gaze off the lake and directing it towards Kakashi, both of them staring eachother in the eyes.

"The Sharingan, this Sharingan." Kakashi stated as he raised he left hand to his headband and pull it up, revealing his 3 tomoe Sharingan to Sasuke, who stared at in with a mixture of awe, rage, and envy.

"Its a gift from a friend, a friend who gave his life to protect my own, its something precious to me, it allows him to see what I see, to see how far I've come, how far he would have come if he didn't give his own life to protect mine." Kakashi spoke out, in a calm manner, leaving out the part about his friend being a member of his genin team.

As Sasuke heard this he looked down, towards the water once more, the word friend causing him to think of Naruto before his thoughts were broken mid sentence as Kakashi continued to speak.

"And if you and Naruto want to meet my teammates so much, fine, we'll visit them first thing when we return to the village." Kakashi stated as a fake smile grew upon his face under his mask and he preform his iconic eye wink while he stood beside the still sitting Sasuke.

"Really? Thats awesome! Naruto will be so excited to hear that!" Sasuke bellowed as he shot up from his previous indian style position, standing side by side with Kakashi, his clenched fists rasied to his sides.

"What are they like?" Sasuke questioned, eager to know more about Kakashi than Naruto did, the question causing Kakashi to tear his gaze off from Sasuke and redirect it back towards the lake causing several seconds of silence to fall between the teacher and his student.

"They are brave, kind and loving people, just like my own students." Kakashi stated as he once more directed his iconic eye wink towards Sasuke.

"I can't wait to meet them! I know Naruto will be pumped too!" Sasuke bellowed loudly, so loud even the members inside the house heard him, causing Kakashi to chuckle.

"They will be happy to meet you three as well, I visit them almost everyday myself, I'd always be happy to bring more with me." Kakashi stated in a kind but yet somehow mysterious tone.

"Sensei I'm going to go do more training, is that alright?" Sasuke questioned as he already began walking away from Kakashi and the dock all-together, heading towards the woods, already knowing his teacher's answer.

"Of course Sasuke, just be careful." Kakashi stated as he turned and smiled towards the direct of his student who continued to walk away, first approaching the bridge, walking over it, then entering the forest entirely all the while Kakashi stared at him.

Sensei...I hope I am making you proud. Kakashi thought to himself.

* * *

 _Sunday 6:12am May 5th 58SSP - inside Tazuna's kitchen._

"Sasuke's not here? He must have been out all night again." Tazuna stated as he ate his morning meal of white rice and seared fish, with Inari, Sakura, Tsunami and Kakashi all eating along side him.

"Yea he's so amazing, Naruto doesn't stand a chance." Sakura asserted in a flirty tone, catching Inari's attention.

"Hey, loud-mouth, whats so important about this Naruto guy anyway? He's been sleeping for 5 days." Inari mumbled.

"He is very important to our village." Kakashi remarked with a carefree tone.

"He is a hero of our village." After speaking, his words caused Inari's eyes to bulge.

"Infact he is the only reason we've escorted Tazuna this far." As he spoke, both Sakura and Tazuna understood Naruto did something, they just didn't understand what.

"Yea...remind me to give something to the kid as a gift..." Tazuna replied before shoving fried rice into his mouth.

"Nar-Naruto? Thats the blond kids name?" Inari mumbled.

"Yes, Naruto Uzumaki..." Kakashi sighed out.

"He refused to leave your grandfather defenseless, and even dared so far as to become his sole bodyguard..." While speaking, Kakashi winked at Inari.

"Because you see when Naruto is entrusted to protect you, he does just that." As he spoke, Sakura sighed in a dramatic fashion.

"So what happened to him? Why are all 3 of you walking around so fine but he's been sleeping in that guest bed for 5 days?" Inari continued to probe.

"Well I, aswell as my 2 other students were trapped, while your grandfather was defenseless..." Kakashi admitted.

"Naruto managed to save all of us before he collapsed, that was almost five days ago, I think..." While speaking, Kakashi's rubbed hand rubbed his own chin.

"How is he not dead yet?" Inari questioned, having grown why to accustomed to the prospect of death since Kaiza was...since Gato happened.

"Because deep down Naruto knows that we need him." Kakashi mumbled with a carefree tone.

Inari lowered his gaze towards his own bowl of white rice and seared fish, staring at it for several seconds pondering the statement the elite jounin had just told him, little did Kakashi know exactly how right his statement was.

As several seconds of silence Inari went back to eating, joining Tazuna, Sakura and Tsunami as Kakashi had already finished, he ate way to fast, Inari and Sakura couldn't even see what was under his mask.

* * *

 _Several miles away from Tazuna's house, in a grove of trees_

A sleeping Sasuke was sprawled out across the center of a grove with stains of dirt covering his outfit. Sasuke's empty sheath was prompted against a nearby tree, he was hoping Naruto could clone his old one from the sheath atleast.

Soon, a bundle of birds landed atop Sasuke stomach before chirping, skipping and singing on top of him. These birds then began to sprawl out across Sasuke's limbs as he lightly snored.

Suddenly, each of these birds dashed away as a hand extended out towards the sleeping Uchiha. After several seconds, the shadow from this hand slowly covered the entirety of Sasuke's face and torso.

This hand then at first reached for Sasuke's neck with a hostile fashion and intent before freezing mere inches away. This hand then gripped Sasuke's left shoulder before lightly shaking him.

"You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here, wake up" The gentle voice of Haku spoke out.

As Sasuke's black eyes flung out open, he gazed up into the piercing brown eyes of Haku. This face left Sasuke utterly convinced that Haku was a girl, and a pretty girl too.

Haku wore an ankle-length pink kimono with a necklace of freshly pick seashells around his neck. This brought attention to his snow white skin, a trait from being a member of the Yuki clan.

"Who are you?" Sasuke mumbled while leaning up and rubbing his eyes.

"I mean, hi there - what are you doing out here alone and all that?" After speaking, Sasuke yawned into his left hand.

"Im gathering herbs." Haku spoke with a kind tone as he smiled at Sasuke.

"Herbs?" Sasuke repeated.

"Yes thats right, for treating illness's and wounds." Haku explained.

"You sure start work early..." Sasuke exclaimed before sitting up straight.

"I like it early, its calm but I didn't think I'd find anyone out here sleeping in the woods." Haku asserted.

"Im training." Sasuke responded before smiling in a confident fashion.

"Oh? So are you are shinobi? Because I've noticed that headband you're wearing - or are you making a fashion statement?" Haku questioned.

"You noticed huh?" Sasuke spoke while gripping the metal part of his headband with his right hand.

"Yea only Shinobi can wear these." As he spoke, Sasuke slightly wiggled the headband on his forehead.

"Oh really I see that's very impressive." Haku remarked with a gentle tone.

"But, does that mean you're training for something dangerous?" Haku questioned.

"I'm just developing my skills so I can get stronger." Sasuke explained.

"You seem very strong now, isn't that enough?" Haku asked while the memory of team 7 battling Zabuza drifted through his mind.

"No-no way, I need to get stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger than anyone... I have to keep practicing no matter what." Sasuke exclaimed with a hostile scoffed.

"Hmph? How so? Why is it so important?" Haku asked.

"So I can avenge my clan and my people...! And theres a person, a friend that I have to prove myself too... I have to become stronger to rebuild my clan one day." Sasuke spoke with an odd amount of sincerity.

"A clan? Oh and what clan might that be?" Haku questioned.

"The Uchiha, Im Sasuke Uchiha nice to meet you whats your name?" Sasuke remarked before extended his left hand out.

"Haku, Haku Yuki, of the Yuki clan." Haku replied before extending his own hand out.

As these two shook hands, Sasuke help but notice how attractive Haku was. Sasuke even considered Haku to be more attractive than Sakura.

"So, are you doing it for this certain person? For your clan? Or for yourself?" Haku asked, cutting off Sasuke's previous train of thought.

"Uhhh..." Sasuke choked out, confusion filling his thoughts as he pondered the question Haku just asked him.

"Is there someone who is precious to you?" Haku pondered, catching Sasuke's attention once more.

"Pr-precious..." Sasuke mumbled as the images of Shisui and Itachi filled his head.

Suddenly, the smiling face of Itachi contorted itself into Shisui's bloodstained corpse. After several moments, both of these images melted away before a depressed Sasuke was left completely alone.

A pale hand then reached out before grabbing Sasuke's left shoulder as a bright yellow-purple aura briefly blinded him. After regaining his eye sight, Sasuke quickly glanced towards the unknown hand as blind continued to erupt from it.

The hand belonged to Naruto, a realization that quickly melted the surrounding void around Sasuke. Afterwards, the beautiful green forest of Konoha grew into existence, filling the previous void that overwhelmed Sasuke just seconds earlier.

Naruto... Sasuke thought to himself.

"Is there someone you wish to protect?" Haku questioned, once more garnishing Sasuke's attention.

"Uhhh..." Sasuke stammered out, still attempting to find words to say.

"You see - Sasuke - when a person has something precious they want to protect, then they become genuinely strong." Haku asserted in a kind tone, the statement causing Sasuke's eyes to widen slightly before looking down upon the weed still inbetween his fingers.

Until I prove to Iruka that I was worth protecting! I'll never give up. Naruto's voice echoed inside his mind.

But Naruto was there because he wanted to protect you, because he wanted to protect Sakura. Kakashi's voiced stated inside Sasuke's mind.

You see...We were just talking about which of us were stronger, me or your brother. The kind voice of Shisui spoke out.

Well, tell me, Sasuke. You know the truth, don't you? As Shisui spoke, his words caused Sasuke to tightly clench each of his fists.

"Yea I hear you... I know exactly what you're saying." Sasuke mumbled before staring at the ground.

At this answer Haku finally stood up from his sitting position and gripped the handles on his basket tightly before pulling it off the ground.

"You will get strong, very strong, Sasuke Uchiha." Haku exclaimed, this statment causing Sasuke to smile mildly.

"Goodbye, we'll meet again sometime." Haku stated as he began strolling away only to stop midstrie and state.

"Oh - by the way - I'm a boy." After speaking, his words sent Sasuke into utter panic.

WAIT!? WHAT!? NO! NO WAY! HE IS SO - DOES THAT MAKE ME- NARUTO CAN'T LEARN ABOUT THIS! NO ONE CAN! Sasuke thought to himself loudly, trying to avoid completing the sentence in his head.

After shaking his head in denial and attempting to drown out the thoughts and images of Haku he had placed inside his mind mere minutes ago away, Sasuke stood up and stretched before proceeding towards Tazuna's house, eager to eat some breakfast and forget about this odd encounter, he was determined to tell no one about it, it was far to embarrassing.

* * *

 _Back at Tazuna's house._

The young body of Inari sat in a crouched position in the open window seal of the 2nd story bedroom of Tazuna's house, the window opened entirely revealing the massive lake infront of the house as Inari gripped and held a picture frame in his hands.

It was a picture of his father, Kaiza, smiling with both his eyes closed, as Inari continued to stare down upon the picture he began talking to himself.

"Naruto - Naruto Uzumaki..." Inari choked out while he stared down upon the picture of his father, tightly gripping the frame into his hands.

* * *

 _13 hours later, that night at 7:30 pm inside Zabuza's and Haku's hideout._

A fresh, firm and healthly apple sat gripped inside Zabuza's right hand before the elite assassin squeeze down with all his mist, crushing the apple into several pieces with his bare hands causing a few pieces to fall to the floor.

"You're recovering quickly." Haku stated as he stood behind Zabuza who sat in his deep carved rectangle seat at the center of the room they both occupied with windows surrounding the entirety of the room

"Mmmm - Just a little longer Haku." Zabuza choked out as he open his hand causing the crushed apple to plummet to the floor of the hideout.

"Yes." Haku agreed as he nodded his head, eager to serve Zabuza in anyway, eager to be a tool as all Shinobi were. Atleast that's what he and Zabuza thought.

* * *

Tuesday _12:02pm, May 8th 58SSP - On the dock surrounding Tazuna's house._

Inari sat crouched beside the sleeping form of Naruto, the young blond still breathing despite having been asleep for a week with no food or water.

Inari snuck into the room when he taught no one would see, eager to see what the 'Hero' of the leaf looked like, and proceeded to stare at the young blond, covered in blankets from his chin to his toes, with shallow breathes of air escaping every few seconds.

Inari took specific interest in Naruto's whiskers, having never seen anything like it, he reached out to touch them before quickly restraining himself and remembering what his father had told him.

If you care about something, keep trying, protect it with both arms! A happy Kaiza bellowed as he gripped the forearm of his right arm, this thought causing small amounts of tears to build upon Inari's eye lids.

Inari - don't cry. The image of a beaten and broken Kaiza tied against a wooden post pleaded to Inari.

Remember this...…. Kaiza's voice echoed.

If you care about something protect it no matter how tough, no matter how sad you got to keep trying. Kaiza stated.

Even if you have to put your life on the line! Kaiza spoke gently inside Inari's, causing several tears to begin falling from Inari's face as he remembered what happened when Kaiza put his life on the line...

This is our village so we have to do everything we can to help. Kaiza asserted loudly to Inari, this final thought causing Inari to grip his pants leg tight.

"Why..." Inari asked himself before quickly slamming both his hands upon the floor between him and the still sleep Naruto, standing up fully beside the sleeping blond.

"All this stupid training is just a waste of time!" Inari screamed as he clenched his fists before raising them to his jawline.

"Gato has a whole army!" Inari exclaimed, yelling at the sleeping blond.

"He is going to beat you down and destroy you!" Inari proclaimed.

"These cool things and dreams you and your entire team say! They don't mean anything! No matter what you do!" Inari argued while raising his right forearm to his face before brushing away several teras.

"The strong always win and the weak always lose!" Inari screamed, tears falling down his cheeks and towards the floor between him and the sleeping blond.

"Just looking at you makes me sick!" Inari bellowed as he clenched his fists tightly and raised them to his jaw before he continued to scream.

"You don't know anything about this country!" Inari yelled.

"You don't know what its like to suffer and be treated like dirt! You don't know anything!" Inari shrieked towards Naruto, tears falling full force from his face as he remembered what good standing up for others did for his father, Kaiza.

At this Inari ran out the room, then the house entirely as his screaming had attracted the attention of his grandfather, Tazuna, aswell as Sasuke and Kakashi, who he was eager to avoid.

While he screamed and yelled at the young sleeping blond, his words echoed into the mind of the sleeping blond, into his very dreams.

 _-Naruto's Innerworld-_

Water - as far as the eye could see - water and cloudly grey skies, Naruto felt like he had been walking across the water for days now, the water below he was crystal clear, as clear as a mirrior as anytime he stare down at it he saw his exact reflection.

But at this specific moment Naruto had grown tired of walking, he felt like he had been walking for days and still all he saw was water, no later or mountains, yea they're were clouds but no land and for some reason this concept really disturbed Naruto as a twisted feeling in his gut followed him for the entirety of his journey across the water.

He is going to beat you down and destroy you! A young childs voice boomed loudly from the clouds hovering above Naruto and the large endless ocean he had been wandering across, causing the blond to raise his gaze towards the sky, staring at the clouds where he heard the voice escape from.

All this stupid training is just a waste of time! The strong always win and the weak always lose! The same childs voice declared, again echoing loudly from the clouds that hovered above Naruto, however this last statement was also the last straw as Naruto clenched both his fists tightly and raised them to his face.

"You're wrong! You'll see! I'll prove myself to Iruka-sensei! To everyone!" Naruto screamed aloud towards the clouds, wanting to erase what he considered to be his own self doubt only for the childs voice to return once more.

These cool things and dreams you and your entire team say! They don't mean anything! No matter what you do! The young childs voice once again boomed loudly from the clouds, continuing to anger the once calm blond who had been alone for several days atop the endless ocean.

"You'll see! Everyone will! Iruka didn't die for nothing!" Naruto panted out as his still clenched fists lowered to his knees, attempting to deny the very thing he felt down deep inside his heart, the same place where pain always grew at the mention of Iruka.

Just looking at you makes me sick! The childs voice bellowed across the clouds, this statement causing more pain than all the previous ones combined as Naruto had grown beyond use to hearing that same phrase from countless people back home, back in the land of fire.

Naruto clenched his fists even tighter, the sound of his knuckles popping and muscles stretching could fully be heard as he began shrieking at the childs voice in the clouds.

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I DIDN'T ASK TO BE MADE LIKE THIS! YOU FORCED ME! YOU FORCED ALL NINE OF US!" Naruto shrieked upwards towards the clouds, referring to the nine containers of the tailed beasts, referring to the nine Jinchuriki, referring to the 8 others who in Naruto's mind would understand him better than anyone else.

You don't know what's its like to suffer and be treated like dirt! The childs voice continued to boom down towards Naruto from the clouds, this statement once again feeling Naruto with rage as he continued to shriek back at the child.

"YEA RIGHT! EVERYONE HATES ME! EVERYONE! EVEN ONE OF MY OWN TEAMMATES!" Naruto remarked, referring to Sakura's hatred.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY PAIN! OF OUR PAIN!" Naruto shrieked loudly towards the child's voice in the clouds, Naruto was so distracted with the child he failed to notice the once crystal clear water of the ocean was beginning to darken and decay.

You don't know anything about this country! You don't know anything! The childs voice once again declared, causing Naruto to recall something Iruka

Well Naruto - getting injured in any shape or form will give birth to hatred... Iruka's words echoed inside Naruto's mind.

While injuring someone one else will cause them to hate you, knowing the feeling of pain is what allows us all to understand one another... Iruka pointed out.

Its a very slippery slop because while pain is never okay to inflict upon others if we all understood one another's pain - then we understand each other and a new world can be built. The smiling image of Iruka stated inside Naruto's mind.

There is a lot of pain in this world Naruto, and even more hatred towards villages, homes, fathers, mothers and even children. The last word causing Naruto to think of himself

But I truly believe that a day will come when all the pain and hatred can put aside and everyone will live in love and happiness and maybe - just maybe if that doesn't happen in my time, you'll be the one to build that world Naruto. Iruka stated, once again in a questioning tone, not like he was asking, like he was begging Naruto to create such a world.

H-how do I do that? I want to do it. Naruto remembered back to asked that very state to his sensei

You first have to grow up Naruto... Iruka's voice stated as it began to fade away.

One of the last lessons to teach you is that I don't know everything... The fading voice of Iruka admitted.

But if you apply yourself and work hard one day you'll figure it out all alone and I know you will because you never give up! Iruka exclaimed loudly, confidence radiating from his voice before it faded away completely.

However itself of inspiring the young blond it sent him further into depression as Naruto realized his sensei was right, he did have to figure it out all alone.

"SO WHAT!" Naruto screamed, yelling aloud inside his mind.

"I'LL KNOW SOMEDAY! SOMEDAY YOU'LL SEE!" Naruto yelled, even though no human was there to hear him.

"I'LL BE THE GREATEST SHINOBI! GREATER THAN EVEN THE KAGE! AND THEN!" Naruto cut off mid sentence as dozens of images of him and Iruka flew through his mind, images of a better time.

Saving him, making BBQ with him, giving him a home and love, teaching him how to control his chakra, showing him how to properly rival Sasuke, taking him out for Ramen, being the first in the village to show him love instead of hatred on his birthday, Iruka gave him so much, and Naruto couldn't forget it.

"ONE DAY I'LL BECOME THE IRUKA OF THIS WORLD!" Naruto proclaimed.

"I'LL PROTECT EVERYONE WHOSE BEEN ABANDONED! I'LL BE THERE FOR EVERYONE!" Naruto panted towards the sky, clearly he was beginning to run out of breathe, but lucky for Naruto the child's voice ended its assault.

For several seconds Naruto still stared towards the sky, both his fists clenched tightly as he awaited for the childs voice to respond, only for his fear to be filled with shock and horror when a different, darker voice respond instead of the childs.

 **"Boy - you talk to much."** A heavy, demonic raspy voice choked out from underneath Naruto, instantly causing the young blond to lower his gaze towards the ocean he had been traveling only for days, to notice it had changed entirely, no longer was it a crystal clear lake now it was a black, thick dark pool, as dark as ink itself.

At the center of the massive black ocean of ink 2 piercing red fox eyes sat deep below, almost as if he was chain to the bottom of the ocean, the ocean being so bright Naruto couldn't make out anything else except his eyes.

 **"What is this? Now he acknowledges me? The kid's finally come to me."** The 9 nine tails inner thoughts raged as he speared his left paw upward in an attempt to strike Naruto.

Naruto, feeling something was strange side stepped 12 feet away from the area the 2 massive red fox eyes laid below, just as 4 massive fox claws protruded from the black ocean before being halted instantly, as if they're was something restraining it from going any further.

Wh-what was that? What is this! Naruto thought to himself, before a massive roar echoed from the bottom of the black ocean caused massive ripples to appear and erupt from the once calm ocean, sending Naruto into a state of panic as he tried to stay above water, becoming increasingly terrified of whatever it was that held that 2 fox eyes.

 **"Power! That's all your species want! You want my power to use it! I hate you! I hate you all!"** The red fox eyed creature concealed at the bottom of the black ocean bellowed even louder, causing the ripples and waves to erupt into full fledge Tsunami's and tidal waves.

This is bad! Whats happening? Naruto continued to ask himself as he began leaping, flipping and twirl over, under and around waves and ripples that began erupting throughout the entirety of the black ocean.

 **"You approach me for power and nothing more and I hate you for it! I will not be chained down any longer! BREAK THE SEAL!"** The red fox eyed creature shrieked even louder, causing whirlpools to break out across the water, filling Naruto with even more fear and dread.

At this rate...I'll...I'll Naruto thought to himself as he side flipped out of the way of a wave and landed in calm water that instantly turned into a whirpool and sucked Naruto down into the deep, thick dark ocean, the 2 red fox eyes at the bottom growing larger and larger.

 **"FREE ME!"** The red eyed fox commanded as several tail shaped forms wrapped around Naruto's body and dragged him deeper into the darkness below, Naruto shake violently as his eyes pulsated and he began to sweat.

This is it...Am I - Am I going to - Naruto's thoughts froze mid sentence as if destined to happen, Iruka once more interrupted his thoughts, remembering a conversation he had shared with his beloved teacher.

Iruka-sensei why, why do people do it why do they sacrifice themselves for others? Naruto questioned.

Well when someone passes away its the end of both his past and future...… Iruka reminded Naruto.

All the dreams he once had, they disappear with him this is true even if that die honorably in battle as so many have, as the 4th Hokage did... Iruka explained.

All the ties that bind him to the living are severed all except for one - people, parents, siblings, friends and lovers the people who were important to him... Iruka proclaimed.

These people, the ones left behind, are joined together in a great circle, a circle of memory for him a circle of friendship that grows larger and stronger as time passes. The gentle voice of Iruka answered back.

Iruka-sensei what if im not strong enough to protect anyone? How can I get even stronger to protect everyone? How can I make my circle the biggest one to ever exist? Naruto remembered asking that question, thinking back to how eager his was to show Iruka the technique's he had mastered, only to fail him.

Well - think of someone you love...…. Iruka spoke as he scratched the bridge of his nose with his right hand.

Think of someone or someplace you care about...….. Iruka exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Maybe, just maybe - think of someone whose not with you anymore? Iruka suggested.

For you see Naruto when you have someone to protect your true power will emerge. As the memory of Iruka telling Naruto this echoed throughout his mind, the young blond grew increasing panicked, feared from being dragged every closer to the unknown force, and hatred for himself for failing Iruka.

Soon Naruto began to convulse slightly, not just his body but his eyes aswell, as the memories of the conversation continued to play out inside Naruto's panicked mind.

M-my true power? Naruto remembered asking as he held his hand up to the sun, reaching out and closing his hand attempting to grasp it, this specific memory taking place atop the Hokage monument.

Yes Naruto, a power that will change this world and protect thousands I know you will. The voice of Iruka spoke out, before quickly fading away, leaving a panicked Naruto alone as the fox eyed creatured continued to dragged him further down into the black ocean, Naruto was freaking out so much he didn't he notice that he could breath under the water.

Why?! At first Naruto thought the question aloud inside his mind, before continuing to probe.

"Why! Why!? WHY!?" Naruto choked out, bubbles and air erupting from his mouth and floated towards the surface as fear and dread began to overtaking Naruto entirely.

Because you are my student, Naruto. Iruka answered Naruto's plead, the answer causing Naruto's eyes to convulse even more than his already shocking body as the fear of failing his teacher once more overcame his fear.

Wrestling both his right and left arm free, atleast free enough to move from the several tails that surrounded him in the black ocean that engulfed him, Naruto raised both his arms and extended the outward vertically before widening his eyes vastily as he began pouring chakra into his eyes.

Suddenly Naruto released the amount of chakra he had built up in his eyes as all the surrounding tails aswell as the black ocean instantly pushed away from Naruto's body, almost as his gravity itself was forcing the ocean and tails away, before Naruto began to pour him greater chakra into his eyes to fully push it away, not just the ocean but this reality entirely he had been here for a week.

"GET AWAAAAY!" Naruto screamed out as even more force was exherted outward from his eyes, pushing the ocean aswell as the tails of whatever held that fox shaped eyes back towards the bottom of the ocean.

Naruto, what is your dream? The memory of Iruka asked Naruto.

My dre- my drea is to protect people like how you protected me Sensei. The memory of Naruto answered back.

And what about the people you hate Naruto? Or the people who hate you? What about them? The memory of Iruka once again asked Naruto.

The people I hate I'll find a way to forgive and forget, I'll never back down I can change everyone's opinion of me! All I have to do is try and never give up! Believe it sensei one day everyone in this village will love me! I promise you! The memory of Naruto answered.

You promise eh? Well here then. Iruka's memory replied by extended his right hand outward, all his fingers closed except his pinky.

What's that? Naruto questioned.

Its a pinky promise Naruto, its a sacred vow, a sacred promise that means you fully intend to keep it. I want you to pinky promise me you'll make this village love you. The memory of Iruka asked.

I pinky promise I'll make this whole village love me Sensei! I promise! NO MATTER WHAT! Naruto remembered the sheer force at which he had screamed the final 3 words aswell as the pinky promise he had given his Sensei.

Soon Naruto noticed that the water had been pushed back to reveal a massive crater at the center of the ocean, the entrance of the crater being covered with a thick steel red door with 9 steel beams on each side aswell as a seal in the center.

"Th-thats..." Naruto choked out before once again voices began to boom from the clouds above.

Please stop leave us alone! A women's voice sung loudly throughout the clouds.

Don't hurt him please! The women pleaded, making Naruto think she was talking about him.

MUM! The same childs voice from earlier cut in, althought instead of filled with hatred like before, it was filled with fear. Causing Naruto to gasp.

Leave her alone! The same childs voice pleaded.

Whose gonna stop us? A hostile voice asked, all of this echoing throughout the clouds.

"Wha- whats happening!? Naruto screamed towards the clouds, his arms still extended with the water held back, not even notcing he was floating in mid air, however the voice that responded wasn't one from the clouds.

 **"We will die soon without proper food - Wake up boy."** The imprisioned fox that sat underneath the red gate stated, basically ordering the last 3 words as Naruto's stomach began to swirl and ache.

 **"WAKE UP BOY!"** The fox bellowed even louder, this time forcing Naruto to raise his right hand to his forehead and grip it tightly, as the loud voice of the creature echoed throughout his mind.

HELP! The same young childs voice from earlier pleaded through the clouds, as suddenly the ocean, the red gate and even the clouds themselves disappeared as Naruto found himself in a dark room, pitch dark as Naruto couldn't see a thing.

Naruto's joints and legs ache but as he stretched and extended them they're joints popped and adjusted, sending a relaxed filling up throughout Naruto's muscle causing him to lay there, perfectly still in the darkness.

"PLEASE LEAVE MY SON ALONE! I'll do whatever you ask!" Naruto once again heard the voice of the female that echoed from the clouds earlier, but their were no clouds, their was only darkness, soon Naruto attempted to sit up, noticing a soft substance placed underneath his head.

Upon noticing this Naruto raised his right hand to his face and felt it, examining it to find out more about this weird void he was in, or if he even was in it, but when Naruto touched his face, he felt warm skin, something he hadn't felt for the past week in that weird ocean world, causing Naruto's heart rate to increase.

Naruto raised his hand high enough to feel his eyes, and to his surprise they were both closed, shocking him, but he quickly placed his thumb upon his right eye and his index finger upon his left eye before forcing the open, and instantly closing them due to the brightness that a window above he let inside.

Soon Naruto slowly opened both his eyes, allowing them time to adjust, quickly noticing he was in a room that he didn't regonize, in a bed he hadn't made and his stomach was killing him, before quickly another realization came to.

"Fuck it - lets just kill them both, to avoid the hassle." The same brutal tone from earlier in the clouds stated, this time coming from outside the window that the sun was creeping in.

"MUM!" The child pleaded as the sound of crying could be heard.

"Inari don't look!" The women from the clouds screamed again, much like the other two this time her voice come from the other side of the window

It was at this moment that Naruto realized he didn't know where he was, but he did know that this strange child aswell as his mother needed him to protect them, just as Naruto needed Iruka all those years ago.

Naruto was awake.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Guest - I find the normal sewer innerworld unrealistic in this story. In canon, Naruto's innerworld was the sewer system of Konoha because he would hide there to avoid people. But Naruto actually had a home in this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Redemption! A Hero's Moment.**

 _Tuesday 12:15pm, May 8th 58SSP._

Inari and his mother were stranded outside of Tazuna's outside, shrouded by the shadow of Gato's thugs. These thugs were know was Sokeso and Boituo, a scrawny mercenary and a buff warrior.

"MUM!" Inari screamed, falling to his knees in panic.

Rushing towards her Child, Tsunami was promptly kicked back by Boibuto, utilizing his massive muscles. Turning around, Boibuto became intently focused on Inari.

"Gato only wants one hostage. Kill the kid." Sokeso snarled, unsheathing his blade.

"No!" Tsunami shrieked with a downcast face.

The sound of metal striking flesh then pierced the air, forcing Tsunami's hidden eyes to bulge with horror. However, Inari also noticed this distinct, raising his chin towards the sky.

Staining Inari's face with droplets of blood, this young boy became blinded by rays of sunlight. Reflected off vibrant strands of blond hair, Inari's mouth fell open, briefly paralyzed with shock.

"Are you okay?" Naruto spoke out.

Holding a pair of bloody blades with each hand, Naruto held these weapons at bay, hovering beside Inari's face. Tearing through the fabric of Naruto's frail gloves, a steady stream of blood could be seen.

"Don't mock Gato!" Sokeso cut in, struggling to pull his weapon loose.

Without warning, Naruto abruptly snapped each of these trapped blades, spewing shards of shatter metal through the air. Launched into Boibuto's eyes, this large bandit stumbled backwards, falling into the water.

"That sword cost more than your life!" As Sokeso spoke, he briefly staggered before hurling his right fist forward.

As this fist approached, Naruto's Rinnegan eyes violently bulged, cracking the wooden floor. At the same time, Sokeso's punch was frozen in midair, flinging his entire body across the water's surface.

Flipping and twisting for several yards, Sokeso eventually collided against a wet rock. Falling unconscious, Sokeso rolled into the shifting waves, disappearing from sight.

"Are you okay?" Naruto repeated, scratching the bridge of his nose.

"Uh... Yes, thanks to you!" Tsunami stuttered.

"..." Inari flew into a quiet silence, staring at the floor.

Interrupting this silence, Naruto's growling stomach pierced the air, magnified by his sheepish smile. Crossing both arms in front of his stomach, Naruto sighed with embarrassment.

"Are you hungry?" Tsunami asked with a rhetorical tone, opening the door to her house.

"Yea, thanks... I'd appreciate some food." Naruto mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Please, come eat. We have much to talk about." Tsunami pleaded, disappearing into her own house.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaled a condensed spray of chakra-filled flames.

These flames forced Sasuke's masked opponent to leap backwards across Tazuna's stone bridge. Flinging a barrage of senbon through these approaching flames, Sasuke gasp in response, barely dodging this attack.

"Ice Style: Crystal Forest!" The pristine voice of Haku pierced the air, weaving through a collection of one handed seals.

After speaking, dozens of icy bulbs sprouted out from hardened stone, eventually growing into a frozen forest. This snowy collection of chakra-filled ice casually absorbed Sasuke's fire style.

"My bridge!" Tazuna panicked.

Moving at spends beyond Jounin-level, a masked Haku instantly appeared before Sasuke, kicking him into dense mist. Inspired by her missing teammate, Sakura briefly ran forward, caught by her Sensei.

"Stay on your guard. We still haven't seen Zabuza." Kakashi exclaimed.

Partially obscured by mist and frozen trees, Haku created a patch of ice with each footstep. Flinging another handful of senbon through the air, Sasuke barely managed to deflect these projectiles, using his own kunai.

Pulling his headband up, Kakashi became frustrated as his three tomoe Sharingan glanced from side-to-side. Blinded by a dense haze of purple chakra, Kakashi struggled to glance through Zabuza's mist.

"Ice Style: Crystal Field!" Speaking these words, Haku's feet radiated an icy plain in all directions.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke hastily spat out, spewing a mouthful of flames against Haku's ice.

This is bad - I have to stop it. Kakashi panicked, lunging forward.

"If you join this fight. It will be with me." Zabuza spat out, phasing out from the Mist.

Zabuza wore navy blue pants with a sleevless black, contrasted his freshly wrapped skin. Also, portions of Zabuza's burnt neck could be seen, exposing his charred skin.

"Eww that's disgusting!" Sakura shrieked, catching glimpse of Zabuza's skin.

"This pathetic runt is what counts as shinobi? What a disgrace" Zabuza exclaimed.

Naruto isn't here to save my skin this time... Kakashi joked, pulling a kunai from his satchel.

Charging towards Zabuza, these Jounin-levels opponents became obscured by a barrage of sparks. Muffled by the sound of metal striking metal, these elite shinobi fought with blinding speed.

"Sakura! Stay next to Tazuna!" Kakashi barked out.

"I can't see Sensei!" Sakura shrieked in response, earning a sigh from her Sensei.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Five plates of empty and cleaned food was stacked on the barren kitchen table of Tazuna's house. This food was being eaten by Naruto while he tried to eat a weeks worth of food in twenty minutes.

How can a kid eat so much? Tsunami asked herself.

He...he eats just as much as dad... Inari thought while staring at Naruto.

"My dad will be so happy you're safe and awake." Tsunami spoke as Naruto finished his 8th plate of food.

"I'll admit... I've never seen someone eat like this before - It's like you're eating for two." Briefly speechless, Tsunami earned a mischievous chuckle in response.

"Hahah... Sorry about that." Naruto stuttered before standing up and stretching.

"But don't worry, once your dad builds that bridge, you'll have plenty of food... I should go check on them." Mumbling these words, Naruto turned around before walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Inari panicked, jumping atop the short table.

If you love something, protect it. Protect it with both hands. A vibrant memory of Kaiza echoed through Inari's mind.

"I want to go with you to protect my Grandpa!" Inari declared boldly as he raised his clenched fists to his chest and stared fiercely at the back of Naruto's blond hair and purple tunic.

"Inari you can't! It's far to dangerous!" Tsunami asserted.

"Its dangerous here too! Those men came to our house! Gato has ruined this land I want to protect it just like dad!" Inari screamed as he turned his gaze away from Naruto and directed it towards his mother.

"NO! I won't allow it!" Tsunami yelled, as the two continued to bickered and debate, arguing over the fate of their land as Naruto zoned out entirely.

Heh - they sound just like you and me Sensei. Naruto thought to himself as he continued to stare at the kitchen door, his mind and train of thought drifting far away.

 _-Flashback-_

 _Naruto's 11th birthday._

Naruto sat indian style, staring down upon the water at his reflection, his bangs covering almost the entirety of his face as small sprinkles of rain hit the pond surface, causing ripples to echoing across the entirety of the surface.

Iruka sat on the opposite side of the pond, sitting on his left leg and his right leg held in a kneeling position, as his right hand rested on his right knee, staring at the young blond he has grown to know as his child over the past 5 years.

"Happy birthday Naruto." Iruka spoke out in a loving tone with a smile on his face, knowing he was one of the only few people to show any love to Naruto on this day, the day where 11 years ago the nine tails attacked the village, killing his own father and mother.

"Sensei..." Naruto answered.

"Yes Naruto?" Iruka replied, knowing full well Naruto's mannerisms aswell as when he was going to ask a question.

"D-do you remember 11 years ago?" Naruto asked, still staring down upon both his and Iruka's image in the pond as sprinkles continued to ripple and dance across the water showing several different angles of them upon the water.

The question caused Iruka's muscles to tightened as he coughed mildly to clear his throat.

"Yes Naruto, I - along with many other remember that day, it was the day you were born after all." Iruka answered, trying to avoid mentioning the nine tails attack.

"No - I mean... I mean he nine tails attack on the village." Naruto continued, curious to hear his Sensei's thoughts on the matter.

"Oh - yea that." Iruka spat out as he raised his left hand to the back of his head, murmuring in a very low tone as he stared up upon the light grey clouds looming over his house.

"Yea - I remember it, but its not why I remember this day." Iruka answered as the image of his bloodied father and mother appeared in his head, causing him to quickly shake his head from side to side before continuing.

"It's your birthday, the day you were born and your parents died protecting you." Iruka stated, sticking to the lie he was told to give until Naruto became a chunin, even though he knew the truth, Iruka was one of the very trusted few who did or one of the few smart enough to notice.

"Did you know them?" Naruto asked.

"No - and even If I did I couldn't tell you - everything about your parents is an S-ranked secret Naruto." Iruka answered in a gentle tone.

"Do you think they could have survived?" Naruto probed as he continued to stare down upon the pond, the sprinkles evolving into a full fledge down pour causing Iruka to stand up and raising his arms over his head.

"Naruto lets get ins-" Iruka stated as he attempted to walk inside, only to notice Naruto still sitting indian style, the rain drenching his Purple tunic aswell as his blond hair.

"I mean - I know I've never seen them, but do you think maybe they survived that night - I mean I know they don't visit or want anything to do with me - but do you think..." Naruto's words trailed off as the pond he stared at erupted as several dozens of rain droplets bombarded it.

Quickly Iruka walked behind Naruto and knelt down on one knee proceeding to raise both his arms aswell as his head above Naruto, blocking the young blond from rainfall.

"I am truly sorry Naruto, they did not survive - the nine tails killed them." Iruka spoke out in a depressing tone as the image of his own father and mother appeared inside his mind.

For several seconds the sound of rain hitting cloth, grass, steel, leather and even water could be heard as Iruka continued to hover off the small blond, intent on protecting him from the rain, before soon those seconds evolved into minutes as Naruto continued to sit in indian style and Iruka continued to kneel behind him.

"What does it mean to kill?" Naruto asked, the question causing Iruka's eyes to widen as he thought of his reply.

"Killing is...its something thats hard to explain, sometimes - people are forced to kill to protect others, and other times people kill to save themselves - and then there are the worst types of people." Iruka answered.

"The worst types of people?" Naruto mumbled.

"People who kill for joy, who kill because they want too, people who kill because theres no one who can stop them." Iruka asserted.

"Would you stop them?" Naruto probed.

"Of course - I would do anything to stop those who hurt others, especially if they try to hurt you." Iruka stated, smiling down upon the young blond who continued to sit underneath him.

"Have you done it before? Have you killed anyone Sensei?" Naruto asked, once more causing Iruka's eyes to widen as he was completely surprised by Naruto's question.

"No Naruto - I have been fortunate enough to avoid blood on my own hands." Iruka answered, causing a small period of silence to overcome the two once more as nothing but the sound of Rain echoed across their backyard.

"S-so is killing wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Yes and no Naruto - I don't know every situation, infact I never will, but I know that the defenseless should always be protected, the weak should always be guarded, and the meek should always have a guardian." Iruka stated, having no idea how much impact his last word, guardian, would have on Naruto.

"If someone kills - does that make them bad?" Naruto once again asked.

"No - not at all, the action of killing itself isn't evil Naruto, its the reason why." Iruka replied.

"You said you would...can you explain why? Why would you kill?" Naruto questioned as built up amounts of rain flowed over Iruka's arms and head and began to pouring onto Naruto.

"I would kill to protect those close to me." Iruka stated, his statement refferring solely to Naruto.

"You wouldn't kill to protect yourself?" Naruto stuttered.

"No - I wouldn't - because I never fight for myself - I fight for you Naruto, and for this village." Iruka answered, the large amounts of rainfall causing him to not notice the tears that fell from Naruto's eyes upon hearing his response.

"And when you protect others - you realize how much they matter to you - you realize how many people you truly care for." As he spoke, Naruto began hugging each of his knee's..

"I want to care for everyone." Naruto choked out, the statement causing Iruka to burst out in laughter, something that confused Naruto who titled his head upwards to stare at Iruka.

"Thats a hard dream Naruto, to care for everyone?" Iruka replied as he stared down upward Naruto in a fatherly love stare.

"Yea - like how you care for me - but for everyone." Naruto mumbled in a quiet tone.

"Then promise me something?" Iruka asked as he lowered his right hand to infront of Naruto and extended his pinky finger.

"Of course Sensei." Naruto stated as he extended his own right handed pinky and gripped his Sensei's, not even knowing the promise but already committing to it.

"Promise me that you'll only kill for others - only in an act of love and defense." Iruka asked in a kind, soft spoken tone.

"Yes Sensei!" Naruto spoke in a joyful tone, just happy that someone loved him.

"Now lets get inside, I heard that Season 3 of Adventure time is airing tonight - I know how much you like that show." Iruka stated, eager to get Naruto out of the rain.

"Really?!" Naruto choked out as he crawled out from the still kneeling Iruka and began running towards the backdoor that was up the back porch, all the while Iruka continued to stare at him in a loving fashion.

Naruto...you've come so far...one day soon - you shall finally graduated, and I'm so excited to see that day. Iruka thought to himself as he followed Naruto indoors, unaware of how cruel life would be for young Naruto in the year to come.

 _-Flashback ends-_

"Inari." Naruto mumbled before gripping Inari's head with an Iruka-like fashion.

"Stay here with your mother." As he spoke, Inari shook his head from side-to-side in protest.

"But you don't understand..." Inari complained before glancing at the ground.

"You're barely old enough to hold a kunai..." Naruto protested before the smiling face of Iruka pierced his mind.

"I don't care if I'm too young! I must fight! For them!" Inari argued before stomping his right foot into the ground.

"I wish to join you in battle Naruto! I would rather in be on my feet standing in defiance against Gato! If I die, let me die with you!" After he screamed these mouths, Tsunami handle both hands over her own mouth in response.

"Inari.. There will come a day when you will defend this island." Naruto interjected as Iruka's smile continued to pierce his mind.

"And I have no doubt that when that day finally comes - you will bring pride to your people and the Land of Waves will be a better place because of you..." As he spoke, Inari became awed by Naruto's words.

"But Inari, that day isn't today." Naruto explained before disappearing in a flash, moving at levels far beyond Jounin-level.

That kid... He can't be human? Tsunami once again thought to herself.

Wrong...that day IS today! Inari concluded.

At this moment, Inari charged out from the kitchen before running downstairs and grabbing his crossbow and a helmet. Afterwards, Inari stormed out his house before rushing towards the center of town with his mother chasing after him.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A dense array of mist completely concealed everything from view as Naruto phased into reality. This was the stone top of Tazuna's bridge, the bridge that would determine the fate of the Land of Waves.

Ice? Floating ice? What? Naruto thought while glancing around with confusion.

"Nar-Naruto..." Sasuke murmured, forcing Naruto to turn around.

At this moment, Sasuke leapt in front of Naruto just in time to absorb a barrage of senbon that pierced his back. These senbon forced Sasuke to cough and spit blood into Naruto's face, staining his hair and outfit.

Sasuke then began to lean against Naruto for support while gasping for air. During this, Naruto was filled with utter confusion, unable to understand what was happening.

"Live...Run..." As Sasuke spoke, the faint silhouette of Itachi pierced his mind.

"My eyes are to weak...but yours..." While speaking, the silhouette of Itachi briefly morphed into Shisui before transforming into Naruto.

Am I... Sasuke asked himself before Naruto's voice filled his mind.

Suddenly, Sasuke tightly clenched each of Naruto's shoulders while gasping for air. During this, the faint sound of distant seagulls resonated through the air.

"You must live...your dream must become a reality..." After speaking, Sasuke's legs began to buckle and shake under his weight.

"Don't let your dream die like mine...live" After he spoke, Sasuke fell onto both knee in front of Naruto before coughing up even more blood.

"Promise me...you'll live... Sasuke sighed out.

I am a failure. Nothing to show for myself. Sasuke concluded.

I've failed my clan, my village, my Sensei, my friend...in the end I have nothing... After these thoughts raced, Sasuke slowly fell sideways towards the ground.

Wait...no...no - I have you - isn't that right... Naruto? As these thoughts progressed, Sasuke's skull slammed against the concrete bridge.

This force of this impact caused Sasuke's skull to slightly bounce before resettling. Afterwards, a tense period of silence filled the air as Sasuke became completely still.

Soon, each of Naruto's arms began to twitch while he gasped for air, forcing both of his shoulders to rise and fall. During this, Sasuke's blood contained to stain his face, hair and outfit as dark clouds loomed overhead.

"To protect someone precious to him...he sacrificed himself..." Dozens Haku's spoke in unison from inside several ice mirrors.

"He is truly worthy of being called a Shinobi. is this the first time you've watched someone you love die?" After these Haku's spoke, a brief silence filled the air..

"You must be the one...that one he was talking about...the one he wanted to protect..." As Haku spoke, Sasuke's blood slowly dripped from Naruto's whiskers.

"He wanted to protect you, because you were precious to him." After speaking, an intense rainfall began to bombard the bridge, created the sound of rain hitting concrete.

Love is the hearts desire to protect someone who is important to you. The voice of Iruka pierced Naruto's mind. stated.

Is this the first time you've watched someone you love die? The memory of Haku's voice then forced each of Naruto's concealed eyes to twitch.

Your dream must be a reality. Sasuke's finally words forced Naruto to struggle for air as he fell down on both knees.

"I am sorry but it ends here." Haku apologized.

After speaking, each of Haku's multiple appearances raised their hands to his face. Soon, each of these Haku unleashed an fierce and chaotic amount of senbon, creating hundreds of shadows as Naruto was surrounded on all sides.

Suddenly, each of Naruto's violet eyes violently pulsated before each of the approaching needles were deflected by some unseen force. These senbon then harmlessly landed atop the ground as fresh rain began to wet and stain Naruto's hair.

"Wh-what?! How?" Haku stuttered.

A brief period of silence then filled the air, a silence pierce only by the sound of rain hitting conrete. During this silence, Naruto glared at Haku for several moments as his bangs began drenched with rain.

This action revealed Naruto's violet and ripple patterned eyes to Haku, forcing him to bulge with shock. These eyes forced Haku to become briefly paralyzed before he twitched for several moments.

Its those eyes again... Haku noticed.

"I won't forgive you." Naruto mumbled before clasping both hands together, a sound that echoed through the rain-filled air.

This action created a visible aura of violet chakra that began to mold and weave around Naruto's body. This display shocked Haku because only experienced and powerful shinobi could great visible chakra

These violet chakra then began to swirl and twist around Naruto, forcing his wet bangs to waver in the breeze. At the same time, each of Naruto's Rinnegan were pulsating as he grinded his together together.

Soon, Naruto's chakra engulfed Haku's ice mirrors before spreading out in all directions. After several moments, Naruto's chakra began to mix with Zabuza's mist, causing Sakura and Tazuna to see the same Image both Naruto and Kakashi had seen while fighting Zabuza.

This child!? Where is he getting this amount of chakra?! Haku asked himself.

Suddenly, the chakra around Naruto began to mold and contort itself above his body. These swirls and dense chakra line then converged into a violet demonic fox head that was gritting its teeth together.

Each of Haku's concealed eyes then bulged as he glanced upon the sight in front of him with awe and fear. Haku had never before seen since a demonic and fierce amount of chakra, even form Zabuza.

A - A fox? Haku stuttered.

Haku's bulging eyes then focused intently on the violet eyes that were carved into the fox. These were the exact same eyes that Naruto had, eyes that Haku had never before seen from anyone else.

I-impossible!...He can project his Kekkai Genkai upon his own chakra? How can he even mold it so perfectly in the first place? A panicked Haku questioned as he attempted to study Naruto's Doijutsu.

The sound of rain hitting Naruto's tangible chakra then pierced the air, creating a continuous sizzle as rain was evaporate into pillars of steam. This was evidence to the sheer heat of Naruto's chakra, a boiling and chaotic amount of heat.

This display of power forced Haku's concealed mouth to fall open with awe, left utterly speechless. Haku had spent years fighting off elite Anbu to protect Zabuza, but he had never before seen such power.

Soon, Naruto's chakra began to eat away of overwhelm the surrounding mist as the nearby air began dense. At the same time, several cracks erupted through Haku's ice mirrors before several shards before to the ground.

After several moments, Naruto's chakra began to pour over to distant railings of the bridge. This chakra then spewed out across the oceans surface, spreading towards Kakashi and Zabuza while a tense silence filled the air.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Wh-whats this?!" Tazuna stuttered with fear before jolting as a fog of Naruto's purple chakra washed over his ankles, concealing them from view.

"I don't know..." Sakura spoke with fear in her own heart, concerned over Sasuke.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

That mist... It's just like Zabuza's... Kakashi thought as Naruto's chakra spread across the surrounding waves.

This chakra was so overwhelming and demonic that it consume Zabuza's mist from view before replacing it. This was an action that left the elite Rogue ninja completely shocked, surprised that anyone can overwhelm his mist.

Whaaatt?! It - it looks just like my chakra... Zabuza pondered to himself.

Purple chakra was an extremely chakra and almost sadistic level of chakra, very few people were born with it. And even then, Zabuza could barely even merge faint streaks of purple chakra into his mist, while the approaching fog was solid violet.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The pulsating and violet face of Naruto's demonic chakra fox was snarling at Haku. Despite the sheer number of Haku's Naruto was actually focused on the real Haku, as if he could tell.

I need to strike now - I can't let him force me on the defense. Haku concluded before raising both hands to his chest.

Haku and his dozens of copies then once again released a condense volley of senbon towards Naruto from all angles. As these senbon approached, Naruto's chakra fox gritted its teeth together before releasing a fierce demonic roar.

"RAAAH!" A demonic howl pierced the very air.

This twisted sound instantly shattered several of Haku's mirrors before shards of ice fell to the ground. At the same time, a distant Tazuna, Sakura, Kakashi and Zabuza were each flung into pure panic at the sound of Naruto's demonic scream.

Suddenly, Naruto extended his right hand out before each of his violet eyes pulsated. Afterwards, an unseen and overwhelming force gripped Haku from inside his mirror before pulling him loose.

Wh-what I- I can't move! Haku panicked as he struggled to free himself.

As Haku approached, Naruto clenched his right hand before hurling his fist against Haku's mask covered face. This attack instantly shattered Haku's mask into dozens of piece before he was flung backwards over 30ft.

As Haku flung through the air, he crashed through one of his own ice mirrors before it shattered on impact. After, Haku continued to fly backwards while occasionally twisting, flipping and twirling across the concrete bridge before landing with a heavy thud.

Naruto then appeared beside Haku in a blur of leaves before standing over him for several seconds. Suddenly, Naruto slammed his right foot against Haku's stomach, forcing him to slide back over 10ft before slamming against a steel railing, bending it in the process.

"People like you make me sick." Naruto mumbled while casually walking towards Haku.

"You think you can just kill everyone you hate! Not anymore! You have to go throu-" As Naruto spoke, his words were cut off midsentence after notcing the innocent, kind and loving face of Haku.

"Please - kill me." Haku pleaded, forcing Naruto's bloodlust to dampen as confusion took its place.

"You hate me don't you? Cause of the life that I stole from you? Than kill me." As Haku spoke, drops of rain bombarded his kind face as he began to smile.

"Wh-why are you so okay with this.." Naruto mumbled as drops of rain slowly washed Sasuke's blood off his hair and face.

"To be a shinobi is to be a tool... No emotion and no connection, only war." Haku stated with a smile.

"Than why...why be so kind..." Naruto asked.

"I didn't want this life - I didn't choose it." Haku explained, forcing Naruto's violet eyes to bulge with familiarity.

"I was born into this world and in that world I found my purpose - I found Zabuza." As he spoke, a massive spark of blue chakra erupted into existence in the distant mist.

This created an awkward period of silence as Naruto glanced down at Haku with a mixture of hatred and confusion. Afterwards, Naruto turned his chakra-filled gaze towards Sasuke before his mouth fell open with shock after noticing Sasuke's chakra network was still active.

Cha-chakra!...Th-that means...Naruto concluded as Haku slowly stood up and stared off at the distant blue sparks.

"Why... Why do you life like this?" Naruto asked after glancing back at the 15 year old Haku.

"Why not change it? If not change your life than change the world?" As he spoke, his question caused a kind smile to once again spread across Haku's face.

"Zabuza tried to change the world and he failed." Haku explained with kindness.

"My village, the village of the mist, is a dark place, one filled with blood and hatred towards people like me." As Haku spoke, he continued to smile.

"Zabuza aattempted to save my village from that darkness, he tried to kill the 4th Mizukage. The same man that is responsible for thousands of deaths." While speaking, his words caused Naruto to think back to Iruka's teachings about murder.

"Why did he have to kill him? Why such drastic measures?" Naruto interrupted..

"The 4th Mizukage is a dark, corrupt and evil man - tell me how would you confront evil?" Haku remarked, creating a brief period of silence.

"Would you willingly serve him, merely pretending you're justice? Or would you become evil to destroy the greater evil." As he spoke, a massive blue spark danced across the dense mist in the distance.

"I have one final thing I must do." After speaking, Haku turned around before attempting to jump away.

At this moment, Haku once again found himself gripped by an unseen force while each of Naruto's violet eyes pulsated. Afterwards, Naruto grabbed Haku by his throat before slamming him to the ground.

Wh-what? Haku panicked as Naruto's violet eyes pierced his mind.

These eyes forced Haku's entire body to twitch violet image of the Rinnegan continuously drifted through his mind. After several moments, these eyes completely overwhelmed Haku before he fell unconscious.

"No... You have much more to do." Naruto mumbled while he sat crouched beside Haku's sleeping body.

Naruto then instantly disappeared into a flash before appearing before Sakura with Kage-level speed. This was the result of the Flying Thunder God seal that was sprawled across the back of Sakura's outfit, a seal Naruto placed there weeks ago.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed while twitching with shock.

"Have you seen Sasuke?" As she spoke, her tone with filled with pure concern.

"Head down the bridge, he needs medical attention, can you help you? Please?" Naruto pleaded.

"WHAT? SASUKE I'm on my way!" Sakura shrieked before running past Naruto and Tazuna.

This created a tense period of silence as Tazuna and Naruto stood beside one another for several seconds. During this silence, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of rain bombarded concreted.

"Naruto... Are you alright?" Tazuna asked after noticing that drops of blood that stain his face.

This question once again created a tense period of silence as Naruto turned his face away from Tazuna. Afterwards, Tazuna groaned with defeat before rubbing the side of his head in a sheepish manner.

"Follow Sakura." Naruto mumbled before once again disappeared in a Kage-level blur of speed.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Waves of water violently thrashed as Zabuza and Kakashi were involved in a fierce Jounin-level battle. This battle was released a high level of chakra to mixture together, forcing the nearby water to become violet.

Suddenly, Kakashi dashed across this thrashing water as an overflowing amount of blue chakra resonated around his right hand. This chakra was made up of an electric appearance, the result of Lightning Style: Chidori.

If that hits me... Zabuza panicked.

At this moment, several of Kakashi's dogs came into view, revealing that Zabuza was actually perfectly held in place. Because of this, Zabuza was surrounded on all sides by various dogs that each held him in place from a separate angle.

Soon, Kakashi's hand slowly approached Zabuza before coming mere inches away, forcing the Rogue ninja to gasp with panic. At the last moment,, a bright flash erupted into existence between these battling shinobi.

This flash was Naruto with his back directed towards Kakashi while he stared at Zabuza. Despite the dangerous situation he teleported into, Naruto was acting completely causal.

It's that brat... Zabuza noticed.

NO! Kakashi panicked as he right hand continued to fly forward.

Kakashi had already unleashed too much chakra and power into his technique to stop, filling him with dread. At the same time, the blood-stained face of Rin slowly drifted through his mind as he approached Naruto.

Kakashi's right hand froze mid thrust, mere inches away from Naruto's back before his entire body was gripped by an unseen force. Afterwards, a faint yet visible glimmer of light erupted between Naruto and Kakashi before the later was flung backwards over 20ft.

Wha-what?! Kakashi gasped while flipping, twisting and sliding across the waters surface.

After several moments, Kakashi slammed across the thrashing water with a heavy thud before slightly sink. Before he sunk entirely, Kakashi focused his last remaining chakra to his right hand and left foot before struggling to push himself up into a crouched position while staring at Naruto.

First while we traveled here...And now this...no doubt about it... Kakashi analyzed his study, displaying a Kage-level amount of intellect.

He can manipulate external force from his body using himself as the epicenter. Also, he can force objects away without raising his hands or any movement at all. As these thoughts raced, the water underneath Kakashi continued to violently thrash.

But how...is it... Kakashi asked himself before the image of Naruto's Rinnegan pierced his mind.

"You've got guts brat... If I could move my arms I-" Zabuza's muttered before Naruto's violet eyes briefly paralyzed him.

This created an awkward period of silence as Naruto glared at Zabuza for what felt like minutes without even blinking. During this, rain continued to bombard each of these shinobi as Naruto's eyes infected Zabuza's very mind.

They're just like Haku described... Zabuza thought as he continued to stared directly into Naruto's eyes.

"Zabuza - Zabuza Momochi, that's your name right?" Naruto questioned.

"What of it brat? Do you wish to know my name before I repay you for these burns?" Zabuza remarked, still hypnotized by Naruto's eyes.

"Those burns were well deserved for attempting to murder an innocent civilian." Naruto explained with a casual tone.

"I got paid to kill him - so I'll kill him." Zabuza protested, creating an extended staring contest with Naruto.

"The 4th Mizukage… You tried to kill him and failed, so you ran and took Haku here with you?" Naruto asked, thinking back to his conversation with Haku.

"He - he was to much for me..." Zabuza admitted with an embarrassed tone before he downcast his face.

"Tell me, Zabuza... What would you do today if you left here, where would you go?" Naruto asked, causing Zabuza to scoff.

"A shinobi doesn't plan their life, they live in the present." Zabuza muttered.

"It sounds like the life of a shinobi is terrible." Naruto mumbled, earning a hostile scoff in response.

"So this is what counts as shinobi now aheads? Children who don't understand that the true meaning of shinobi?" Zabuza questioned.

"Zabuza, did you ever hear the tale of the 1st Hokage?" Naruto questioned, earning another scoff in response.

"I won't be lectured by some child, just end this already." Zabuza remarked.

"Tell me - if the 1st Hokage ended the era of seperate clans and towns..." Naruto asked, ignoring Zabuza's words.

"Do you think it would be possible to end the era of separate villages?" As he spoke, his words forced both Kakashi and Zabuza to gasp with shock before the latter smiled.

"That's a good question" Zabuza answered with a smile.

Suddenly, the sound of a wooden cane slamming against stone echoed through the air several times. This stone garnished the attention of everyone present, even Zabuza and Tazuna.

"You disappoint me Zabuza." Gato spat out as six dozen bodyguards swarmed all around him.

Each of these bodyguards were armed with swords or maces while others had spears and staffs. Also, these bodyguards were elite mercenaries that were similar to Samurai, each of them were easily Chunin-level.

"Getting talked down to by a child? Elite shinobi my ass." After speaking, the nearby crowd of bodyguards erupted into brief laughter.

"Paying all these guys is still twice as cheap as what you charge, so I'll actually save money." As Gato spoke, a wicked smile spread across his face.

Soon, Sasuke and Haku each came into view as they were laying across the distant stone of the constructed bridge. Each of these unconscious shinobi were surrounded by Tazuna and Sakura while the later tried to investigate Sasuke's wounds.

"I'll kill the kids too! Everyone dies, I'm wasting too much money on these thugs to keep your pathetic island as is. It's not like anyone can stop me." As he spoke, his words filled Tazuna with pure rage while clenching both of his fists.

Despite Gato's fierce appearance, Naruto was still completely focused on Zabuza. Also, Zabuza was staring intently at Gato, unaware that Naruto was still staring at him.

"Kakashi-sensei, can you please release your dog summons?" Naruto asked, creating a brief period of silence.

After several moments of hesistation, Kakashi nodded his head in agreement before each of his dogs erupted into a puff of smoke. Afterwards, an exhausted Zabuza fell on both knees atop the oceans surface with barely enough chakra to stay afloat.

"Think you can stop me from ripping your throat out for these burns?" Zabuza threatened before struggling to move his arms.

Despite his fierce appearance, Zabuza was completely disarmed and in no shape to fight. His iconic sword, Kubikiribōchō, was even lodged into a distant section of stone inside Tazuna's bridge.

At this moment, dozens of voices could be heard as they all screamed and yell various threats. Afterwards over 100 townspeople came into view before flanking Gato, as if they followed him.

These townspeople outnumbered the bodyguards but were no were near as well equipped or trained. Most of these townspeople were actually using heirlooms swords or shoves and rakes as weapons.

"HAhaha! What's this? Looks like I'll have to teach another lesson to you people after all." Gato chuckled after walking towards the mob of civilians, completely ignoring team 7 for the moment.

"How dare you don't talk about my father like that!" Inari protested while standing in front of all the adults.

Inari stood in a battle-ready position with a rusty bucket helmet on his head and a cross gripped with both arms. Also, Tsunami stood behind Inari with a mixture of concern and pride for her son.

"Oh? It's Kaiza's bitch and his failed son? Your dads already dead, go away." Gato spat out in a mocking tone.

"SHUT UP!" Inari shrieked before charging forward.

Suddenly, Inari ran face first into Naruto's back before falling to the ground with a mild thud Afterwards, dozens of nearby civilians took several steps backwards, awed and terrified by Naruto's display of speed.

Soon, Inari glanced up with rage before joy took its place after he noticed Naruto's blond hair and purple tunic. Despite the constant rainfall that was bombarding Inari and his mother, he didn't even notice.

"Naruto! Today is the day! Look I got eve-" Inari spoke out before Gato cut him off mid sentence.

"Oh look at that those eyes! Cut those eyes out for me!" Gato ordered before two dozen bodyguards unsheathed their weapons.

"I have a question for you, Gato." Naruto asked in a calm tone.

"Sure kid - you're about to die anyway." Gato answered in a joking manner.

"What's your dream?" Naruto asked.

This questioned forced Gato to lightly chuckle for several moments before erupting in to full fledged laughter. During this, Gato slammed the edge of his cane atop the bridge multiple times as he swelled with joy.

"HAHAHA... My dream is to own this island, maybe make it my own personal private resort." Gato explained, creating an extended period of silence.

"Inari - wait here." Naruto mumbled before casually walking forward.

The only sound that could be heard for moments was rain hitting concrete as Inari stared on with confused. Afterwards, Inari attempted to run after Naruto but he was stopped by Tsunami.

Soon, Naruto continued to approach Gato as Kakashi and Zabuza stared at from the oceans surface. Each of these shinobi were so exhausted they could barely move, let alone fight.

"Hahah! Kill the blond!" Gato barked out before slamming his cane upon the bridge.

This action forced over thirty separate bodyguards to charge forward, forcing Tazuna's bridge to mildly quake. However, Naruto didn't even react as this mercenaries charged towards him.

"Whoever brings me those beautiful eyes gets a bonus!" After speaking, his words created a chorus of cheers while dozens of bodyguards surrounded Naruto.

Three bodyguards then directly confronted Naruto from separate angles before stabbing each of their blades out. These attacks were directed towards Naruto's stomach, trying to bleed him out so Gato could get his eyes.

As these swords approached, each of Naruto's violet eyes pulsated before an unseen forced abruptly snapped each of the blades. Afterwards, the attacking bodyguards were each flung backwards through the air, knocking several other mercenaries to the ground as they flipped and rolled across the bridge.

Naruto didn't even break pace as he continued to lazily walk towards Gato before six other bodyguards directly charged at him. These bodyguards then each sword and slicied their swords towards Naruto from various angles and positions.

At the last moment, each of these weapons were frozen mere inches away from Naruto's body as his eyes convulsed. These eyes then created a fierce shockwave, much stronger than the previous one.

These shockwave shoved each of the attacking mercenaries through the air before they slammed against the distant railings. The force of this impact was so great that several railings began distorted and bent as screws were knocked loose.

"Die already!" A chorus of bodyguards screamed in unison before they all charged at Naruto.

These bodyguards then easily surrounded Naruto on all angles before encircling him while laughing. Afterwards, several of they charged forward while raising their swords into the air before they were each froze in place by some unseen force.

After several seconds, extreme of these mercenaries were flung back with extreme force before skipping, flipping and rolling across the bridge. Some of these mercenaries even slammed against others while Naruto didn't even break his pace.

"Wh-what!?" Gato stuttered as over four dozen mercenaries stood behind him.

Soon, these mercenaries began to quake and shiver as Naruto slowly approached them. Each of these mercenaries were completely terrified, awed that Naruto could defeat so many people without even lifting his hands.

A tense silence then filled the air as Naruto finally stopped walked barely 10ft away from Gato. During this, the dense rain overhead finally parted before rays of sunlight sparkled in as distant seagulls could be heard.

At this moment, Naruto lazily raised his right hand before reaching out towards Gato while each of his violet eyes pulsated. At the same time, Naruto's bangs were so wet and soaked that a speechless Tazuna could finally see his eyes.

"I shall stop you." Naruto spoke with a dominating tone before Gato was pulled towards him.

This was an action that left everyone around Naruto utterly speechless, except Sakura who was too focused on Sasuke. However, Kakashi was also taking great efforted to study and observe Naruto's technique.

I see... Using his body as the epicenter, he can push or pull anything he desires by using chakra... Kakashi analyzed his favorite student.

Th-thats what he did to me... Zabuza concluded

Na-Naruto! Tazuna stuttered inside his mind.

Is... Is he even trying? Inari asked himself, awed at Naruto's display of power.

"Help! Don't just stand there, do something!" Gato screamed towards his bodyguards but they all remained frozen

Gato then floated within mere inches of Naruto's right hand before a chakra-rod slowly phased out. Naruto then casually shoved this chakra-rod through Gato's heart, forcing the elderly crime boss to drop his cane while coughing blood onto Naruto's tunic.

As this chakra-rod pierced Gato's heart, firmly gripped the object before holding Gato's struggling body in midair for several moments. After several seconds, Gato's blood slowly began to run down Naruto's chakra-rod before staining his hand.

"It's warmer than I remember." Naruto mumbled as the brief memory of Iruka's blood pierced his mind.

"Yo-you...You'll pay for this! You'll regret this! Yo-" Gato's stuttered before Naruto abruptly tossed him aside.

This action forced Gato to flew loose from Naruto's chakra-rod before tossing through the air for several feet. Soon, Gato flew over the nearby railing before falling into the ocean below.

Because of the blood Kakashi and Zabuza spilled during their fierce battle, several dozen sharks now swam through the waters. Shark then quickly swarmed over Gato before eating him alive.

A brief period of silence then filled the air as Gato's blood continuously dripped from Naruto's chakra rod. Suddenly, this chakra-rod slowly retracted itself back inside of Naruto's hand before disappearing from sight as, as if Naruto absorbed it.

Naruto then glanced at the group of huddled mercenaries before the blood-stained face of Iruka drifting through his mind. Because of this, Naruto began to lazily walk towards the panicking mercenaries.

"Wa-wait! Gato's dead we're not hired anymore!" A random mercenary pleaded.

"Yea, were off the clock!" Another mercenary joined in.

"We aren't getting paid for this, we'll just leave." As these mercenaries spoke, Naruto continued to casually walk towards them.

"He's just one kid! Kill him!" A bald mercenary order before charging forward.

As this this mercenary approached, Naruto swung his right leg out in a counter clockwise slash. This kicked effortlessly knocked the attacking mercenary to the ground before Naruto towered over him.

As this mercenary was aching on the ground, Naruto lift his right leg vertically into the air very similar to Rock Lee. Afterwards, Naruto slammed his heel down against the mans stomach, forcing him to cough up blood while portions of nearby concrete cracked.

Despite the brutally of this action, Naruto casually stepped onto of the unconscious mans chest before walking over him. This action left Inari utterly speechless, amazed that someone so young could be so strong.

"Kill him!" A chorus orders broke out from the surviving mercenaries.

This statement created a fierce charge against Naruto, intent on overwhelming him with pure numbers. This charge was so massive that the sound of muffled feet filled Naruto's ears, causing him to drift deep into him.

Sensei... Naruto thought to himself while casually side stepping a vertical sword slash.

After dodging this attack, Naruto slammed his right knee against a the stomach of an attacking thug. The pain of this attack forced the thug to abruptly drop his sword before falling on both knees and faceplanting the hard concrete.

Suddenly, three separate swords swung out in a horizontal fashion towards Naruto's head. At the last moment, Naruto ducked under each of these attacks before crouching down and sweeping his right leg out in a clockwise fashion.

This sweep knocked each of the attacking thugs to the ground before they each groaned with pain. Afterwards, another thug entered the battle before lunging at Naruto's chest with the tip of his sword.

Is this the life you wanted for me? As these thoughts raced through Naruto's mind, he lazily dodged multiple attacks from nearby mercenaries, more focused on his thoughts than them.

Soon, the lunging mercenary forced Naruto to jump over 10ft into the air before preforming a backflip. Naruto then landed behind the attacking man before casually backhanding him against the side of his head, knocking him to the ground.

Sometimes I wonder... After thinking these thoughts, Naruto casually side stepped a vertical slash.

After dodging this attack, Naruto flung his right fist against the attacking mans jaw. The force of this punch knocked the mercenary back over 10ft before he slammed against a distant railing.

Would you be proud of me? While thinking, Naruto tilted his head to avoid a slanted sword slash.

After dodging this attack, Naruto raised his right knee against his chest before launching his foot out like a canon. This foot then slammed against a nearby mercenary, knocking him backwards over 5ft before he slammed against a nearby railing.

With his right foot still in the air, Naruto used his left leg to jump over 5ft into the air before preforming three front flips. This allowed Naruto to narrowly dodge two separate sword swings that were directed at his previous location.

You put too much faith in me... Too much trust... After thinking, Naruto extended each of his feet horizontally through the air.

This allowed Naruto to kick a pair of attack mercenaries in the face at the same time. These kicks knocked each of the mercenaries backwards before they flew over the distant railing and crashed into the ocean below.

No... I am just making excuses... After concluding these thoughts, another mercenary charged at Naruto.

This attacking mercenary then thrust the tip of his blade out dozens of times, forcing Naruto's head to bob and weave with Jounin-level speed. After lazily dodging these attacks for several moments, Naruto hurled his left fist against the mans stomach, forcing him to crash against a nearby railing.

While Naruto's hand was still in the air, another mercenary slashed his sword down in a vertical fashion towards his hand. As this attack approach, Naruto crouched down before once again sweeping his right leg out in a clockwise fashion, knocking the mercenary to the ground.

You saw something in me - something no one else did. As these thoughts raced, Naruto lazily stood up.

After several moments, Naruto side stepped a vertical sword before raising his right foot into the air. Naruto the once again displayed a Rock Lee feat by kicking the mercenary in his jaw, knocking him backwards.

You knew that I needed you... While thinking these thoughts, Naruto front flipped over another sword swing.

As Naruto twirled through the air, he extended his right foot out before kicking the attacking man in his face. This kick knocked the mercenary out 6ft through the air before he flew past the nearby railing and crashed into the ocean below.

Another mercenary then charged at Naruto while slicing his sword down in a vertical fashion. This attack forced Naruto to tilt his head sideways before narrowly dodging the slice.

Afterwards, a nearby mercenary swung his sword out in a vertical fashion towards Naruto's feet. As this sword approached, Naruto once again jumped into the air before dodging the attack..

Just as the people of this land need me... While these thoughts raced, Naruto extended each of his legs on in a horizontal fashion.

This allowed Naruto to kick each of the attacking mercenaries in their face before they flew over 10ft backwards. Naruto then landed atop the as three more mercenaries charged at him from the front.

Sensei... While repeating these word, Naruto side stepped a thrust from the 1st bodyguard.

After dodging this attack, Naruto jumped into the air before raising his legs above the horizontal slash from the 2nd bodyguard. Naruto then lazily slammed his right foot against the 2nd bodyguard's face, knocking him back over 4ft.

As Naruto hovered in midair, the 3rd bodyguard finally raised his sword with deadly intent. This forced Naruto to casually hurl his left foot against the mans stomach, forcing him to gag before falling to the ground with a heavy thud.

I was blind - I didn't understand at first... After thinking these thoughts, Naruto side stepped a vertical sword slash.

After dodging this attack, Naruto lazily twirled behind the mercenary before rising his right foot into the air. Naruto then swung his foot through the air in a clockwise fashion, slamming his heel against the mans head, knocking him through the air before he fell off the bridge.

Back then...if only you saw...if only you had seen...if only you noticed. While thinking, two separate mercenaries charged at Naruto, each approaching from him opposite directions.

As these bodyguards approached, one sliced his sword horizontally across the ground, trying to knock Naruto off his feet. As this sword approached, Naruto lazily dodged the attack before stomping his right foot onto the blade, snapping it in the process.

After disarming this mercenary, Naruto's right hand reached out before grabbing his throat and squeezing down. Afterwards, Naruto held this mercenary in front of his face before using his body to absorbed a sword thrust.

This action caused fresh blood from the mans chest as a sword pierced his body, spewing blood across Naruto's calm face. Despite the brutality of his surroundings, Naruto was too distracted by his thoughts to care.

No... A single phrased pierced Naruto's mind while ducking under a horizontal sword slash.

While in this crouched state, Naruto titled his body sideways before launching his left foot upward in a vertical fashion. This caused Naruto's foot to collided against the mans chin before he flew through the air and crashed into the ocean below.

It isn't your fault...Sensei... While thinking, Naruto backflipped over another horizontal sword slash.

Naruto then extended his right foot out in midair before kicking the attacking man in his jaw. This kicked knocked the mercenary backwards over 10ft while Naruto casually landed atop the bridge.

I'm just trying to pass the buck... Trying to run away from the truth... As these thoughts progressed, Naruto once again side stepped a vertical slash.

After dodging this attack, Naruto rammed his left knee against the attackers gut with extreme force. Afterwards, Naruto backflipped over another horizontal slash that was directed towards his knees.

That's why... As Naruto concluded these thoughts, he extended his right foot out in midair.

This allowed Naruto to slam his heel against the face of an attacking mercenary before landing atop the bridge. This created a tense period of silence as barely a dozen mercenaries were left, but each of them encircled Naruto.

"Kill him!" Several voices rang out before every single mercenary charged forward.

Soon, Swords, maces and even spears were flung and sliced through the air towards Naruto. As this weapons approached, each of Naruto's eyes violently pulsated before the attacking mercenaries abruptly froze.

Each of these mercenaries were then flung back with a chaotic amount of force as the concrete around Naruto cracked. These mercenaries then collided against the nearby railings with such force that several of them broke off before falling into the shark infested waters below.

Suddenly, an extended and tense period of silence filled the air as Naruto stood completely still. After several minutes, Naruto casually walked over to a nearby portion of broken railing before glancing down at the ocean below.

As Naruto stood atop the bridge, Zabuza and Kakashi each glanced up at him before the distant sun came into view. This sun sparkled down dozens of bright rays that illuminated Naruto's silhouette and hair.

Naruto's hair then began to reflect of the suns bright light before creating a glare, blinding Kakashi and Zabuza. Afterwards, the only thing that was visible for minutes was the violet eyes silhouette of Naruto

... Kakashi's mind was empty and blank as he stared at Naruto, utterly speechless.

Thi-this kid... Zabuza asked himself as his mouth hung out with shock.

As Zabuza glared at Naruto, he soon realized that the boy was giving off a God-like appearance and silhouette. Creating a beautiful and hypnotizing image that Zabuza couldn't look after from.

That's why I will protect this land...and this man, sensei... Naruto concluded while glancing down at Zabuza.

Suddenly, dozens of groans could be heard from the injured bodyguards that laid sprawled across the bridge. During this, Tazuna, Inari, Tsunami, the townsfolk and even Sakura stared at Naruto in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

He... He defeated all of them by himself!? A wide eyed Inari thought to himself.

He's like a one man army... Tsunami concluded.

I-is Naruto really this strong? Stronger than even Sasuke? Sakura asked herself before glancing down at the injured Uchiha.

However, no words ran through Tazuna's mind, instead it was only an image. The image of a violet eyed Naruto standing in front of Gato with his right hand outstretched.

"Tazuna." Naruto murmured, gathering the old mans attention.

"How is your bridge?" After speaking, it took Tazuna several seconds to stepping over the dozens of bodies that surrounded Naruto.

"We-well..." Tazuna stuttered while rubbing his head.

"There is ice damage, several railings are missing, stone is scorched and burnt... And there's the massive crack your sensei made from throwing Zabuza's sword into one of my support beams." As Tazuna spoke, he still marveled at Naruto's power.

"How long for repairs?" Naruto asked while continuing to stare at Zabuza.

"I'd say three weeks." Tazuna replied after rubbing his chin for several moments.

"Can my team continue to stay at your house for those weeks?" Naruto questioned, earning a swift nod of approval in response.

"Of course! After everything you've done for me and my people, you could even have this bridge." Tazuna joked.

This statement created a small smile across Naruto's face while glancing at Tazuna. This caused the elderly man to smile in response, happy for everything that Naruto had done for his home.

"Also... Can Zabuza and his student stay with us?" Naruto asked, creating an extended period of silence as sweated poured from Tazuna's face.

"Please... Trust me." As he spoke, Tazuna was filled with hesistation.

"No problem, Naruto!" Inari screamed before dropping his crowing to the ground and running towards Naruto.

"U-uh sure Inari...Of course they can, Naruto..." Tazuna stuttered before Inari finally stood in front of Naruto.

Naruto then joyfully gripped Inari's bucket helmet with an Iruka-like fashion before disappearing with Kage-level speed. Afterwards, Kakashi's concealed mouth fell open with awe as Naruto appeared in front of him with the Flying Thunder God technique.

Where did he learn that technique... Kakashi asked himself.

"Sensei - can you stand?" Naruto questioned.

"Ye-yes Naruto..." Kakashi stuttered.

"Are you sure about this? About Zabuza? We don't know if we can trust him." Kakashi asked, earning a scoff from Zabuza in response.

"Tch - don'tt expect a thank you or an apology." Zabuza spat out while unleashing a death glare towards Naruto, still upset over his burns.

"No one from Konoha trusts me, so what's the difference?" Naruto remarked, filling Kakashi with dread while confusion swelled inside of Zabuza.

Sensei... Kakashi thought to himself while staring at the back of Naruto's head.

"Come - Sensei, Zabuza." Naruto encouraged before he turned to the side and began walking towards the nearby bridge.

This created a brief period of silence, a silence pierced only by the sound of nearby seagulls. After several moments, Both Zabuza and Kakashi slowly followed Naruto while struggling to stand.

Sensei...I will stay here and heal these people..no matter how long it takes... Naruto concluded as the smiling face of Iruka pierced his mind.

And maybe, just maybe...Tazuna will find the shinobi his land needs after all. As these thoughts raised, the face of Zabuza drifted through Naruto's mind.

Soon, each of these shinobi disappeared into the mist while approaching Tazuna's bridge. This was an important moment for the Land of Waves, the moment when hope finally returned to their land.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: AlphaWolf02 - Naruto will change his hairstyle. It just takes time.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Hero Of The Waves! A Guardian Found.**

 _Wednesday 6:11am, May 9th 58SSP_

"You're up early." Kakashi mumbled, walking up behind Naruto.

This pair of shinobi were assembled outside of Tazuna's house, surrounding a narrow steam, filled with rocks. Also, the distinct sound of seagulls could be heard, soaring through the distant horizon.

"I didn't sleep." Naruto remarked, kicking his feet through the stream.

This statement was met by a dramatic sigh from Kakashi, strolling next to Naruto before glancing at the sunrise. At the same time, Kakashi reached out before grabbing Naruto's head, rustling his hair.

"I'm surprised you stay up so often, most people sleep." Kakashi exclaimed.

"I'm different... I already know." Naruto muttered with a downcast face.

"Naruto. I've known you all you're life, even before you were born..." Kakashi cut in.

"And I've always watched over you from a distance, but this must be resolved personally." While speaking, Kakashi scratched the bridge of his nose.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto tilted his head with confusion, wrinkling his nose. As this occurred, various rays of sunlight pierced the tree branches overhead, illuminating Naruto's bright hair.

"You've seen my eyes, but I've never seen yours" As Kakashi spoke, he held his chin with one hand.

"The... There's just no need too, ya know?" Naruto replied with a hesitant tone.

After hearing these words, Kakashi released Naruto from his grip before sitting down, crossing both arms in front of his chest. Also, Kakashi took his sandals off before resting both feet in the stream.

"I'll make you a deal, a special deal." Kakashi whispered with a dull tone.

"I'll show you my face... If you show me yours." As Kakashi spoke, he released an iconic eye wink towards Naruto.

"Deal! Take the mask off!" Naruto shrieked with joy, jumping to his feet.

This declaration earned an exhaustive sigh from Kakashi, pulling his headband off with one hand. This forced Naruto to crouch down in front of him, glaring at the mask across Kakashi's face.

"Come on, come on!" While speaking, Naruto clapped his hands together.

"Relax - I don't do this often." Kakashi muttered, revealing his three tomoe Sharingan.

"Does it hurt? Or feel weird? Can you turn it off?" Naruto asked, leaning forward.

"No, no and no." Kakashi scoffed, pulling his mask down, revealing his fair-skinned face.

"Consider yourself lucky, Anko is the only person that's seen my face in ten years." While speaking, Kakashi rubbed the side of his head.

As Kakashi spoke, Naruto was kicking his feet through the narrow stream, splashing water in all directions. Afterwards, Naruto briefly glanced at the waters surface with a downcast face.

Soon, a faint twinkle of violet light erupted into view, capturing Kakashi's attention. This elite Jounin was focused on the radiant reflection of Naruto's violet Rinnegan, sprawled across the rippling water.

That settles it...I need to inform the lord Hokage. Kakashi remarked to himself.

"Those eyes... Is that how you push and pull things?" After Kakashi spoke, he earned a muffled groan in response.

"I guess so?" Naruto mumbled, just as confused as Kakashi.

Before this conversation could progress, the hostile screams of Sakura could be heard, permeating the air. These screams were followed by the towering silhouette of Zabuza, opening Tazun's front door.

"You can't just walk off! You're a criminal! Where are you going!?" Sakura inquired with rage.

"I'm going for a walk. You're way too annoying." Zabuza scoffed with a condescending tone, walking out of sight.

* * *

 _5 minutes earlier - inside the upstairs kitchen of Tazuna's house._

Sakura, Inari and Tazuna all sat on the floor next to the kitchen table eating salt of pepper fish with white rice for breakfast. During this Tsunami stood at the sink washing dishing and preparing coffee for her dad.

"Dad what kind of creamer did you want? We only have vanilla and hazelnut left." Tsunami asked, evident that even though their land and village were poor they themselves were very fortunate, mainly due to Tazuna's job.

"Vanilla please dear." Tazuna responded before quickly shoveling a mouthful of rice into his mouth with his chopsticks.

"Here you go dad." Tsunami stated in a kind tone before she sat beside her dad and smiled at him, thankful to have him still alive.

The doorknob to the kitchen turned slowly and soon the door flew open as a maskless, shirtless and still burned Zabuza strolled into the room, causing Inari, Sakura and Tazuna to tense in fear as Tsunami blushed and attempted to avoid thinking about her fathers would be assassin.

Without saying a word Zabuza walked aside the counter and grabbed a cup before quickly pouring himself a cup of black coffee before strolling towards the table.

At the table sat Tazuna and Tsunami or one vertical side with Inari and Sakura on the over side, Zabuza approached the end of the table and stood their briefly before directing his attention towards Tsunami and bowing deeply to her before proceeding to sit indian style.

"Oh so they rest of us don't exist?" Sakura complained, forgetting who she was talking to, but she hated being ignored - who did Zabuza think she was? Naruto?

"I know how to respect women, just not brats like you" Zabuza explained in a cold tone, pouring more fuel onto the fire that was Sakura.

"Oh -OH so I'm not a women?" Sakura shrieked out.

"You're a child unworthy of being called Shinobi." Zabuza spat out before sipping his coffee, the hot liquid warming up his cold tone.

"Says the man who lets a child tell him what to do." Sakura once again complained, referring to Naruto.

"That child is a worthy Shinobi my burns are evidence of that... You have done nothing because you are nothing, without that blond you would all be dead." Zabuza explained forcing many of the family members to freeze with fear, sensing his words to be more of a threat than an insult.

"And what are you!? What have you done?! What's a grown ass man doing playing assassin and killing children?" Sakura echoed throughout the kitchen, causing Zabuza's gripp on his coffee to tighten.

"I mean just look at you! You even have sharks teeth! Like some kind of predator! Who loves predators?" As she complained the elite Rogue-ninja continued drinking his coffee.

"And what about that boy that just follows you around like a puppy?! What did you do to him? Brainwash him?" After she spoke Zabuza finished coffee and stood up before bowing to Tsunami until he turned around and exited the kitchen.

On his way out Zabuza placed his coffee cup atop the kitchen counter before closing the door behind him. Sakura then trailed after Zabuza in hot pursuit, determined to give him a piece of her mind.

* * *

 _Outside Tazuna's house._

"You think you're just free to walk around?" Sakura questioned loudly.

"I have no weapons on me - leave me alone kid." Zabuza spat out in a disgusted tone, something Naruto noticed as both he and Kakashi slowly began to walked towards the 2 new arrivals outside.

"No weapons?! Do you thi-" Sakura was cut-off mid sentence by Naruto.

"Sakura, please leave him alone." Naruto pleaded, causing Sakura to glare at him with rage.

"Who do you think you are? Do you know how he's treated me." Sakura questioned, so focused on Naruto she didn't notice Zabuza strolling away.

"Sakura - listen to Naruto, is Sasuke up?" Kakashi asserted, knowing what buttons to push to get Sakura to change the conversation.

"No he is not." Haku spoke out from the balcony, causing all of team 7 except Sakura to look at him.

"Good morning." Naruto stated kindly, glad to see the masked boy, whose name he didn't even know, alive and well.

"Hmph." Sakura snorted as he crossed her arms and glared off in the direction Zabuza disappeared in.

"He should wake up soon, I didn't strike any fatal points." Haku stated with his gentle voice, the faint hint of regret placed inside his voice.

Before anyone could say another way Naruto's stomach growled loudly, causing him to blush with embarassed as he gripped his stomach with his right hand.

"Lets get you inside Naruto, breakfast was wonderful." Kakashi exclaimed as he notion towards the front door, Naruto quickly following this and heading inside with Sakura and soon Kakashi fast behind him.

* * *

2 days later. _Wednesday 10:32am, May 11th 58SSP._

Sasuke laid sprawled out on the grass next to a stream with both eyes closed while resting his hands atop his stomach. Also, a fishing pole was tied to Sasuke's ankle while Sakura and Naruto sat on the opposite side of the stream.

"He can sleep anywhere." Sakura remarked while sitting on her knees beside Naruto.

"I'm just resting my eyes." Sasuke argued, earning a smile from both teammates.

"How long do you think it will be before he's asleep?" Naruto asked with both knees pressed against his chest.

"Oh it won't take long, you know how Sasuke can be." Sakura exclaimed.

She had even grown fond of Naruto, at first she hated him for taking Sasuke away but the more she hung out with Naruto, the more she hung out with Sasuke. This realization left Sakura rather content whenever Naruto was around, because then Sasuke wouldn't leave.

"I don't even want him to catch anything... I'm so over fish right now." Sakura sighed.

"At least I was able to clone a copy of Sasuke's sword." Naruto exclaimed.

"Yea, thanks for that." Sasuke mumbled before gently tapping to hilt of his black sheathe.

"How long do you think he'll keep that sword?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"As long as he keeps us." Sakura.

"Us?" Naruto mumbled.

"Yes... We're a team after all and teams last forever, right Sasuke?" Sakura asked, eager to spend more time with Sasuke.

"What did Kakashi say?" Sasuke muttered.

"Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Naruto repeated the same phrase Kakashi once told team 7.

"I'm never abandoning you guys!" Sakura declared before leaping to her feet and cheering.

This is all going according to plan. Sakura concluded.

This statement caused Sasuke to open both eyes before glaring up at the tree limbs above him for what felt like minutes. Soon, the twisted and shadowy image of his brother float through his mind.

"Nev-" Sasuke was cut-off midsentence as Zabuza appeared barely 5ft behind Sakura and Naruto.

"Listen up brats, you've had a week to recover and me and Kakashi have talked it over - you're going to be doing some training with me." Zabuza spat out in a depressing tone, clearly he didn't like the idea.

His statement sent Sakura into a panic mode, while Naruto and Sasuke were almost unphased.

"Cool when do we start?" Sasuke asked as he stood up and jumped around the stream between his teammates and Zabuza.

"Well he didn't actually explain everything." Kakashi stated as he appeared in a blur of leaves behind Sakura, annoying the young Kunoichi.

"Really Sensei why do you have to do shit like that? Couldn't you just walk the fuck up like Zabuza did?" Sakura exclaimed, causing her Sensei to sigh lightly and place his right hand on the back of his head.

"My apologize, now Haku can you come out please." Kakashi state, briefly followed by the young 14 year old boy appearing in a mist like flicker beside Kakashi.

"Whats this about Sensei? I thought Zabuza was training us?" Sakura asked.

"Well you see last week me and Naruto were talking ab-" Kakashi was cutoff midsentence by Zabuza.

"Your teacher has done a piss ant job and hasn't even tested you on you're nature affinity yet, so that's what we're doing." Zabuza spat out as his crossed his arms, his statement causing Kakashi's eye to turn eye as he tumbled forward and fell to the ground.

"Really!? About time!" Sakura cheered as she jumped for joy, not even noticing the wave of depressed her words unleashed towards Kakashi.

"Now Kakashi pull out some chakra paper and lets get this started - I don't like playing teacher." Zabuza asserted.

Quickly Kakashi jumped up off the ground and pulled 3 sheets of chakra paper out of his waist satchel on his back.

"Now back to our conversation last week Naruto - the outcome of chakra paper." Kakashi stated, garnishing the entirety of Naruto's attention.

"There are 5 different outcomes, each representing the 5 different nature affinities." Kakashi exclaimed.

"Can I just try it already?" Sakura stammered out as she ran forward and gripped one of the papers in Kakashi's hand before pulling it free.

"So I just focus chakra into right?" Sakura asked, completely ignoring Kakashi's sigh.

"Yes, just channel your chakra into it - it should be easy for you since you have such good chakra control." Kakashi asserted.

"Cool!" Sakura shrieked before closing her eyes and raising her left hand to follow suit with her right and hold the sheet of paper, firmly holding it with both hands as she slowly breathed in and out, the sound of far off seagulls and her fainting breathing the only thing anyone around her could her.

The paper in Sakura's hand instantly hardened as even the section of paper she held between her fingers turned to dust and crumbled into the wind before it even hit the ground.

"What does that mean Sensei?" Sakura pleaded.

"It means you have an affinity for both Earth." Haku cut in, gathering Sakura's attention as she had grown quite fond of the boy in the past week.

"So - so I can do that wall stuff that Kakashi does?" Sakura asked in an excited tone as she raised both her clenched fist infront of her face, the action causing Haku to smile.

"Of course, I'm sure Kakashi is just as excited as you are." Haku asserted in a joking tone, having learned had laid back and lazy Kakashi was over the past week of living together.

"Before we get ahead of ourselves lets try Sasuke next." Kakashi stated eager to move the conversation forward and finally after mentioning her crushes name he had succeeded in regaining Sakura's attention.

"What exactly will happen?" Sasuke asked, more determined than Sakura to learn something.

"It will be cut in half if its wind, burn if its fire, get wet if its water, crumble if its earth and wrinkle if its lightning." Kakashi responded, earning a quick nod from Sasuke before the young Uchiha closed his eyes and gripped the paper fiercely in both hands.

Naruto and Sakura stared intently at the paper Sasuke held, eager to figure out what time of affinity their teammate held.

Fire...he is an Uchiha after all. I wonder what type of jutsu Sakura will learn... Naruto thought to himself.

Fire...as hot as fire... Sakura assured herself, thinking more about Sasuke than his jutsu.

Soon the paper gripped in Sasuke's hands became wrinkled and crumpled up, evident that Sasuke held affinity for Lightning, shocking Naruto and Sasuke but flying completely over Sakura's head.

"Bu-but..." Sasuke stammered out in shock.

"Its lightning, back of the line brat." Zabuza spat out.

"So far it looks like I'll have to teach Sakura Earth style and Sasuke lightning style, since neither of you can." Kakashi coughed out in a slow depressed tone.

"I guess that leaves us with the blond kid? I hope he has water or wind affinity cause thats all we can use." Zabuza asserted not using the term brat or runt with Naruto as he did the other two, Naruto had something the other two didn't, he had Zabuza's respect.

"But what about Ice style? I saw Haku using it." Naruto asked.

"Its a Kekkai Genkai kid, but its different from yours or the Uchiha brats - its not a doijutsu its just a part of his clan." Zabuza stated garnishing Naruto's attention.

"The Yuki clan right?" Naruto questioned before turning his gaze towards Haku.

"I read about them - but they all disappeared right?" Naruto asked, thinking back to the green book he and Sasuke had read ever so often.

"Yes - for quite sometime no one knew of our existence." Haku stated with a smile, he was just such a kind natured person.

"So how are you here than Haku? What about your dad?" Sakura asked, causing Haku's smile to instantly broke as a frown replaced it.

"My father killed my mother, and then when he turned his knife upon me and struck out I was forced to defend myself." Haku stated dryily before once again allowing a smile to bloom on his face.

All 3 genin were hit with a wave of sadness and depression, Naruto feeling reliefed he never saw his parents die, Sakura regretting even asking the question, and Sasuke going into a short panic episode as the Uchiha massarce Itachi forced him to witness through genjutsu replayed itself inside his mind.

"So yea long story short - you can't use Ice style." Zabuza asserted in the most teacher like tone he could with Naruto.

"Think of it like Wood style, it combines Water and Earth which I can both use - but I can't just use them both at the same time and create Wood style, it doesn't work like that." Kakashi stated.

"Lame..." Naruto muttered as he lowered his gaze towards the ground and stared at it for several seconds until the hand of his Sensei extended itself infront of his view, presenting him a piece of chakra paper.

Grabbing this paper from Kakashi and firmly holding it in his right hand, between his curled index finger and his thumb, the young blond Uzumaki closed his eyes and began pouring chakra into the small page, intending only to release alittle but inside engulfing the thin sheet with his chakra.

Seconds after closing his eyes the paper in Naruto's hand spilt in half, the half held in his hand becoming wet and soggy, causing it to fall forward and also break in half before that piece that fell instantly hardened and crumbled before dissolving into dust and blowing into the wind similar to Sakura's.

While the other half of the sheet wrinkled intensely, becoming half crumpled up before it became engulfed in flames and turned to ash, also blowing in the wind meanwhile Naruto's eyes were still closed and he still gripped the soggy piece of paper in between his fingers.

Sasuke, Haku, Kakashi and Zabuza all glared at the young blond in shock and awe, unable to understand or believe what had just occured infront of them, while Sakura daydreamed about all the badass water style jutsu she would use to win Sasuke's heart.

"Ka-Kakashi..." A stunned Zabuza spat out, finally causing Naruto to open his eyes.

"Hey! Look its water!" Naruto exclaimed, having only noticed the piece of soggy parchment that remained in his hand, and not the crumbled or ashed reduced papers that fell.

"Kid..." A still shocked Zabuza exclaimed.

"Naruto do that again." Kakashi asserted before quickly pulling another sheet of paper out of his satchel and presenting it towards a confused Naruto.

"Why?" Naruto questioned.

"Just do it." Zabuza spat out, more interested than he had been in anything for a long time.

"Sure ok." Naruto exclaimed as he once again gripped the page in similar fashion and once again poured chakra into it, only this time he kept his eyes open and he noticed as the same thing that had occured infront of the others moments ago once again occured infront of him.

"Wh-what does that mean Sensei?" A confused Naruto asked his Sensei, who looked more shocked than he was.

"Naruto...Naruto I don't think you understand..." Kakashi exclaimed.

"That just means I have an affinity for all 5 right? Is that rare?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi just continued to stare at his young student in shock.

Se-Sensei... Kakashi panicked to himself.

It's those eyes...it has to be... Sasuke thought to himself, noting that since both Kakashi and Zabuza was so surprised it had to actually be rare.

Fine you get 1 point Naruto...but you're still no where near as cool as Sasuke. Sakura thought to herself.

"I have never in my entire career met or killed someone who held an affinity for all 5 chakra natures, even the most experinced Shinobi, those who learn how to use all 5 natures pale in comparsion to those that have truly mastered all 5." Zabuza asserted, trying his best to be polite.

"To master all 5?" Naruto exclaimed before quickly turning to Kakashi.

"Hey Sensei, have you mastered all 5 or can you only use 5?" Naruto asked, causing the experince Jounin to blush lightly and place his right hand on the back of his head.

"Well I'm not a master but I like to thi-" Kakashi was cut-off midsentence by Sakura.

"Hang on if you can use all 5 chakra natures, and Zabuza can only use one, than why did Zabuza give you such a hard time." Sakura asked.

"Heh...heh..heheh.." Zabuza choked out a short demonic chuckle, all the while Kakashi shrunk into a short episode of depression.

Fire...water...lightning...wind...and earth...but...but...A shocked Uchiha declared to himself as he stared at his friend to his side.

Kakashi straighten his index finger and threw in upperward into the air before straighting out his posture and speaking.

"It was a test, to see how far you all have come." Kakashi asserted before preforming an eye wink towards his students, his excuse sad half-ass he even broken Sasuke out of his trance.

"What kind of dumbasses do you think we are?" Sasuke asked.

"You don't want to hear the answer to that." Zabuza cut in, causing Haku to giggle.

"Kid looks like you get luck of the draw I can teach you water style after all." Zabuza declared after brushing Sasuke and Sakura aside, his statement causing Naruto to completely forget his train of thought.

"Can we start now?" Naruto exclaimed as he raised his clenched fists to his face, too excited to notice Sasuke staring at him.

"Dont be in such a hurry Naruto, after all it looks like you'll be training with Zabuza alone." Kakashi asserted.

"What do you mean alone?" Naruto asked.

"Well I will be spending time teaching Sasuke how to harnessing lightning and since I can only teach one at a time that leaves Sakura with Haku." Kakashi declared causing the young blond to tilt his head sideways and stare at Zabuza through his bangs, the elite Shinobi returning his stare with his own.

"Awesome!" Naruto declared as he ran forward, right pasted Zabuza, who sighed, spun around and quickly strolled leisurely before throwing his right hand into the air and weaving a mild goodbye to Haku.

"See you back at the house Haku." Zabuza declared, he had warmed up to Naruto just fine, or atleast as best as he could considering the young blond has fiercely burned his body, but he just didn't care for Kakashi that much or the other memebers of team 7.

"Lets go Sasuke, we'll let Haku and Sakura have this area." Kakashi stated as he placed his left hand on Sasuke's left shoulder and winked towards him, sense the air change that swirled around Sasuke when it was revealed Naruto had an affinity for all 5 natures and he only held it for one.

"Lets go get some practice done for today." Kakashi stated as both he and Sasuke slowly walked off in the opposite direction of Zabuza and Naruto while Sakura and Haku remained next to the stream.

"So hold on - if my affinity is earth - and you and Zabuza can only use wind and water - what are you going to teach me?" Sakura pondered.

"These" Haku declared as he raised a Senbon needle infront of his face.

"What!? NO WAY those things hurt my Sasuke." Sakura asserted as she crossed her arms and snorted while she looked away, causing Haku to giggle lightly and smile.

"Imagine the potential of keeping everyone else away from Sasuke." Haku stated, causing a dark, sinister and twisted smile to bloom on Sakura, he knew how to get her motivated.

"If you knew how to use Senbon, you wouldn't have to get close, you can neutralize any threat to your dear Sasuke before they even reach him." Haku continue, the smile on his face still apparent.

"Deal!" Sakura shrieked as she grabbed Haku's hand and ran towards a tree on the far side of the clearing, eager to see the proper way to throw them.

* * *

 _Two days later, Friday 9:57am, May 13th 58SSP._

"What exactly are we looking for drunk?" Sakura asked Tazuna as all three Genin from team 7 were walking down a wide street in the market place.

"We just got a shipment of rare goods from your village, first one we've gotten in 3 years." Tazuna replied as team 7 continued to escort him through the Land of Waves.

"You there... Young hero." An elderly man spoke out, older than Tazuna.

This man wore a tattered blue tunic that was covered in dust, matching his dirt stain pants his cheaply made sandals. Also, he was pale skinned and bald with a thick white beard that concealing a majority of his face.

"Young master." While speaking, this elderly man shuffled past Sakura and Sasuke before confronting Naruto..

"I have nothing to give, nothing of value and nothing of worth, I have no way to repay you... Nothing my praise." As the bald man spoke, he smiled at Naruto, filled the blond with an odd feeling.

"I think you have the wrong person." Sakura joked.

"Naruto? Naruto Uzumaki?" The old man inquired.

"This is Naruto, what's wrong, Steve?" Tazuna interrupted, clearly he knew the man.

"What's wrong!? You're keeping the hero of this town to yourself!" The old man asserted before jabbing Tazuna in the chest.

"Nah its not like that at all." Tazuna mumbled while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh! Look, it's Naruto!" A tall and pale-skinned man spoke out before pointing at Naruto.

"Naruto!? Where?" A panting shopkeeper panicked after jogging in front of his store.

"Dad, is that really Naruto?" A young son asked his father.

After several seconds of staring side to side and checking the allyways, the shopkeepers eyes finally feel upon Naruto. Afterwards, his eyes quickly turned into sparks when he took noticed Naruto's attire and hair.

The shopkeeper then dashed towards Naruto before promptly embracing the young blond with a wide hug. This open display of emotion was extremely rare for Naruto, leaving him briefly stunned.

"Young master Naruto! Come! Come inside, please, please! I beg you!" The shopkeeper pleaded before pulling Naruto inside his shop.

For several seconds Naruto stood there firmly in shock, never before had people been so nice to him - hell usually no one even wanted to talk about him, let about be happy to meet him.

At last Sasuke and Sakura took notice of the shopkeeper and turned around to face him directly, as he still pulled and yanked Naruto's arm with all his might while the young blond just stood there frozen and firm, clearly the stronger of the two.

"Naruto whats going on?" Sakura asked as she stared at the elder shopkeeper who was struggling to pull the young blonds arm, but all her question did was direct the shopkeepers attention towards her.

"Oh you must be his girlfriend? Please come inside and browse my shop! Take anything you like for free brave hero." The elder shopkeeper asserted as he direct his gaze back towards Naruto.

For a brief second Sakura was infused with rage, and a desire to beat the shopkeeper's face into the ground then Naruto's, until the two words 'for free' echoed throughout the entirety of her skull causing a sinister grin to grow upon her face.

Sakura skipped the 4 feet cap betwen her and Naruto before fiercely squeezing down on his right forearm and dragging him in the same direction the shopkeeper was.

"Sasuke watch the drunk!" Sakura asserted without looking back, having grown quite used to having Sasuke and Naruto next to her 24/7, she even found herself caring about Tazuna.

Sasuke just sighed as he finally noticed the situation he found himself placed in as Tazuna and Steve had devolved into the iconic old man conversation of how to treat, grow and tend to yard grass.

A short 5 feet ahead of the shopkeepers entrance the son of the pale man from earlier jumped infront of Sakura and by extension Naruto.

"Excuse me! Can I have your autograph please!" The young child begged as he bowed his head in respect and extended a piece of white paper he held gripped in his hands forward towards Naruto.

Again Naruto was speechless, never before in his entire life had anyone besides Iruka wanted to touch something he had, infact the teachers before Iruka would burned and throw away the pencils and paper Naruto used for his assignments.

"Naruto sign it and stop just standing there." An annoyed Sakura asserted as she yanked his arm forward and positioned him infront of the still bowing child.

"Uh - sure alright." Naruto choked out before grabbing the page and than the pencil the kid gave him before hastily scribble his full name across the page before peering at it in silence for several seconds.

Its missing something...something...OH! Naruto thought to himself before he once again place the pencil upon the page, and with much more care and caution than previously he doodled a chibi Naruto and Iruka each giving a thumbs up placed above the U in Naruto.

"Here you go - have a nice day." Naruto stated in a kind loving tone as he knelt down on one knee and look the child in their eyes as he returned their page.

The child smiled brightly and attempted to open his mouth only to be cut off mid sentence as Sakura once again gripped Naruto, this time by his left arm, and dragged him into the shopkeepers store, eager to look around.

* * *

 _Inside the store._

"Please please take anything you wish! I just want a picture with you young hero." The shopkeeper stated, at this Naruto had enough and he finally grew bold enough to ask his question.

"Why has everyone been calling me a hero?" Naruto pondered.

His stated caused the shopkeeper to stared at him at first in confusion but quickly adjusting his posture and speaking.

"Well - Inari, carrying a crossbow mind you, came running down the street with several dozens of citizens behind him running towards the bridge, they held pickaxes, swords, shovels and racks so naturally I grabbed my own family heirloom and rushed after them, expecting the worst." The elder keeper breathed in before continuing.

"At first when I saw the size of them, of the security Gato held - I was terrified, I knew we we going to die, if not all of us than some of us, and the idea of being one of them scared me." The shopkeeper stated as he once again began staring at Naruto.

"Imagine my surprise and joy when a hero barely older than Inari jumps infront of me at the last moment and saves my life please I must have a photo." The keeper asserted before grabbing a camera off the counter and walking towards Naruto, placing his left hand on his right shoulder and stating.

"Cheese!"

Naruto briefly turned to face the camera and plastered the same smile he always had on his face when Iruka was near him and the flash quickly erupted from the camera lens before a faintly clicking noise inside the camera reverberated.

"Wonderful - wonderful! I can't wait to show this to the grandkids!" The keeper stated before quickly strolling away towards his counter than disappearing behind the door of the counter, leaving Sakura and Naruto alone in the store.

Sakura and Naruto stared around the shop, containing many odd and seemingly apparently useless items of no purpose, some covered in dust and some in cobwebs while others were freshly cleaned and polished.

"I kinda regret coming in here now, I thought he'd have better stuff." Sakura mumbled as she walked off towards the freshly cleaned sections of the store.

Naruto instead turned around and walked towards a cobweb covered corner in the section close to the counter the shop keeper disappeared behind.

He browsed and peered at several dusted books and barrels, not sure what he was looking for or even why he was in the store in the first place, was it all a prank? No one had ever been this nice to him.

At last a dusted display case caught his eye, so old and worn that the glass had been stained brown and couldn't be seen through.

Instinctively Naruto reached out and gripped the latch to the display case before throwing it open and staring intensely upon the unharmed and almost prestige 3 pronged Kunai that rested in the case.

There were 6 of the 3 pronged Kunai, each one containing a seal very similar to Naruto's own something he quickly noticed before reaching down and gripping one of the kunai.

A brief flash of yellow spiky hair protruded from Naruto's mind as he gripped the kunai but he quickly shook it off as being his own hair and picked up the kunai fully.

It was light weight yet firm, just from holding it Naruto could notice it was barely 2 pounds, while his standard black kunai, the ones he had his own seals inscribled on weighed 6 pounds something that drastically affected the throwing distance.

Naruto raised the hilt of the kunai to his face, staring intently upon the seal placed upon it, and the weird feeling he got from holding it before briefly sticking his index finger in the end hole of the kunai and twirling it several times in the air.

This is really light...can it even be used in combat though? Naruto pondered to himself as he tossed the kunai into the air several times and catched it with his hands time and time again.

Its definitely light weight though...and the extra throw distance would for sure make up for the lack of combat...I could always just carry these 6 and 8 of the standard ones... Naruto assured himself before the shopkeeper emerged once again into the store.

"Young master Naruto have you found anything you like?" The old man questioned as he walked towards Naruto with a smile on his face and both his hands clasped together.

"U-uh what are these? Or rather where did you get them?" Naruto asked as he raise the 3 pronged black kunai into the air between him and the shopkeeper.

"Oh thats been in my store for well over 10 years - hell I can't even remember where I got if from, I use to set up trade in the village hidden in the rocks for several years and took up becoming a traveling merchant in the land of fire for a few years after the 3rd shinobi war, I'd say they must be one of my treasures I recovered back then." The shopkeeper stated as he stared towards the prestige kunai with a sensation of admiration.

"Oh 10 years..." Naruto asked, thinking that if he had it for so long he would never part with it.

"Would you like them master Naruto? At this point they're just taking up shop space, it may look poor now but once we get all the trade in because of your aid I'll have a brand new store!" The man declared before briefly bowing towards Naruto.

"S-so I can have these? All 6 of them?" Naruto questioned.

"Of course! Of course! I insist!" The old man stated as he hastily grabbed the other 5 kunai resting in the display case and rushed them over to the counter and bagged them, promptly notioning for Naruto to follow.

"I don't know much about Shinobi tools - but I know this are one of a kind, infact one of these even saved my life one day." The shopkeeper asserted, garnishing Narutos attention.

"Really? How?" Naruto asked.

"I was traveling down a travel in the land of fire a few years back...must be 9 years ago... and a bandit comes at me swinging a brandished sword, I could tell the man was drunk and even after I gave him my money he insisted to come for me." The shopkeeper sighed slowly and lowered his head, clearly not liking the memory.

"In my haste I reached for one of this kunai in my backpack and slashed forward towards the bandit." The man once again sighed.

"That was my first kill." The man stated before looking down towards Naruto, the young blond briefly thinking of Gato before handing the shopkeeper the final kunai and letting him wrap them up.

"Here you are, sorry I don't have a better bag for you master Naruto." The shopkeeper stated with a slight bow as he began notioning towards the door while walking beside Naruto.

"Please, please come again." The shopkeeper asserted with a clap of his hands as he looked in joy at Naruto.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Naruto stated as loudly as he could as he exited the entrance of the shop while waving goodbye to the shopkeeper, not even catching his name.

"Took you long enough." Sakura snorted out as she crossed her arms as both her and Sasuke stood next to Tazuna and Steve, still discussing the art of grass growing.

"W-why are you outside?" Naruto pondered.

"There was nothing of value in there Naruto, I don't know what you found but I know there was nothing I wanted." Sakura snorted, causing Naruto to downcast his gaze.

"Don't listen to her Naruto I'm sure whatever you got is wonderful, infact so me when we get home." Sasuke stated, causing the young blond to brighten up, and Sakura's head to drop vastily.

You win this time Naruto... Sakura thought to herself.

"Steve its been great but I really must go, this hero has to escort me around town and back home after all." Tazuna stated in what appeared to Sakura to be a joking manner but he was completely serious.

"It was great seeing you Tazuna - and you two hero." Steve stated towards Naruto before briefly bowing to him and walking the opposite direction of the street, a smile vibrant across his face.

"Now - lets try to avoid anymore of your fans shall we Naruto." Tazuna asserted in a teasing manner before walking past all 3 genin towards the center of the marketplace.

* * *

 _30 minutes later, inside the tiny worn blacksmith shack._

Naruto was alone in the shack, breaking away from Tazuna and his teammates in an attempt to execute a plan he had brewing in his mind every since he met Tazuna.

"Excuse me?" Naruto asked as he walked up to the counter of the shack before being startled as a black, tar covered blanket resting in the doorway behind the counter flung open and a young 32 year old man walked out.

"Naruto?! Naruto Uzumaki!" The young blacksmith screamed as he dashed towards the young blond.

Before Naruto had time to react the blacksmith had both his arms around him and he lifted him into the air, squeezing tightly upon Naruto's body, crushing his bones and pushing air out of his lungs like a doll.

"How can I serve you?" The blacksmith asked as he calmly placed Naruto on his feet and smiled towards the blond, a smile so genuine that Naruto naturally replied with a smile of his own.

"This." Naruto asserted as he raised his hands to his neck and untied his headband before giving it the blacksmith, who quickly walked over to his work bench and notioned for Naruto to follow.

"What seems to bring the problem with it?" The experince blacksmith asked as he gently laid the piece of metal connected to fabric with the symbol of Naruto's village on his workbench, one he has freshly cleaned evidence of the busy he had been getting lately.

"Not a problem with it but rather with these." Naruto declared as he raised his hands and silently placed them together before they danced through the Dragon, Rat, Boar and finally Tiger seal, preforming them so quickly the blacksmith only saw a blur.

"Clone Jutsu." Naruto declared meekly as he leaned his right hand over his headband and placed it atop the symbol causing 2 puffs of symbol to appear of either side of his original headband, all 3 now rest atop the mans workbench.

"I'll never get used to the stuff Shinobi can do sir." The blacksmith stated, showing great respect to Naruto, something the young blond noticed.

"Well I...i was wonder if you could cover up these symbols...and like recarve a different symbol into them?" Naruto asked as he leaned back and let the blacksmith do his way, picking up one of the freshly clone headbands aswell as his glasses.

The blacksmith held the headband high in the air, mere inches below the candle holders his ceiling had dotted across it.

"No I can't sir..." The blacksmith stated in a defeated tone, his depression infecting Naruto.

"Oh..." Naruto murmured as his gaze shot downward towards the ground, felling utterly defeated.

"But..." The blacksmith stated reinvigorating Naruto's attention.

"I can flip the metal section of the headband, and have it wear the symbol of the leaf is the section connecting to the fabric giving me the blank canvas to carve into, would that be acceptable sir?" The blacksmith asked, sending Naruto deep into thought.

Th...then that would mean...he would techniquely be a member of our village...he would wear our headband and Haku too... Naruto thought to himself as he quickly downcast his gaze.

They would be apart of you Iruka...and of me... Naruto briefly thought as he pondered over the fact that the headbands he was having made were made clones of Iruka's headband.

"Yes! Please, how much?" Naruto asked as he noticed the man instantly getting the work, stripping and flipping the metal section of his headband to acquire the blank canvas to carve onto.

"Free of charge sir, just let me know what you want carved into it." The blacksmith stated, causing Naruto to smile, he knew exactly what he wanted carved into it.

* * *

 _2 days later, Sunday 10:32pm May 15th 58SSP_

"You're not listening Kakashi, all are you leaf Shinobi so stubborn?" Zabuza spat out, growing tired of Kakashi, the latter of who only sighed.

"There has to be something you're missing." Kakashi muttered out causing Zabuza to scream at him.

"Fuck you! And your damn book!" Zabuza spat out, growing tired of Kakashi continuous reading of the porn novel, aswell as he utter laziness.

"You didn't even test their nature affinity? How the fuck can they water walk don't tell me you taught them that - that would take would to much effort for you - the fabled copy cat ninja." Zabuza asserted as he threw as arms up in exhaustion before Haku cut in.

"Has his progress really been that extreme?" Haku asked his teacher.

"Even more so then you Haku, and you are a prodigy I don't even know what level to categorize him in." Zabuza stated as he glared at Kakashi, waiting for him to respond.

"What all has he been able to preform." Kakashi questioned finally placing his book into his satchel and focusing on the conversation.

"He has done more than preform Kakashi - he has mastered them." Zabuza spat out in a disgusted tone trying to make sure Kakashi understood the importance of the situation at hand.

"What all has he mastered?" Kakashi asked.

"At first I went simply on the boy, not wanting to break him anymore than I have to for burning my body, so I showed him the seals to preform the hidden in the mist jutsu..." Zabuza trailed off before continuing.

"Once I told him the proper seals to use, he preformed the jutsu seemlessly as if it was a natural instinct even though it was his first time preforming the jutsu." Zabuza asserted as he glared towards Kakashi.

"His mist was even more dense than my own..." Zabuza stated, causing Kakashi's and Haku's eyes to widen vastily in shock.

"But Zabuza...surely you don't mean to say..." Haku muttered.

"Yes Haku, I think its clear to all of us the kid is stronger than me, but than again you are too." Zabuza stated towards Haku.

"But thats not the point, this kid...his chakra control combined with his chakra reserves gives him almost an endless battlefield advantage with them together he could implement dozens of jutsu without even falling to fatigue." Zabuza noted before quickly getting back on track.

"Then...the water clone..." Zabuza trailed off.

"What about it?" Kakashi questioned, causing to Zabuza to squint at Kakashi as he glared even more intently.

"He didn't even need to know the seal...he must have remembered it from our battle on the lake...and thats not even mention the fact that he summoned 20 clones on his very first attempt." Zabuza sighed out.

"2 jutsu in 4 days? Not bad." Kakashi noting, proud of his progress so far.

"No - I'm not done yet, the blond even remembered the seals I used to preform the water prison and also was able to manipulate the water into a dense paste, similar to how I turned my into a syrup." Zabuza stated, causing Kakashi's eyes to widen.

"Re-really? That much progress?" Kakashi asked.

"Yea thats what I thought myself...and it was at that moment that I decided..." Zabuza spoke as he lowered his demonic gaze towards the ground between him and Kakashi, filling the air with a mixture of tense and awkward.

"What have you done Zabuza." Kakashi demanded, not willingly to allow any harm to come to Naruto.

Zabuza's gaze shot upward and buried itself once more into Kakashi.

"I taught him an A-ranked water jutsu." Zabuza spat out, causing Kakashi to growl.

"Fine! What else did you teach him that while we're at it?" A now annoyed Kakashi asked, causing Zabuza to grin mildly under his face bandages

"Well...I may have also taught him 2 b-ranked Jutsu..." Zabuza stated in a innocent tone.

"Wh-Re-What justu did you teach him?" Kakashi asked for they're names.

"Water style: Great Waterfall, Water Bullet...and of course Water Dragon a favorite of mine." Zabuza stated with a demonic grin.

"What all have you taught Sasuke?" Haku asked, attempting to defuse the situation but only causing Kakashi to sigh loudly.

He's taught Naruto all of this in only 4 days...looks like I'll have to spend more time teaching Sasuke and Sakura after all... A depressed Kakashi thought to himself, not likely to much work in his later years.

"But that brings me to my point - the kid wont pick up a sword, and refuses to learn any of my sword techniques, says he just doesn't like it - so I have never left to teach him." Zabuza asserted.

"I'm already busy with Sasuke and Sakura and Naruto doesn't want to use Earth style." Kakashi answered.

"Well actually Kakashi we we're talking and we believe it would be better for Naruto and Sakura to spend more time with me, since you're their Sensei you can easily teach them new jutsu when you get back to your village but we cannot." Haku stated.

"I can show Naruto what I know of Wind style, it can be more useful than some thing, especially given the rarity of the Wind nature in your lands." Haku asserted.

"And what about Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

"I will crush her into shape and make her worthy of being called Shinobi - while Haku will show her how to better handle Senbon." Zabuza stated.

That would give me time with Sasuke...time to teach him...that jutsu... Kakashi thought to himself.

"That works, just please go easy on her Zabuza." Kakashi stated with an eye wink.

"Yea sure whatever, no problem." Zabuza answered back, more eager to see what else Naruto could do than the feelings of some 12 year old girl.

* * *

 _3 days later, Wednesday 10:21am, May 18th 58SSP._

A vibrant flock of seagulls hovered over a small crowd of citizens on the freshly constructed bridge inside the Land of Waves. This crowd was filled with fathers, daughters and young children who all gathered to see the fabled hero of their land.

This was gathered in front of team 7 while they each stood under a large stone archway the lined the exit from the Land of Waves. This archway was also covered with a specific name, but it was partially distorted from view.

"Naruto! Naruto!" A panting Inari screamed as he dashed out of the crowd.

Soon, Inari embraced Naruto with a warm hug before glancing at his whisked face with pure admiration. During this, Tazuna was standing in the background with a wide smile across his face.

"Wil-... Will you ever come back." While standing, Inari glanced between Naruto and the ground.

"I will do better than that... If you are ever need me, just use this kunai." Naruto remarked with a timid smiled before handing Inari a three-pronged kunai.

"Really? That's so cool!" Inari exclaimed before grabbing the kunai from Naruto's hand and admiring it.

At that moment Zabuza and Haku broke free from the crowd, revealing a large backpack that was strapped around each of their backs. This garnished the attention of several families as they each glared at the rogue ninja with distrust.

"It's about time we get out of here too." Zabuza mumbled.

At the mention of his statement and the image of them both ready to leave Naruto's smile turned into a deep frown. Afterwards, an extended and awkward period of silence filled the air as Naruto rubbed the back of his head in an Iruka-like fashion.

"I want you to stay..." Naruto mumbled shocking the entire crowd of nearby citizens.

"Stay? The life of Shinobi is one of discomfort." Zabuza barked out with pride.

"We do have an empty house... And we need security incase a new Gato appears..." Tazuna murmured before Zabuza's stomach violently rumbled.

"And I had this made for both of you." Naruto exclaimed before pulling two headbands loose from his satchel and giving them to the pair of rogue ninja.

"What Shinobi village is this? I've never seen it before?" Haku asked while glancing on the unique symbol.

"It's the symbol for the Village hidden in the Waves! And you're both their first Shinobi!" Naruto cheered.

This declaration was large by a loud chorus of approval that resonated out from the nearby crowd. Each of them were eager and ready to have their own shinobi village, giving them a chance at protection and security.

The symbol across these headbands were three separate lines sprawled across the bottom, giving off a wave-like appearance. Also, a curving wave was carved above these lines, a wave that was crashing back against the others. (The symbol of the water tribe from Avatar: The last Airbender.)

"Where did you get this?" Zabuza muttered.

"The blacksmith made it for me!" Naruto remarked before preforming his iconic thumbs up.

Suddenly, Zabuza's right hand dashed out with Kage-level speed before briefly patting Naruto on top of his head. Afterwards, Zabuza quickly retracted his hand before acting like nothing even happened.

"Be careful kid, life is cruel... Don't let it get to you, like it got to me." Zabuza spoke before casually turning around.

"Next time you visit, get ready to drink some alcohol." While speaking, Zabuza disappeared into the nearby crowd as Naruto smiled.

"Yo Naruto! Hurry up!" Kakashi spoke out, bringing Naruto back into reality.

Naruto then turned around before glancing across the freshly constructed bridge, staring at his smiling teammates on the other side. This image caused Naruto's heart to swell with joy as the face of Iruka briefly pierced his mind.

Soon, Naruto ran towards his smiling friends before the transparent silhouettes of Shikamaru, Choji and Rock Lee all appeared beside them. This revelation forced Naruto's feet to speed up before waving goodbye to Haku and the large crowd of citizens.

"Do you think he'll really return?' A smiling Haku asked.

"He'll never leave... Not really..."Tazuna mumbled before pointing at the archway above them.

"It is called the Great Naruto Bridge afterall." While Tazuna spoke, his words completely shocked Haku.

"That hero, that boy will grow up to become a very important person to the world." After speaking, bright rays of smile sparkled down across Tazuna's smile.

At that moment, Naruto and his distant teammates finally entered the Land of Fire after leaving Tazuna's fancy bridge. However, team 7 was in such a hurry that they completely ignored the human-sized statue in front of Tazuna's bridge.

"A statue? That wasn't there last time?" Haku remarked.

"That's a personal touch of mine..." Tazuna asserted.

"He went to the stone molder and had him carve an exact replica of Naruto!" Inari interrupted.

"But he didn't even notice it." Haku proclaimed.

"He didn't have too... I didn't build it for Naruto..." Tazuna replied.

"I built it for all everyone else... I want everyone to see that statue when they enter our land..." While speaking, Tazuna's voice was filled with a hint of pride.

"Why is his hand reaching out?" Haku questioned while squinting his eyes.

"That's the same position he took... When he purged Gato from our lands..." Tazuna explained.

The statue was a stone version of Naruto with his left hanging against his side while his right was outstretched towards the main road into the Land of Waves. Even though this statue was constructed from solid stone, Tazuna managed to paint each of its eyes purple, a pair of eyes that he would never forget.

The statue was placed into the very ground as a guardian itself, a landmark that every tourist why have to pass if they entered by land. Also, two simply words were carved below the stone feet of this statue, the words known as 'Naruto Uzumaki'.

"Well... Let's get started." Tazuna cheered.

"Get started with what?" Inari mumbled.

"With the very first... NARUTO DAY!" Tazuna screamed, causing the nearby crowd to erupted into a large chorus of approval.

Soon, hundreds of citizens descended into the nearby market place before buying lavish foods, outfits and toys to celebrate Naruto. While this occurred, an inncoent and wide smile was sprawled across Haku's face, happy that Naruto had so many people who cared for him.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Point out my mistakes.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

 **Chapter 10: A Hero's Return! Lost In thought.**

* * *

 _Friday 7:52am, May 27th 58SSP_

"Hurry up! Hurry up already guys I can see the walls!" Sakura ordered as she ran down the road ahead of her team.

Thin statement caused Sasuke to dramatically sigh while walking in front of Kakashi. At the same time, Naruto was smiling from ear-to-ear, happy that he actually had friends.

Sakura was over 10 feet ahead of her teammates, with Kakashi and Sasuke walking roughly beside one another and Naruto strolling 3 feet behind them.

"I can't wait to nap in a real bed again!" Sakura bellowed before she rounded the curve in the road and came into direct view of the the western gate, one of 3 gates that lead into the village hidden in the leaves.

The Hokage monument rested atop the cliff face overlooking the northern part of the village, the sourthern gate hummed with sea trade brought in by cart while the Eastern and Western we mainly used for visiting or returning Shinobi.

"Hurry up already!" Sakura barked out.

"How come the two of you can weave Hand Seals so quickly but walk so slow?" While speaking, Sakura spun around before stomping her right foot atop the ground.

"A Shinobi must know how to conserve their energy." Kakashi replied.

"You never know when danger mig-" Kakashi found himself cut-off mid sentence by his pink haired apprentice.

"You're no better Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura retorted.

"Naruto is only walking behind you cause he likes staring at the country-side." Sakura snapped out, causing Kakashi to drop his head slightly in depression.

"Come on im starving!" Sakura complained as she once again stomped her left foot atop the ground.

"I could even go for some of that ramen you love Naruto, anything except fish." Sakura stated confidently at first, before quickly becoming sick and depressed at the sheer thought of eating another fish, she had eaten enough fish for a life time.

At the mention of ramen both Sasuke and Naruto's stomach rumbled vigorously, it was just past noon and they had been traveling since 7 am, it was definitely time for lunch.

"Food does sound lovely..." Kakashi mumbled out.

"But I already promised Sasuke we would visit my Genin teammates when we got back to the village." Kakashi stated nonchalantly, attempting to play off the interest that all three of his students instantly began to display.

"Oh thats right! I nearly forgot about that." Sasuke replied before lowering his fists infront of his face and clenching them in embarassment as he continued to walk.

"You mean we finally get to meet you're teammates?!" Sakura questioned, before earning a brief eye wink from her Sensei, his version of yes.

However Naruto felt something odd about this, not from his teammates but from his Sensei nothing he could place his finger on but something that just felt wrong.

"Why don't they come eat with us?" Sakura asked with a smirk on her face.

"I don't think they'll be able too." Kakashi stated in a dry tone, once more causing Naruto to feel like something was wrong with his Sensei but he slightly shook his head and forgot about it after noticing his 2 teammates didn't seem concerned.

"I just hope they aren't as lazy as you Sensei." Sasuke snorted with a half-ass smirk on his face causing Kakashi to once again drop his head low in a depressed manner.

"Kids today are so ungrateful..." Kakashi mumbled as his head remained shrunk downward.

"I don't think you're lazy Sensei." Naruto stated with a smile, causing the entirety of his team to stop walking and turn around to face him.

At this Kakashi hastily dashed beside Naruto in a flicker of leaves and placed his right arm around his shoulders while preforming his iconic eye wink towards his other 2 students.

"See - Naruto gets it, I work hard and managing three students at once is quite the handfull." Kakashi mumbled as he raised his open left handed palm towards the sky and closed his eyes, his right arm still wrapped around Naruto.

Sakura's teeth grinded together as she clenched her left fist close to her waist and extended her right arm outward, her index finger pointing towards her Sensei as the rest of her fingers remained closed.

"WHATEVER KAKASHI-SENSEI! YOU DIDN'T EVEN TRAIN WITH NARUTO AT ALL THIS WEEK!" Sakura shrieked, her teeth showing as she bit and grinded them together.

Hearing this Sasuke squinted his eyes and narrowed them towards Naruto, he had talked to the blond about the private training he received from the two ex-rogue Shinobi but Naruto insisted to until they got back to the village before explaining anything.

One of the Seven swordsmen of the Mist... Sasuke thought.

And someone barely older than us that fought on the level of Kakashi... Sasuke Reminded himself.

Naruto...what did they show you... Sasuke ponded to himself as he continued to squint towards Naruto.

Kakashi began strolling forward, notioning for Naruto to follow as he still had his right arm placed around the young blonds shoulders.

"Well I was just so busy with the two of you." Kakashi stated as he shrugged his shoulders and walked along side his student, the very same child that the 4th Hokage ordered him to watch over before he was even born.

"Beside's now that we're back I can always just devout all my time into training Naruto." Kakashi stated as he eye winked both Sakura and Sasuke while Naruto turned his head to the left and stared up towards Kakashi.

"THATS NOT WHAT I MENT!" Sakura screamed as she clenched her left fist even tigher, garnishing the attention of several Shinobi guarding the wall and gate.

"Sakura - he's joking." Sasuke stated as he crossed his arms and stared towards the pink haired girl.

As Sakura stared back her train of thought broke as she stared into Sasuke's black eyes, and soon her face began to match her hair in color as she crumbled under the gaze of her crush and she blushed deeply.

"U-uh yea sure Sasuke" Sakura studdered out as she closed both her eyes and tilt her head slightly with a smile upon her face.

"Infact - since Naruto is so kind - I'll buy lunch." Kakashi stated as both he and Naruto walked past Sasuke who soon followed suit.

"Where are we meeting your teammates at Sensei?" Sakura questioned as the rest of her team finally caught up with him.

"A special place, you've been there before." Kakashi stated as he pulled his arm off of Naruto and approached the entrance to the gate, leaving all his students to solve the riddle.

Special? Sakura thought to herself as she raised her clenched right fist to just below her face and rested her chin upon it, deep in thought.

 _-Flashback-_

"A special technique?" Sakura asked, sitting on her knees and covered in several cuts and scratchs across her body, none fatal but enough were small splats and dots of blood to leak out.

This was the most intense training Sakura had ever preformed, Haku had taken all her kunai and shuriken away from her leaving her defenseless something Sakura regretted more and more.

It had been two whole days since her training with Haku started, and though she saw Sasuke and Kakashi at Tazuna's house during the night Naruto and Zabuza were always absent, something she felt was odd.

Even though she had spent two days training with Haku she hadn't even gripped a Senbon needle or the hilt of a kunai since her training starte, all she had done was danced, dodged and weaved from Haku's attack.

When she appeared to be doing well Haku would personally jump into the fray directing punches and kicks towards the young kunoichi, several landing their mark while only a few missed.

Sakura was terrible at Taijutsu, infact in Haku's opinion it was her worst talent giving him a reason to include Taijutsu sparring with his Senbon training.

Haku stressed the importance of always focusing chakra into the heels of her feet allowing her to turn, pivot and leap in any direction with better easy due to the chakra network reinforcing her nerves.

Haku even stated that a true Shinobi pours Chakra into their feet as a mere instinct in battle right as they enter it, something a master does as a routine, as simply as a chief washing their hands.

Haku allowed no breaks or rest, doing to her exactly what Zabuza had done to him as he attempted to do what Kakashi hadn't, forge Sakura into a true Shinobi.

The small splats of blood that escaped from her fresh cuts slid down her pale skin, having cuts ranging from her forearms and neck to even her thighs and ankles, evidence that Haku had spared no area.

Lucky for Sakura her red tunic wasn't easily stained with blood, sadly the white circle in the frontal flap aswell as the white trimmed lacing that lined the bottom of her tunic was.

"Yes, something that has allowed me to save Zabuza many times." Haku spoke gently as he stood above and smiled down upon the still sitting pink haired kunoichi.

"Give me a break I'll never get over that weird bromance you have with that creep." Sakura panted out as she raised her right hand to her face and began to brush her fingers through her hair in an attempt to straighten it.

Haku's smile didn't break or waver as he continued to grin kindly at the young Shinobi under his training.

"I simply respect and value him - for giving me my purpose - have you ever lost that Sakura? Have you lost your purpose?" Haku asked in his ever so gentle tone.

At this Sakura titled her head as her eyes shot towards the skies above, and the faint sound of seagulls in the distance.

My...my purpose... Sakura pondered to herself, surprised and slightly shocked that she had never even asked herself that question.

If someone from the academy asked, hell even if Naruto asked she would tell them her goal, the goal to make Sasuke's her own.

And while yes Sasuke had gotten more accustomed to her outbursts and flirtations he was no closer to dating her than he was 6 weeks prior, when team 7 was first formed during the bell test.

"Say...Haku?" Sakura asked, answering Haku's question with one of her own as she attempted to probe Haku for the knowledge to conclude her purpose.

"Yes Sakura?" Haku questioned as he knelt down infront of the still panting kunoichi, positioning his face directly infront of hers causing her face to soon match her hair color as she blushed intensely.

Sakura promptly leaned backward in an attempt to avoid Haku's face, but soon she found herself falling backwards, her back unable to hold up her weight anymore due to the sheer training Haku had enforced upon her.

For several moments Sakura laid there staring awkward into the sky while a still kneeling Haku continued to smile down upon her.

"Not that close geeze Haku - just cause you look like a girl doesn't mean you can act like one." Sakura choked out in her best attempt at a hostile tone as she attempted to hide the fact that she was blushing.

Yea...he's a boy and super cute... Sakura pondered to herself as she continued to stare up into the sky, before a quick frown grew upon her face.

But Ino would just make fun of me or call me gay...yea he isn't a girl but he sure as fuck looks like one. Sakura concluded to herself, unaware that when Sasuke first met Haku he thought about how much more attractive Haku was than Sakura, something Sasuke mentioned to no one.

Finally Sakura shook her head with all the amount of force she could muster after exherting so much during training, and continued her conversation with Haku.

"Well...have you ever...like tried to impress someone? Or get them to notice you?" Sakura asked, still laying on her back and staring up at the clouds, the blush on her face finally disappearing.

"Yes - constantly - that is my purpose and my only goal, to serve master Zabuz-" Haku spoke before being cut-off by Sakura.

Sakura sprang upwards into a sitting position, the look of nausea and disgust on her face, clearly she and Haku would talking about two completely different ideas of 'serving'.

"NO! THATS GROSS EW HAKU HE'S LIKE TWICE YOUR AGE!" Sakura huffed out, clearly disturbed by the image that Haku's statement had placed into her mind.

At this statement Haku only tilted his head slightly and giggled, clearly being used to such an accusation.

"Not like that - I just value him above all else, he is my purpose, my goal." Haku stated in his gentle tone as he giggled died down and his ever so common smile appeared on his face once again.

"Well moving on from that nightmare..." Sakura said as her face quickly fell into a dark and gloomy expression before quickly returning to normal as she continued the conversation.

"I mean someone you like...in a...romantic way?" Sakura asked, even though Haku was a boy the sheer amount of feminine traits he displayed had a way of causing Sakura to lower all her standard defenses she kept up for boys.

Haku's smile halted at this statement before he straightened his head and stood up from his previously kneeling position.

"No - I have never experinced that feeling, it is not a feeling that is welcomed in the world of Shinobi." Haku stated in a surprisingly dark tone.

"Oh..." Sakura trailed off as she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her chin into her knees, clearly depressed.

Haku, being the elite rogue Shinobi he was, noticed her depressing aura and being the kind being he was he attempted to heal that aura.

"But that is not to say is isn't a good feeling, I have just never personally felt it." Haku stated with his smile, while avoiding his memories of when his father killed his mother than attempted to kill him.

"What would a good Shinobi do?" Sakura asked, eager to halt all the jokes and whispers of her uselessness.

Upon hearing her question Haku instinctively thought back to the lessons Zabuza had taught him, the tools, art and lifestyle of Shinobi, a lifestyle of isolation, of zero attachment and emotion.

But even while he thought about those lessons, he also questioned they're accuracy, they were the same lessons and knowledge both Haku and Zabuza had taken into their 2nd aduction attempt on Tazuna.

And the very same lesson and knowledge that one 12 year old boy was able to singlehandedly counter and defeat, albeit only due to his teammates and Sensei holding the 2 rogue Shinobi off until he arrived.

In the past week and 2 days that Haku had spent beside Naruto he began to harbour vast love and respect for the Shinobi prodigy, someone that was 2 years younger than Haku yet vastily superior.

The young 12 year old blond, appearing to be timid and tranquil to most, gave off an almost sage like Aura to Haku, something Haku couldn't help but be inspired by, the same Aura Haku felt from Zabuza.

Haku felt an odd connection to the young boy, as if they shared the same life, something Haku shook from his mind as he recalled the horror of his childhood and briefly thought their was no way Naruto's was worse.

Still there were several things about Haku that he couldn't understand, and when he tried to probe Naruto the young blond either seemed genuinely clueless or depressed and uncomfortable.

Even Kakashi couldn't explain Naruto's eyes, just like the 2 rogue Shinobi none of them knew what they were gazing upon, nor did they understand the sheer magnitude of them.

Oddly enough while Naruto did possess such eyes, he just like everyone else had no idea what they were and infact he didn't even think about where he got them, he just thought they were another reason for the village to hate him.

But something Naruto had no memory of at all was the massive statue he had summoned to crush Zabuza and save his teammates.

This confused Haku as he noted Naruto didn't lose consciousness until after the statue had been release, so he theorized that Naruto should have atleast remembered summoning it.

Finally something that bother Haku specifically, something that no one else had witnessed was the shape that Naruto's chakra had formed and carved itself into, the shape of a purple, radiant orchard fox.

He had never before encountered such a thing, while his master could exude vast clouds of his chakra he could never shape or mold his chakra into a coherent form.

But it was more than that, as Haku noticed, Naruto didn't mold the chakra, it did it on its own accord something that shocked Haku.

All these 3 things combined caused Haku's opinion of Naruto to be extremely high, it was then that he thought back to his meeting with Sasuke, and how Naruto was obviously the friend he wanted to protect and grow beside.

"I supposed you could say, a good Shinobi would protect those that are precious and dear to them, to give their own life in defense of theirs." Haku spoke as he thought back to what he would have done to defend Zabuza if Naruto hadn't knocked him out.

"Are good Shinobi well liked?" Sakura questioned, the first hint of energy she had shown in over 20 minutes.

"Of course, people look to them for protection and guidance, for wisdom and strength, for clarity and justice." Haku answered.

"So do you think if I became a super good Shinobi - like the Kage - that Sasuke will like me?" Sakura asked, her eyes beaming with joy, causing small drops of sweat to appear on the left side of Haku's face.

"U-uh yes, I am sure he will - he does want to protect those that are close to him after all." Haku asserted with a half panicked smile.

"Then thats my purpose! To be the greatest kunoichi that ever lived! No one will be better than me - that way Sasuke has to notice me!" Sakura bellowed as she firmly stood up and clenched her right fist tightly, her words fueling herself with energy and determination.

Haku smiled deeply upon hearing this, happy to help another human being find their own purpose.

"Then - lets started with this special technique." Haku responded as he quickly pulled a senbon needle out from his waist pouched with his right hand.

"YES! FINALLY!" Sakura shrieked as he jumped in the air, reinvigorated by the fact that she had finally pasted 2 days of brutal taijutsu sparring and could move on to actually handling Senbon.

"Yes - finally." Haku answered in an endearing tone

"Now - lets get started." Haku asserted as he handle the senbon vertically infront of his face.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Sakura bellowed as she entered into a crouched stance.

 _-Flashback ends-_

Special? Sasuke asked himself as he began thinking back to the day he woke up after the bridge battle, the day he shared with Naruto that he would never forget - for the remainder of his life.

 _-Flashback-_

"He what?!" Sasuke declared as he jolted up from his bedroll inside the same room Naruto had slept in during his coma.

However halfway up he felt a pain erupt in his side and tumbled backwards back into his bedroll as Sakura quickly rushed to his side.

"Sasuke! Are you ok?" Sakura pleaded as she gripped his left arm and leg, causing Sasuke to quickly shake her off and snort in annoyance.

"Yea whatever - Wheres Naruto?" Sasuke asked his Sensei as he tore his attention off the molesting pink haired kunoichi and directed it towards his silver haired jounin.

"He's spent alot of time outside since the incident." Kakashi replied, his left hand in his pocket and his right hand holding his beloved orange book in hand.

"A-all by himself." Sasuke choked out in disbliefed and his clenched his bed sheets tightly with both his hands, hating himself for being so weak, hating himself for failing to protect his comrades just like he failed during the Uchiha massacre.

If Naruto would have been there... Sasuke thought back to the last moments of the Uchiha massacre, back to when he confronted his brother and attempted to avenge his clan right then and there only to fail and pass out for some reason he did not yet understand.

"I need to find him." Sasuke asserted as he stood up, this time much more firm and stable than before as he finally stood up on both his feet and tossed the bed sheets aside.

"You should rest - its not a good idea to be up and about only 2 days after such a battle like that." Kakashi replied.

"Sakura what happened did he use that thing again?" Sasuke asked his pink haired teammate, who quickly frowned and sighed in response.

"I didn't see everything...but I saw enough to say he didn't summon the creature from before." Sakura answered, knowing that Sasuke was referring to the creature Naruto had labeled 'Gedo Mazo'.

"You don't understand Sakura!" Sasuke barked out.

"None of us do - Not even Sensei but its more than that its that creature something about it is wrong its a power that he shouldn't use." Sasuke asserted as he clenched his fist.

"Last time he did he lost himself completely, unable to recongize friend or foe." Sasuke stated as he thought back to the screaming and rain soaked blond the moment he stood infront of the summoned statue atop the water.

"And that's not even mentioning he was in a coma for 7 days." Sasuke continued as he lowered his gaze towards his feet, briefly thinking about how hard he struggled against Haku when Naruto had single handedly taken on all of Gato's thugs.

At that moment Sasuke began limping towards the doorway of the room, attending to go find Naruto, the blond who had developed into a better brother for him than Itachi ever had, the latter always being to busy to do anything with Sasuke.

"Atleast eat first." Kakashi pleaded.

"Yea Sasuke I can feed you?" Sakura asserted as she clasped her hands together in delight, sending a shiver of disgust into Sasuke's spine.

"I-i'll just eat first." Sasuke replied as he limped out the already slid open doorway and craweled up the stairs towards the kitchen, eager to have a meal in his stomach.

* * *

 _1 hour later at 4pm, in the woods surrounding Tazuna's house._

Finally fed and well enough to move, also being able to shake Sakura off of him, the young Uchiha finally made it into the woods in his search for his teammate and friend.

Well enough to walk, or at the very least limp but not well enough to jump from tree branchs the Uchiha's search was much slower than it could have been if he was in better condition.

The trees and small streams of the island sprawled in and endless fashion across the landscape as Sasuke searched and scanned for any scan and his blond friend.

A bright glare gleamed off in the distance and caught Sasuke's attention causing he to adjusted his gaze towards the treebranch the gleam came from.

There on the branch sat the indian style figure of Naruto, overlooking a small stream and the radiant sun burning in the horizen of the island.

Sasuke couldn't tell what was brighter, the sun or Naruto's vibrant blond hair, hair that hung loose in every way and shape since he wore his headband around his neck instead of his forehead.

"Naruto!" Sasuke bellowed as he broke into a half ass jogging position, quickly grabbing his side, one of the many areas Haku had inserted senbon into to.

"Sasuke!" Naruto replied as he leaped from the treebranch and appeared in a blond flash beside the young Uchiha, something the latter was surprised by how fast he was moving.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked as he firmly gripped Sasuke right shoulder with his left hand, having appeared to the right side of the Uchiha heir.

"AHHH!" Sasuke screamed as he fell to one knee away from the blonds grasp and under the pain of pressure Naruto had placed on his shoulder, the exact spot 3 senbon had been lodged into.

Quickly thought Sasuke flung himself upwards back onto his feet and proceeded to scream at the blond child.

"IDIOT! I JUST GOT FUCKING STABBED THE OTHER DAY!" Sasuke retorted.

"YOU EVEN SAW THAT - YOU WERE RIGHT FUCKING THERE!" Sasuke screamed, he wouldn't attempt it but he was starting to take several habits from Sakura.

"Right sorry - heh" Naruto replied timidly with a light laugh at the end as he gripped the back of his skull with his left hand in an Iruka-like fashion.

Sasuke glared at the blond for several moments, even gritting his teeth lightly before all hatred in his heart disappear and he quickly entered a relaxed position.

"Naruto... Kakashi-Sensei told me what happened." Sasuke asserted, garnishing the blonds attention as he stood there quietly.

"I don't know how Naruto and I don't know why but I know you have those eyes, eyes that give you power unseen by any of us but..." Sasuke trailed off as he clenched his fist tight, or atleast as tight as he could in his weakened state.

"But you need to know at what cost, such power always has one - even the Sharingan." Sasuke spoke the last 3 words in a more timid and quiet tone than the rest, never wanting to speak ill of the legendary trait bestowed upon his clan.

"But how Sasuke? Nothing in that book of mine says anything about a clan with purple eyes." Naruto replied.

"Maybe its just so rare that the clans that have it aren't known for having it?" Sasuke answered in a confused tone, clearly he was at a loss of ideas too.

"Like how the 1st Hokage is the only one of the Senju clan to use wood style? So no one see's that clan as being wood style users?" Naruto answered, clearly having read more about history than Sasuke.

"U-uh yea thats what I mean't." Sasuke replied as he crossed his arms triumphantly and snorted in victory.

"But than how will I learn about what I can do and what the costs are?" Naruto asked, having no idea where to start since no one even knew what his eyes were, his question causing Sasuke to fall halfway over in defeat.

"U-uh...I don't know" Sasuke replied as he regained his posture and stared off towards a nearby stream, his team following this action and staring at the same stream.

It was then that silence overtook the two friends, as a faint breeze from the ocean blew in and cut through the sparse blanket of trees that sprawled across the island.

The only sound being heard were seagulls far off in the distance, and docking bells of ships of the now returning sea trade, allowed to flow into the island for the first time in 3 years.

Neither of the two individuals had any specific thought in there minds, none except of how comfortable this moment was, a moment of peace and serenity inbetween the blankets of terror and fear that was contained in this journey.

"But what I do know..." Sasuke cut into the silence, causing Naruto to tilt his head slightly towards him, only enough for Sasuke to see the left side of his face.

"I'll know we'll use both our eyes to protect eachother, and everything we hold dear." Sasuke asserted as he continued to look out across the stream, causing him to miss the smile the blossomed upon Naruto's face.

It was then that Naruto turned completely towards Sasuke, extending his now clenched horizontial right hand towards his friend and teammate.

"No matter what." Naruto replied, garnishing Sasuke's attention as he continued to hold his fist aloft waiting for Sasuke reponse.

"No matter what." Sasuke answered as he also turned to face Naruto and raced his own clenched fist up before promptly smashing his knuckles against Naruto's as the two friends smiled at one another and the sound of seagulls rang in the distance.

"Don't think that shit at the bridge will happen again!" Sasuke bellowed as he then flew his still clenched fist high into the air.

"I'm only gonna get stronger!" Sasuke stated as he stared up at the sky and unclenched his fist, his fingers reaching out and grasping towards the sky.

Naruto said no words, all he did was tilt his head and smile, happy to know that he had atleast one more day with Sasuke.

 _-Flashback ends-_

Special... Naruto pondered to himself as he gazed down upon the road he and his team walked down, now mere feet away from the western gate entrance.

Soon though Naruto found himself lost in thought as he mentally faded back to the first day he met Kakashi, the first day he was forced to endure since Iruka was murdered.

 _-Flashback-_

"Where are you taking the kid?" The spikey violet haired, trench coat wearing Shinobi of the leaf asked as she shoved a fresh stick of Dango into her mouth as she and her companions left the Dango restaurant.

"Just a walk away town, clear the head, see the sights." Kakashi answered as he lesiurely pulled his favored orange book from his back pouch and began to read it.

Anko noticed Kakashi already nose deep in his porn novel as she tilted her head sideways and placed her left fist on her hip as she glared at him, the dango stick still in her mouth.

Anko launched the dango stick out of her mouth with killer intent, the past 6 years living with Kakashi giving her plenty of exercise with her mouth.

The dango stick lodged itself mere inches away from Kakashi feet, garnishing the attention of the masked Shinobi and slightly frightening the young blond child he accompanied.

Finally Kakashi pulled his eyes off his book and resumed eye contact with Anko.

"Something wrong dear?" Kakashi asked with a eye wink.

"Fuck you - keep your pansy ass eye wink for the kids you beat." Anko snorted as she shoved her 2nd dango stick into her mouth, the last dango stick she took with her when leaving the restaurant.

"Sure thing dear." Kakashi started, his eyes still closed and the faint hint of a smirk on his face, only further enraging Anko.

Once again Anko spat the dango stick out of her mouth towards Kakashi, this time towards his face as it sliced against the top of his grey spikey hair causing several strands to fall, some onto his book page others onto the ground.

"Did I need a haircut dear?" Kakashi questioned as he raised his left hand to his scalp and twisted several hair tip in his hands as he once again began staring at his orange book.

At this Anko's tone instantly shifted from one of killer intent to one of love and flirtation as she smiled in a timid manner towards her boyfriend and gently walked up towards the masked man, whose face was still buried in his book.

Anko lovingly wrapped her left arm around Kakashi's right arm, their arms interlocking in the same fashion so many couples before them had done.

With Kakashi's left hand still twisting the tips of his freshly cut hair and his right hand firmly gripping the book he was reading, Anko tilted her head sideways and leaned against the side of Kakashi's face, staring at the same book he was.

For awhile Naruto had been watching them and thoroughly studying the environment, but at the sight unfolding before him he quickly lowered his head to the ground and stopped paying attention.

Anko outstretched her right arm and wrapped it around Kakashi's neck before quickly sliding her face to the side and placing her mouth next to his right ear, while Kakashi continued to read his book.

"You know..."Anko exerted out in a hot, exhausted manner into Kakashi's ear, while the right sleeve of her trenchcoat began to wiggle and squirm.

"Sometimes..." Anko sighed heavily into Kakashi ears as she bit her lip inches away from Kakashi ear and firmly gripped the back of his scalp, the squirming in the forearm of her trenchcoat becoming ever more apparent.

"I just want to fucking choke you." Anko snapped out as a massive brown and tan spotted snake sprawled out of her right forearm and wrapped around the entirety of Kakashi's neck before hissing in his face.

This action scared several citizens walking down the street and they began running off, many already knowing the reputation that Anko had received.

For some reason though Kakashi was completely unphased by this action, almost like this happened on a daily occurence.

"What flavor dango would you like me to bring home home?" Kakashi asked as he continued to read his book and ignored the still hissing snake in his face.

At this question the snakes mouth snapped shut and the daggers in Anko's eyes turned into sparkles, clearly Kakashi knew what to say.

"The kind im named after!" The eye twinkling Anko screamed with joy as she raised her clenched fist to underneath her jaw as her snake slowly began to uncoil around Kakashi's neck and retreat into the right sleeve of her trenchcoat.

"Sure thing dear but I may be late, me and Naruto have a busy day today." Kakashi stated as he continued to read his book, unphased by the incident that just occured.

"Don't be too late I have a mission tomorrow morning and want to get going before it pours." Anko stated as she quickly glanced towards the dark gray, clouded filled sky that engulfed the entirety of the village since Iruka's death 5 days prior.

"Sure thing dear." Kakashi stated in a gentle tone as he winked at Anko.

For several moments Anko glared at the still winking Jounin, slowly narrowing and squinting her eyes as she peered at him before clenching here left hand into a fist and resting it on her left hip.

"Aren't you going to kiss me goodbye? What kind of jackass boyfriend are you?" Anko snorted, a light gust of air erupting from her nose.

"I'll kiss you when I get home dear." Kakashi stated as he continued reading his book.

"Fuck you you just don't want to take off your mask infront of the kid." Anko snorted as he crossed her arms, causing Kakashi to finally raise his glaze off his book and towards his girlfriend.

"Yes dear." Kakashi answered as he winked and smiled under his masked towards his still snorting girlfriend.

"Hmph don't forget my dango." Anko spat out as she stomped off down the street towards hers and Kakashi's house

As soon as she left Kakashi once again lowered his gaze and resumed reading his book while Naruto stared after the spikey violet haired kunoichi walking away.

"Ka-Kakashi..."Naruto stuttered out in a timid manner, still not speaking much since Iruka's murder.

"Hm? Yes Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he pulled his gaze away from his book and placed it towards Naruto, apparently being more interested in Naruto than his book.

"I-is she always like that?" The young blond questioned as the fading figure of Anko finally turned around a corner down the street and disappeared into the village.

"No - she was very well behaved today - she didn't even beat that girl behind the counter." Kakashi spoke as he eye winked at his charge, the very charge the 4th Hokage ordered him to look after before his birth.

"Oh..."Naruto choke out as he lowered his gaze towards the ground, having grown depressed after remembering the incident that had occured when he first entered the dango shop.

Upon opening his right eye Kakashi noticed the depressing and dark gloom that surrounded the young blond, almost as dark as the clouded sky that loomed over the village.

"Come on - lets go for a walk." Kakashi assert as he snapped his book shut firmly with his right hand before placing in back into his waist pouch, his left hand resting in his left pocket as he spun to his left and began strolling down the street.

Naruto noticed Kakashi was walking the opposite direction of Anko, and briefly wondered if that was on purpose or accident before he quickly began running towards Kakashi in an attempt to catch up with him.

As he arrived to the right side of Kakashi he entered into a walking pace and strolled along side the same Masked Shinobi that Iruka had told him so much about.

As Naruto walked beside the Jounin he glanced at him, further studying the mans features and outfit.

Naruto was so focused on Kakashi he didn't notice as the crowd of villagers infront of them on the road parted and ran to the sidewalks and corners of the street, eager to get away from the approaching demon of the leaves.

Kakashi had both his hands placed inside his pockets and as walked leisurely down the street, something Naruto thought as odd as the entire day Kakashi had always been reading that book, his face buried in its pages.

His right eye was distant, hazy and far off almost as if Kakashi was deep in thought, causing Naruto to ponder about what Kakashi was thinking.

Sensei... Kakashi thought to himself.

They don't even know...they dont even see the gift you died to give us... Kakashi told himself as he thought back to the encounter that had occured between Naruto and the lady behind the counter.

They hate him...for restraining the very thing they fear... Kakashi thought to himself as the brief image of the nine tails fox rampaging and stomping atop houses in the village appeared into his mind.

Is this my fault Sensei...is this another one of my failures... Kakashi asked himself as he clenched his right fist tightly, still in his pocket, as a tangilable feeling of blood on his hand settled over him, the same hand that had killed his close friend and first love.

"Are you alright Kakashi?" Naruto asked as he glanced up towards Kakashi, concern clearly apparent in his tone.

Kakashi peered to his right side with his right eye, tilting his head slightly, into a position where Naruto could see the right side of his face but not the left.

"Thanks for asking Naruto." Kakashi answered with an eye wink.

Naruto had noticed that Kakashi had avoided answering his question entirely but before he could continue his questions the hushed whispers of several individuals lining the side of the street that the two walked down broke his chain of thought.

"There it is." A tall 62 year old man with white haired man whispered into his wifes ear as he glared at Naruto, the hostile tone at which he spat 'it' caused Naruto to lower his gaze to the ground as he walked.

"I can't believe they let it walk around." The mans 60 year old wife spat out in a louder and even more hostile tone.

Kakashi had also heard their whispers, and unlike Naruto he actually knew who they were, retired blacksmithing citizens whose son had become a Shinobi, and even graduated to Chunin of the leaf, something akin to Sakura from a citizen family.

Kakashi also knew their 24 year old son had been slain by the nine tails, leaving them childless and without an heir, losing everything they had valued.

Kakashi much like Asuma, Kurenai, Guy and several others their age had all be restricted and ordered to refrain from attack the Kyubi, while the older and grown members of the village confronted it.

Kakashi did his best to appease the situation, pulling his right hand out of his pocket and wrapping his right arm around the shoulders of the still downcast young 12 year old blond walking beside him.

This brief contact of affection caused Naruto to raise his head slightly as he titled his glance upwards towards the squainting eye of Kakashi.

However before Kakashi could say anything else another hushed conversation broke out from the passing citizens on the street.

"They should have never let it become a Shinobi - what was lord Hokage thinking?" A young 32 year old black haired women whispered into the 14 year old boy walking beside her.

Much like the couple before, Kakashi knew this lady, and also knew her husband had been slain by the nine tails 12 years ago when their son was only 2, the boy never knowing his father.

Upon hearing the hushed comment Naruto quickly downcast his gaze once more, not noticing either of the hated glares the women and her son, who was only 2 years older than Naruto, had direct towards the young blond.

"I hear it cursed our village - thats why the clouds won't leave." A 30 year old man in overalls with black hair whispered into the ear of another man walking beside him wearing the same outfit, obviously they we're construction workers.

At this moment a stern silence filled the air between Naruto and Kakashi as they strolled down the street together, Kakashi's arm still wrapped around the young blonds shoulders.

"I can't believe he's touching that thing." A group of 4 kids, who graduated the same year as rock lee, tenten and Neji, whispered amongst themselves as they passed glares and stares at the downcast blond and the jounin beside him.

Unlike the adults, the children around Naruto's age didn't know why they hated Naruto, they just knew everyone in the village did, their parents, teachers and friends and so this hatred only spread and grew as it infected the children.

"So - Naruto." Kakashi interjected, speaking loudly enough to block out the whispers.

"I have a place I like to go too, every once and awhile - I figure we could go there now." Kakashi stated, avoiding the fact that he actually goes there every single day.

No verbal sound of communication was made from Naruto, all he did was nod his head forward gently as he continued to walk down the street along side Kakashi, the center of the street cleared as citizens made way for the demon.

They last sound either of them heard was the hushed whispers of yet another couple of parents.

"I hear that thing killed his own teacher." The 25 year old man said to his wife as Naruto and Kakashi continued to stroll down the street together.

* * *

 _15 minutes later in a small clearing on the outskirts of the village._

Naruto peered down through his bangs upon the black marble kunai shaped stone that stood atop the ground of the clearing infront of him the names of over 30 indivduals inscribed upon it.

Naruto examined the tablet as Kakashi stood behind him, the young blonds mouth moving up and down in hushed whispers as he quietly read the aloud to himself.

There were names Naruto didn't know, like Mujini Anano and Nigiri Umeboshi and then there were names that felt out of place like Obito Uchiha, the only Uchiha on the stone at all.

As Naruto's eyes danced and sprawled across the names carved into the tablet, a set of three names in specific caught his attention as his mouth ceased its movement and frozen as he contemplated the meaning of the names.

Ikkaku Umion, Kohari Umino and Iruka Umino, all three of which died in defense of their village and of those they loved, Naruto's attention focused specifically on Iruka's name, freshly carved into the marble.

At this moment Kakashi pulled his right hand free from his pocket and firmly gripped the top of Naruto's head with it, in the same fashion Iruka had done so many times for so many years.

"Their heroes, all of them, and it is here that we remember them." Kakashi stated solemnly.

For several moments Kakashi and Naruto stood their, the only sound was the sound of gentle gusts of wind blowing through the trees and the ensuing number of leaves that began to blow through the clearing as a result.

"Do people really remember them..." Naruto's question trailed off, his gaze still downcast towards the memorial infront of him.

"Of course - there are some people who visit this shrine everyday." Kakashi replied, avoiding the fact that he was one of those people.

Naruto was at a loss for words, not yet comfortable enough with Kakashi to express his emotions fully and as a result the ensuing conversation turned once again into another moment of silence.

Finally Naruto noticed the now dead and decaying flower petals that sprawled across the ground beside the memorial, so dead that they began to resemble the dirt between the patchs of grass.

"What about those flowers?" Naruto asked, notioning towards them the petals upon the ground and the fact that they were old and dying.

"I brought those yesterday, must be the weather usually they last longer by the past few days the clouds haven't parted at all." Kakashi was referring to the dense dark cloud coverage that had engulfed the entirety of the village since Iruka's murder.

"Do you come here everyday?" Naruto asked, forcing Kakashi to sigh in defeat as the young blond as finally asked the question he had been avoiding.

"I couldn't say for sure." Kakashi replied with a shrug of his shoulders as he retracted his grip from the top of Naruto's head and placed it back into his pocket.

"Did-did lord old man put Iruka's name here?" Naruto asked.

"Yes - because Iruka did what everyone on this stone had done, he gave his life protecting this village." Kakashi replied.

"Bu- but im not apart of this village - this village hates me." Naruto answered, lowering his gaze towards his feet, as he thought back to all the hatred he had experinced and how Iruka was the only light in his world.

"You still don't get it - do you Naruto." Kakashi stated, causing the blond to quickly raise his gaze towards the silver haired jounin.

"Get what?" Naruto asked in a timid and depressed tone as Kakashi right eye slung sideways in its socket, his pupil focusing directly upon Naruto's face, the same face covered almost entirely by his blond bangs.

"You saw the two names written avoid Iruka's correct?" Kakashi asked, earning a quick nod in agreement from Naruto.

"Did Iruka ever talk to you about his parents?" Kakashi asked, causing Naruto to instantly remember the statment Mizuki had told him, that Naruto had killed Iruka's parent, that the demon inside him did it.

"N-no." Naruto replied as he turned his gaze back towards the memorial, staring intently at the two names of Iruka's parents.

"They gave their lives - without hesitation - to save Iruka's live, a trait worthy of rememberance for any Shinobi, the same trait Iruka inheirited and exherted upon you - do you see now Naruto?" Kakashi once again asked.

Kakashi tearing his own gaze away from Naruto and directed it towards the memorial stone as he garnished the blonds attention and gaze.

"To Iruka you weren't a student, and you certainly weren't the burden you think you are - to him you much more than that, more special." Kakashi asserted.

"Special?" Naruto questioned, his mouth left agasp slightly as he waited for Kakashi' response.

"To Iruka..." Kakashi trailed off as he turned his head slightly to the right, lowering his visable eye towards the blond before winking in his ever so often routine.

"You were like a son" Kakashi stated, leaving the young blond shocked and his mouth further agasp as the realization of the statement.

Naruto had thought of his father and mother many times, of where they went, of if they hated him, if they left him, even if they were still alive, but at this moment in time he finally consider the possibility of Iruka being his father.

At this realization Naruto once again directed his gaze towards the memorial stone, focusing intently upon Iruka's name.

Like a son... Naruto's thoughts trailed off as he repeated the statement over and over again in his head, as he thought about the same place him and Iruka had shared so much of there time together, the cliff overlooking the Hokage Monument.

"Kakashi..." Naruto questioned faded out, barely a whisper but loud enough to garnish the elite jounin's attention.

"Yes?" Kakashi replied as he opened and revealed his right eye.

"Can we stop by the Hokage Monument - b-before..." Naruto's questioned trailed off as he didn't wanted to mention the subject of his thoughts.

"Yes, but we need to get going now if we want to make it in time." Kakashi answered, knowing full well that Naruto was referring to Iruka's funeral which was scheduled for later that day.

"Are you ready?" Kakashi asked as he peered downward towards the young blond beside him, still staring intently at the name of his Sensei carved into the memorial.

Naruto leaned down and forward as reached out with his right hand, his fingers extended fully and his palm open and directed towards names enscribed into the memorial.

Naruto's hand finally made contact with the stone, resting and pushed up against the cold, wind battered black marble of the memorial slab as the blond leaned against it and glared down infront of his knees where the names were carved.

Dad... Naruto asserted the one word he had longed to say in his mind, as brief images of Iruka cooking, studing and playing with him filled his mind, the images of the man who gave him a reason to live.

At this moment Naruto clenched his right hand, dragging his coarse Shinobi trained fingertips across the the surface of the memorial before his knuckles followed suit as he clenched his fists against the black stone.

I won't fail you this time dad...I won't fail anyone ever again... Naruto thought to himself as his right hand began to lightly tremble as it laid pressed and clenched against the memorial stone.

Kakashi watched the scene unfolding infront of him intently, knowing full well the feeling of guilt for failing to protect someone him loved.

"We should get going Naruto." Kakashi stated, earning a brief nod of acknowledgement from Naruto, as he retracted his hand from the memorial and stood up straight be taking 2 steps backwards to stand alongside Kakashi once again.

"Lets go." Naruto asked as he spun around and began to lightly dash over in a jogging pace towards the Hokage monument, with Kakashi behind him.

 _-Flashback ends-_

"Welcome home team 7 - we need your papers." A 24 year old, black spikey haired man with a white bandage tied across his face resting upon the bridge of his nose asserted breaking all three genin from their trains of thought.

"Certainly Kotetsu - here you are." Kakashi asserted as he leisurely reached into his back pouch and pulled out 4 papers from it, all three of his students rallying around their Sensei.

"Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha and Na-" Kotetsu's sentence trailed off as he realized whose name it was and quickly flung his glaze towards the young blond standing infront of his desk.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Kotetsu asserted as he quickly regained his focus, he didn't hate Naruto but he didn't praise him either, to him Naruto was just a deadlast graduate of the Academy, someone only to be joked about that Iruka wasted his time with.

"Thats correct, returning from the land of the waves." Kakashi spoke.

"It says here you left over 3 weeks ago, but your mission was only supposed to last a week you'll have to explain this to the Hokage." Kotetsu asserted, earning a brief sigh from the Hokage.

"Yea well I was planning to visit him anyone so that'll work." Kakashi replied, not mention why he had to visit the Hokage, it was a subject of too importance.

Kotetsu didn't say another word as he grabbed a sheet of paper from under a desk and flung his pen towards it, sprawled paragraph after paragraph of information, protocalls, and codes in the document.

"Here you are." Kotetsu asserted as he hand over the freshly filled page to Kakashi who gripped it and hand and proceeded to walk down the street with all 3 of his students around him, Kotetsu watching intently.

Still can't believe he graduated... Kotetsu remarked to himself.

Iruka...what all did you do to that kid?  Kotetsu asked himself rhetorically, already knowing that he would receive no answer.

Was he worth it? Kotetsu quickly thought, unware that Naruto asked himself that question every single day of his life, was he worth it?

And Naruto was determined to be, he would not fail his Sensei's dream, he would not fail his friends, not this time and not ever again.

"KOTETSU WHERE IS MY SYRUP?!" A bandana wearing Shinobi screamed as he exited the back door place in the back of the entrance stall that held the desk where visitors checked into the village.

The mans anger and hatred clear in his voice as he didn't even wait for a reponse before leaping towards Kotetsu who had barely manage to turn around in time to notice.

Kotetsu leaped to the side, avoiding the assaulting mans razor sharp nails by mere inches as he proceeded to run out of the stall and into the entry way of the village, the bandana wearing Shinobi fast behind him.

"Chill out Izumo you have to be professional in the entry way." Kotetsu asserted as he began running in circles, Izumo stilling chasing him around.

"I'll professionally kick your ass!" Izumo bellowed as he leaped at Kotetsu and tackling him to the ground, the faint sound of this entire exchange echoing across the surrounding area causing Naruto to hear and smile.

That is it Sensei...the joy of living in a village. Naruto thought to himself as he smiled lightly, walking along side his teammates, before his smile quickly decayed into a frown.

But...but what about the people who don't live in a village... Naruto asked himself as he grew concerned and worried about all the people that must live the same life as Inari and Tazuna did, people who didn't have heroes or saviors.

Naruto resolved to change all of that.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **SlyUzumakiVii -** **I said the Byakugan and Sharingan are the two major Kekkai Genkai in Konoha because they are. There is no other Kekkai Genkai that is clan specific in Konoha (Wood release doesn't count)**

 **Oh the subject of Shadow Possession, Mind Transfer and the Expansion Jutsu, those aren't Kekkai Genkai. Those** **technique's are just heavily kept under lock and key by that specific clan. But Hiruzen did learn them so they aren't Kekkai Genkai.**

 **In regards to this story.**

 **I have taken the liberty of creating a group on facebook that I shall post and publish all pictures pertaining to this fanfict and more. For example what Sasuke looks like, the extended map of the Shinobi world I plan to draw and establish etc etc.**

 **The group is called Naruto Fanfiction Pictures for those of you who are interested, or you can just ignore it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not claim to own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Enter The New Chapter! It's The Chunin Exam.**

 _Friday 10:22am, May 20th 58SSP._

"We've walked across the entire village!" Sakura screamed, flailing both arms through the air.

"We're almost there." Kakashi replied, reading from his orange book.

Kakashi was leading team seven down a narrow dirt road on the outskirts of Konoha. Each of these shinobi had just finished a delicious amount of Ramen from Ichiraku's ramen stand.

During their visit, Sakura surprised everyone by ordering a healthy serving of BBQ pork ramen. Usually, Sakura would never eat such food, but her time with Haku dramatically changed her philosophy.

Sakura's diet was one of the many things that Haku managed to fiercely beat out of her. The days of vegetable ramen and diets were a thing of the past, for the first time in her life, Sakura was more concerned with being a kunoichi than being hot.

"We're here." Kakashi concluded as he snapped his orange book shut, garnishing the attention of his students.

"WHAT!?" Sakura once again shrieked after recognizing their location.

"Our training grounds? You gotta be kidding me, why would your teammates hang out here?" While complaining, Sakura crossed both arms in front of her chest.

"Well... I may have extended the truth." Kakashi mumbled, casually walking towards a nearby memorial stone.

"I KNEW IT! YOU BIG FAT LIAR!" Sakura declared, dramatically pointing at Kakashi.

"Here we are." Kakashi exclaimed.

This declaration caused all three Genin to glance at a diamond-shaped memorial stone in front of Kakashi. This stone was engraved with hundreds of names, personally carved by past Hokage.

"Sensei... I think you lost your mind." Sakura muttered.

"This is your teammate? A rock?" After speaking, Sakura rolled her emerald eyes with disbelief.

At this moment, Kakashi pulled a bundle of flowers from his satchel, placing them in front of the memorial stone. This action shocked Sakura, surprised that Kakashi found enough time to pick flowers.

"Woah! When did you get that?" Sakura asked

"He got them while we we're eating." Naruto asked, earning various glances from his teammates.

"Correct." Kakashi mumbled with a carefree tone.

"Hmph" Sakura snorted in defeat.

How did Naruto notice, but I didn't? Sasuke asked himself, clenching both fists.

Is your path really that strong... Stronger than-...? While thinking these thoughts, the silhouette of Itachi brief floated through Sasuke's mind.

So are you doing this for a certain person? For your clan? Or for yourself? The memory of Haku's voice abruptly polluted Sasuke's thoughts.

You see... When a person has something precious they want to protect, then they become genuinely strong. These memories forced Sasuke to clench his fists even tighter.

Naruto... Is that your power? Is that your strength? Can the path of love really be so strong? Sasuke asked himself while glancing at his best friend.

"Right, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, pulling the young Uchiha back into reality.

"W-... What?" Sasuke stuttered.

"This stone, you're totally gonna be the second Uchiha on it right?" Sakura asked, garnishing Sasuke's attention.

At this moment Sasuke took several steps forward bypassing both Naruto and Sakura before brushing the latter aside. As she fell, Sakura attempted to be romantic and reach out towards Sasuke be he casually swatted her away.

"Hey!" Sakura complained after falling on her butt.

"Obito Uchiha..." Sasuke mumbled to himself, reading the only Uchiha name that was on the memorial.

"That's right - I visit him everyday." Kakashi explained, creating a brief aura of depression.

For several moments the clearing grew slient as Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi and devoted their attention to Sasuke, whose hands trembled slighted and the sound of his teeth gritting could be heard.

"He's the one isn't he, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke probed.

"He's the friend who gave his life to protect your own, he's the one that gave you the Sharingan." While speaking, Sasuke's clenched fists finally began to relax.

"Yep." Kakashi answered with a carefree tone.

"Why did you bring me here?" Sasuke asked.

"To see the mockery of my clan!? One louzy name? In the place of an entire clan-...?!" While shouting, Sasuke was completely stunned after Kakashi poked his forehead.

"Be careful there, Sasuke. You're starting to sound like Sakura." Kakashi spoke out with an iconic eye wink.

"Tch." Sasuke snorted before swatting Kakashi's hand away and turning around.

"But Kakashi-sensei if we're not here to meet your teammate, why are we here?" Sakura asked.

"Well - I don't really know." Kakashi shrugged innocently, causing all three of his students to hit the ground.

"YOU DON'T KNOW?" Sakura shrieked before pushing herself off the ground.

"Well..." Kakashi mumbled before scratching his chin.

"I guess there's a lesson to be learned here." Kakashi spoke up, cutting Sakura's rant in half as she quieted down to hear his statement, both her teammates also listening intently.

Kakashi pulled his right hand free from his chin and positioned it infront of his face closing all his fingers except his index as he extended it infront of the bridge of his nose.

"Honor those that give their life protecting you." Kakashi spoke, causing all three of his students to slightly gasp as they took in the knowledge and power of the statement.

Iruka-sensei... Naruto's mind instantly asserted.

Honor...Sasuke's thought bellowed in rememberance of his clan.

Will you love me if I die for you Sasuke? Sakura thought to herself as she glanced towards her Uchiha statement, not realizing how morbid her thoughts actually were.

"Ah - but wait." Sakura spoke out, finally breaking free from her thoughts.

"All genin teams consist of three members, you and Obito only make two so wheres your third member?" Sakura questioned.

"Hmmm." Kakashi mumbled out as a smile formed on his face.

"I was actually just about to go visit her, lets all go together." Kakashi stated as he winked towards his students.

"Yea whatever Kakashi-sensei lets just get this day over with I'm so ready to sleep in a real bed again." Sakura responed in a harsh tone as she spun around and began walking towards the same dirt path they entered from.

Soon Kakashi and Sasuke began to follow her, The first sighing in defeat and the latter sighing in annoyance.

However Naruto didn't movement, he remained vigilant and steadfast in his posture as he peered through his bangs towards the memorial infront of him, and the name carved upon it that he held very dear.

The name of Iruka Umino, the name of Naruto's father and guardian, the name of the most important man in Naruto's life.

At this moment Naruto quietly clasped his opened palm hands together vertically infront of his face before proceeding to bow deeply infront of the memorial.

Finally Naruto raised his head and smiled briefly towards the memorial, the monument to prove his Sensei was real.

At last the young blond turned around and began dashing towards his teammates, his friends and the people closest to his heart since Iruka was murdered.

* * *

 _One hour later._

"Sensei, why are we here?" Sakura asked, walking through the large graveyard of Konoha.

"Do you have any friends that aren't dead?" After Sakura spoke, Kakashi hummed in response.

"No, not really." Kakashi joked.

"We're here." As he spoke, Kakashi's tone took an abrupt shift.

Kakashi stood in front of a barren plague, no fancy carvings, phrases, or badges of honor none except the Konoha. Beside this was a name and date, inscribing the rest place of 'Rin Nohara - 24SSP - 37SSP'.

"37? But thats 13 years ago Kakashi-sensei." Sakura asserted as she strolled up next to her Sensei, not noticing the far off gaze in his visible eye.

A brief silence feeling the air between Kakashi and his students as Sakura waited for him to reply but he didn't, to preoccupied staring down upon the graveyard of his first love.

"Thats before any of use we're even born..." Sakura spoke, her sentence trailing off as she raised her right hand to her breast, clasping it again her left that also laid there.

Once again a silence fell over the group, Naruto still looking at the sky and Sasuke aswell as Kakashi holding there gaze downcast as Sakura waiting anxiously for any of her teammates to say something.

"Yes - its been a long time." Kakashi mumbled out as his right hand began to tremble, the memories of the hours he spent attempting to wash Rin's blood off his hand flashing throughout his mind in mere seconds.

The sound of leaves and fresh breezes of wind cutting across the top of the graveyard markers echoed loudly as the dampening silence surronding team 7 became deafened under it.

"H-how did she die Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, her clenched hands still pushed against her breasts.

"She was given a choice..." Kakashi stated, his sentence trailling off for a brief moment as silence filled the air between him and his team before he continued.

"Become a demon and killed all those she held dear or..."Kakashi asserted, once again his statement trailed off.

The word demon causing Naruto's stomach to churn and rumble making the young blond grip his stomach with his right hand as he continued to stare up into the sky.

"Or die by the hand of the one she loved." Kakashi spoke, tilting his head upwards and staring into the sky in a very similar fashion to Naruto, the only exception being Kakashi's hand were in his pockets while Naruto's weren't.

"Oh..." Sakura mumbled out as she downcast her head, feeling bad for bringing up the subject, her sentence being the last word spoken for several moments.

A strong gust of wind blew in from the North, forcing leaves to join in its powerful gust as they danced, floated and twirled throughout the graveyard and its surroundings, truly the village hidden in the leaves.

Having grown so used to the sound of waves crashing against distant shores, aswell as the constant singing of seagulls hovering above the island of waves the three genin of team 7 we're awed by the strength of the wind.

They had spent 3 full weeks in the land of waves, 2 weeks longer than scheduled, not even mentioning to 2 days it took to return.

This caused all three of the genin to remain silent, listening to the strong gusts of wind that continued to pour in and engulf the graveyard, all of them enjoying being back home.

"Which path did she choose Sensei?" Naruto asked, curious to know more about Kakashi's teammates, including their deaths.

"Well..." Kakashi sighed off, still staring off up into the sky, debating his next choice of words.

However before anymore words escaped his mouth a solitary brownfeathered fire hawk with a spot of white feathers covering the main joint of each of his two wings giving him the appearance of eyes.

Upon noticing the silver haired jounin the fire hawk quickly broke out into a fit of shrieks and screechs appearing to somehow communicate with the experince jounin, who continued to stare up at the hawk.

"Alright guys, lets call it a day." Kakashi sighed out before disappearing in a blur of leaves.

Kakashi knew the message from the hawk had been from the Hokage and he was eager to deliver his own message aswell as turning in the full report for the land of waves mission, a C- ranked mission turned A+ rank.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" Sakura screamed as she clenched her right fist and raised it to her jawline in rage.

"I can't believe he drags us all the way out here then just leaves us without he teaching us anything." Sakura huffed out as she crossed her arms and tilted her head to the left to face her two teammates.

"Yea let's get out of him and do some more training." Sasuke barked out before quickly turning around and walking off the way he came, Sakura walking behind him and checking out his figure.

Naruto finally lowered his gaze from the sky and positioned it towards the gravestone of Rin, understanding what his two teammates hadn't, understanding that Kakashi had been the one to kill Rin.

A demon... Naruto thought to himself, the churning in his stomach returning with the thought.

One of Nine... Naruto told himself as he remembered what the ancient scrolls written during the reign of the 1st Hokage had informed him of

Rin...this Shinobi world killed you, didn't it? Naruto asked aloud in his mind, knowing full well Rin wouldn't and couldn't respond.

Just like it killed Iruka-Sensei... Naruto thought to himself, his hands hanging like deadweight by his sides.

Why...why is the world like this? Naruto asked himself, his gaze piercing through his bangs and focusing intently on Rin's name inscribed upon the tombstone.

13 years old...barely older than me...barely younger than Haku... Naruto's thoughts asserted.

Demon... Naruto thought to himself, raising and placing his right hand against his stomach to settle the churning that erupted from it.

Naruto knew through experince that when the villagers said demon, even Kakashi, they ment one specific thing.

Or in this case...Nine... Naruto told himself.

Do you think - if we knew each other, back then...that we could have been friends? Naruto asked aloud in his mind, his right hand tighten slightly to settle the churning feeling he felt in his stomach.

"Naruto! Are you coming?" Sasuke asked, breaking Naruto from his train of thought as the blond dropped his hand from his stomach and turned around, staring at the outlight of his two teammates far off in the distance.

"U-uh yea! My bad!" Naruto stuttered out as he quickly took off running towards his teammates, making a mental note to return to this spot.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

"We still have an entire day to ourselves!" Sakura bellowed, clasping both hands in front of her flat chest.

"We can go sit by the stream, or go to the library." As Sakura spoke, she planned any option to stay with Sasuke.

"I'm not allowed in the library..." Naruto mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why not? What did you do, Naruto?" Sakura questioned, leaning forward.

"It's no big deal... Heh." Naruto chuckled, faking a laugh.

Suddenly, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto each hummed with interest before turning around. This revealed an array of human-sized paper rocks, three of them, spread across the narrow street.

"There's no such thing as paper rocks..." Naruto murmured.

"You saw through my camouflage! You're good boss!" A familiar voice of Konohamaru spoke out.

After speaking, Konohamaru was followed by a erupting beam of shining light, engulfing his paper rock. Afterwards, a smoke-filled explosion abruptly shook the entire street, forcing Sakura to gasp in shock.

"I think we used too much gunpowder..." After speaking, Konohamaru coughed into both hands.

"Im Moegi! The sassiest Kunoichi in the Academy!" An orange haired Kunoichi spoke out, acting like nothing went wrong.

"I love Algebra! Call my Udon!" A snot-drooling boy could be heard.

"And I'm the number one Shinobi in the village!" Konohamaru interrupted, pumping his fists into the air.

"And we're the Konohamaru Shinobi Squad!" Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi all screamed in unison, entering a dramatic pose.

"What's happening..." Sakura cut in, glancing from side-to-side.

"I don't know..." Sasuke scoffed, combing his hair with one hand.

I guess these kids don't hate him, like the rest. Sasuke noted.

Why would kids idolize Naruto? He's no Sasuke. Sakura complained.

"YOU'RE TWO WEEKS BEHIND SCHEDULE BOSS TEACH US SOME NEW JUTSU!" Konohamaru ordered as he directed his right hand towards Naruto and extended his index finger to point at the blond.

"Oh right my bad my last mission took forever." Naruto stated sheepishly as he gripped the back of his head with his right hand and rubbed it in an innocent manner.

"Did you master what I last taught you?" Naruto asked as he released his skull from his grip and allowed his right hand to fall down and hang by his side once more.

"Sure thing boss we all did! Lets go guys!" Konohamaru asserted as both he and his two teammates slammed their hands together in unison forming the Ram, Snake and then tiger seal.

"Clone Jutsu!" All three academy students declared as their bodies seem to part in two before dividing and the three academy students became six, two Udon's, two Konohamaru's and two Moegi's.

"Hmmmm." Naruto mumbled as he walked towards the now 6 students.

Placing his right hand on his chin as he entered a teacher stance and began studying their form, Naruto walked around them several times taking notes on their movement and positioning.

"Not bad not bad..." Naruto noted before flinging his right arm forward slashing at the neck of one of the Udon clones, not surprised at all when his hand cut through the clone as if nothing was there.

The only thing of note to indicate that his hand had contacted the clone was the short spilt second rupture of its outline when Naruto's hand cut through it.

"A perfect illusion very nice." Naruto complimented as he slowly lowered his right arm back to his side, while the three students infront of him dispersed their clones.

All the while Sakura and Sasuke continued to watch the scene unfolding infront of them with utter awe.

Naruto's a teacher? Both Sasuke and Sakura thought to themselves.

"But you see there's a problem..." Naruto murmured as he crossed his left arm horizontial across his chest and placed his flat palmed right hand against his face, his right elbow resting against his left hand.

"You promised you would teach us jutsu!" Konohamaru protested, raising his clenched right fist to his jawline.

"Well the clone jutsu is one of the exams for graduation...and your graduation is 4 years away..." Naruto's statement trailed off.

"So?" Konohamaru replied.

"Well you're already way ahead of your class - I don't want them thin-" Naruto stated before being cut off by a protesting Konohamaru.

"You promised! You just don't have any more jutsu to teach us do you!?" Konohamaru declared as he directed his right hand towards Naruto and extended his index finger to point at him.

Naruto dropped his head in submission and defeat into his right hand, knowing full well that he had promised to teach them jutsu when he got back.

"Okay Konohamaru Okay..." Naruto murmured

I wonder if this is how Kakashi-sensei feels about us... Naruto briefly thought to himself as he raised his head up high and resumed his straight posture.

"Really?!" All three young academy students beamed as they stood only inches away from the young blond, their eyes being replaced with gleaming stars.

"Well I just don't know whats appropriate for your age." Naruto responded as he directed his right hand towards his three would be students and waved it up and down repeatingly.

"Teach us something amazing!" Konohamaru insisted.

I'd rather not teach him what Zabuza taught me...and I can't show him what Haku taught me cause I already promised Sasuke i'd show him first. Naruto thought to himself.

So that just leaves... Naruto's thoughts trailed off as he downcast his gaze towards the overly long blue scraf Konohamaru hand tied around his neck, the vast majority of it hanging loose behind him, some of it even dragging across the road..

"Give me your scarf Konohamaru." Naruto asked as he extended his right hand out, his palm open and face up.

"M-my scarf? Wh-why boss?" Konohamaru asked anxiously, not wanting to part with the lovely piece of fabric he valued so highly.

"Am I the boss or not?" Naruto replied, tilting his head slightly to the right as a smile smirk blossomed upon his face.

"You sure are!" Konohamaru bellowed as he hastily untied his scarf and unwrapped it from around his neck before gripping the bundled up fabric together in both his hands as he extended them towards Naruto.

"Hold on." Naruto asserted as he pull his right arm out of its sleeve and positioned it inside his purpe tunic as he searched and scrabbled to find a specific object.

"Here it is." Naruto noted as he gripped the new found object in his right hand and retracted his right arm back into its sleeve.

Naruto raised his right arm halfway into the air as his hand, gripping a rolled up sealing scroll, popped out of his sleeve like a Meerkat out of a hole.

Then Naruto quickly knelt down as he placed his right knee against the brick pathway they stood upon and placed the still rolled up scroll upon the ground.

"Okay now give me the scarf." Naruto asked as he extended both hands and grabbed the bundled up mess of fabric Konohamaru had given him.

At this moment Sasuke took a few steps forward himself to investigate what Naruto was going to show them, eager to see what he learned in the land of waves or at the very least what he was confindent enough in to teach.

Unlike the other members of team 7 Sasuke never trained with either of the rogue Shinobi, Zabuza not giving him the time of day and Haku being to busy with Sakura and Naruto.

But atleast Sasuke had spent 5 whole days training solely with Kakashi, praticing and prefecting his lightining style, finally Sasuke was once again confindent had held a jutsu Naruto couldn't surpass.

No matter what Naruto learned...what Kakashi taught me is the ultimate technique, a jutsu far beyond anythin- Sasuke thought to himself briefly before Naruto's voice cut his train of thought and returned him to the real world.

"There we are." Naruto asserted, Sasuke having been so busy with his thoughts he failed to notice Naruto flatten, straighten and then fold Konohamaru's scarf 23 times transforming it into a thick bundled up dark blue square.

"Now hold this." Naruto order as he handed the still perfectly folded scarf to Konohamaru who clenched down on it with both hands.

It was then that Naruto downcast his head towards the still rolled up scroll laying on the ground infront of him and directed both his hands towards it, leisurely untieing the small string linen ribbon wrapped around it.

Once untied Naruto gripped each side of the rolled up scrolls parchment with both hands and quickly flung the scroll open, the entirety of the surprisingly 3 foot long scroll sprawling across the pathway between Naruto and his students.

"WOOOOaaah!" The three academy students awed in unison at scene unfolding before them, something even as dull as opening a scroll seeming badass in there 8 year old eyes.

Naruto smiled deeply at their innocent fasicnation, reminding him of himself when he was younger.

At that moment Naruto extended his left hand, his palm open and face up as another sealing scroll slide down his left sleeve except this one already held a sealed item.

"OOooooohh that's so cool boss!" Konohamaru exclaimed as he raised both his clenched fists to his jawline, his eyes replaced with twinkling stars.

Naruto lifted his right leg forward underneath his body and laid his left leg down horizontially, entering a indian style sitting position.

"One second Sakura, Sasuke my bad guys." Naruto sighed out sheepishly with a slight laugh, embarassed to it would take alittle longer than he expected.

"What are you showing those kids Naruto?" Sakura questioned, having gained alot more respect for Naruto since the land of waves.

For a brief second Sakura stared at Naruto but than she became so focused on the three students infront of Naruto that she failed to notice him untie the seal in his left hand.

Hearing her question Naruto turned his head to the left, in the direction of Sakura and smiled at his pinked hair teammate, thankfully she showed enough effort to notice him and be curious of his actions.

"Something Shishu taught me wanna watch?" Naruto asked rhetorically as he flung the scroll in his left hand upward into the air, the scroll flipping, tossing and twisting several degrees and angles in the air.

Suddenly as the scroll twisted into a horizontial position in midair it unrolled itself, all 3 feet of the scrolls parchment unrolling into the gentle breezing wind of the pathway.

For the brief second the scroll float in the air Sasuke Naruto three paragraphs of faintly drawn scribbled letters, clearly Naruto's writting was one of his weak spots.

In the center of the scroll sat a small scribbled word 'Sealed' surrounded by an encompassing circle of more scribbles on words and drawings with four arrows diverting from the words and point into the center of the scroll.

At that moment a puff of smoke erupted from the scroll, barely a puff or a huff.

I've seen grandpa blow out more smoke than that. Konohamaru briefly noted.

Two small objects then fell from the encompassing miniature smoke cloud, a dry and cleaned black handle barely 4 inchs long with a white tipped brush and a sealed 4 oz container of black ink in a tiny glass container.

Naruto caught both items in mid air ith his left hand as they descended towards the ground, almost juggling the two objects in his hand.

"Watch close you three - I'm only showing you this once and its very cruical to a Shinobi's lifestyle." Naruto stated in a oddly teacher fashion as he uncorked the container of inked and light dabbed the white tipped brush into it.

For several minutes Naruto doodled and scribbled upon the previously uninked scroll he had unrolled across the pathway between him and his three students, the only sound being the occasionally attempt at flirting from Sakura and then Sasuke shooting her down.

After several long minutes Naruto had finally drawn an exact copy of the other scroll he had thrown into the air only a few minutes earlier the small exact encircling seal with four arrows pointing at the center, all drawn in black ink.

"There we are." Naruto spoke as he raised his right forearm to his hand and brushed it against his nose.

"Konohamaru - please place your scarf neatly inside the circle." Naruto asked as he rest both his elbows in his lap, his forearms hanging leisurely against his crossed legs.

"Sure thing boss!" Konohamaru exclaimed as he bent forward and dropped the bundled up scarf he valued so highly inside the circle of the sealing scroll.

At that moment Naruto extended his right arm forward and placed his right hand atop the horizontally unrolled scrolled sprawled infront of him.

Once his hand had made contact with the parchment the young blond began channeling a significant amount of chakra into his right palm, ready to get this over with and continue on his day.

A faint transparent aura of purple began to hover around and engulf Naruto's right hand as the amount of chakra he poured into continued to increase more and more.

Naruto then raised his left hand infront of his face vertically preforming a half rat seal as the aura of purple chakra encompassing his right hand spread into the vey seal itself, sprawling across the four arrows with a violet blanket.

"Seal!" Naruto declared as the folded scarfed infront of him erupted in a puff of smoke and disappeared from sight.

After several tense momets of silence waiting for the smoke to clear Konohamaru his teammates, aswell as the two other members of team 7 noticed that Konohamaru's scarf had disappeared entirely.

"W-where's my scarf boss!?" Konohamaru panicked out, afraid he lost his treasured item.

"I sealed it inside this scroll - don't come back until you've learn to unseal it." Naruto replied non-chalantly as a brief smirk grew upon his face as he thought back to the countless hours Iruka had spent teaching him.

"No problem!" Konohamaru bellowed as he threw his right hand into the air before dramatically slamming it down atop the sealing scrolling infront of him, attempting to mimic Naruto's previous actions.

"Release!" Konohamaru asserted confindently as wide smile grew upon his face in anticpation of his just reward.

However nothing happened, Konohamaru was supposed to gather and focus chakra into the palm of his hand, and once touching the seal he was too pour his chakra into the ink seal, dispersing his chakra evenly to unlock the sealed scarf.

He failed entirely as the scroll had no reaction other the the standard wrinkling of the page when Konohamaru slammed his palmed atop it.

Upon seeing such utter failure from someone who couldn't even accomplish what Naruto could Sakura entered into a quiet state of giggles, yea she respected Naruto alot more than before but Naruto was still...Naruto.

"It's hopeless I'll never be as good as you boss!" Konohamaru pleaded out dramatic with small fake tears falling from his eyes, causing Naruto to blush and raising his right hand to the back of his head.

At that moment Sakura burst out in a massive fit of laughter, her laughter garnishing the attention of everyone present.

"Shut up hag one day my chakra reserve will be as big as your forehead!" Konohamaru snapped out at the pink haired Kunoichi causing a instant shift in tone and aura as the surrounding area became dark and boding.

Sakura's eyes became covered in a black shadow as she snapped her head to the right then left, pointing several joints in her neck and collar bone.

"Konohamaru..."Naruto spoke sheepishly, gathering the attention of his three students.

"Yea boss?" Konohamaru replied, to focus on Naruto to notice Sakura slam her right fist into her left palm and crack her knuckles.

"Run..." Naruto murmured timidly as Sakura slammed her right foot into the ground, causing the stone bricks underneath her to rupture slightly from her rage and strength.

As soon as her right foot had smashed into the brick path Sakura flung her left foot forward, slamming into the ground with equal force to her right as she became to sprint towards Konohamaru.

Konohamaru's face filled with dread and terror as he noticed the rampaging pink haired Kunoichi that sprint towards him

Soon Konohamaru quickly broke out into his own sprint dashing away down the pathway team 7 had came from.

Udon and Moegi stood deathly still as Naruto still sitting indian style when Sakura flew past all of them, focusing intently on the fleaing Konohamaru that had insulted her.

"SHAAAAA Get back here! Take you're beating like a Shinobi!" Sakura declared, the last six words being the phrase Haku had drilled into her mind.

"Legs don't fail me now - legs don't fail me now." Konohamaru huffed out as he continued to sprint away from Sakura, quickly approaching the Horizontal turn in the pathway.

"Blleehhhhh!" Konohamaru choked out as he slammed into and fell down from a tall, full body suit wearing Shinobi who wore a matching hat to his outfit, his hat being engraved with the headband of the village hidden in the sand.

The hat had two oddly cat like ears protruding from it, and the face that wore it was pale white with several streaks and lines of purple warpaint sprawled across it.(His standard part 1 face-paint design.)

Finally the weird part about the Shinobi is he carried a massive linen wrapped body shape gourd, or atleast it appeared to be the shape of a body, even hair erupted from the top of it.

"Do you need something?" The Shinobi asked as he stared down at Konohamaru, the latter still sitting on the floor after he was knocked onto his ass from running into the unknown Shinobi.

The Shinobi's question causing Naruto to stand up and turn around to face the direction of the occuring event.

Sakura's rampaged quietly halted as she stopped 10 feet behind Konohamaru and the unknown Shinobi, aswell as his blond haired female companion.

Sasuke began jogging forward in an attempt to investigate what was happening, Udon and Moegi following quickly behind him while Naruto's eyes pulsated under his bangs and he stared at the unknown Shinobi.

For several moments Naruto studied the black suit wearing Shinobi, beyond curious as to why someone from another village was he, remembering the last time he met someone from another village they tried to kill him.

Suddenly the whole world slowed down in Naruto's eyes as the unknown man leaned forward and extended his hand downward towards Konohamaru in a threatening manner.

His Kekkai Genkai already active Naruto's pupils zoomed up and down aswell as left and right as they fully analyzed and studied the Shinobi's chakra network his bangs concealing his face but not his view.

Naruto's eyes allowed him to see what no one else did, that the man infront of them was no man infact he held not chakra network at all he was merely being controlled by chakra strings while the source sat inside the gourd on his back.

As the Man's hand rested a foot above Konohamaru's throat Naruto's hand appeared in a flash too fast to be a body flicker and feriously clenched down atop the man's wrist, the faint sound of the mans joints popping from the pressure.

Impossible where did he come from? The unknown man thought to himself, clearly shocked at the blonds speed.

Naruto's hand continued to tighten around the puppet master's wrist, his palm facing the man while his back hand faced the ground as he left arm hung loosely by his left side, enraged at the threat he percieved to his favored student.

H-how is he that fast. Sasuke thought to himself as he froze dead in his tracks.

He's really faster than Sasuke? Sakura told herself as he head turned back and forth from Naruto and Sasuke.

Damn he's fast...but why does he have whiskers on his face? And the black haired kid has whiskers painted on? The blond haired Kunoichi noted to herself.

"See what you've done Kankuro?" The blond haired Kunoichi spat out in annoyance.

Kankuro didn't reply to her, he was to focused on the blond 'brat' standing infront of him, he couldn't even see his eyes because of his bangs but he could fill the rage and hatred radiating from the blond Shinobi.

Soon Kankuro broke out in a fit of sweats as the grip Naruto had on his hand begin to tighten and tighten, the sound of his wrist popping and cracking becoming very apparent and painful as his sleeves wrinkled under the pressure.

Usually Kankuro would fight back, he would release his puppet and poison or even capture and stab his opponent to death, but not the figure infront of him, not the bright blond haired, purple tunic wearing Shinobi that stood infront of him.

Naruto gave Kankuro the same feeling Garaa did, a feeling of fear, dread and panick.

Kankuro began to take deep breath's of airs and struggled to release the air as he continued to stare at the blond gripping his wrist, specifically where his eyes were but his bangs covered them.

"Do not touch the grandson of the 3rd Hokage." Naruto asserted dominantly, reminding Sakura of the Naruto she had seen atop the bridge, but Sasuke had never seen this Naruto before the Naruto he created when he atleast died defending him.

At this moment Naruto released Kankuro's right wrist, who quickly retracted it to his chest and grabbed it with his left hand, wincing in pain.

"Ahhhhh - I think he popped my wrist out of place Temari." Kankuro complained as he turned around and fell to his knee's infront of Temari.

"Serves you right for almost starting an international incident - did you hear what he said?" Temari asked as she pointed towards Naruto.

"That kid is the grandson of the 3rd Hokage idiot - if Garaa was here he would kill you." Temari spoke non-chalantly, almost as if it was true, meanwhile Kankuro just continued to gripped his wrist, wincing at the pain Naruto inflicted.

It was then that Konohamaru finally stood up, Naruto standing directly infront of him, as Konohamaru turned and ran back the 10 feet to where Sakura, Sasuke and his two teammates stood before abruptly turning around.

"Haha serves you rig-" Konohamaru mocked as he pointed towards the two shinobi from the sand and laughed before being cut-off by Naruto placing his hand atop Konohamaru's head.

Once again in an act of speed that shocked all present, Naruto had appeared in a flash of yellow and purple standing beside Konohamaru, appearing directly infront of Sasuke, his back facing the Uchiha.

Na-Naruto! Sasuke exclaimed to himself, awed at the speed Naruto was displaying.

I guess he really is faster than Sasuke... Sakura told herself as peered slightly to her left at her blond teammate that had appeared there in a flash.

That's one more point Naruto - you're at 2/0 now. Sakura briefly noted.

This kid - his speed is insane. Temari noted.

He's even faster than Ebisu-sensei. Udon, Moegi and Konohamaru all thought in unison as they stared at Naruto, still standing beside Konohamaru with his right hand atop his head.

"Hokage do not brag or mock they are respectful and honest." Naruto declared as he turned his head to the right, looking down upon young Konohamaru who was staring back at him, or atleast his bangs.

"Take responibilty for your own actions - apologize." Naruto ordered, shocking Konohamaru briefly before he followed his bosses orders and extended his right hand and arm outward, his palm out.

Naruto didn't mean to sound like Iruka, it just was something that he developed over the past few weeks training Konohamaru and his friends, they gave him an odd feeling of purpose that he lacked since Iruka's murder.

I-is this Naruto? Sakura asked herself, releasing she didn't know nearly asmuch about Naruto as she thought she did.

Pft - Naruto Uzumaki the teacher of Konoha? Give me a break I'd be a way better teacher than him. Sasuke told himself as he crossed his arms and stared at the puppet master.

"I'm sorry." Konohamaru singed out, dragging out the last section of his statement for several seconds as he smiled and closed his eyes, his statement garnishing the attention of Kankuro who was stilling gripping his wrist.

Kankuro wanted to mocked the idiot child, the unlatched the tool on his pack and punish him for the brief trouble he brought but the second his eyes focus on Naruto his hatred was replaced with fear.

W-why - why does this kid remind me so much of Garaa? Is he this villages demon? Then why is he protecting people? Kankuro's thoughts raced, knowing the full truth on what Garaa was, he was his brother afterall, thinking back to the horror Garaa had committed.

"Accept his apology - you deserve what happened to your hand." Temari snapped out as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"U-uh yea sure - whatever." Kankuro choked out.

Gripping his right wirst with his left hand the Sand Shinobi directed his right hand downward and gripped the tiny fragile 8 year old hand of Konohamaru, they hands clasped together and shacking up and down several times.

"I would like to apologize myself." Naruto broke in, surprising all present especially Kankuro.

"But you should not threat children unless you are willing to suffer the consequences." Naruto spoke dominatly before his tone dramatic shifted into a kind one and his smile towards Kankuro.

This smile didn't comfort Kankuro, it terrified him, it was like a wolf gnarling its teeth at its meal, Kankuro wanted to get as far away from this Shinobi as he could, he was just like Garaa.

At this moment a sharp erupting feeling broke out in Naruto's stomach, as if something inside it was attempting to rupture, causing the young blond to grip his stomach with his left hand, his right still atop Konohamaru's head.

"What a pathetic apology Kankuro." A red haired Shinobi standing upside down on a tree branch of the tree at the end of the pathway assert, garnishing the attention of all present with minor gasps at his stealth.

The blond one...his speed is inhuman - Kankuro didn't even see him. The unknown Shinobi thought to himself.

The Shinobi had bright blood red hair, with a odd blood red ink seal sprawled across the right section of his forehead and black ink encircling both his eyes.

He was pale and free of any blemishes or marks it was like he was pristine but for some reason he gave off a deadly vibe to everyone present, including Naruto.

Similar to Kankuro he wore a black body suit, except his didn't have any arm sleeves and he didn't wear a hat, aswell similar to Kankuro his ankles were wrapped in the iconic white fabric of white linen above his Shinobi shoes.

The sleeves of his suit went halfway down his biceps, the other half of his biceps covered with fistnet sleeves extended to his elbows, his forearms barely and clean revealing just how pale he was.

A long, worn tan leather strap was placed across the red haired Shinobi's torso, resting on his left shoulder and positioned against his right hip.

There were 3 latchs connecting the strap to a massive tan gourd the indiviual carried around his back, the gourd was corked and had several cracks across it.

The Shinobi had the headband of his village tired at the bottom of the strap, resting by his hip and against the side of the gourd on his back.

Finally wrapped around his black suit and leather strap but not his gourd, the Shinobi had an oddly long piece of white linen fabric wrapped across his torso.

The scarf length fabric was opposite the position of his leather strap as it rested on his right shoulder and sprawled across his torso to his left hip before wrapping around his waist entirely and descending down both sides of his body.

The fabric had two ends, the front piece of his white cloth laying oddly infront of his dick and loans while the other fell out of back in a fashion similar to a tall as he rested against his ass, both pieces of fabric dropping to his knees in length.

This guy is off the charts - I didn't even sense him and the last person who did that was... Sasuke's thoughts trailed off as the image of Haku and Zabuza shot into his mind.

That has to be a Jonin level skill, but he can't be barely old than us? Is this guy like Haku? Sasuke asked himself as he dropped both his arms to his sides in shock at the very concept of his idea.

Hold on those headbands don't belong to our villages... Sakura noted to herself.

"Sca-Sc-Scar-Scary" All three academy students gritted out of teeth in fear as they all hid behind Naruto, clenched and grasping the ends and sides of his purple tunic that hung loose from his Shinobi figure.

Konohamaru had ran behind Naruto when the red haired Shinobi appeared, causing Naruto's right hand to fall to his side as his left continued to grip his stomach in an attempt to sooth the relentless churning.

However when Naruto's eyes settled upon the red haired Shinobi his stomach only erupted into a worse frenzy, as a bubbling foaming sharping sensation could be felt deep inside his student, causing Naruto to clench his cut with both hands now.

Th-this feeling...Who is this guy? Naruto asked himself, still clenching his rupturing gut.

It was then that the Shinobi in the tree raised both his own hands to his forehead, rubbing and clasping at the red ink seal scribbled atop his forehead.

Nnnnnnnnnh Mother - whyyyyyy The red haired Shinobi thought to himself as his gripped on his forehead tighten in an attempt to sooth the erupting pain.

For some reason both Naruto and the red haired Shinobi began grunting and groaning, Naruto rubbing his stomach and the latter rubbing his forehead.

"Nnmmmmpphh" The red haired Shinobi grunted out as he fell from the tree branch, dissolving into sand particles that drifted through the gentle breeze to the ground before reforming into his human form.

"You're an embarrassment to our village - have you forgotten the whole reason we're here?" The red haired Shinobi questioned in emotionless manner.

"Garaa - They stated the whole thing!" Kankuro protested, still gripping his right wrist with his left hand.

"You see here's what hap-" Kankuro attempted to state, only to be cut off by Garaa.

"Shut up" Garaa barked out - squinting his eyes as he glared at the man infront of him with emotionless eyes.

"Or I'll kill you." Garaa spat out harshly, shocking everyone present including Naruto with his tone.

"Right - I was totally out of line Im sorry Garaa I was totally out of line." Kankuro choked out as he positioned both of his flat palmed hands infront of his chest in a pleading manner.

It was then that Garaa turned to face Naruto, the red haired Shinobi's arms still crossed and his emotionless eyes peering at Naruto's, or atleast he would be if Naruto's bangs weren't in the way.

Naruto returned his gaze, dropping his right hand to his side as his left continued to clenched his still erupting stomach.

At that moment Garaa quickly raised his left hand to his forehead once again and gripped it as he grunted in pain, clearly disturbed by a headache or maybe even stress on the seal.

"I-I'm sorry - for even trouble he caused." Garaa asserted, his eyes unblinking and emotionless as he continued to clenched his seal, apparently the sealing being the only place he felt anything.

For several moments a brief silence feel between the two, both Shinobi of two different villages who glared back at the other Naruto clenching his seal upon his stomach unknown to Garaa to contain the nine tailed Fox.

While Garaa stood opposite side of him his own left hand clenching his own seal atop his forehead unknown to Naruto too contain the one tailed Raccoon.

Fighting the endlessly churning and bubbling feeling in his stomach Naruto raised his right arm high and extended it outwords towards the red haired Shinobi infront of him.

"Apology accepted - Garaa correct?" Naruto asked, his right hand hanging midair as it drifting only 2 feet away from the sand Shinobi.

"Correct - I am Garaa of the desert I must confess I am curious about you too." Garaa replied, his arms unmoving as his right remained crossed horizontally across his chest while his left kept clenching his forehead.

He crushed Kankuro's wrist like he was a mere child, he's something to look out for, mother. Garaa thought to himself.

"I am Naruto - Naruto Uzumaki of the leaf." Naruto replied, a smirk growing upon his face as he attempted to fight against the bubbling feeling in his stomach.

"Hmmphhh" Garaa grunted out as he glared towards Naruto, panting and huffing slightly as his shoulders rose and fell dramatically with his breathe's.

It was then that Garaa uncrossed his right hand, took one step forward and gripped the young blonds hand infront of him with his own, the cold dead hand of Garaa gripping the fire warm hand of Naruto.

Garaa's eyes bulged with shocked as his mouth fell out agasp, shocked at the source of warmed radiating off of Naruto's hand.

At that moment an aching feeling sprung inside Garaa's forehead and the red haired Shinobi clenched his forehead tightly once again with his left hand, his nails digging into his forehead as he burrowed into his seal to stop the pain.

At that sametime a sharp, piercing bubbling sensation once again erupted inside Naruto's cut, as if something was erupting from inside him as the young blond clasped down on his stomach with his left hand.

Both Shinobi entering into their own brief state of mind.

Nnnhhhhhh - mother. Garaa thought to himself as he grunted from the pain erupting from his headache.

Those eyes...I've seen those eyes before...eyes full of loneliness... Naruto told himself as the image of Garaa's emotionless eyes continued to burn a hole into his mind as he also grunted from the pain erupting from inside him.

It was then that a faint transparent image appeared around the two Shinobi, so distracted in the pain erupting from their seals to notice their surroundings.

The barely tangible image of a orange haired nine tailed fox standing on 3 paws with its right front paw extended forward gripping the tan, brown black spotted sand Raccoon, the latter creature laughing hysterically like a hyena.

"I didn't come here to play games" Garaa spat out harshly as he tore his hand free from Naruto's grip, spun around and began walking down the left path from the three way divergence they all stood in.

"Y-yea I get it Garaa my bad." Kankuro apologized, clearly afraid of Garaa as both him and Temari turned and began walking off with Garaa away from team 7 and the three academy students.

"Hold on!" Sakura asserted, only for none of the sand Shinobi to give her the time of day as all three of them continued to walk away.

"HEEY!" Sakura shrieked, her voice cracking from the volume of her scream, finally forcing all three of the sand Shinobi to stop dead in their tracks.

"What?" Temari spat out harshly, clearly annoyed at the pink haired Kunoichi.

"I can tell from your headband...that you come from the village hidden in the sand." Sakura asserted in a matter of fact tone as she ran past both her teammates and positioned herself between them and the sand Shinobi.

"Of course the land of fire and the land of wind are allies but no Shinobi can enter anothers village without permission - so state your purpose and it better be good!" Sakura ordered as she crouched down.

Sakura's right hand slide down and rested against her pouch on his right thigh, holding no kunai, instead only senbon.

"Really? Have you all been living under a rock or what?" Temari asked as she spun around to confront the screaming pink haired Kunoichi.

She wore an odd colored tunic that was a mixture of pink and purple with a loose red shash tied around her waist, the lower section of the tunic being cut short several inches above her knees revealing the vast majority of her smooth pale legs.

Temari wore the standard Shinobi shoes, with one fishnet legging on his right leg to went up to her knee and matching fishnet thighwear on her left leg that descended from her unseen panties.

Descending down across the front right side of the Kunoichi's outfit was a visble dark line and several small metal clips, clearly her outfit was just one solid piece that she clipped on together vertically across her torso.

Her tunic was deep cut, revealing the entirety of her shoulders and the region around her neck, only for that also to be covered in a fishnet fabric to rose from above her breast to her collar bone.

Resting atop the fishnet collar was her headband, leisurely wrapped around her neck in the same exact fashion Naruto wore his in, but since Naruto's collar was raised to infront of his mouth most people didn't notice his.

She wore no gloves or any fabric on her sleeve except the sleeves of her tunic that descended down to her elbows.

Sprawled across her back and tucked neatly into the loose red sash of fabric that dangled across her waist was a solid black massive staff-like object, appearince to be made of the same metal steel material as a Kunai.

Finally her hair while blond, was no where near as bright as Naruto's her hair was dirty blond and more resembling dirt or sand, befitting the area where she lived.

Her hair was tied into four bundled up spike dirty blond puff balls that all erupted from the back of her scalp, two from the back of of skull and two from the lower region near the back of her neck.

"Well we just got back from a 3 week long mission this morning." Naruto mumbled out in response.

"We have permission." Temari asserted as she raised her special Chunin exam passport given to her when she left her village.

"Of course you're correct we are hidden sand Shinobi and the land of wind is our home - we're also here for the Chunin exams." Temari spoke, both her teammates backs still directed towards team 7 as she spoke.

"Get the picture dweeb? Temari mocked Sakura, the latter gritting her teeth and clenching her right fist in rage.

"The Chunin exams!? Is that today!" Sakura suddenly screamed and began running in circles as her previous rage at Temari disappeared upon realizing just how close the Chunin exams were.

"Bu-but I just got back! I haven't even slept! Me and Sasuke haven't even gone out alone yea! Wha-" Sakura screamed an almost incoherent bundle of words out as she ran in a circle around Naruto, Sasuke and the three academy students.

"RELAX! Shit!"Temari snapped out as she stomped her foot to the ground in annoyance.

"We just got here today - that means you still have a whole week to train and get prepared for me to beat you down." Temari asserted in a cocky tone as she crossed her arms across her chest and snapped her head slightly to the right as she mocked Sakura.

"Than your little boy toy will be mine right - Sasuke?" Temari asked, her tone changing to one of flirtation and innocence as she gently whispered the Uchiha's name, causing the latter to blush and scratch his cheek non-chalantly.

Sasuke wasn't one to flirt, or waste time that could be spent training on girls, but he couldn't deny that he found the blond foreign figure standing infront of him quite exotic and attractive.

"Whatev-" Sasuke spoke in an attempt to seem unphased, only for the screeching siren of Sakura to overwhelm him.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU BITCH! I'LL DESTORY YOU!" Sakura shrieked as she began charging towards the foreign sand Kunoichi, her words causing a dark aura to grow around the dirty blond girl.

Midway through her charge however Naruto once again to move in a flash of speed that awed all those present, except the absent minded Sakura, as he appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, clasping his hands together above her head.

"Sakura please calm down I don't want any more violence." Naruto begged as the pink haired Kunoichi rampaged, screamed, squirmed and kicked in an attempt to free herself.

"Please leave now I don't know how long I can hold her." Naruto sighed out in an embarassed manner as he continued to hold the squirming Sakura down, Sasuke watching in amusement.

"Hmph" Temari snorted in response as she turned around before both her and her two teammates jumped off into the air aimming for the rooftops, clearly in a hurry to reach their location.

Upon see her enemy disappear Sakura's rage increase tenfold as she squirmed and kicked again and again attempting to free herself from Naruto's grasp.

"Sakura is okay I'll le-" Naruto replied as he released Sakura from his grasped and attempted to back away only for Sakura to fling her left foot backwards and smashing directly into Naruto's loins.

The second Sakura's left heel had slammed into Naruto's privates she took over running in the direct the sand Shinobi jumped off in, unable to roof jump like they or her teammates could.

She ran so quickly she failed to noticed Naruto fall backwards to the ground, his face turned blue and covered in several drops of sweat as both his hands covered and clenched his damaged assets.

"Naruto!" Sasuke and the team academy students exclaimed as they dashed over to the cradling Naruto we rolled gently back and forth horizontally on the pathway as he attempt to numb the pain.

Finally Sasuke and all three academy students stood above Naruto,overlooking the injured blood, his face still blue and his hands still clenching his nether regions.

"Boss!" Konohamaru exclaimed, as both his clenched fists were raised to his jawline in concern.

"Naruto are you alright?" Sasuke questioned.

"She got me Sasuke - she got me good." Naruto choked out in an extremely high pitch helium toned voice as he continued to lay on the ground squirming.

"Well - uhh - take your time - I think its gonna take this kid sometime to get his scarf back." Sasuke replied as he notioned towards Konohamaru with his head.

"I'll get it in no time!" Konohamaru exclaimed as he and his two teammates bridged the 20 foot gap between them and the scroll still unrolled across the pathway, before they began attempting to release it, Naruto still squirming on the road.

During all of this a slight rustling of tree leaves was made, thought neither Sasuke, Naruto or the academy students noticed.

Soon our attention came to settle upon the tall 30 foot oak tree that the entire exchange had just taken part under, as we continued to exam and gaze upon the many branchs.

High atop the tree on a tree branch sat one mummified Shinobi with a massive fur mane of sometype of lion protruding from his back as he wore a strange navy blue colored version of camo.

Standing beside the sitting Shinobi was another Shinobi aswell as a Kunoichi, all three of them wearing the same matching color navy blue camouflage pants and scarf.

The sitting man wore an oddly formal navy blue mens kimono, which was obviously to big for him as the sleeves of this outfit dangling atleast a feet down from his arms, almost to his feet that hung from the high tree branch he sat on.

Atop the mans mummified skull was an headband wrapping around it, the headband having the symbol of a musical note carved into, apparently a headband of the village hidden in the sound.

The Shinobi standing beside him wore a tan tunic, its sleeves ending at his elbows and the end of his tunic stopping 6 inches above his knees, three Shinobi letters sewwed into his shirt, too unreadable at the moment.

At his waist was a tight black linen sash tied around his tunic giving it no free room, preventing it from wiggling or waving away from his firm Shinobi body.

He wore navy blue forearm sleeves that descended from underneath the sleeves of his previously mentioned tunic and ended at his wrists.

He also wore an odd face mask, or guard as it didn't hide his face at all it only rested along the sides of his face, the headband of the sound sewn or plastered against the metal of the face guard.

Finally his hair was jet black and spikey, more so than Kakashi's as this mans hair shot straight up, contrary to Kakashi's whose tilted sideways.

Standing on the other side of the sitting man, on his left side specifically, as a Kunoichi from the same village as the previous two.

Like the other standing man she wore forearm sleeves that matched his, except unlike him she didn't wear a tunic, she wore a standard Shinobi/Kunoichi sleeves vest, revealing her biceps.

Unlike the other two Shinobi, this Kunoichi possessed one piece of navy blue fabric the others, a navy blue camo sash that was tied around her waist.

Finally her hair was jet black, similar to the other standing ninja of the sound and long,so long that the ends of he hair rested only a few inches above her firm, ninja hardened and Shinobi trained ass.

"What do you think, Dosu?" The spikey haired jet blacked standing Shinobi asked the sitting Shinobi beside him, apparently his name was Dosu.

"The usual weaklings - nothing special, except the red haired desert rat of course." Dosu replied leisurely.

"I had thought the blond kid was something special judging from his speed - but look at him now - taken out by that worthless excuse for a Kunoichi pink haired girl." Dosu asserted.

"And all the Uchiha did was stand there." The Kunoichi standing beside the two Shinobi asserted, her right arm dangling by her side, her let fist pushed against her waist.

"Agreed Kin - we should keep an eye on that runt from the desert - and destroy the rest." The spikey haired sound Shinobi declared.

"Patience Zaku, remember the plan." Dosu stated as both he and his two teammates watched Naruto, Sasuke and the three academy students walking in the opposite direction of the previous sand Shinobi.

Naruto, Sasuke and the blonds three 'students' soon disappearing in the horizon.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **In Naruto Shippuden episode 377 Team Guy is referred to as Team Three - as such I will aswell.**

 **GunBlade2018 -** **I understand some people don't like dark Naruto or consider it 'unrealistic'. If you don't want a dark Naruto, Chapters 1-42 give a light hearted and Kind Naruto, before he goes dark.**

 **Sapphire Orchid - I meant that Madara went underground most people believe he died. I know he didn't technically die, but the whole world believed he did.**

 **ShadowDeathSkull - I am glad you're enjoying it so far, and I myself and very much looking forward to their introduction aswell, by the time Tayuya is introduced.** **Dare I say, this story hasn't even started yet.**

 **Luciendar - Well its a good thing my story is tagged Adventure/Romance and not just "Romance" If you want to read nothing but pure Romance, than only read pure Romance, this is Adventure/Romance.**

 **If you're reading this SOLELY for Romance, I suggest going to the Romance only tab. I know the Romance I have included in this story so far is limited but this isn't a short story and I have plenty of time to introduce it.**

 **I'm not upset that you only want romance, but there is more to this story than just romance. If you only want Romance, just skip to chapter 30 for TayuyaxNaruto to start.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

 **(Its Length by Width not Width by Length)**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: The Boy Who Cried Fox! Bonding exercise.**

"I have summoned you all here for a special purpose." The seasoned voice of the 3rd Hokage spoke out before exhaling a puff of smoke mid sentence, wearing his iconic Hokage uniform, the shroud from his hat covering the sides of his face.

"Some of you may see your fellow Jonin here, I'm sure you know what this is about." The 3rd Hokage asserted as he placed his wooden pipe up to his mouth and bite down on the tip, inhaling a fresh hit of leaf as he crossed his arms.

The Hokage and the group of 19 Jonin he had assembled from the village all crowded into the small 30 ft by 30 ft trapezoid shaped room, one of many hidden in the massive tower of the Hokage's office.

However this room was more special than others as fancy silky leaf green curtains adorned the corners and atop the doorway leading into the room, dancing, extending and hanging from the ceiling of the room.

Protruding from the doorway all the way to the opposite side of the room rested a blood red 30 ft by 10 ft carpet, its corners and edges colored orange, the rest of the room not covered by the carpet was pale grey stone, indicting this was the 1st floor.

At the far edge of the room, the side opposite of the entrance sat the seasoned lord 3rd Hokage placed firmly in a cushioned 4ft wide blue color booth chair, an odd choice as red would have fit better but the Hokage had his reasons.

Infront of the sitting 3rd Hokage was a rectangle shaped 5 ft by 2 ft desk, the tabletop of the desk was blood red while the base as well as the sides were a pale grey, matching the stone under the carpet.

Laid across the center of the table top was a long 4 ft by 2 ft bright yellow linen fabric, the front of which was dangling across the front of the table, the swirl of Konoha inscribed upon the center with the symbols of the nine clans of the leaf surrounding it.

The nine clans of Konoha being the Aburame, the Akimichi, the Hyūga, the Inuzuka, the Nara, the Sarutobi, the Senju, the Uchiha and finally the Yamanaka Clan, the Uzumaki clan symbol already present in the swirl of Konoha and not needing to be repeated.

On both sides of the yellow fabric were old iron candle holders, the lids removed allowing its flames to flicker freely, odd how the Hokage had candles lit at 1pm in the afternoon, placed in the center atop the yellow fabric, directly infront of the 3rd Hokage sat a small 12 in by 12 in Mauve colored pillow, with some odd crystal ball resting in its cushion.

By the 3rd Hokages desk, specifically the left side from the Hokage's perspective, rested a minature version of his desk placed firmly against his lifesize one, a massive bag of fresh grass green leaf for the Hokage to smoke.

Finally the Hokage's desk sat upon the edge of a 10 inch raise floor, the entire section of the Hokage's side of the room raised 10 inches above the rest, a slight indication that the Hokage was ment to be above all others in the village.

"So soon? I thought we would have alittle more time." Kakashi asked.

Kakashi had just arrived into the room moments earlier, after delivering team 7s full and final report on the land of waves to Ebisu, the main who replaced the late Iruka after he was murdered, but seconds after Kakashi arrived Ebisu did aswell, since he had taken over all the duties of Iruka.

"I take it all the other lands have been notified of the event? I've noticed some foreign genin have already arrived in the village." A 26 year old man with a burning cigarette in his mouth stated as he lifted his eyes lazily to the ceiling while he talked.

He had a pencil thin beard that traced around the entirety of his jawline that ended with a slightly overgrown Goatee, his beard matching the color of his spikey, short cut, black hair with his headband tied around his forehead.

He wore the standard attire of every jonin in the leaf village except for the extra roll of linen white fabric wrapped around his right bicep in a similar fashion that how other Shinobi had them tired around ankles and thighs.

Finally and most unique of all he wore a sash that dangled from his waist in the area near his loins, the sash having the Kanji for fire engraved upon it in red letter ink with a black background.

"And? When do we start?" A surprisingly bright red eyed jonin women asked, judging from her appearance she was the same age as the previous man, 26, the same age as Kakashi.

The Kunoichi wore an oddly fashioned bandged looking tunic, one that appeared to wrap around both her shoulders aswell as the curves she displayed.

The tunic she wore began draped around each of her shoulders before descending down her body ending a mere fingertip length above her knee, the front section of her tunic parted revealing her thighs, both of them also wrapped in bandages.

The bandages around her thigh began around her waist, having first put on her panties then tied the bandage around them to keep them from falling, while the remainder of the bandages were spun around her thighs down to a fingertips length above her knees.

Underneath the tunic on her torso she wore a blood red mesh armor blouse, the chest of her blouse was covered with fishnets allowing you to see the tops of her breasts, the left sleeve removed leaving only the right sleeve visible, aswell as her left bicep.

She had bandages wrapped around the entirety of her hands even the base of her knuckles, while the other side of her bandages curled and protruded down the Kunoichi's forearms, covering both of them up to her elbows.

Her calfs were bare and revealed, showing the pale skin of her legs aswell as the standard Shinobi shoes she wore around her feet.

Finally her hair was hanging down to her shoulders, with several small barely noticable curls protruded from her her hair in several different directions, her hair being a extremely faded shade of black, while her headband was tied across her forehead.

Lord 3rd Hokage uncrossed his arms and lifted his right hand to his face, gripping the wooden sherlock style pipe in his mouth and pulling it loose, being followed by a brief fresh gust of smoke exhaled from the Hokage's mouth.

"We shall begin in one week." The 3rd Hokage spoke out, smoking still pouring from his mouth and nose.

"That's pretty short notice, me and my team just got back to the village this morning." Kakashi spoke, both his hands in his pockets.

"I look forward to reading why it took so look, but anyway." The 3rd Hokage asserted before briefly placing his pipe in his mouth and inhaling a fresh hit of leaf.

"Exactly 7 days from today - on the 27th day of May the Genin will be gathered and tested..." The seasoned 3rd Hokage stated before exhaling a massive puff of smoke from his nose and mouth, the smoke cloud bellowing up and surrounding his face and hat.

"And only the very best and brightest will graduate to Chunin." The 3rd Hokage asserted as he rested his right arm against the desk infront of him.

"Yes, Lord Hokage." The entire group of 19 jonin asserted in unison, the lazy downgraded tone of Kakashi being overwhelmed and silenced by the other 18 Jonin.

At that moment the 3rd Hokage once again raised his right hand to his mouth, positioning the end of the pipe to his lips as he inhaled a fresh puff of leaves, before pulling the pipe slightly away from his mouth.

"Alright its time we choose our candidates for the Chunin graduation exam, to begin will those in charge of the rookie genin step forward." The 3rd Hokage asserted as he exhaled a massive cloud of smoke that bellowed out towards the three Jonin the stepped forward.

"Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma." The 3rd Hokage spoke as the three jonin stopped 3 feet infront of his desk, from Hiruzen's perspective Kakashi was on the right, Kurenai in the center and his son was on the left.

"What do you say? Are there any in your squads that you would recommend despite their inexperince?" The 3rd Hokage asked rhetorically before continuing.

"As you know any Genin that has fulfilled 8 or more missions are eligble for graduation." The 3rd Hokage stated as he briefly raised his pipe to his lips and inhaled a fresh hit of leaf.

"Of course more Genin require a much longer training period, atleast twice that many missions, as their teacher you must decide when they are ready." The 3rd Hokage breathed out as a massive cloud of smoke poured from his nose and mouth.

"So Kakashi you shall begin." The 3rd Hokage ordered.

At that moment the silver-haired Jonin retracted his right hand from his pocket and positioned it vertically infront of his face, preforming the Seal of Confrontation with his right hand.

"I lead team 7 - Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno - I Kakashi Hatake recommend all three of these Genin for the Chunin graduation exams." Kakashi stated leisurely, even at an important moment like this he found it hard to care.

Ebisu's eyes widen under his glasses and his mouth dropped slightly agasp when he heard Kakashi recommend Naruto for graduation as the Jonin clenched both his fists in rage.

I shall speak to lord Hokage about this...there's no way that...boy... should be allowed to advance in further in the Shinobi world. Ebisu thought to himself, still sour after his defeat to the 'demon' infront of his prized student Konohamaru.

"And my team is number 8" Kurenai interrupted, breaking Ebisu's train of thought, as she herself raised her right hand infront of her face vertically and preformed the Seal of Confrontation.

"Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame - and now I Kurenai Yuhi recommend all three." Kurenai spoke.

"And my team is number 10 - Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi and now I - Asuma Sarutobi recommend all three." Asuma interrupted as he himself also preformed the Seal of Confrontation vertically infront of his face.

Upon realizing that all three Genin rookiee teams had just been recommended the group of 16 Jonin behind the 3 infront of the Hokage began to mumble and whisper to one another, clearly shocked by the situation at hand.

"Hold on just a minute!" Ebisu broke out, finally having enough of the situation unfolding infront of him as he raised his clenched right fist to his jawline and stepped forward from out of the crowd.

"Yes - what is it Ebisu?" The 3rd Hokage responded as all three of the Jonin infront of him turned around to confront this interruption of their teams recommendation.

"Lord Hokage with all respect many of the names called descend from powerful and reknown clans, clearly deserving of their recommendation..." Ebisu's sentence trailed off slightly before he continued.

"But that child! Naruto! There's no way he quailfies to become a Chunin! The brat should have never been made a Shinobi!" Ebisu declared, saying what many unnamed Jonin in the room and infact many of the villagers thought.

"He has gone far enough!" Ebisu asserted as he unclenched his right hand and slung it dramatically through the air to the right, the three rookiee team teachers and the Hokage focusing intently on him.

"When I became a Chunin, I was 6 years younger than Naruto is now." Kakashi replied, defending his student and the legacy of his Sensei.

"But that child is nothing like you Kakashi!" Ebisu protested, clearly annoyed by the events unfolding infront of him.

"He is brash, young, foolish and and..." Ebisu's sentenced trailed off as he attempted to avoid saying what everyone is thinking.

"You think Naruto is unworthy of being called Shinobi?" Kakashi asked, bothered by the insults to his students progress.

"Of course!" Ebisu replied as both his hands rested several inches away from his sides, both of them clenched in anger.

"I see you didn't read the report I turned into you before this morning." Kakashi replied non-chalantly.

"Th-the report?" Ebisu stuttered as his fists fell loose and his mouth opened slightly as he processed what Kakashi was suggesting.

"Of course I didn't I had to attend this meeting just like you!" Ebisu shouted at Kakashi.

"Well maybe you should learn to read and walk like I do - and you would have come to this meeting with something to offer." Kakashi replied in a lazy tone.

"How dare you!" Ebisu protested.

"Well if you had read the report..." Kakashi's sentenced trailed off as he raised his head up and stared at the ceiling.

"You would know that the only reason I'm alive is because of Naruto." Kakashi spoke, shocking every Jonin present in the room, including Ebisu, as they're mouths fell open and they eyes turned to saucers.

During all of this the 3rd Hokage squinted his eyes slightly under his hat as he clenched the top of it with his left hand and pulled it down to cover his face, making a mental note to read team 7s report as soon as possible.

"Impossible! You can't really be comparing that child to someone of your level Kakashi! Someone of Jonin level!" Ebisu protested, hoping no one had seen his defeat at the hands of Naruto.

At this moment Kakashi leisurely downcast his gaze from the ceiling and directed it towards Ebisu.

"He was able to defeat Zabuza Momochi - the demon in the mist - could you accomplish such a feat?" Kakashi asked, thinking back to when he had almost drowned in a ball of water before Naruto's odd powers saved him.

The buldging eyes and open mouths turned shocked and agasp upon hearing Kakashi's stated ment, murmuring and whispers escaping from the small crowd of 14 Jonin standing behind Ebisu.

The majority were mocking and joking about Kakashi's statement, and how close he had grown to the 'demon' that inhabited and haunted their land, only one of the Jonin thought no ill-will of Naruto.

"Allowing your student to surpass you already huh Kakashi." A shiny bowl styled black haircut bushy eyebrowed Jonin asserted, annunciating the three syllables that formed Kakashi's name.

Judging from how he treated Kakashi, he had to be around his age, or even older depending on when his birthday was.

Other then the odd bowl haircut, and the bushy eyebrows, the Shinobi wore an odd dark jade green body jumpsuit, the sleeves extendeding to his hands that were bare and uncovered.

Extending from the ankles of this Shinobi shoes and raising to his knees were orange vertically stripped leg warmers, with thin barely visible sewing lines between each strip.

Most odd of all was the Shinobi's headband, its fabric was bright red completely different and unique compared to the standard dark ocean blue fabric attached to the vast majority of headbands.

And just as odd, the Shinobi had the headband tied and wrapped around his waist, the symbol of the leaf village positioned directly above his loins.

Finally the Shinobi wore the standard Shinobi vest of all Ninja, except his vest was unzipped and hanged leisurely around his frame, the unzipped jacket parting down the middle of his torso revealing his headband at his waist.

At that moment the now speaking unknown Jonin stepped forward, standing along side Ebisu infront of the group of now 13 Jonin standing behind both of them.

"Looks like youth is leaving you behind Kakashi." The bowl styled hair cut man stated as he rested both his clenched fists against his waist, his teeth still gleaming and shining brightly between his lips.

The Shinobi then downcast his gaze towards the floor, hiding his face from view as a odd aura of darkness surrounded him.

Upon seeing this Kakashi entered his own depression state, his shoulders slouching down and his visible eye becoming squinted and half closed.

Oh no...please Guy can you be serious for one mo- Kakashi thought to himself before the Shinobi known as Guy shouted loudly, breaking his train of thought.

"WELL I FOR ONE AM BURSTING WITH YOUTH BABY!" Guy yelled aloud in the room as he threw his right hand out towards Kakashi, his fingers closed and his thumb, preforming a thumbs up towards Kakashi.

The once serious and veteran voices of the Jonin and 3rd Hokage in the room turned to one of embarassment and awe, as several drops of sweat dropped down from some of the Jonin present, including Ebisu.

He hasn't changed one bit. The 3rd Hokage thought to himself as he used his left hand to slightly pull down his hat to cover the smile growing upon his face.

Just like the Academy... Both Asuma and Kurenai thought to themselves, Kurenai raising her left hand to her forehead while Asuma sighed loudly, his cigeratte still in his mouth.

Uuuuuuhhhh I need what he is on... Kakashi thought to himself leisurely, growing tired and in need of a nap.

Team 7 left their camp this morning at 7am and arrived in the village at 8:30am, however now that it was 1:28pm Kakashi was starting to feel his age and the desire to nap was growing inside him.

…..Ebisu thought to himself as his mouth flung open and the eyebrows above his glasses twitched as he stared at Guy in shock, having been his teammate on they're genin team together Ebisu was most accustomed to his antics than most.

Finally Ebisu closed his mouth and raised his right hand to his face, pushing his dark shaded glasses up the bridge of his nose as he attempted to regain his composure.

"Might Guy! Please have some respect we are in the presence of the 3rd Hokage! Ebisu pleaded, while Guy stood firm in his pose, thumb still extended towards Kakashi and a gleamer still protruding from the teeth between his lips.

"We are trying to discuss why that boy has gone far enough!" Ebisu asserted as he redirected his gaze towards Kakashi.

"You have no proof of that childs growth surely there must be somewhere we can -" Ebisu asked before his sentence was interrupted by a surprising individual.

"Actually I do." Guy spoke out in an oddly dominant tone as he once again place both his clenched fists against his waist as he garnished the attention of the entire room once again.

"You see one of my students is alitte to stubborn for his own good, and he has this habit of staying out in the woods training for hours at a time." Guy spoke as he closed his eyes and smiled, the face of lee appearing in his mind.

"As his teacher I have my own habit, a habit I developed before he was even my student." Guy stated, his eyes still closed.

"And well three years ago...Lee gained a sparring partner..." Guy's sentence trailed off as he raised both of his arms to his chest and crossed them as he briefly nodded his head forward, thinking back to the first day his student had gained a new friend.

 _-Flashback-_

Might Guy sat crouched atop a tree branch in one of the many trees that sprouted and grew from the forest that surrounded and engulfed the entirety of Konoha on all directions.

The tree branch Guy sat crouched upon was one of many trees that encircled a small clearing which held a single 6 ft by 2 ft log placed vertically into the ground, the grass growing around its corners indicting it had sat there for many years, the log was badly beaten, with massive chunks of wood being worn and eroded away, evidence that it had been the object of several hours of training.

It was 3:27pm Saturday May 12th 55 SSP, summer vacation for Academy students as class let out the first week of April and resumed the 2nd week of June.

"If I can not do a thousand squats - than it is a thousand punchs, 795, 796,797,798, 799!" A panting black haired Academy student stated as he continued to preform squats inside the center of the clearing, his hands raised and gripping the back of his skull.

The Academy student had shiny dark black hair, the front and sides were cut above the ear but his hair grew long in the back as his the strands of his hair were tied and wrapped around each other forming a ponytailed that descended to his shoulder blades.

He wore an oddly formal twin button up tan long sleeve shirt, 8 buttons in total sat embroiled into the front of the shirt with 4 buttons on each side of his torso, all of them colored golden with golden stringed laced between the buttons, below his shirt he wore dark black pants that were so long the student had the ends of them shovered into his Shinobi shoes.

With each squat as the student descended towards the ground sweat poured and dripped off his foreheard and cheeks bombarding the ground below and infront of him.

I can't believe he's still at it. Guy thought to himself in astonishment.

Guy had visited the clearing earlier that day at 5:45 am sharp in an attempt to get some afternoon, overwork training in but when he noticed that the Academy student infront of him was training he decide to come back later.

Imagine his surprise when he came back 8 hours later at 1:45 pm and the Academy student was still in his favored training location, so Guy decided to take a seat in the trees and watch the student with interest, shocked at his determination.

The crunching of grass being pushed down against the dirt alerted Guy as he tore his gaze from the squating Academy student and directed it towards the newcoming who had just stepped foot inside the clearing.

"Oh I-I'm sorry I didn't know anyone was out here." A blond haired boy with odd whiskers engraved into his cheeks mumbled out.

His hair was loose and shaggy, falling in several different locations and directions as it rested a few inches above his eyebrows, some strand even falling infront of the boys piercing sky blue eyes.

The young blond boy wore a dark blue short sleeve shirt and matching pants that ran to his ankles with a long sleeve bright orange jacket worn over his short sleeve shirt, aswell as the standard Shinobi shoes indicting that he too was also a student of the Shinobi Academy and bright orange soft fabric wrist cuffs that matched his jacket.

Finally he held a bundled up brown bag in his left hand, his hand and bag dangling along his left side as a small bulged protruded from inside the bag.

Upon speaking out he garnished the attention of the training Academy student, the latter standing up fully and turning around to confront the new arrival to his training grounds, not knowing that he was being watched from the treeline.

"Oh - hello there." The previously training student replied timidly, sweat still dripping from his forehead.

"Do you mind If I get some training done here? I need to work on my chakra control." The Blond boy asked.

"Sure." The black haired boy responded with a smile as he stared at the blond boy, his black eyes meeting the boys blue eyes.

It was then that the black haired student's stomach roared furiously, causing a brief moment of silence and awkwardness between him and the blond in the clearing, Guy smirking slightly as he remained crouched atop one of the tree branchs.

"H-he-heheh-heheheh-hahaaha-HAHAHAHA" The blond haired boy bellowed out raising his right hand to his chest as he opened his palm and rested it there, attempting to catch his breath.

"Ha-hahahahah" The black haired boy chuckled out in reponse, slightly embarassed of his hunger as he raised his right hand to the back of his scalp and rubbed it.

"Would you like some Sushi? Iruka-sensei made it for me for lunch." The blond haired boy offered.

"OOOOOoooooooh." The black haired boy huffed out in reponse as he shook his head slightly from side to side.

The black haired boy jogged leisurely forward, bridging the small 10 foot gap between him and the blond boy.

"What kind, what kind?" The black haired boy repeated as he raised both his clenched fists to his jawline, full of anticapation, causing the blond boy to smile.

He wasn't smiling because of his fellow students actions, he was smiling because someone was willing to talk to him, something very rare in the village hidden in the leaves.

At that moment the blond haired boy raised his brown bag in his left hand to his chest and shoved his right hand into it, shuffling, sorting and rummaging through the brown bag.

Having finally gotten a good angle on the container inside the bag, the blond boy gripped it firmly and pull it free from the brown bag, exposing it to the world.

The container was made of oak, the most common tree in the land of fire, anywhere else in the Shinobi world it would be pricy but here it was relatively cheap.

The container had several holes and crevasses carved into the top of it, as a plastic lid laid firmly atop it sealing it and making see the materials inside it were fresh and resistant to becoming stale

The blond tore the plastic lid off from the container and extended it out infront of himself, towards the black haired boy.

"Here have some, what's your name? The blond boy asked timidly.

At that notion the black haired boy bent forward and began viciously consuming the prepared Sushi, shoving roll after roll into his exhausted mouth.

Inbetween the muffled noise and gagging the black haired student exherted while he stuffed his face he was able to answer the blonds question.

"L-lee! Rock Lee!" Lee muffed open in reponse as he continued to stuff his mouth, the blond who offered the food smiling at his actions.

"An-and you?" Lee choked out, as the sound of him gagging on the Sushi echoed throughout the small clearing.

"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto replied timidly as the smile on his face broke in, remembering how others in the village had reacted when they heard his name.

"Naruto?! I shall remember it friend!" Lee huffed out as he flung several more Sushi rolls into his mouth, causing Might Guy to chuckle slightly from the treeline he watched from.

"Fri-friend?" Naruto replied in a muffled tone, his lower lip quivering as his mouth fell ajar slightly.

"YES!" Lee responsed in a piercely loud manner, causing Naruto to jump slightly from the shock, lucky for Naruto his years in the Shinobi Academy allowed him to save the Sushi that almost fell to the ground.

"You said Iruka made those for you? Are you from the Academy aswell?" Lee asked as he slammed his heels together and slid down towards the ground, extending both his legs in completely opposite directions as he calves hit the ground, preforming the spilts.

The action causing Narutos mouth to fly open agasp as a look of discomfort, disgust and pain grew upon his face as he continued to stare and gaze upon the frightening action that was unfolding infront of him.

"OOOOOOooooooh!" Lee asserted as he shaked his head side to side while slamming his left palm atop the ground infront of him as he raised his clenched right fist to his jawline dramatically.

"Join me Naruto! If we train together they will never be able to fail us!" Lee stated excitedly as he bounced slightly off the ground several times, attempting to stretch and extend his leg muscles.

"Um-Uh-Um" Naruto stuttered out as he continued to watch the spectacle taking place infront of him in utter disbelief.

"I was actually Irukas first year student, he was 17 when he started teaching." Lee spoke as he continued to bounce slightly off the ground, his statement causing Naruto to regain his train of thought once he mentioned Iruka.

"THAT MAKES US SIBLING STUDENTS NARUTO!" Lee screamed as his eyes became engulfed in flames, Lee was so focused on his train of thought that he failed to noticed Naruto hadn't even responded to him.

"U-um yea - he became my Sensei 3 years ago." Naruto mumbled out in response, avoiding the fact that Naruto also lived with him.

"OH! That means you joined the Academy one year after me." Lee stated as he used his left palm to push himself off the ground as he straightened his legs beneath him, causing him to stand infront of Naruto once again.

"Really? Thats great!" Naruto exclaimed, showing his first hint of joy as he had finally grown comfortable standing beside his sibling student known as Rock Lee.

"What is Irukas schedule? He can't be the only teacher inside the entire Academy." Naruto questioned, finally asking what he had be thinking for the past 3 years since Iruka adopted him.

"Well usually each teacher is assigned a class once they're enrolled into the Academy, and they teach that class for the entire 6 years until the graduate." Lee replied as he placed both his hands on his hip as he twisted his torso from side to side, stretching.

"But that would mean Iruka teachs your class too?" Naruto asked, knowing there was no way Iruka could do that, Iruka always walked Naruto home after school, always and he couldn't do that if he was teaching another class.

"Well Iruka was my teacher, but only for my first year, for some reason he was reassigned during the academy entrance exams for your class." Lee answered as he raised his arms upwards and outwards from his chest before entering into a state of jumping jacks.

"Reassigned? Why?" Naruto questioned.

"I don't know actually, but for the past 3 years my teacher has been Daikoku Funeno." Lee replied, still preforming his jumping jacks.

However Naruto had grown so invested in the conversation that he cared more about the knowledge he was gaining than the weird actions Lee was displaying and just ignored the latter.

"So Iruka will be my teacher for the next 3 years until I graduate?" Naruto asked, eager and excited to know the answer.

"Yes." Lee replied as he fell forward, bridging the gap between him and Naruto as he began preforming push up, oddly he wasn't counting like he did before Naruto arrived, he must be trying to stay busy while he talked to the latter blond.

"So theres Iruka and Daikoku, who else teachs at the academy?" Naruto asked as he crouched down infront of his sibling student, still preforming push ups.

"Well Iwana Akame teachs the class ahead of me, the class that will be graduating next year." Lee answered as several beads of sweat began to build up on his forehead.

It was at this moment that Naruto himself grabbed several Sushi rolls and tossed them into his mouth, chopping and chewing on them throughly as Iruka had made Naruto's favorite food, Avocado and Crab-meat Sushi.

"Who else?" Naruto mumbled out almost in a hard to hear tone as the chewing of Sushi and sticky rice echoed from his mouth, clearly Iruka hadn't taught him how to eat with his mouth closed yet.

"Bekko teachs the class that graduated the Academy and became Genin last month." Lee replied as the sweat dropped and dripped off from his forehead and hit the ground between him and the still crouching Naruto.

"Ms. Suzume teachs the class before you I believe, I think she was actually supposed to teach your class before Iruka was reassigned there." Lee replied, his sweat trailing down his neck and torso as he continued to do push ups.

"But I don't know who teaches the first 2 year classes of the Academy though." Lee asserted, the sound of Naruto chewing and smacking the sticky rice and crab-meat together in his mouth almost overwhelming Lees statement.

"Do you always train this hard?" Naruto asked after swallowing the large amount of rice and crab in his mouth and clearing his throat.

"Of course! As part of the rigid teaching Iruka-sensei instilled in me!" Lee responded.

"I want to show I can be a splendid Shinobi aswell - even if I don't have Genjutsu or Ninjutsu!" Lee asserted, his statement almost causing Naruto to drop his Sushi container in shock.

H-he can't use Genjutsu or Ninjutsu? But that just leaves Taijutsu. Naruto thought to himself as he stared at the Shinobi infront of him in awe, Lee still preforming push ups.

"I will work hard and I will never give up - that is my gift that is my Ninja way!" Lee exclaimed boldly as he once again pushed his body up, his fingers wiggling and shaking from the pressure his body exuded upon them.

Upon hearing his statement Naruto's sky blue eyes widen in shock and awe, as the smiling face of Iruka echoed throughout his mind.

After all, a student inherits their Ninja way from their teacher, isn't that right Naruto? Irukas questioned ringed aloud inside Naruto's mind.

At that moment a brief smile bloomed upon Naruto's face as he remembered what else Iruka had told him.

Because they don't understand Naruto their confused - they see you through their own eyes, their own gaze and their own perspective for everyone sees things in different ways - your job to explain it to them, to show them the way and to get them to see you for who you really are - too see you as Naruto Uzumaki. Iruka's voiced spoke inside Naruto's mind.

You will prove everyone wrong, I know you will because I never give up and as they say - a student inherits his will from his teacher - isn't that right Naruto? Iruka voice asked Naruto.

This cause the young blond to quickly reseal his container of Sushi after throwing two more rolls into his mouth and placing the container on the ground before lowering his body into the same push up position the sweating Lee was in.

"As your sibling student - I Naruto Uzumaki shall train beside you Rock Lee." Naruto declared as he raised his head a smiled towards Lee, stating their names aloud just to make sure Lee knew who he was and didn't hate him.

This caused Lee to raise his own head, his black eyes meeting Naruto's sky blue eyes once again, and returning Naruto's smile with his own.

"I look forward to it - Naruto!" Lee replied, as both he and Naruto began preforming push ups, Naruto counting aloud as both he and Lee moved at the same pace.

Both of them unaware that a now ear-to-ear wide smiling Might Guy had watched the entire encounter that had just occured in the clearing that Naruto and Lee should in, that now two friends should in.

 _-Flashback ends-_

"Might Guy pay attention!" Ebisu declared, breaking the smiling Guy from his train of thought as he realized he had returned to the present world.

"I swear you haven't changed one bit since our days back in the Academy, we aren't a team of Genin anymore, You, I and Genma are respected Jonin of our village and we must act as such." Ebisu attempted to lecture Guy as he brought of memories of their childhood.

"We are discussing that child Naruto Uzumaki, and the actions we must undertake to contain the boy." Ebisu asserted, dancing on eggsells as he attempted to avoid mentioning the thing lord 3rd Hokage had forbidden anyone from talking about.

"Lord Hokage!" Ebisu pleaded as he turned to the right, tearing his attention off of Guy and directing it towards a still smoking Hiruzen.

"He hasn't even been punished for stealing the forbidden scroll surely some form of counter action is requ-" Ebsiu attempt to plead, only to be cut off my Hiruzen.

"Silence." Hiruzen declared in a dominant tone as a cloud of smoke protruded from his mouth and bellowed out towards Ebisu, engulfing the Jonin who instantly dropped to a kneeling position, as he slammed his right fist into the ground infront of him.

"Yes Lord Hokage." Ebisu replied, knowing better than to back talk or argue against the Hokage.

"He has not been punished? That is what you said Ebisu." Hiruzen asserted rhertorically as he inhaled a fresh hit of leaf, the smoke pouring into and filling his lungs.

"Then tell me..."Hiruzen's sentence trailed off as he exhaled another cloud of smoke towards Ebisu, his cloud bellowing between Kakashi and Kurenai, still standing between him and Ebisu

"What would you call Iruka dying infront of his very eyes?" Hiruzen asked, his question causing Ebisu to downcast his gaze, staring directly at the carpet that he sat knelt upon, the entire room silent except for the sound of burning leaf in lord 3rd's pipe.

"I am surprised Ebisu - you of all people should know of Iruka's sacrifice, you after all were assigned as his replacement at the Academy." Hiruzen stated as he pulled his Hokage hate down slightly with his left hand.

"Lord Hokage I ment no disrespect." Ebisu replied, his fist still placed against the carpet infront and his body still in a kneeling position.

"But surely you must understand that -" Ebisu attempt to explain, only to be caught on by the seasoned 3rd Hokage.

"I understand more than you." Hiruzen replied with a gust of smoke pouring of his mouth and nose.

"That child - that Shinobi you so easily mock and belittle has done more for this village than you could possible dream to achieve, and you will show him respect deserving of such a hero." Hiruzen stated, always referring to Naruto as a hero, if when everyone else called him a demon.

"Or else you will no longer be welcomed in this village - I do not want to have this conversation again, do you understand me?" Hiruzen asked as he raised his wooden pipe to his mouth and inhaled in vigorously.

"Yes lord Hokage please forgive me." Ebisu pleaded as he knelt forward and placed his forehead against the ground, bowing in apology and respect to the 3rd Hokage.

"If I may Lord Hokage." Guy asked as he stepped forward, once again garnishing the attention of everyone present.

"I have a special plan of mine to test the little bundles of youth - if Ebisu and Kakashi would be so kind as to assist." Guy asked.

"Very well - but first lets get the rest of the formalities out of the way, there are still several more teachers behind you all that haven't had the chance to speak yet." Hiruzen replied, noting that it was almost 2pm, the past hour had flew by.

At that Guy, Kurenai, Kakashi and Asuma all stood to the side, as Hiruzen began to call forth more Jonin to ask if their teams were indeed ready, the entire room ready to getting this boring formality over with.

* * *

 _Later that day - at 3:37pm on one of the many main roads of Konoha._

A angry and solitary Sakura stomped down the street of Konoha, the area a buzz with life and business as several citizen, families and even some off-duty Shinobi walked along side the street with her.

However Sakura didn't care, she was still upset that she had lost track of the previous sand Kunoichi, someone who in her mind was a total bitch and she didn't trust her walking around her village unsupervised.

So was so upset she completely ignored the dozens of perfume, clothing and Shinobi weapon stores that decorated the side of the street, each store having customers enter and leave, evidence that the village was alive and healthy.

Her arms were crossed against her flattened chest and her head was downgast as her feet dragged lesiurely across the dirt street that she walked on, even a nation as rich and powerful as the land of fire still accustomed to poorly paved dirt roads and pathways.

Stupid bitch - who does she think she is? Flirting with my Sasuke - I'll fucking destroy her. A hot-tempered and angry Sakura declared aloud with her thoughts.

I'm not some pushover that can ignore, not anymore, not after all the training and work I put in with Haku. Sakura thought to herself, as the mental image of the hours she had spent dodging, ducking and even getting stabbed with Senbon that Haku had thrown at her.

I'll show her, and Sasuke, I'll be so powerful and sexy Sasuke will have no other choice to love me. Sasuke thought to herself as she raised her right hand and gripped her chin with it as a devilish look of perversion and deviance as her face was flooded with red and pink.

Yea...yea...heheheh...I read somewhere that's what the legendary sannin Tsunade does...she's so sexy and powerful no man can say no to her... Sakura thought as a wicked grin grew upon her face stretching from ear to ear.

Just you wait Sasuke...one day you'll be begging to have me... Sakura thought to herself as she clenched both her fists and positioned them infront of her mouth as she giggled slightly, excited from just the mere thought of finally having Sasuke to herself.

"Still the same old pathetic school girl I see." A platinum haired blond girl around the same age of Sakura stated, garnishing the latter pink haired Kunochi's attention.

She wore a purple high-collared sleeveless blouse with a mid-drift and a matching apron skirt which was cut on both sides of her legs, causing alot to be revealed.

Or atleast it would have if she didn't have several bandages wrapped around her upper thighs aswell as the lower sections of her ass, but even then from a certain angle you could see her ass, evident that she didn't try hard to cover it.

Not only were her thighs and ass wrapped in bandages, her abdomen and lower chest up to her non existent breast were also wrapped tightly in them, bandages that hugged and clinged to her firm petite frame.

Around her tiny waist atop her purple apron skirt below her mid-drift was a headband of Konoha wrapped firmly around her as a belt, tied in the back and the remaining fabric tucked under her skirt against her ass, with a white satchel full of Shuriken tied above her ass.

Her calves and lower legs were bare and revealed to the outside world, the only thing of note were her standard shinobi shoes and the vertical pouch filled with six 7 in long black steel kunai, standard for every shinobi.

From her wrist to her upper biceps she wore matching white arm warmers with blue trim on both ends, odd as the land of fire was typically a warm weathered place.

Finally the majority of her platinum blond her was tied back into a long loose ponytail that trailed alot her back and end slightly above her waist.

A small section on the right side of her head hung loose allowing several strands of hair to fall forward and conceal the right portion of her face and eye, while she wore 2 small-hoop styled silver earrings.

Upon recognizing her fellow Kunoichi Sakura's once red and pink filled face that was grinning morphed and transformed into an odd look of annoyance, hatred, rivalry and...friendship?

"I still can't believe they let you graduate Ino-pig." Sakura spat out as he pulled her right hand free from her chin, clenched it into a fist, and positioned at against her waist.

"Back at you forehead." Ino replied as she mimicked Sakura be placing her own clenched right fist against her waist.

Both of the Kunoichi entered a deadly staring contest, Sakura's green eyes blazing and glaring into Ino's pale blue eyes.

"Tch - girls can be so troublesome." A black porcupine styled hair Shinobi stated, standing 5 feet behind Ino to her right side.

He wore brown pants that went down below his knees but ended sllightly above his ankles and the standard shinobi shoes with the iconic shinobi white linen fabric wrapped around his right thigh and a vertical kunai pouch tied there.

He wore a mesh armored T-shirt, the top of which was lined with green trim, over that was a short-sleeved grey jacket, also lined with trim on both his collar and sleeves, the Nara clan symbol sewn into the back of it, most odd of all were his earrings, his earrings were the exact same as Ino's, they matched perfectly almost as if they were both wearing the same pair.

H-how did I not notice him? Sakura thought to herself, shocked that her sense of direction was so terrible especially since she had trained so intensely with Haku.

Maybe I should only daydream at home from now on... Sakura made a mental note to herself, not wanting to appear or seem useless as a Kunoichi.

"Shut up!" Ino barked out in response as she turned around and glared at the new comer, her back now positioned towards Sakura.

"Everytime you say that you sound like a faggot Shikamaru ." Ino snorted towards the porcupine haired Shinobi.

"Right Choji?" Ino asked as she turned slightly to her right once again, as she, Shikamaru and even Sakura all stared at the individual she had just mentioned, stuffing his face with potatoe chips.

He was a rather large individual, he wore brown shorts that matched Shikamaru's aswell as the standard white linen fabric wrapped around his right thigh and a vertical kunai pouched tied there aswell.

He wore a white shirt with the Kanji for food sewn into the front of it, aswell as a green short-sleeve Haori with a long white scarf tied around his neck, it was long but no where near as long as Konohamaru's as this Shinobi could walk without tripping.

Oddly he didn't just match Shikamaru, he also matched Ino as he wore bandages wrapped around both his forearms and even his hands as the bandages wrapped and danced around the base of his fingers indivdual, it must have taken forever to wrap them.

He wore standard shinobi shoes with bandages wrapped around his ankles and rising all the way to his knees, an odd fashion statement.

Just like Shikamaru and Ino, Choji wore Silver small hooped earrings, all three of their earrings were basically carbon copies of the others.

Choji was so busy shoving Potatoe chips in his mouth and crunching them under his teeth that the sound they made overpowered her and Choji didn't even hear her question as his eyes were closed in an aura of pleasure and delight due to his chips.

"Whats with the earrings?" Sakura asked, the matching earrings being an odd thing that she noticed.

"I'm surprised you could notice something like this, you're usually so slow and dense." Ino replied with a smile as she twirled around and once again positioned her right fist against her waist.

"Yea yea, but whats with the matching set? Are you all married together?" Sakura joked.

"TCH! As if, this two Bozos don't have what I want in a boy." Ino snorted as she crossed her arms and huffed.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru sighed as he hung his head low.

Lucky for Sakura Choji had just swallowed a mouthful of chips before she asked her question, and since he wasn't chewing the crunch of the chips didn't silence out her question like they did Ino's.

"Its a tradition in our team, the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio, each of us wears these earrings as proof of our friendship and team." Choji replied, his eyes still closed in pleasure as he quickly reached into the bag of potatoe chips held in his left hand and tossed a handful into his mouth.

"OOOOooh! That's so cool!" Sakura replied with enthusiasm as she raised both her clenched fists to her jawline.

"I wish me and Sasuke had matching earrings..." Sakura mumbled out as she dropped her arms to her side and her face hung forward, depressed that she and Sasuke didn't.

"Cheer up forehead, I'm sure one day that team of yours will be as close as - oh wait no it won't." Ino scoffed out in a joking manner as she threw both her both palmed hands into the air.

Seeking to cut into the conversation before the two grils infront of him can continued their pointless arguement, Shikamaru found the perfectly time to intervene.

"Speaking of team, wheres Naruto at? I hear you all got back to the village today." Shikamaru asked, causing Sakura to crossed her arms against her non-existant chest, tilt her head sideways to the left and scoff.

"Fuck him, he tried to stopped me from teaching this sand bitch a lesson so I kicked him in the dick." Sakura snort, causing Ino to giggled.

"W-wait wait wait, you kicked Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki, in the dick? I thought Sasuke was the dick you wanted." Ino joked, always loving the chance to tease Sakura.

It clearly worked as Sakura's face turned to the same tone as her hair as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Shut up pig." Sakura snorted, her face still pink.

"Well me and Choji were planning to say hi to him, why don't we stop by his house and see if he's there?" Shikamaru interrupted the 2 Kunoichi with Choji nodding in agreement, evidence of they're close friendship with Naruto.

Ino clenched her right fist and planted her knuckles against the right side of her waist as he left arm hung down like dead weight on the side of her body, her fingertips grazing the bandages tied around her upper thighs.

Naruto this - Naruto that - I swear its like they're gay for him. Ino told herself.

Besides how come they want to spend so much time with him, but dad and mom tell me to stay away from and never talk to him? Like what's everyone's deal with Naruto? Ino asked herself.

He's just some quiet weirdo that paints whiskers on his face, besides his grades at the Academy were even worse than mine. Ino concluded.

It was then that she recalled a argument she had gotten in with her dad a few weeks back, when he dad told her to wear more cloths or atleast cloths that wouldn't be so revealing, after all Ino's clothing was extremely revealing, almost transparent as he revealed so much skin in several sensitive areas, but she was a Kunoichi afterall she needed free room to move.

Dad can go fuck himself, I'll go visit Naruto just to piss him off. Ino told himself.

"Yea lets visit him, lead the way bozos." Ino barked out at Choji and Shikamaru, causing Sakura to sigh in defeat.

Sakura could just leave and walk around or go home and rest in an actual bed but she wasn't tired like she was earlier that morning, the rage induced from the Sand Kunoichi flirt with Sasuke causing a brief burst of adrenaline, and she still had energy to spend.

Shikamaru and Choji both strolled forward, walking inbetween Sakura and Ino and beginning the long journey towards Naruto's house or the far Northeastern outskirts of the village, with Sakura and Ino right behind them, since neither of them knew where Naruto's house was.


	13. Chapter 13

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: I fucking hate Minato, not as a shinobi but in terms of a parent and a father, he is a shit dad.**

 **The only thing that pisses me off more than Minato's parenting skills are the constant and endless plotholes Kishimoto gave Minato.** **Like pulling Sage mode out of his ass in the 4th Shinobi World War.**

 **If Minato HAD Sage mode in the first place, Kushina would still be alive and the nine tails wouldn't be sealed inside Naruto. Also, Minato would've easily killed Tobi or imprisoned him (if he actually had Sage Mode).**

 **Another massive ass pull is saying Minato sealed half the nine tails inside himself, and the other half inside Naruto. Because apparently Naruto couldn't handle the full power, this isn't a bad thing until you realize it's just an excuse to give Minato Bijuu Mode.**

 **It was already stated that only an Uzumaki could contain the full power of the nine tails. This is why the Nine tails is always sealed inside an Uzumaki.** **Some people will argue that Naruto is just a new-born child and can't handle the power or influence of the nine tails.**

 **But I disagree, the Uzumaki clan were well known for their massive chakra reserves and as their extensive lifespans.** **This lifespan was actually so significant that their village was known as the "Village of Longevity".**

 **Point is, the Uzumaki are a big fucking deal and I see no reason why Naruto couldn't contain the entire nine tails. Especially since Kishimoto only gave Minato Kurama's chakra as an excuse for Bijuu/Sage Mode.**

 **Finally in regards to the Raven that Itachi placed inside of Naruto, the raven that contains Shisui's left eye aswell as a piece of his and Itachi's chakra.**

 **This raven will follow rules very similiar to the Amaterasu, those rules being it will active and come forth either on command by Itachi, or when Naruto's eyes look upon a certain object.**

 **However in canon Amaterasu was activated when Sasuke made direct eye contact with Obito's Sharingan, that will not occur in this series.**

 **The Raven will emerge and active the moment Naruto makes direct eye contact with a Mangekyo Sharingan, it doesn't matter whose it is. The second Naruto makes eye contact with an MS the Raven will force itself free.**

 **Lastly in terms of Sakura and how I plan to write her, in Naruto Shippuden episode 127-128 it is confirmed canon that Jiraiya's motivation from the start was pussy, specifically Tsunade's.**

 **That is how I plan to write Sakura, just replace pussy with dick and Tsunade with Sasuke. Sakura doesn't want to be strong for any real plot reason, she just wants to be strong so Sasuke will fuck her.**

 **And to be fair, canon Sakura's motivation was Sasuke's dick, so I don't see this as too much of a stretch.**

 **Finally, in Naruto Shippuden episode 347 it is confirmed that Kakashi knew about the three orphans Jiraiya taught from the rain village.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Prove Your Worth! Secret Revealed.**

"And you've seen it?" Hiruzen asked as he held his wood pipe next to his lips, still sitting at the desk in the room he had previously summoned the now dispersed crowd of Jonin into.

The vast majority of the Jonin had all been reliefed, with the exception of Asuma, Kurenai, Guy and Ebisu who had been ordered to wait outside at the entrance of the Hokage's tower, leaving Kakashi alone with the 3rd Hokage.

"Yes, I avoided any mention of it in the report, limiting it to stictly stating his clones covered in seals defeated Zabuza, but theres even more than that." Kakashi affirmed, causing Hiruzen to sigh a gust of smoke out of his nose, his pipe still in his mouth.

"Other than the summoning I have already mentioned, during my battle with Zabuza atop the water below the bridge, I was able to confirm he can somehow manipulate gravity itself, using his body as the epicenter." Kakashi spoke.

"And have you spoke to him about it? About his eyes?" Hiruzen questioned as he pulled his pipe loose from his mouth, a trail of smoke pouring out if it.

"Yes - but as I suspected he doesn't know anything, or atleast he doesn't appear to, I would like to think Naruto would never lie to me." Kakashi hummed out, both his hands resting in his pockets lesiurely.

"Hmmmmm..." Hiruzen huffed out in response as he raised his left hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"The eyes of the Sage of six paths...The Rinnegan..." Hiruzen mumbled, still rubbing his nose.

"What do you know about them?" Kakashi asked lesiurely, having a habit of being lazy in everything he did, even towards the Hokage.

"Hmmmmm..." Hiruzen hummed out as he pulled his left hand from his face and positioned his flat palm atop his desk, once again raising his pipe up to his lips.

"Do you recall the three orphans from the rain village that my student, Jiraiya, taught?" Hiruzen questioned as he inhaled a massive hit of leaf.

"Yes, I asked Jiraiya-sensei about them years ago when I was around Naruto's age, the last time he visited the village." Kakashi replied.

"He spoke very highly of all three of them, its a shame they died during the 3rd War." Kakashi stated.

"And what all did he tell you about them?" Hiruzen asked, testing Kakashi's knowledge on the subject.

"Well." Kakashi sighed, pulling his right hand from his pocket before raising it to his face and gripping his masked chin with it as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Yahiko, Konan and Nagato were they're names I believe if I remember correctly." Kakashi mumbled out.

"He said something about Yahiko being passion, single minded and how he was driven to obtain his goal of world peace." Kakashi mentioned, thinking back to the conversation he had held from the toad sage of the Sannin all those years ago.

"Konan...she was a girl who never showed her emotions, she always played things close to the vest, though I don't know what Jiraiya-sensei meant by that, and she was supposed to be very pretty, in the words of Jiraiya-sensei atleast." Kakashi mumbled.

"And Nagato..." Kakashi's sentence trailed off, as he recalled how highly Jiraiya regarded the boy, clearly he must have been quite skilled.

"Honestly the only thing I was told about Nagato is that Jiraiya-sensei thought he could be a hero in one of his books." Kakashi concluded as he rubbed his masked chin non-chalantly, still staring at the ceiling.

It was then that Hiruzen raised his left hand to his face, gripping the roof of his Hokage hat and pulling it down slightly as he exhaled a puff of smoke from his mouth, the smoke cloud bellowing towards Kakashi and enveloping him.

"That boy, Nagato, he too also possessed the Rinnegan." Hiruzen affirmed.

"Wh-what!?" Kakashi stammered as he pull his right hand from his chin and his left hand from his pocketing, holding them aloft in the air at chest height in a shocked manner.

"Did Jiraiya-sensei teach Nagato how to harness the power of them? Could he do the same for Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Hmmmmmm..." Hiruzen hummed as he held his pipe several inchs away from his mouth.

"A question both of us would like answered." Hiruzen stated, causing both of Kakashi's shoulders and arms to slump down as his head began downcast in depression.

"So even you don't know how to train him lord Hokage?" Kakashi asked, still in a slumped down and crooked position.

"Other than Jiraiya's word, I didn't even know they were anything more than legend, to think - the same eyes of the Sage of six paths, he who created the moon." Hiruzen remarked.

"Does that mean you're going to summon Jiraiya-sensei back to the village?" Kakashi asked as he finally straightened his back and regained his posture.

"Yes - I've recieved a formal complaint this morning from a list of several citizens from the town of Rusutsu, several 10 miles Southeast of Tenchi bridge, that a certain Sannin has been sneaking into several spa houses full of women." Hiruzen sighed.

"Hmmm - good ol' Jiraiya-sensei." Kakashi murmured out, causing Hiruzen to sigh once again, this time louder than before.

"Yes well - regardless..." Hiruzen stated, his sentence trailing off as he pulled his Hokage hat down slightly with his left hand to hide to slight brush on his face.

His student Jiraiya wrote very good novels about the women of the land, several lands actually, his main inspiration for these novels sprouting into his mind from doing the very thing he did best, spying on women in spa houses.

Though Hiruzen would never openly admit it, especially not read the books in public like Kakashi did, he very much appreciated and valued the work and effort Jiraiya put into his novels.

"I've already dispatched a Fire hawk to summon him, he should arrive in a week, once the hawk finds him that is." Hiruzen spoke.

"Hmmmmm..." Kakashi hummed out in a depressed manner as his shoulders slumped down once again.

"What is it Kakashi?" Hiruzen asked before once again placing his pipe up against his mouth and breathing in a fresh hit of leaf.

"I mean - we all need to learn more about Naruto's eyes...but I do kind of want Jiraiya-sensei to finish his next novel..." Kakashi sighed as he straightened his postured and raised his head slightly, staring at the ceiling.

"Hmmmmmmmm..." Hiruzen scoffed out as he once again pulled his Hokage hat downward to hide the blush on his face, his student did write wonderful novels after all.

"Well...we do have spa houses here..." Hiruzen whispered slightly, causing Kakashi to grin under his mask.

"Aren't they why he hasn't been back to the village for so long? I thought he got banned after that whole thing with Tsuna-" Kakashi asked, only to be cut off by a loud sigh escaping from Hiruzen as he once again pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'd rather not discuss that incident right now, I'll deal with them when - in the meantime you are to watch Naruto more than ever before, something about this situation...bothers me." Hirzuen concluded.

"Yes Lord Hokage." Kakashi sighed out lesiurely, not wanting to mention just how much he watched Naruto.

"Now - if that will be all, are you ready to test your team? I want all of you to test them together." Hiruzen asserted as he placed his piped atop his desk and positioned his hands around the glass orb infront of him.

At first it was just a reflection of his own face, wrinkled and covered in stretch marks and liver spots, but soon an Image of 4 blurry figures walking came into view before they became pixated and indentified as Sakura and team 10.

"It appears one of your students is ready to be tested." Hiruzen spoke before touching several of his individual fingers to the glass orb in different angles, the image contorting and shifting to show Naruto and Sasuke sitting in Naruto's livingroom watching TV.

"Hmmmm..." Hiruzen hummed as his fingers continued to slide and press against the glass, attempting to hone in and focus upon Naruto, sitting indian style on his couch.

"Well...If we do have to test Naruto I dont want to be the decoy...as I mentioned he can somehow manipulate gravity and I don't want to be affected by that again." Kakashi sighed out.

"Hmmm - I will leave the details to you, Guy has volunteered to help though so I hope you're prepared for that." Hiruzen stated, a slight grin blossoming upon his face.

"Huuuuuuuuuuuh." Kakashi murmured as he turned around and began lesiurely walking towards the door.

"I'll try Lord Hokage." Kakashi scoffed as he threw the door open and closed it, descending down the hall towards the exit of the office, Hiruzen grinning the entire time.

* * *

 _Meanwhile - In the streets of Konoha._

"No way billboard, it took you 3 weeks to accomplish 1 mission? We've done 6 in the past week." Ino mocked, using another nickname for Sakura.

"Shut up!" Sakura quickly snapped out as he turned her head to the left to briefly stick her tongue out at Ino.

"Besides it wasn't just any mission, it was a super awesome mission!" Sakura stated as she tore her gaze away from Ino and extended both her open palmed hands into the air, as if she was reaching out to the sky.

"Saved a village, rescued an old drunk, got lavish treatment, the works." As she spoke, several bright twinkling stars began to float around her eyes.

She then clenched her hands in mid-air, transforming them into fists as she retracted both of them to alongside her stomach.

"Now all thats left is for Sasuke to save the Princess!" After screaming, Sakura briefly giggled.

"Mmmmmm so Troublesome." Shikamaru mumbled as he gripped his face with his right hand and rubbed it downward in an exaggerated fashion.

"Ahummmmmmm, AHummmmmmm, Ahuummmmm" Choji murmured out as he continued to shove potatoe chips into his mouth.

"Princess of trolls." Ino snorted out with a giggle causing Sakura to once again direct her gaze upon her as she clenched her right fist in rage.

"Say that again Ino-pig." Sakura asserted as her clenched fists shook lightly in the wind, causing Ino to giggle more.

"Well well well whats with the reunion?" A boy roughly the same age as Sakura and the members of 10 team asked, garnishing the attention of they're whole group.

He wore dark greyish pants that descended to 3 inches above his ankles, with standard shinobi shoes below that, a dark tan satchel tied on the back of his waist and the standard white linen fabric wrapped around his right thigh, a vertical kunai pouch attached to that.

His entire torso was covered with a grey, hooded fur-line coat, the fur was jet black and the hood was pulled atop his head was his Konoha headband protruding from the thick fur that covered the Shinobi's forehead.

Finally on his face were 2 distincitve red fangs painted atop his cheeks.

"Hey man hows it been? Long time no see." Shikamaru sighed out, his hands gripping the back of his scalp and his elbows directed towards the sky.

"Ahuuummm, Ahummmm." Choji mumbled out once he noticed Kiba but refused to stop eating his potatoe chips.

"What's up Kiba - Wheres your better half?" Ino questioned, causing Kiba to raise it left hand and point towards the top of his head.

Suddenly the hood atop his head began to squirm and wiggle, as if something was moving atop his head before a tiny white snout attached to a small white puppy with brown fur patchs on his ears, his head barely protruding from underneath the hood.

"Ar!" The small white puppy barked out from atop the Shinobi's head while he used the hood of his jacket as a blanket.

"AWHHHHHhhh." Both Sakura and Ino sang out in unison, they're eyes eyes replaced with hearts as they clasped their hands together in a love struck motion.

"He's the best part about you!" Ino screamed in joy with hearts still for eyes, causing Kiba to slump his shoulders and head downward in defeat.

"Geez - thanks." Kiba mumbled out.

"I-I-I think you're alright Kiba." A black haired, lavender tinted eyed guy hummed out timidly.

She wore a cream-coloured hooded-jacket with a fire symbol on the upper sleeves and white fur around the cuffs and trim with navy blue pants that descended until 3 inches above her ankles.

Below the ends of her pants legs and above her standard Shinobi shoes, her ankles were wrapped in several bandages, with the standard white linen fabric wrapped around her right thigh, a vertical kunai pouch tied to that.

Her hair was short, her bangs kept just above her forehead with chin-length strands framing the cheeks and side of her face with her headband tied around her neck similar to Naruto.

Her statement instantly brightening Kiba's day as he straightened his posture with his directed his gaze towards the girl to his left.

"Thanks Hinata I can always count on you." Kiba stated with a grin on his face, causing Hinata to blush slightly as she raised her hand to her face and position it infront of her mouth to hide her smile.

It was then that a chilled sensation rushed and creeped up Kiba's spine causing him to jolt and jump upward with a yelp, his dog barking with him as it attempted to cling atop his head.

After landing on his feet from his brief jolt upward him turned around to confront the cause of his sperg like behavior.

"What the fuck Shino can you stop doing that? I thought we've been over this?" Kiba asked his teammate who stood to the right of Hinata.

He was fair-skinned and wore a pair of dark black sunglasses that concealed his eyes with a light-grey jacket that had a high, upturned collar that rose to cover his chin, similar to Naruto's tunic.

He had brown pants that descended down to 3 inches above his ankles, with standard shinobi shoes on his feet and the standard white linen fabric wrapped around his right thigh, with a vertical kunai pouch attached to that.

His hair was dark brown, bushy and compact, each strand of hair poking up seperately giving over the appearance of a pine-needle, and just from one quick glance it was clear that he was the tallest-member of the graduating class.

He stood lesiurely beside Hinata, both his hands concealed in the pockets of his jacket in a fashion that made him look completely innocent of the crime Kiba accused him of.

"I apologize." Shino murmured, his mouth completely hidden under his collar giving the illusion that he didn't even talk at all.

"Can you just stop being so creepy man? I'm really trying to help you, but its hard when you act like this." Kiba asked as he raised both his open palmed hands into the air beside his shoulders in a pleading manner.

"I apologize." Shino repeated, causing Kiba's shoulders and head to slump downward in defeat as he sighed loudly.

"If you guys are done with your bromance, we're heading to Naruto's house." Ino snorted, growing tired of standing in the middle of the street.

"What?! That runt?" Kiba exclaimed as he dramatically turned around and straightened his posture, once again facing team 10 and Sakura.

"Wouldn't you much rather come back my house Ino?" Kiba asked, a smile blooming upon his face as he attempted to flirt.

"Cha - as if loser." Ino replied as he crossed her arms against her nonexistent chest and snapped her head to the side, causing Kiba to once again enter a state of defeat and depression.

"N-Naruto's house?" Hinata stuttered out.

"Yea - we just got back from a mission today and since Shikamaru and Choji want to see him, we're going to his house." Sakura sighed, she didn't want to see Naruto again today, but Sasuke was mostly likely with him so that made it worth the visit.

"A 3 week long mission." Ino teased.

"3 weeks for one mission? What a bunch of has-beens, we've already completed 11 D-rank missions." Kiba bragged as he crossed his arms against his chest while he closed his eyes and smiled.

"Oh yea? Shikamaru how many have we done?" Ino barked out as she turned her attention towards Shikamaru, causing him to sigh loudly.

"Troublesome...9 - 9 D-rank missions." Shikamaru huffed in boredom.

"What!" Ino complained as she uncrossed her arms and stomped littlely atop the road.

"Bullshit, we need to do more." Ino order as she clenched her fists and positioned her knuckles against her waist.

"Huuuuuuuu - thats took much work." Shikamaru complained.

"Hey - Sakura, what about you and the runt? What all missions have you done?" Kiba asked, causing Sakura's shoulders to slump down as she began to pout.

Give me a break...11? 9? We've only done 7 missions, well 8 if you count the Land of Waves - and I don't even know what rank that was... Sakura thought to herself, still depressed and pouting.

"Mmmmmmm..." Sakura hummed out in a depressed manner.

"Come on - come on! Whatcha' got?" Kiba asked in a smug manner as he clenched his fists and positioned his knuckles against his waist.

"7..." Sakura huffed out, still slumped over.

"Hah!" Both Kiba and Ino snorted out mockingly at the same time.

"Huuuuuuuuuuu - can we keep walking now? This is taking forever - its such a drag." Shikamaru complained, cut-offing both Kiba and Ino before they could mock Sakura any further.

"Yea - whatever, lead on billboard." Ino snapped out, mocking Sakura in the process.

"Hey - we'll tag along too, afterall that blond runt is probaly dying to see me." Kiba spoke in a joking manner as he positioned both his open palmed hands infront of his hands and shrugged.

"Hm." Shino hummed out, not really indicating if he was agreeing or disagreeing.

"Y-ye-yea." Hinata murmured out in agreement as she pulled on the strings from the hood of her jacket.

"Ugh - yea okay whatever lets just get this over with." Sakura exclaimed as she once again began walking down the street, notioning for Shikamaru and Choji to walk ahead, which they did, once again leading the way to Naruto's house.

Sakura didn't even know if he was home, but she know wherever he was, Sasuke would be with him, evidence of they're strong friendship that has bloomed over the past 5 years, even doublely so since they were placed in team 7 together.

* * *

 _20 minutes later, on the dirt road the leading towards Naruto's house._

"This place looks like a ghost town." Kiba mused as he held his hands atop his head, resting them atop the sleeping puppy that lay there.

The road Naruto lived on was never that busy or populated, infact if was so small you couldn't even call it a street, it was merely a dirt road that diverted from the main road in a hook fashion, allowing people to use it to avoid the main road on the way to the Academy.

7 years ago, before Naruto was adopted by Iruka, the latter kept a wonderful relationship with his neighbors, but that all changed when Naruto moved in, prompting many of his neighbors to moved and abandon they're homes in fearing of living so close to 'It'.

This was apparent as several of the house all with the exception of Naruto' were boarded up and covered, several 2x4's blocking windows and doorways, abandoned completely.

If you walked alongside the road from the southern path, Naruto's house was the first house on your right after walking for 5-7 minutes, with 3 more houses on the right side past Naruto's, and 3 on the opposite side of the road.

The Northern path was much shorter, only taking 2-3 minutes to walk down, aswell as being the road both Iruka and Naruto had taken when they walked to and from the Academy.

"Yea - it's nice and quiet though." Shikamaru hummed, his hands still gripping the back of his scalp as he walked alongside his teammates, Sakura and Team 8, clearly he visited Naruto alot.

"How often do you visit your boyfriend?" Ino asked as she crossed her arms against her nonexistent chest and grinned.

"Ahuummmmmm, ahummmmmm, ahuuummmmm." Choji responsed, the crunch of his potatoe chips muffling his words.

"Huuuuuuu -" Shikamaru sighed out.

"Yea whats going on? Why would Naruto live here? Obviously it isn't safe, why else would everyone else abandon they're homes?" Sakura asked as she cupped her right hand and raised it to cover her mouth, affraid to breath the air around her.

"Hm." Shino hummed.

"Well - here we are." Shikamaru stated as both he and Choji came to a stop infront of the 2 brushes that lined the sidewalk pathway leading to Naruto's frontdoor.

"Oooooh - pretty fancy for someone on the same team as sakura, how does he pay for this?" Ino asked, the only member of the graduating class who didn't know that Naruto lived with Iruka, she just didn't pay that much attention.

"Well it was in his inheiritance from Iruka-sensei." Shikamaru sighed as he downcast his head and walked through the twin pair of bushes, strolling down the path towards Naruto's front door.

"Wh-what!? Iruka-sensei left Naruto this house? Why didn't I get it!?" Ino screamed in shock, she longed to have her own house so she could finally escape from her dads constant nagging.

"Huuuuuuuuu-" Shikmaru sighed out as he stopped mid stride and raised his right hand to his forehead, gripping it.

"I'm pretty sure everyone knows that runt lived with Iruka, even I did, that's why I find it funny how little progress he's made." Kiba snorted out as he followed Shikamaru, walking towards Naruto's frontdoor.

"What!? I didn't know!" Ino shrieked in a Sakura like manner, proof of they're friendship.

"Ahummmmm, ahummmmmmm, ahuuummmmmm." Choji replied.

"Hey - what's going on guys?" Naruto's voice interrupted, as he stood atop the roof of his 2-story house, the sun setting behind his figure, illuminating his hair and outline.

"Naruto." Shikamaru replied in a gentle tone, a smile blooming upon his face as he pulled his right hand free from it and allowed his arm to fall free back to his side.

"Let me guess..." Shikamaru once again sighed as he closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly.

"Ino's screaming?" Shikamaru asked? Attempting to find out how Naruto already knew they were here.

"Screaming!? I wasn't screaming you bitch!" Ino snapped out as she stomped her right front atop the dirt road, only Kiba and Shikamaru stood on Naruto's sidewalk pathway while everyone else still remained in the road.

"Huuuuuu -" Shikamaru exclaimed as he raised both his hands to his face and rubbed it in defeat.

"Naruto - is Sasuke here?" Sakura interrupted, attempting to know if this trip was worth it.

"Yea - me and him are in the backyard practicing, since there isn't anything good on TV." Naruto replied, causing Sakura to smile and blush, happy to see Sasuke again today.

"Hmph - you're gonna need it Naruto - my team has really come along." Kiba bragged out as he clenched his left fist and used his thumb to notion towards Hinata and Shino over his left shoulder.

Shino was the same as always, quiet and distance yet somehow always able to creep people out, while Hinata's face was the same tone as Sakura's hair, pink and flushed as she admired Naruto's figure being Illuminated by the sunset.

"Hmmm - I'm glad for you." Naruto responsed with a small grin on his face, upsetting Kiba as he through his arms down in protest.

"Hey you can atleast play along - it's not fun if you dont!" Kiba complained, causing the small grin on Naruto's face to grow into a full-fledged smile.

"Well, Sasuke is waiting for me out back - come through the fence." Naruto notion as he used to left hand to point towards the thin fence gate that led into Naruto's backyard, before disappearing in a blur.

"Huu!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Since when is he that fast!" Kiba asked as he directed his gaze towards Sakura, causing her to downcast her head slightly in thought.

Fast... Sakura thought to herself as the memory of Naruto dodging and flipping over several attacks directed towards him by Gato's bodyguards, attacks that easily would have killed her.

I can't believe both of them are so far ahead of me - is that why Sasuke gets so annoyed with me... Sakura asked herself as she thought back to when her only purpose was standing beside Tazuna, basically just as defenseless as he was while Sasuke fought Haku until Naruto arrived.

"Hey come on billboard." Ino snorted as she walked past Sakura, her team aswell as team 8 already walking towards Naruto's backyard, her statement bringing Sakura back to the real world as she rushed forward, eager to see Sasuke again.

* * *

 _10 minutes later - 32 feet away from Naruto's backyard, in the forest surrounding it._

"This is a terrible idea." Kakashi mumbled from underneath an empty potatoe sack placed atop his head, one eye hole cut in it to reveal his left eye and a ragged rope tied around his neck to keep it from falling loose.

"Nonsense Kakashi! I won the duel - that means I make the rules!" Gay responsed in an upbeat tone, a potatoe sack also tied around his head with two eye holes and the same rope tying it in place, his headband around his waist inverted to hide the symbol aswell as his identity.

"It was a game of rock-paper-scissiors! Stop treating it like some grand accomplishment." Asuma exclaimed, with Kurenai standing byside him, both of them wearing identical potatoe sacks on they're heads similar to Guy.

"Kakashi said we couldn't be serious! So this'll be great, I've even turned around my belt." Guy asserted as he reached down and pulled at the metal section of his headband lightly.

"I can't believe I got dragged along in this." Ebisu asserted, wearing his glasses on the outside of his potatoe sack.

"I agree with Kakashi - this is ridiculous Guy, is this the kind of stuff you do with your students?" Kurenai asked, causing Guy to grin as he threw his right hand outward into a thumbs up position, his grin somehow sprinkle through his potatoe mask.

"Of course - gives the little buggers a glimpse of youth at its prime, burst and glimmering!" Guy exclaimed, Causing all 4 Academy schoolmates to sigh.

"Guy I don't think this plan of yours will work..." Ebisu mused, unlike the other 3 present he had actually been on the same Genin team as Guy, and as such was more accustomed to his antics.

"Nonsense!" Guy concluded as he clenched his right fist and through to into the air.

"Lets go! Bursting with youth baby!" Guy declared before preforming 2 backflips and side twirling in mid-air to land on a branch, quickly dash off towards Naruto's backyard, all 4 Jonin groaning as they followed.

* * *

 _5 minutes later - in Naruto's backyard._

"Leaf Hurricane!" Guy bellowed out as he twisted and twirled across the air in Naruto's backyard, directed towards the crowd of Kiba, Ino and Hinata that stood at the lower staircase of Naruto's backporch, talking.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" Sasuke screamed in response as he jumped off the railing of Naruto's backporch, his hands preforming the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Finally Tiger seals as inhaled a massive breath of air.

Still in mid-air Sasuke pulled both his hands slightly to the side in a slanted manner as he exhaled his jutsu, the flame bursting forming from his mouth in a spiral cone pattern, searing, burning and scorching the blades of grass atop Naruto's yard as it flung towards the Intruder.

"Dooooooh!" Guy huffed out in response as he ceased his leaf hurricane in mid-air, stomping his left foot to the ground and kicking himself upward as the cone of fire and flame sprew underneath him, the heat from it raised and almost burning his potatoe sack and eyebrows.

Preforming a frontflip in mid-air Guy preceded to land after the fireball had flung past him before once again dashing towards the group, shocking Sasuke at his speed and reaction.

"Wh-what!?"Sasuke exclaimed as he gritted his teeth and flung his right hand to his back, gripping the hilt of his sword.

It was then that Naruto ran outside from the kitchen, having been preparing Sushi and tea for his friends, dropping the plate of Sushi atop his back porch as he rushed to aid Sasuke, the members of team 8 and 10, aswell as Sakura to stunned to react.

Pulling his sword free from his hilt with his right hand in a reverse grip fashion and rushing towards the masked Potatoe sack man, Sasuke slung his sword horizontally towards the man, only for him to drop to the ground and reposition his left leg in a slanted upward position.

"cHOOOOO!" Guy roared out from underneath his potatoe masked as he slung his left foot upward towards Sasuke's jaw, only for him to fly several feet backwards and land in to embrace of Naruto.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" Naruto asked.

Hmmmmm - the black haired one didn't react to it - but Naruto did eh? Guy concluded as he straightened his back and stood up straight.

"Now!" Guy barked, as Asuma, Kurenai and Ebisu all appeared in Naruto's backyard, wearing identical potatoe sacks as Guy, before rushing towards the members of team 8 and 10.

"With his left arm still wrapped around Sasuke, Naruto raised his right hand to his face, preforming the tiger seal as his eyes shot and dashed all around him, noting how he couldn't see any headbands but they all wore Standard Konoha attire.

Naruto especially noted that one of the figures wore an identical outfit to Ebisu, someone he didn't really care that much for.

"Water style: Hidden mist Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed as boldly as he could, using the water from the pond in his backyard to vaporize and mold itself into mist, something Zabuza had taught him personally.

A small sprout of mist sprung forth from his pond, bellowing on and engulfed Guy, Sasuke and Naruto before the entirety of team 8 and 10, aswell as they're would be attackers, Naruto's entire backyard filled and covered in a dense thick mist.

What!? This kid can use Water style? Both Asuma and Kurenai thought in Unison.

Impressive Naruto - I would expect nothing less from someone Lee holds at such high regard. Guy concluded to himself as he stood confidently in the mist, daring someone to attack him.

Th-thi-this boy... he-he Ebisu exclaimed to himself as he shook lightly as stared in all directions, his senses appearing to be dulled and dampened by the density of the mist, a feat the impressed and frightened Ebisu.

"Oooh" Guy hummed out as he side stepped to his right, avoiding a perfectly thrown Kunai that slung past his face.

A blind attack? Is he -? Guy asked himself, the mist too dense to see throw, before several scribbles and Kanji written around the hilt of the Kunai began to glow in mid-air, someone had wrapped an explosive tag to the hilt.

The seal erupted and engulfed the Kunai aswell as the area surrounding Guy, the latter instinctively backflipping 3 times across the ground, grunting each time.

Hmmmmm Guy thought as he grinned to himself, happy to know Lee had such a good friend and rival, as he did in Kakashi.

"Hmmm?" Guy hummed out in a confused manner as he heard footsteps stomping across the ground all around him, but Naruto suddenly leaped several feet into the air out of the dense mist.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Naruto exclaimed as he twirled counter-clockwise in mid-air, repeating the same action Lee had done against him over a thousand times.

Guy merely raised his left forearm in a vertical fashion alongside his body, with his right palm rested against it as he caught the blond's kick, his grin still apparent on his face, atleast it would be if he wasn't wearing a potatoe sack as a mask.

"Hmm?" Guy huffed out as he downcast his gaze towards Naruto's outstretched right calf, which soon dispersed and contorted into water that lashed out and dashed towards Guy, who once again side-stepped and backflipped 3 times across the ground, grunting each time.

Once he escaped its reach the water fell dissolved completely and fell to the ground below it, watering the burnt grass Sasuke had scorched eariler.

A Water clone? Guy thought to himself before slightly gasping in shock.

Back then - he must have created it back then during the explosion from the Kunai - so I wouldn't hear it. Guy concluded to himself as he thought back to the Kunai he had so perfectly dodged.

"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!" Naruto sang out, his hands concealed by the mist as the weaved through several of the neccessary seals.

"AHHHHHHhh!" Ebisu shrieked out as a clone of Naruto's morphed into water and engulfed him, contorting around his lower body and waist and leaving his head free, allowing him to breath but completely restricting his movements.

"Damnit!" Asuma snort out, anger that Naruto's water clone had knocked the cigarette out of his mouth, aswell as captured and contained him and a similar manner to Ebisu.

"Pathetic, I'm a master of Genjutsu don't think this mist will conceal yourself" Kurenai declared as she sidestepped to the right, avoiding one of Naruto's punches, only for him to again contorted and transform into water.

"WH-What!?" Kurenai stuttered out in shock as the water wrapped around her forearms and waist, before soon enveloping and surrounding her around figure, except her head, in a similar fashion to Asuma and Ebisu.

"Hmmmmm." Guy hummed out as he stood alone in the mist.

"Oh." Guy concluded to himself, quickly jumping into the air several feet as he twisted and contorted his legs in a counter-clock-wise fashion.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Guy exclaimed as he and his leg spun around time and time again, repeating the same motion as a fan as the popelled and pushed the surround mist around him away, giving him clear vision for atleast 10 feet as he once again landed on his feet.

Now where could he b- Guy thought to himself, only to be cut-off as three needle thin objects sparkling through the mist dashed towards him, Guy side stepped just in time to where one of the needles cut into the shoulder of his potatoe sack.

Senbon? Guy asked himself, only to divert his attention to the stomp footsteps that charged towards him.

"Chaaaaa!" Sakura declared as she dashed outward from the mist, slinging her right fist towards Guy who merely sidestepped to the left and flung his right knee upward.

Sakura lowered her left palm to her gut in an attempt to stop his knee, only to be stuck with such force to she flew backwards for several feet.

"Sakura!" Both Sasuke and Naruto sang out in Unison, the two of them clapping they're hands together simultaneously, the sound of the action ringing out across Naruto's backyard.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Beast!" Sasuke yelled as his hands weaved through the mist preforming hand seals before extending his right hand outward, his left hand gripping his wrist, as several sparkles and crackles of Lightning formed and erupted from his hand.

The Lightning contorted and molded itself free from Sasuke's hand, forming into the style of a dog and lashing out aswell as running towards Guy, zig-zagging and dashing in every manner and sharp, truely a jutsu worthy of being called Lightning Style.

"Water Style: Water Dragon!" Naruto exclaimed, pulling all the water from his pond aswell as the water used to imprision Ebisu, Asuma and Kurenai into a looming figure of rushing water, somehow preforming the 44 hands seals necessary to summon it in mere seconds.

Th-this just got serious... Guy told himself as he crouched down halfway and raised his arms infront of his chest in a crossed fashion, as the Water dragon loomed overhead and the Lightning dog Sasuke summoned dashed towards him.

"1st Gate - Gate of Opening - Open!" Guy exclaimed as he uncrossed his arms, the veins on his foreheard, neck and forearms bulging and pulsating.

"Huuu!" Guy exclaimed as he leap into the air, avoiding Sasuke's Lightning jutsu, only to look up and see the massive form of Naruto's Water dragon, its jaw opening as it rushed down in an attempt to devour Guy.

Hm - they're teamwork is incredible, it may even be better than my team. Guy thought to himself as he grinned, his veins still pulsating.

"2nd Gate - Gate of Healing - Open!" Guy exclaimed in mid-air as his veins throbbed and bulged even further, intenting themselves as outlines on his skin as he raised his left leg into the air directed towards the dragon and kick, the force of the kick sending him backwards.

As he leaped backwards he preformed 3 backflips in a closed up ball fashion before slamming atop the ground, he was so busy spinning he didn't notice Sakura get pulled through the air in the direction towards Naruto.

Suddenly the lashed out once again towards Guy, falling in his direction, only to dissolved and disappate in mid-air as Sasuke's Lightning dog, still attached to his hand by a string of Lightning Chakra, jumped underneath it.

It was then that it erupted, spending sparks and lightning into the dissappating water overtop it, charging the water with an electric current as it attempt to fall atop Guy.

One thing after another... Guy told to himself as he raised his hands to his torso, entering a stance to backflip once again.

"Earth Style: Hiding like a Mole Jutsu!" The muffled voice of Kakashi rang out from underneath the ground where Guy stood, causing the ground under Guy to transform and morph into fine sand, causing Guy to fall and sink through it, saving him from the ensuing attack.

For 5 feet he slid and sank through the fine sand, squirming like a worm as he attempted to pull himself free, he hated it when Kakashi did stuff like this, before atleast he finally emerge into a tiny 6x6 foot underground tunnel.

"Hey there Guy." Kakashi hummed out innocently, Ebisu, Asuma and Kurenai all standing behind them with they're potatoe sacks off, aswell as his.

"Hey!-Whats going on here Kakashi? Why weren't you up there testing your students?" Guy questioned, still sitting on his ass since he fell there from his fall.

"Oh well - you know - they would easily tell its me cause I only had one eye hole in my potatoe sack." Kakashi mused as he raised his potatoe sack in his right hand.

"Dooooh!" That's right!" Guy exclaimed as he flattened his left hand into a palm and clenched his right hand, slamming the latter atop the former.

"That makes perfect sense - hahahah!" Guy chuckle as he stood up and dusted off his pants.

"Well - lets get this over with." Kakashi sighed as he knelt on the ground and slammed his palms atop the ground, as he and his friends all slowly rose and the tunnel that previously surrounded them disappeared.

Soon the ground above them part, allowing the still prevelant mist to pour in, as Kakashi, Asuma, Guy and Kurenai all rose to stand atop Naruto's backyard once again, the only one still wearing his potatoe sack was Guy.

"Barbeque pork." Kakashi asserted boldly into the mist, causing it to dissappate and dissolve in an oddly abrupt manner, revealing only Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke.

"A-ah! Wheres my team?" Asuma stuttered.

"I moved everyone else inside to the washing room, I have 2 clones holding them there now." Naruto replied, sending Asuma into a depressed state as he slumped his shoulders downward.

"You mean they didn't do anything? Anything at all?" Asuma asked as he raised his shaking hands to his face in a dramatic fashion.

"U-uh-ummmmm." Naruto murmured out as he turned his gaze towards Sasuke, who match it with his own before nodding and turning towards Asuma.

"Nah - they fucking suck." Sakura snorted out, interupting everyone as she clenched her fists and rested her knuckles against her waist.

"Hmph." Sasuke huffed out in a positive manner, grinning at the statement Sakura just made, as Asuma fell further into depression.

"Well - can you bring them all on here please Naruto? We have someone to tell you all." Kakashi exclaimed, causing Naruto to nod and the sound of footsteps protruding from his house to be heard.

"I can't believe you'd just lock us up like that, is that you Sasuke and Sakura? Are you doing the Transformation ju-" Kiba asked in disbelief only to be cut-off and proved wrong as his eyes came upon all three members of team 7, the 2 waters clones Naruto made still behind him.

H-he can actually create clones? Kiba exclaimed to himself in shock.

Troublesome - figures he was holding back at the Academy. Shikamaru thought to himself, always knowing Naruto pretended to be more dumb than he was.

If he stopped painting those whiskers on his face - he might actually be hot. Ino thought to herself as she crossed her arms against her nonexistent chest and rolled her eyes.

N-N-N-Na-Naruto Hinata stuttered out aloud in her mind as she stared lovingly at the boy she so admired.

"Auuuhhmmmm, Auuuuuhmmmm, Auuhhhmmm" Choji mumbled out in response as he shoved potatoe chips in his mouth.

"Gather around all of you, we have something to discuss." Kakashi notioned as he raised his hand into the hand in a vertically manner and waved it leisurely, all of team 7,8 and 10 gathering around him.

* * *

 _5 minutes later_

"The Chunin exams? Are you sure we're ready sensei?" Ino asked in a defensive manner.

"Whats wrong?" Sakura asked in an innocent tone as she raised her cupped hand infront of her face.

"Yo-you aren't scared are you?" Sakura asked in a mocking manner, attempting to sound as much like Haku as she could.

"Shut it billboard!" Ino snapped back.

"What about you - do you all believe you're ready." Kakashi sighed out towards the three genin teams infront of him, Asuma, Guy, Ebisu and Kurenai all standing behind him, Guy still wearing his potatoe mask.

"A thousand times over - right Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he bent his head sideways, directing his gaze towards Naruto, the blond responding to his question with a smile and nod.

"Huuuuu- This is going to be such a drag." Shikamaru complained as Kiba dashed pass him, towards Kurenai.

"Where is? Huh huh?!" Kiba exclaimed as he clenched both his fists and held them aloft infront of his torso, Kiba barking atop his heading during the entire exchange.

"This is all volunt-" Kakashi attempted to explain only to be cut-off as Sakura dash forward and jump on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and she swung around him like a princess around her father.

"You ROCK Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura screamed as she twirled around Kakashi's neck, the latter complaining and attempting to shake her off.

"Don't slober on my vest!" Kakashi retorted as he finally managed to pulled Sakura off of him, positioning her directly infront of him.

"Whoever wants to take the exams, sign this appilcation and come to room 301 at the Academy, its in 1 week." Kakashi asserted as he pulled a loose, folded piece of paper free from his back pocket and presented it towards the 3 genin teams infront of him.

Instantly both Kiba and Sasuke dash towards Kakashi, with Naruto, Choji and Shikamaru, Shino and Hinata walking lesiurely behind them.

Wha-What if I can't pass... Both Sakura and Ino thought out in unison as they downcast they're heads.

The-they did so much more than I did right now - I barely did anything, and when I did I got taken down like I was nothing... Sakura thought to herself, depressed.

They rushed us inside like we were kids, like we couldn't do anything...any yet billboard... Ino thought to herself, both she and Sakura clenching they're fists at the same time in disappointment and self-loathing.

"Hey - come on you 2." Sasuke spoke up, garnishing both they're attentions and causing them to blush as he notioned towards the appilcation.

"I gotta go through away that sushi and make some more, unless everyone is leaving?" Naruto murmured out as he raised his right hand and positioned it on the back of his head in an Iruka like manner.

"Nah - I'll stay." Sasuke replied, it wasn't like he had a family to go home to after all, over the past 5 years Naruto had become his only real family members.

"Me too." Both Ino and Sakura sighed out lovingly in unison, they're eyes replaced with hearts.

"Yea - lets keep this party going!" Kiba mused, eager to learn more about how Naruto could use Water Style and Clone Jutsu.

"Do you want to stay Sensei?" Naruto asked, turning his gaze towards Kakashi who merely raised his left hand into the air in a defensive manner.

"No -no - I have work to do, but please have a wonderful day Naruto." Kakashi replied with a grin on his masked as his team, team 8 and team 10 and walked inside Naruto's house and shut the door, before Kakashi and his Jonin friends disappeared in a blur of leaves.

* * *

 _3 days later, 23rd of May 58SSP - in the village of Rutsu on the far frontiers of the Land of Fire._

"Come on - Come ooooooooon, its not that big of a deal." A waist-length, spiky white haired pony tailed man pleaded, his back pushed against the wall of the spa room he was in, several half-naked women surrounding him.

Framing his face were two shoulder-length bangs with red lines painted under his eyes that extended all the way down his face to his jawline, with a oddly horned headband that had the Kanji for Oil on it above his eyes.

He often carried a large scroll on his back that lay against his tailbone horizontally, his loose long ponytail trailing over it as he continued to cower against the wall he was sat against.

His attire consisted of a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, under which he wore mesh armour that is visible at his wrists and ankles, and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side worn as a jacket.

He also wore hand guards painted the same tone as his kimono, a black belt, traditional Japanese red wooden sandals, he had a tattoo for the symbol of the Uzumaki clan painted in the center of his left palm, so small most people barely noticed it.

"You can't just stare at us and not be punished!" One of the half-naked girls exclaimed as she clenched her wet fist, her hand still soaked from the water in the spa-house.

"Yea! You old pervert! Who do you think you are?" A half-naked blond asked, causing the spiky white haired man to jump up and extended his left hand outward as he crouched down halfway.

"You're beautiful lusty bodies have earned you all the right to know my name." The man stated towards the crowd of angry women with a smile.

"Known throughout the North, East,West and even south...loved by the youngest of ladies..."The man spoke.

"The tears of blood on whose face are overflowing with the burning desire of love." The man contined as he twirled both his hands and neck in the arm in a dramatic fashion.

"I've gone from Sanin to sage! I am the hermit sage of Mount Myōboku! I am master Jiraiy-" The spiky white haired man stated before his sentence was cut off as he gaze rose to the sky and spotted a Fire hawk soaring above.

"Get him!" The angry crowd of half-naked women shrieked in unison as they charged forward the distracted man, only for him to erupt in a puff of smoke, being replaced but a small log to the confusion of all women present.

* * *

 _Several dozens of feet away, on a hill overlook the spa._

"Hewwww - that was close - its so hard to accomplish my work in peace." The spiky white haired man sighed as he brushed his right forearm across his headband.

"Arrrrrr!" The loom Fire hawk above his head, quickly dropping a heavy weighted scroll towards the man, who easily caught it in his right hand.

"Well none - whats this." The old man asked rhetorically as he sat down indian style and laid the scroll atop the ground infront of him - unrolling it in a dramatic fashion, his face grinning with delight and replaced with a slight blush as he read the words written within.

"Dear, Jiraiya

Due to all this recent accusations of spying and invasion, I have no choice but to recall you to the leaf village, return with all due haste.

P.S: You've been unbanned from the spa-house in the village."

"Well well - looks like Old man-Sensei finally has started to appreciated my work." Jiraiya concluded to himself aloud as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"The women of Konoha are the most thicc and robust of all women in this blessed Shinobi world of ours after all - Tsunade is proof of that." Jiraiya told himself with an innocent shrug, talking to himself as noone was there to hear.

"Hmmmmm." Jiraiya hummed out as he raised his gaze and stared at the soaring Fire hawk above.

The leaf village huh... Jiraiya told himself his he tore his gaze from the Fire hawk, positioned his right palm atop the ground infront of him and between the scroll, before pushing himself up, grabbing the scroll in his left hand as he stood.

Well - it'll be nice to see everyone again. Jiraiya thought as he lesiurely began his long journey back to the leaf village.

It'll be good to see you again - Naruto. Jiraiya told himself, his figure emerging atop the dirt road from the hill he had previously been standing on, his long journey home only just beginning.


	14. Chapter 14

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Tsunade breaks the timeline of canon Naruto.**

 **In part 1, Tsunade, Orochimaru and Jiraiya are all 51 and Hiruzen is confirmed to be 68. But,** **Hiruzen was at least 10 years old when the village was founded.**

 **Because, there's a picture of a Genin Hiruzen standing between the 1st and 2nd Hokage. This also means Hiruzen was a Genin before Hashirama died.**

 **Also, Tsunade was** **at least three before Hashirama died, since he has memories of her.** **However, Hashirama wasn't Hokage for long because Madara returned and challenged him.**

 **This means Tsunade has to be 7 years younger than Hiruzen, meaning she should be 61. This has been destroying my brain for days, and this is why I made all the Sanin 58, instead of 51.**

 **I just made them all 10 years younger than Hiruzen.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Tales Of Konoha! Pain of Parental Loss.**

 _Thursday, May 26th, 58 SSP, 12:47am in the afternoon._

A pale-skinned with purple here could be seen, standing in the narrow alleyway outside of Ichiraku's Ramen Stand. Partially obscured by his violet bangs, this young boy was just 12 years old.

Adorned with dark black pants and blue shinobi shoes, this attire deeply contrasted his leaf green shirt. Also, he wore a small pair of tint sunglasses, completely hiding his eyes from view.

Poking his head out of the alleyway, this young boy leisurely strolled into the street. Instinctively heading for Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, this boy took an abrupt turn at the last moment.

Approaching a rustic shop on the opposite side of the street, white linen sheets hung from the entryway. Glancing at the Kanji overhead, the phase 'Muto's Basket Shop' was carved into wood.

Nervously walking inside, this unnamed boy scratched the bridge of his pale nose, stuck in a strange place. Surrounded by ornate barrels, baskets and crates, this mysterious boy sighed with anxiety.

"Welcome! I'm Jonochi Muto. How may I help you, young master?" A bald-headed man spoke out.

Grabbing his pencil thin beard as he spoke, this elderly shopkeeper had a small hunch in his back. Also, he had sunbaked skin that partially managed his auburn-brown eyes.

Jonochi's attire consisted of an ankle-length brown kimono, lavished with a black apron on top. This brought attention to his wooden sandals, clapping against the floor as he walked.

"I'm looking for a basket, a real fancy one, I prefer purple." The unknown boy stuttered.

"I can tell - heh." Jonochi replied with a chuckle, a joke about the massive about of purple fabric and hair that the boy infront of him was adorning.

He then raised his right hand to his face and gripped his chin, while resting his left handed palm against his waist, entering a semi thinking stance.

"Well it this is for a romantic picnic - may I suggest this lavender one?" Jonochi asked as he strolled several feet away and grabbed a 2ft x 1ft picnic basket.

"This beauty came straight from the forest of our village, the bark was shaved down and cut thin, then wrapped and woven together to make sure its sturdy and firm." Jonochi explain and he applied a mild amount of pressure upon the basket, attempting to show its worth.

Jonochi then crouched infront of the Ochird haired boy and placed the basket infront of him, pulling on of the 2 lids it had open to reveal its contents.

The interior of the basket was layered and patted with Lavender fabric that covered and concealed every corner and inch of the internal section of the container.

The lid was lined with the same indentical fabric, both the top and bottom of both the open's the basket container, it was indeed purple, and the unknown boy's face glew with joy and a faint smile upon studying it.

"Its not a romantic occasion - but I will gladly take that basket." The boy stated.

"Woah now - don't you want to ask your parents first?" Jonochi asked.

The boys smile and joy disappeared and was instantly replaced with an aura of depression and darkness as he downcast his head, clearly something Jonochi had just said upset him.

"How much." The boy mumbled out, barely loud enough for Jonochi to hear.

"80 Ryo, I'm sorry if I said something that bothered you sir." Jonochi replied, noticing how visibly uncomfortable his previous statement had made his customer, and attempting his best to show respect, even to one so young.

"Don't worry about it..." The Orchid haired boy murmured out in response as he threw his left hand to his back waist and reached into the black heavy pouch he had tied there.

The boy then preceded to pull out 8 Silver coined Ryo, 1 Silver Ryo being equal to 10 Copper Ryo each.

He than outstretched his open palmed left hand outwards towards Jonochi, who eagerly stood up and looked at the silver, glimmering and shinning Ryo the boy held in his hand, a face of envy and greed growing upon Jonochi's face.

Instinctively Jonochi reached out with his right hand, eager to grab the handful of shiny Silver Ryo, but suddenly the boy clenched his hand shut tight, preventing him from grabbing any of it.

"Will it be able to hold food, like say a bowl of soup or ramen?" The boy asked.

"Yes sir, yes sir the bottom is throughly patted to ensure its perfectly even and horizontal, you should have no problems at all sir." Jonochi replied, showing the upmost respect as he finally realized the boy had money to spend, unlike other civilian kids his age.

At that the young boy unclenched his hand and allowed Jonochi to snag up his silver Ryo, the latter quickly running back to his counter and throwing the change into his register, clearly he loved money.

Once he noticed his money was put in the register the young boy bent forward and grabbed his new lavender basket by its handle and stood up fully, downgasting his gaze to stare at and admire the new gift he had just bought.

"Is that everything? What now?" The boy asked in a confused tone, almost as if never went shopping before.

"Yes sir that is everything, if you need anything else plus come again we value your business." Jonochi stated as he smile down at the boy who returned it with his own, even if it was fake.

At that the boy turned around and attempted to walk out the store before his eyes noticed a trail of smoke pouring up from behind the counter, the boy was surprised he hadn't noticed it before.

"U-um." The Ochird haired boy hummed out, once again garnishing Jonochi's attention before he had walked upstairs.

"Yes sir, back already?" Jonochi joked with a smile.

"I'm glad, this time of day is really slow, the kids are on vacation but they have no money, and all the adults are working or taking a lunch break." Jonochi explain, making an excuse for why his store was so empty.

"Whats that smell? Lavender right?" The boy asked, curious as to what was emitting the wonderful aroma.

"Lavender scented sticks, you just light the end and they burn for an hour, they smell nice don't they sir?" Jonochi explained to the young boy as he pointed over to his counter where the smoke was coming from.

"How much are they?" The boy asked, causing Jonochi to groan and moan in response.

"Well sadly me and my wife just had a child, and she deathly allergic to Lavender so I've been trying to burn through all of them before she's old enough to come downstairs." Jonochi explained.

"I have 3 left not counting the 2 I have burning right now, would you like to have those on the house sir? As a incentive to come back?" Jonochi asked with a smile small upon his elderly face.

"Yes! Please." The boy exclaimed, his tone fill with joy at the thought of possessing the 3 items.

Quickly Jonochi dashed back behind his counter and reached his hand below it, grabbing the 3 scented sticks, still in their packaging and returned to the Orchid haired boy.

"Here you are sir, please enjoy them." Jonochi expressed as he held the scented sticks outward for the young boy, who eagerly grabbed them before carefully opening the lid to his new basket and throwing them in there.

"Thank you kindly." The boy responsed with a bright smile before quickly turning around and heading out the entrance, his hair once again grazing the bottom of the fabric that lined the entry way.

It was then that the boy stared across the street at Ichiraku's Ramen, noticing that 4 figures had appeared inside the store and side he had bought his basket, 1 of the figures he instantly indentified as his inner organs tensed and tighten.

Once again forming his courage the Orchid haired boy bridged the gap of the massive 20 foot wide road that paved the street Ichiraku's ramen aswell as Muto's basket shop rested upon.

Upon approaching the entrance to the ramen stand the boy could make out a conversation unfolding between the 4 individuals sitting on the stools eating, 2 of them being much more loud than the others.

"Did you hear Guy-sensei? Were going to have Rookiees at the Chunin exams! First year Genin - that hasn't happened in 5 years!" A 13 year old boy in a long sleeved dark jade green body jumpsuit exclaimed as he slurped and sucked several noodles into his mouth.

His outfit was oddly similar to Might Guy's, the same orange stripped leg warmers aswell as the same red linen fabric headband wrapped around his waist like a belt, even his hair and eyebrows were strangely similar to Guy's.

Wrapped around his right thigh was the standard white linen fabric, with a vertical satchel that held 6 Kunai placed inside it tied to that.

The only significant difference between this Shinobi and Might Guy were bandages wrapped around the entirety of the 13 year olds hands and forearms, extending from the base of his knuckles to his elbows.

"Don't talk with your mouth full Lee, its disgusting, besides its most likely just some Jonin looking to boost their ego." An unknown Kunoichi in the far left corner of the ramen shop argued.

She had dark brown hair with matching dark brown eyes, she alsot wore her hair in two Chinese-style buns on her head with short fringe-bangs framing her face with the headband of Konoha tied around her forehead.

She wore a pink sleeveless qipao-style blouse with red sleeve trimmings and yellow fastening buttons and dark green pants that ran down to 3 inches above her ankles, where she adorned standard Shinobi shoes.

Around the back of her waist was a tan 7 in by 7 in satchel, most likely filled to the brim with Shuriken while around her right thigh was the standard white linen fabric wrapped around her, with a vertical kunai pouch tied there aswell.

"Thats not it!" Lee muffled out inbetween slurping up noodles, clearly he had spent several hours with Naruto here and had acquried the same habit the bright blond had.

Sheepishly the Orchid haired boy raised his right hand and pushed the fabric the lined the entrance to Ichiraku's ramen stand open before quickly entering the shop and strolling towards the counter.

"One of them is Team 7, Kakashi's squad, can you believe that? He never takes on student and when he does he recommends them for the Chunin exams their first year." Lee murmured out, still slurping his noodles.

"That - that is interesting." A fair skinned Shinobi asserted, sitting to the right of Tenten, to the left of Might Guy and to the far left of Lee, leaving 2 stools open for newcomers.

He had his black hair tied back in a loose ponytail tied a few inches above the end, covering his forehead was the headband of Konoha, under which was a smaller headband with two straps that frame the sides of his face.

His eyes were a odd mixture of white and a slight lavender tint, something odd for most people but extremely common for the Hyuga.

He wore a beige-coloured shirt with 3 straps in the front, a dull blue shirt beneath that, and mesh armour beneath that.

He wore dark brown shorts, standard shinobi shoes and several bandages wrapped around his right arm, chest, and right leg, with the standard white linen fabric wrapped around his right thigh with a vertical kunai pouch tied against it.

"Way to go Neji! Lee! Tenten!" Guy asserted dramatically as he tore an empty ramen bowl free his face and slammed it on the counter as he stood up, knocking his stool to the ground.

"Thats the young bundles of youth I've trained!" Guy asserted as he placed both his open palmed hands against his waist and smiling brightly, his teeth shining brightly.

"No just that Guy-sensei one of them is a close friend of mi-" Rock lee attempted to murmur out only to be interrupted by a young lady that walked into the room from the back.

"Sorry hun I didn't notice you until loud-mouth here slammed his bowl down, I'm Ayame what would you like?" Ayame ask the Orchid haired boy who had previously been standing quietly in the far right corner of the ramen shop.

"What?!" Lee questioned dramatically, half chewed noodles falling out of his mouth and landing back into his bowl.

"That is so fucking disgusting." Tenten snorted.

"Agreed." Neji replied.

"Is that the best you got Lee? I could chew food ten times better than you." Guy replied, his glimmering smiling still apparent on his face.

"Come on guys I can't even hear my customer, what is it hun?" Ayame once again asked the Orchid haired boy, this time bending forward, leaning on the counter top in an attempt to hear the boy.

"Can I have 8 Iruka ramens please." The boy murmured sheepishly, shocking all present in the shop at the sheer amount of food the boy was ordering.

Neji, Tenten, Guy and Lee all turned their heads slightly, studying the boy and his features.

He's kinda cute... Tenten thought to herself before she quickly turned around and went back to her food, not wanting to appear interested, after all she already had Neji to herself.

How could a civilian avoid so much food? Neji noted to himself.

Hmmmmmmm. Guy thought to himself as he raised his right hand to his face and gripped his chin.

Lee was the most shocked of all, as a single ramen noodle hung on the right side of his mouth, ramen broth dripping down and off it as he contine and stare and gaze at the newcomer.

"Sure thing hun that'll be 64 Ryo." Ayame asked.

"Can I have them put in this?" The boy asked as he raised his freshly bought Lavender basket and placed it on the counter top, quickly opening the lid and taking out the package of 3 Lavender scented sticks and laying them on the side of the basket to make room.

"I'm sorry hun we don't do take out." Ayame replied.

"I'll buy the bowls." The boy responded, causing Ayame to tilt her head slightly.

"Well we spend 6 Ryo on each bowl." Ayame answered.

"I'll give you a 2 Ryo tip on each of them, so 128 Ryo in total, 8 Iruka Ramens placed into this basket please." The boy replied as he gently tapped the lid of his basket, shocking Ayame at the amount of money he was willingly to spend.

At this moment he placed his left hand behind his back and reached into the black pouch he kept tired around his waist, pulling out 13 Silver coined Ryo, totaling 130 Ryo, before quietly slamming it atop the counter infront of Ayame.

She wanted to protest and just deny the sale but he was offering such a large tip she decided to indulge this new customer, maybe he would come back later if she did.

"Sure thing hun, Daaad! 8 Iruka ramens, and we need something to use as a lid on them." Ayame stated as she snagged the money of the counter, threw it in her apron and spun around, directing herself towards the kitchen.

"8 Iruka ramens?" Teuchi screamed from the kitchen in the back.

"Is Naruto here?" Teuchi asked, usually when such a large order was placed it was always the result of Naruto.

"No dad, its some nice purple haired boy, and he's paying alot so don't harass him." Ayame yelled back as she turned around to face her customer once again.

"I'm going to go help him hun please have a seat and wait." Ayame told the Orchid haired boy before she turned around once again and disappeared in the back.

The boy stood frozen and ridged, feeling the eyes of Lee pressing and tearing into him, both Neji and Tenten having already gone back to their meal while Guy had picked up his stool and continued eating his own food.

At that moment Lee slurped his loose noodle into his mouth and stood up before quickly bridging the 3 feet gap between him and the newcomer, shoving his face into the other boy's as he examined and stared at him, only 6 inches away from one another.

"Hmmmmmmmm." Lee hummed aloud to himself as he continued to study the other boy's features, the latter lightly panting, with small beads of sweats building up upon his forehead hidden under his bangs.

"Ma-may I help you." The Orchid haired boy asked Lee.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmm - I - Don't - know." Lee replied, his eyes unblinking and unmoving, as if this boy had something only his face only he could see.

At that Lee leaned in even further, causing the tip of his nose to graze and rub against the other boys nose, causing the latter to one step back in an attempt to create some distance, breaking the connect their noses had made.

"Hmmmmm - Have I seen you before" Lee asked as he contined to stare at the unknown boy's face.

"N-no, I'm pretty sure you haven't." The boy responded as he swallowed the large amount of saliva building up his in throat, clearly anxious about something.

At this Lee clenched both his fists and rest his knucles against his waist as he leaned towards the boy once again, becoming so close that they could feel each other breathing out their noses.

"Hmmmmmm." Lee hummed aloud once again, clearly something about this boy stood out to him, but what?

"Lee quit being so weird, he's not a Shinobi he's most likely not used to your awkward shit." Tenten snorted after swallowing a fresh mouthful of noodles.

"You're right, I apologize." Lee murmured out in response, his face still almost rubbing against the unknown boy's.

"My bad." Lee stated as he quickly turned around and leaped back onto his stool, vigorously slurping and sucking his noodles into his mouth once again.

Upon Noticing this the Orchid haired boy sighed quietly in relief, low enough to where none of the Genin of team 3 heard but loud enough for Guy to hear, almost confirming his suspicion as his eyes slanted slightly to once again study the unknown boy.

"Here we are - 8 Iruka ramens." Teuchi spoke as both her and his daughter entered into the room from the kitchen entrance.

Both Teuchi and Ayame carried 4 bowls each, each of them holding a bowl in both their hands aswell as resting in they're elbows.

"Huh I honestly didn't believe my daughter when she said you weren't Naruto, usually he's the only one that orders this much by himself." Teuchi joked as he studied the sheepish Orchid haired boy.

"I told you dad! Naruto isn't the only one who loves our food." Ayame joked as she placed all 4 bowls she previosuly held atop the counter before quickly dashing back into the kitchen.

It was then that Teuchi followed suit and placed the 4 bowls he also carried atop the counter.

"Are you new? Is this your first time here?" Teuchi asked, as he grabbed 2 packages of chopsticks, his daughter already explaining that this boy was ordering his food to go.

"Y-well kinda." The boy murmured in response.

"Oh really? How did you hear about us?" Teuchi asked, eager to see what or who was spending such large amounts of people to his store.

"U-um Naruto, Naruto did, he always talks alot about your store and how its the best in the world - s-so I just figured I'd stop by." The boy responsed causing Teuchi to blush with red.

"Awwwh - did Naruto really say that about us? He is such a kind child I can see why he would recommend the Iruka ramen, it was his teachers favorite." Teuchi said as he smiled ear to ear.

At this moment Ayame rushed in from the kitchen, holding 2 1ft by 1ft white plastic squares.

"These are the lids to the flour we order to make the noodles..." Ayame pointed out.

"We usually throw them out but we can just stack them..." Ayame suggested.

"We could put 4 bowls atop another 4 then put another square on top of those to keep them sealed." Ayame spoke.

"Is that okay?" Ayame asked the Orchid haired boy.

"Yes please." The unknown boy responsed.

He then watched both Teuchi and Ayame turn into a machine as they organized, stacked placed and repeated the action once again, filling the brand new lavender basket he had just bought with ramen.

Once it was filled Ayame gently closed the lid of the basket before rubbing her palm across the top of it, admiring the beautiful lavender.

"This is a lovely basket, whoever your feeding is a lucky girl." Ayame stated, grinning lightly.

"Heh well um its not for a romantic occasion but It is special." The boy stuttered out in reponse before he gripped the handle of his basket with his left while grabbing the package of 3 lavender scented sticks with his right.

"Have a nice day." The boy responded before turning around and almost walking directly into Lee's face, the latter having once again stood up and began investigating the unknown boy.

Under his glasses the boys eyes began darting and shooting in several different directions, clearly worried about something.

"Na-Naruto..." Lee murmured out, causing the Orchid haired boys eyes to widen under his glasses as he swallowed a clump of saliva once again building up in his throat.

"Naruto loves that ramen indeed he's actually the reason we're eating here currently." Lee continued as he straightened his back and stood up fully.

During this exchange the Orchid haired boy began slowly inching to the left attempting to disappear and avoid this situation.

"More like you dragged us here." Neji snorted in response, causing Lee to tear his attention away from the Orchid haired boy and directing it towards Neji.

"Come on Neji! You said yourself you loved this place." Lee retorted, having raised both his clenched fist to his jawline in protest.

"Yea - I did its good food - but that doesn't change the fact that you dragged us here, right Tenten?" Neji asked his teammate sitting to his left side.

"Yea you did kinda nag us to come here Lee..." Tenten sighed.

"WHHAAAaaaaaat?!" Lee questioned dramatic as he shook his head side to side several times.

"Can you believe that Guy-sensei! Naruto tells me of a beautiful jewel like this place and no one appreciates it - atleast you do rig-" Lee stated as he turned around and attempted to engage the Orchid haired boy only to notice he had disappeared.

"Wh-what!? Where did he go?" Lee questioned as he jump on the counter and crouched down, position his hand above his eyes while shacking his head side to side as he attempted to see where the previous boy had just disappeared to.

"I don't know, I didn't even see him leave, but please get off the counter." Ayame sighed, causing Lee to downcast his head in defeat and depression.

"Yes Mam..." Lee sighed as he got off the counter and preceded to sit aslong side Guy, the only one present in the building that had noticed the Orchid haired boy disappearing in a body flicker, something no civilian should know how to do.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 3 blocks away in a tiny alley way._

The unknown boy stood slumped halfway down with his back against the wall of the building he leaned against, his basket containing ramen placed atop the ground by his left foot, with the scented lavender sticks placed atop the lid.

The boy tilted his head sideways to the right, popping it out of the alley way as he stared down the dirt road towards the entrance of Ichiraku's ramen, attempting to make sure no one was following him.

When he thought that no one had followed him from the store he sighed briefly in relief as he bent forward and rested his palms against his knees in a half crouched position, directing his back towards the alley way.

"You - give me all your money." A strange man standing behind the boy ordered, causing the boy to turn around and examine the newcomer.

He stood barely 2 feet away from the Orchid haired boy, the latter being so distracted studying Ichiraku's ramen he didn't even notice him walk up.

He skin was well tanned with a dirt like complexion, a side affect from being out in the sun of Konoha for hours at a time, he couldn't be any older than 24 or 25.

The front of his scalp was bald and barren, revealing the entirety of his forehead and the area slightly above that, while the back of his scalp had a full grown set of hair, of which it was tied back into a ponytail to ran down to the mans shoulders in length.

He had a pencil thin mustache and and several random strands of hair protruding out from his chin.

He wore a dirt brown colored ragged shirt his sleeves running down to his elbows, it had several holes in it that had been sewn and patched up with several mix-matching colors such as green, yellow and red.

His short went down to 2 inches below his knees, his shorts being the same tone of dirt brown as his shirt with almost twice as many holes in them, similar to his shirt that were patched and sewn shut with several colors, the most prominant being green and red.

He had no shoes at all, evidence that this man even didn't like them or couldn't avoid them.

Most importantly the man brandished a short 6 inch knife in his right hand, the knife was worn and torn with several scratchs and bruise covering it

However the mans stance confused the boy most of all, his knife hand was extended out towards the people in what the man assumed to be a threatening pose with his left hand extended out halfway with his palm open.

Finally his left foot was positioned directly behind the man, only his toes and frontal section of his foot touching the ground, with his right land placed forward in a horizontal direction and his knee bent halfway down.

"Wh-wha-what are you doing?" The Orchid haired boy asked, confused at the situation unfolding infront of him.

"I'm mugging you! Give me your money!" The man once again ordered.

"With a stance like that?" The boy questioned as he raised his open palmed right hand halfway into the air in a confused motion.

"Wh-what are you talking about? Just give me your money and food! Now!" The man replied with several pauses taking place in his sentence, surprised as most people just quickly gave him their money.

At this moment the boy began lightly shaking his head from side to side, his open palmed right hand still hung aloft in the air between him and his would be mugger.

"With a poor stance you are unbalanced and can easily be knocked over." The Orchid boy stated.

At that moment he flung his right hand forward, coiling around the mans knife hand and gripping his wrist and he extended his left open palmed hand outward towards the mans chest, pushing him down with a surprising amount of force.

As the man fell down from being pushed, the boys hand uncoiled around his wrist and slide upward, gripping the handle of the mans knife and pulling it free from his grasp and holding it in a reversed gripped fashion in his own hand.

If was then that the would be mugger fell flat on his ass, a small cloud of dirt and dust erupting from the area in the alley way where he fell, as he looked up in embarassment and shock at the young boy who just disarmed him.

With the muggers knife still held in his right hand, the boy took a step forward with his left foot and extended his open palmed left hand outward down towards the mugger in an attempt to help him up.

The man stared at the boys outstretched hand for several moments, still overwhelmed with embarassment as the feeling of shock began to disappear and fade.

Finally he extended his own right hand upward and gripped the boys left hand, allowing the Orchid haired boy to pull him up off the ground and back to his feet.

It was then that the mugger became even more shocked when the boy non-chalantly held his knife out towards him, gifting it back to the mugger who sheepishly held it in his right hand once again.

"With a solid stance..." The boy spoke as he positioned his back against the wall and crouched into a stance similar to that of a sumo wrestler.

"You are a much more serious threat." The boy commented, suggesting for the mugger to follow his lead.

It was then that the mugger mimicked his action, positioning his own back against the wall and falling into a stance extremely similar to the young boys.

Then the boy straighten his back and stood up fully as he gazed and stared over his would be mugger, studying his stance as he had mere minutes before.

The boy then took 1 step to his left, positioning himself behind his would be mugger as he used his left hand to straighten and prop up the mans back, while his right gripped the mans knife wrist and extended it outwards.

Then the boy took 3 steps back and began admiring his work as he once again studied and stared at his would be mugger.

"Much better!" The boy asserted as the shocked man left his stance and stood up fully as turned his head to the right to stare at the boy.

"But to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type." The Orchid haired boy stated.

"I-I know...I- I'm just confused..." The mugger mumbled out in response as he downcast his head in embarassment and regret.

* * *

 _5 minutes later._

The boy and his would be mugger both sat indian style in the alleyway, sitting barely a stones gap away from the other with they're backs placed and propped against the wall of the building they had been standing beside previously.

In both they're hands was a steaming hot bowl of Iruka ramen, freshly made and bought from the Ichiraku's ramen stand the boy has just previously left.

The steam from the ramen poured up from the food, filling the area around the two with a beautiful aroma of Pork, Egg, and ramen broth.

"S-so you really think I could find a way? A way to become a brand new stone-worker?" The mugger asked, as the steam from his food poured up and engulfed almost the entirety of his face.

"Of course - there has to be some way to produce quick made stone without cutting it from the rocks or mountains, there is always a way." The boy replied as he slurped and sucked his ramen into his mouth in a fashion similar to somehow being able to talk perfectly with his mouth full,

"Maybe like a paste, or a powder? That hardens when water or liquid is applied to it." The boy continued, still slurping his food vigorously but somehow being able to talk perfectly with his mouth full, he must have had hours of practice doing this.

"Th-this is so great...I've never had anyone that believed in me before." The mugger exclaimed.

The boy quickly swallowed the large bundle of noodles, pork and egg that had built up in his mouth as he cleared his throat in an attempt to speak.

"While it is always best to believe in yourself Tycho - a little help from others can be a great blessing." The Orchid haired boy commented as he raised he gaze up to the sky, studying it as he thought of memories past, a small smile upon his face.

Clearly during they're brief exchange as they sat down and the boy feed the man food he also learned the mans name.

"This is so great...I wish my parents were here to see this." Tycho replied, as he mimicked the boy beside him and also stared up at the sky.

For some reason the boys smile instantly disappeared and was replaced with a frown as he downcast his head in depression, apparently just like before the word "parent" had a way of causing him to be depressed.

"Where are they? Out on a trip?" The boy asked, his head still downcast in depression.

"No...no...they were killed by the Nine tails 12 years ago a week before my 15th birthday..." Tycho responsed as he downcast his own gaze towards the ground similar to the boy.

The previous aura of depression around the boy became doubled, in both its density and power as he shoulders slumped downwards and his hands visibly tightened and gripped the bowl he held in his hands.

"I-im sorry." The boy muttered out timidly.

"Don't be, please don't be, its not your fault you've done more for me than anyone else." Tycho responsed as he lifted his head and began slurping the meal the boy had given him.

It was then that the boy raised his gaze once again, directing it towards the sky as he had previously as several small clouds floated and danced across it.

"Yea...its not my fault." The boy murmured quietly, to quiet for Tycho to hear.

I tell myself that everyday. The boy thought to himself as clouds entered and left his line of sight, his mind traveling many miles away.

* * *

 _Meanwhile at Kakashi's and Anko's appartment._

"Are you fucking serious? Why are we wearing these." Sakura barked out was she pulled at the ears of the dog costume both she, Sasuke, Naruto and even Kakashi wore.

All 4 of them wore full body light brown dog suits (same color as Pakkun's fur), paws covering both their hands and feet aswell as loose hound-dog ears hanging from both sides of their heads.

The snout, eyes and mouth of the dog were removed, replaced with the faces of the individual who wore it, the only visible part of them being their faces that popped and poked out of this hole.

While the suit was full body the dog head they all wore was a hat that was put on individually, seperate from the body suit, but it clung so tightly to their heads and shoulders that no ordinary person could tell they weren't connect.

It was quite the funny sight, especially for Naruto, whose bangs covered up the vast majority of his face even when he was wearing such a massive, bulky item on his head, refusing to pull his hair back when he put it on.

Sakura's and Sasuke's face were completely visible though as they had pulled their hair back, which was the whole reason Sakura's face was painted in a pink tone similiar to her hair as she was filled with embarassment.

Kakashi's face was basically the same as it always was, his headband being halfway concealed by the roof of his dog head and his face mask covering the vast majority of his face, his hair completely hidden from view.

They're paws were shaped like a humans hand, allowing each of they're individual fingers to enter and fill the glove of the body suit, the same with their feet which were also paws shaped like human feet.

On they're back sides, exactly where they're tail bones were, was a foot long tan tail that they were currently sitting on, it matched they're fur aswell as they're hound-dog style ears.

They were in Kakashi's living room, well his living room and bedroom as it served multiple purposes, which was the first time any of them had visited his house, even Naruto.

At first Kakashi's home appear to consist of only a single room(15ft x 12ft), but Naruto and Sasuke quickly noted that on the wall to the far left behind the front door was a sliding door, painted the same leaf green tone as the rest of his room.

His room was fairly sparse with no clutter visible to the bare eye, with a leaf green 1ft x 4ft trunk pushed neatly into the cornered between the front door and the sliding door, an a set of 2 small maple wood shelfs nailed into the wall above that.

On the far side of his room, the side opposite of which the front door was situated, was a 3ft x 3ft window placed in the center of the wall with leaf green curtains tied to both ends of the window allow sunlight into the room.

Below the window, and paving the entire side of the wall where the window was, was a leaf green counter top that protruded outwards from the wall, reaching 1 foot away from the wall.

The counter didn't have any cabinets, it was just a standard counter that lined the wall, his "Make-Out" books, 2 framed pictures that none of his Genin had caught a glimpse of and an alarm clock rested in the corner of the counter between his wall and window on the left side.

A calligraphy-style picture of a "scarecrow" face was pinned to the wall of the far left side of the window above his "Make-Out" books.

Infront of his books and picture frames was a Kings size bed, 5ft x 6ft, with white sheets, two 12in x 12in white pillows nestled against the counter that bed was pushed against.

The covers that laid atop the bed were leaf green, with the symbol of a plus sign sharpened on all four edges to curve it into a circular shuriken shape, repeated by 3 rows vertically and 4 rows horizontally.

Decorating the wall above his bed were 2 hangings of artwork, one of a mountain with a sun rising over it and one with the Kanji for ninja.

Between the 2 pieces of artwork was a bamboo scroll styled calendar with a beautiful, lush Sakura tree as decoration on it, all the previous months and days marked out in black ink.

On the opposite side of his bed, the far right corner that rested between the window and right wall, was a desk with no materials on it, and a bulletin board above that with several notes that contained scribbles written upon them.

Positioned next to the desk was a 5 ft x 1 ft Black plastic dresser, with 5 cabinets carved into, the cabinets were plastic and transparent, allowing all 3 of his Genin to see that the majority of the cloths in panties and bras, causing all 3 genin to blush in embarassment.

Pushed into the corner of the room, opposite the corner of the sliding door but positioned alongside the black dresser, was a wooden maple couch with 3 cushions placed atop it, and all 3 Genin sitting atop one individually.

Above the wooden couch was a 3ft x 6ft piece of hand painted silky fabric artwork, appearing to be very expensive, that contained an image of several tree branchs in the forest that spiraled, weaved and danced around one another among the tree tops.

There were 3 rays of light piercing the dark brush of tree leaves atop the branchs, allowing just enough light into it to illuminate the rest of the artwork in a beautiful display of artistic talent.

Infront of the door, the first thing you saw when opening it, was a wooden shoe dresser, matching the height of the door as it contained 7 cubbies, each of which was thick enough to hold a single pair of shoes, 4 of them already filled with the entirety of team 7s shoes.

Finally laying on the ground infront of the door was a green rough course shoe mat, painted in a fashion that may it appear to be patch of grass.

"I kinda like it." Naruto murmured timidly as he raised both his dog paws up and gripped his ears in a fashion similar to Sasuke as he pulled on them gently.

"I don't even know how you talked me into this." Sasuke sighed as he crossed his arms against his chest, garnishing Sakura's attention and causing her to release her ear with her right hand.

It was then that she slung her right her towards Sasuke, smacking his left dog ear mildly, sending it slamming into his face before briefly falling back down into place.

"You're the best part of this outfit Sasuke." Sakura stated in a devilish tone as she readied her hand to once again strike his dog ear.

But before she could the front door knob turned, and swung open as Anko entered the room.

"I'm home bitc-" Anko stated, her statement becoming a stutter once she regonized that her boyfriend and all 3 of his students were dressed up in full body dog suits in her appartment.

"Heh-heheheheh." Anko giggled out lightly as she raised her right hand to her stomach and gripped it.

"HEH - HEHEHEH." Anko once again giggled out, this time much more louder and vibrant.

"Ha- hahahaha." Anko almost bellowed out, raising her left arm to her chest and pushing her forearms against it to stop her breasts from shaking.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Anko blustered out as she fell to her knees in a fit of laughter and amusement, kicking the door shut as she fell.

"HAHAAHAAHAHAHA!" Anko shrieked out even louder than before as she fell to her left side, her left arm hitting the wooden floor of the appartment.

"Who - heh- who the fuck - heheh - am I dating." Anko panted out in a fit of laughter as she contined to lay atop the floor of the appartment, her giggles revibrating into the wood of the floor.

"Welcome home dear." Kakashi responsed in a non-chalantly tone, as if this type of thing happened everyday.

Once they noticed his reaction, both Sasuke and Sakura began to assume she was Kakashi's girlfriend, both of them having never met her before.

"Oohhh - ooh thats good." Anko murmured as she pressed her right palm onto the floor pushing herself up, rising to her feet.

"If you wear that to bed I am never fucking you again - I hope you know that." Anko joked, with a crooked smile on her face.

At that statement Kakashi's face and posture became downcast and sulken, his shoulders slumping down.

"I'm training to teach them about teamwork dear." Kakashi responsed, his face still downcast.

"Bullshit, you just wanted to fuck with them one last time before the Chunin exams begin tomorrow." Anko replied.

She then turned around and lesiurely strolled towards the sliding down on the wall, gripping the barely visible handle and sliding it open, revealing a white titled bathroom, with a shower in the far right corner.

"You bastard!" Sakura shrieked as she shot up from the wooden crouch, having previously been sitting inbetween Naruto and Sasuke, raising her clenched right fist to her jawline.

"I knew this was retarded!" Sakura screamed as she gripped both sides of a dog head with her paws and pulled it off, her head emerging out of the bottom of it with the sound of a subtle pop, her Pink hair falling down along her neck and scalp, entering its normal state.

During on this the sound of water running emerged from the bathroom, as several muffled noises, like the sound of cloths being thrown, protruded from the room aswell.

"Why a dog though Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Well I haven't had the chance to explain summoning jutsu to you all yet." Kakashi sighed out as he raised his right paw to his face and briefly scratched his right dog ear before allowing his paw to drop back to his side.

"But I specialize in dog summoning, not as big and fancy as the toad sage, or a mysterious as the Lord 3rd, but I rather enjoy them." Kakashi answered lesiurely.

"OOOoooooh thats badass! Show me! Show me!" Sakura shrieked as she jumped up and down repeatedly, causing Kakashi's shoulders to slump down as he sighed.

It was then that Anko walked back into the room, her tan overcoat having been removed aswell as her dark orange mini-skirt and the blue belt that previously held it up, revealing her bare breasts under her mesh armor outfit, aswell as her thin stringed black panties.

Her fitted short sleeved mesh armor outfit covered her firm figure from her neck to her upper thighs, the fishnet pattern in the material leaving nothing to imagination, the only other thing she wore were metal shin-guards she hadn't taken't off yet.

"Send them home now, I've had a long day and the water is going to be warm soon." Anko ordered at Kakashi, as Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto all blushed, overwhelmed by her revealed figure.

"Can I keep the dog suit on?" Kakashi sighed out in a joking manner.

"No I hate wet dog smell, get it off and get in the fucking shower." Anko snorted out in response before turning her attention towards the 3 genin of team 7.

"Get out of here kiddies, your teacher has grown up things to do, good seeing you again Naruto." Anko barked out, attempting to show kindness to the young blond boy as her hours alone with Kakashi had taught her how much he cared for the young child.

Anko then turned around and walked back into the bathroom as she attempted to shake her ass at Kakashi for incentive but it only caused him to sighed, this must be a daily occurance.

Sakura then stood up and grabbed Sasuke by his left hand, pulling him up from the couch and towards the front door as she attempted to leave, the entire time Sasuke's continued to stare at and admire Anko's body, his face a peach colored tone.

"Well leave the dog suits by the door, lets go Naruto." Sakura stated dropped her dog head on the floor by the door before turning the doorknob and flinging the door open before both she and Sasuke quickly rushed out, leaving the door opened mildly for Naruto.

"Is this it for the day Sensei?" Naruto asked, still sitting in the couch.

"Hmmmmm." Kakashi hummed out as he turned his gaze towards the entrance of the bathroom, the sound of metal hitting tile revibrating throughout the room, evidence Anko had just removed her shin-guards.

"Yea...yea, Anko needs me." Kakashi sighed out as he raised his right hand to his head and scratched his right dog ear.

"Cool - thanks!" Naruto commented before being engulfed in a puff of smoke the enveloped and surrounded the couched he had previously been sitting out, causing Kakashi to rest his palms against his waist as he leaned forward, peering at the smoke cloud.

Once the smoke had parted enough, it revealed the dog outfit Naruto had previously been wearing laying atop the couch, almost as it he never was wearing it.

A shadow clone huh...then where is the real Naruto. Kakashi asked himself as he squinted his eyes in an attempt to focus.

"IF YOU DON'T GET THE FUCK IN HERE - I'M GOING TO START USING MY FINGERS!" Anko screamed from the bathroom, the sound of water running off of her firm figured and slamming against the tile below her echoing into the room.

It was then that Kakashi sighed deeply, as if he had just lost a race or a battle, before quickly pulling his dog head off, the head pulling off his headband and mask with it, and placing it atop his bed.

"Coming dear." Kakashi hummed out as he walked into the bathroom while he attempted to get his dog suit off, making a mental note to ask Naruto why he sent a clone.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"So - do you have a plan?" The seasoned 3rd Hokage asked as he lesiurely strolled down the dirt road alongside Naruto, his pipe positioned in his mouth with his right hand and smoke pouring out of his nose.

"I'm going to win." Naruto responsed timidly.

"Hmph - what you lack in vocal power you make up for in confindence my young boy." Hiruzen replied with a slight chuckle.

"Well I don't really know alot about it, from what I've read each exam is different from the last one, but I know I'm going to become a Chunin." Naruto stated.

"I'm sure you will my boy." Hiruzen answered as he raised his left hand to his Hokage hat and pulled it down lightly.

"A most curious thing occurred the other day, I recieved a file of paperwork over 20 pages long, with your name being mentioned several times." Hiruzen spoked, causing to young blond to tense slightly.

"M-my name?" Naruto asked as he downcast his cast, staring at his feet as he walked alongside the man he considered his grandfather.

"Yes - apparently the Land of Waves has formed a Shinobi Academy with Zabuza Momochi as its headmaster, and Haku Yuki as its main teacher." Hiruzen stated, causing Naruto to instantly raise his face and direct his gaze towards Hiruzen.

"I am told it has been named the "Naruto Academy" Did you have anything to do with this boy?" Hiruzen asked, his Hokage hat pulled down far enough to hide the grin on his face.

"Well - not really." Naruto replied as he once again downcast his gaze, raising his right hand to the back of his skull and rubbing it in an Iruka like fashion.

"I just didn't abandon them ya' know? Like how you and Iruka didn't abandon me." Naruto stated, causing Hiruzen to grip his right shoulder with his left hand as they both walked together.

"You truly are a kind child Naruto, I assume that is why the Land of Waves is requesting an alliance, and promise to help defend they're Land incase of war and invasion." Hiruzen spoke.

"We-well I don't want anyone to get hurt..." Naruto stuttered out, not knowing the horrors of war but knowing that the stories he read about it weren't pretty or kind.

"I know how you feel Naruto - you are gentle - you do not like to hurt, I know because I too once felt these feelings." Hiruzen asserted as he exhaled a puff of smoke from his nose mouth.

"But it is because you cherish life that you must protect it." Hiruzen asserted as both he and Naruto finally reached the 2 bushes pathway the walk way leading up to his front door.

"It was good seeing you again lord old man." Naruto stated.

It was then that a continuous loop of chirping erupted from the sky above them both, a Fire Hawk, used to call the Lord Hokage back to the office, its feathers tan except for his white underbelly stomach.

"Its so pretty..." Naruto stated timidly as he stared up at the bird in awe, focusing as he massive wing span and delicate feathers at he soared roughly 20 to 30 feet above him.

"Yes, a rare and unique part of our Land, a gift to those that call this place home." Hiruzen asserted as he raised his pipe to his mouth and once again inhaled a massive hit of fresh leaf.

For several moments Naruto continued to stare at and observe the Fire hawk soaring in the air above him, while Hiruzen himself was staring at him, deep in thought over the previous conversation he had held with Kakashi.

Even for all my knowledge I am unable to teach you anything about the power you possess Naruto, the power of the Sage of Six paths. Hiruzen told himself as smoke poured out of his nose.

But I have recalled someone back home who can...someone who long ago had a student who held those very same eyes...I only hope he gets here soon... Hiruzen thought to himself as he continued to stare at Naruto, the latter finally turning around and breaking his train of thought.

"Don't you have to get back to the tower lord old man?" Naruto asked as he stared at Hiruzen, or atleast what counted for staring in terms of Naruto due to his bangs covering the vast majority of his face.

Hiruzen preceded to kneel down infront of Naruto, his left hand still gripping his right shoulder as he stared directly at the boys face, gaining a faint glimpse of the voilet eyes Kakashi had told him about.

"Remember this Naruto." Hiruzen declared, causing Naruto to tilt his head midly in confusion and his mouth dropped open slightly.

"Peace is the most noble of goals - but to perserve it - one must be willing to fight." Hiruzen spoke, his words causing Naruto's eyes to widen and bulge under his bangs, as the image of Gato and his thugs attempting to murder people atop the bridge shot into his mind.

Naruto then smiled, the same smile he had when he was growing up with Iruka, and nodded slightly towards the old figure infront of him.

"Thank you for walking me home." Naruto stated.

"Of course my boy - I always enjoy our time together." Hiruzen retorted as he pulled his left hand free from Naruto's right shoulder and stood up fully, straightening his posture and back.

Sudden Naruto rushed forward, wrapping both his arms around the lower torso of Hiruzen and pulling him close as he clung to the old man he valued so highly.

"Be careful." Naruto murmured out timidly before erupting in a puff of smoke that then preceded to engulf Hiruzen, causing him to cough as he had already been inhaling leaf smoke from his pipe.

"Caauhhh - cauuuh a shadow clone?" Hiruzen coughed out, releasing a cloud of smoke that mixed with the one Naruto released, causing a small grin to blossom upon Hiruzen's face.

Once his coughing ended he raised his head and directed his gaze towards the north-west, staring at the face of the 4th Hokage carved into the cliff.

Your son...the hero of our village...has grown into a fine Shinobi Lord 4th. Hiruzen thought to himself as he positioned his pipe next to his lip and once again breathed in a massive hit of fresh leaf before turning and leisurely walking down the street, back to the his office.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Defined by the iconic snap of a wooden twig, the unknown boy with purple hair came into view. Walking through the wooded outskirts of Konoha, the boy held an ornate basket with both arms.

Eventually, this boy entered a large clearing, drawing attention to a massive crater in the center in the ground. Leaping across this crater with a Jounin-level display of the Body flicker technique.

Placing his basket in front of a maple tree, this mysterious boy enacted a shrine with some nearby rocks. Sliding onto both knees, he soon pulled his backpack off, resting it against the ground.

Raising both hands towards his face, this boy removed his glasses, exposing his vibrant Rinnegan eyes. Before long, these eyes were briefly obscured by a puff of smoke, revealing the whiskered face of Naruto.

Yanking a fancy tablecloth from his basket, Naruto spread this fabric across a patch of grass. Pinning this cloth in place with two rocks, Naruto pulled a smiling picture of Iruka from his basket.

Leaning forward, Naruto propped this picture between a shrine of rocks, illuminated by sunlight. Using Fire Style to ignite some incense, Naruto bowed his head in front of Iruka's picture.

Reaching into his basket for a third time, Naruto revealed two steaming hot bowls of ramen. Preparing one for himself, and another for Iruka, Naruto quietly smiled, completely alone in the forest.

Sliding one bowl in front of Iruka's picture, Naruto released a forced chuckle from his mouth. However, this emotion was quickly replaced by an awkward silence, forcing Naruto to downcast his face.

"Happy birthday, dad.." Naruto murmured.

"If only I could have helped you..." Stuttering these words, Naruto pulled both knees against his chest.

"I know how much you wanted to see the ocean." Changing the conversation, Naruto gripped his basket with both hands.

Dumping a pile of fresh sea-sails in front of Iruka's picture, Naruto shuffled through these objects with one hand. Picking up a sparkling red shell, Naruto raised this ornament towards the sky.

"There from a beach in the Land of Waves..." Talking to himself, Naruto once again fell into an awkward silence.

Thinking about to a favored song from his childhood, Naruto tightly clenched his pants with one hand. Twitching each of his shoulders, Naruto slouched down in front of Iruka.

"Leaves from the vine..." Mumbling a mouthful of words, Naruto struggled to speak.

"Falling so slow..." Repeating the same lullaby from his youth, Naruto glared at Iruka's picture.

"Like fragile, tiny shells... Drifting in the foam.." Each word reminded Naruto of everything he lost.

"Brave little soldier boy, so far from home..." Wiping the tears from his whiskers, Naruto could barely talk.

"Please... Please come home." A faint whisper escaped Naruto's mouth, burying his face into both hands.


	15. Chapter 15

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Identify Yourself! Powerful New Rivals.**

 _Friday 8:08am, May 27th 58SSP._

"Ahh-" Lee coughed with a painful expression, falling to the floor.

"Lee are you alright?" Tenten asked, kneeling beside he teammate.

Team Guy and several other Genin were assembled in the hallway of Konoha's academy, standing in front of room 301. However, a pair of overbearing Genin were blocking the doorway, refusing to let anyone pass.

"You think this is a joke? You're taking the Chunin exams, but you can't even get past us?" A 12 year old Genin spat out.

This Genin had fair-skin with three band aids spread across his face, concealing his chin and cheeks. Also, he had spiky black hair that protruded out in every direction, contrasting the headband of Konoha around his forehead.

His outfit consisted of ankle-length blue pants, matching the sweater and scarf that he wore. Finally his most prominent feature was a pair of kunai blades, strapped against his back in a slanted angle.

"Why don't you just give up now before you get hurt? I hear your mommy calling you." The 2nd Genin cut in.

This Genin wore a dark blue beanie with the headband of Konoha sewn into it, obscuring several strands of his brown hair. This beanie deeply contrasted his attire, a knee-length green tunic with black pants.

"Let us through! We're supposed to go in there." Tenten protested.

After speaking, Tenten quickly stood up, inspiring the bandaged Genin to surge forward, raising his fight fist into the air. However, instead of blocking this attack, Tenten held both arms in the air, acting like a defenseless girl.

At this moment, Tenten was abruptly pulled back by an unseen force, floating backwards through the air. While this occurred, the bandaged Genin accidently punched the floor, shocked by Tenten's sudden disappearance.

Naruto's right arm then leisurely draped around Tenten, holding her with one hand while standing beside Lee. This created an awkward silence in the hallway, forcing dozens of Genin to glare at Naruto.

"I will not tolerate violence." Naruto mumbled.

"Look what we got here. A tough guy." The bandaged Genin chuckled in response.

After he spoke, this Genin took several steps forward, forcing Naruto's eyes to pulsate and widen. Afterwards, the entire world became discolored and pale, shifting into the chakra-filled world.

This allowed Naruto to casually observe the chakra network in front of him, recognizing the unique pattern. This chakra belonged to Kotetsu Hagane, a 24 year old Chunin from Konoha, disguised as a child.

"A shinobi who doesn't like violence? You're a long way from your safe spac,e kid." While speaking, Kotetsu crossed both arms in front of his chest.

These words inspired Naruto's Rinnegan to once again pulsate, causing his pupils to bulge and swell. Because of this, the black rings across Naruto's eyes were all pushed back, overwhelmed by his distinct pupils.

This created a faint glimmer of purple light, radiating out from Naruto's concealed eyes. This violet aura quickly garnished Kotetsu's attention, causing him to lean forward while squinting both eyes.

"What's up with your eyes, kid?" As Kotetsu spoke, he finally caught a glimpse of Naruto's Rinnegan.

This revelation forced Kotetsu's knees to buckle and shake while his eyes convulsed and twitched. After several brief moments, Kotetsu fell against the floor with a dense thud, leaking sweat from his face and neck.

"Kotetsu!" The disguised voice of Izumo spoke out.

Instead of waiting for a response, Izumo rushed across the hallway before crouching beside Kotetsu. At the same time, Naruto lowered Tenten to the floor before helping Lee stand up.

"Wh-... What did you do?" Sakura muttered, rushing out from the nearby crowd.

"I was just helping Lee." Naruto replied with a innocent smile.

"Well, actually..." Lee interrupted.

"We were trying to look weak and easy, so other students wouldn't take us seriously." As he spoke, Lee held one finger in the air.

"YOU IDIOT" Tenten shrieked, pushing Naruto back before slamming her fist against Lee's skull.

"Why would you say that out loud? Everyone just heard you." While speaking, Tenten grabbed her waist with both hands

"That isn't fair! Why am I the only one getting hit today?" Lee grumbled, rubbing his head with both hands.

While this conversation progressed, Sasuke finally came into view, standing beside Sakura, scoffing with bordem. Also, dozens of Genin were whispering in the background, glancing at Naruto with interest.

"You there - what do you think you're doing?" Neji cut in, capturing everyone's attention. as he glared at Naruto.

"Just because your Lee's friend, that doesn't mean you can touch my girl." As Neji spoke, his eyes began to narrow

"If you actually protected her, Naruto wouldn't have to do your job." Sasuke remarked, walking between Neji and Naruto.

Suddenly, Neji and Sasuke became embroiled in a fierce staring contest, allowing their contrasting eyes to meet. However, Neji soon scoffed with disgust, turning his gaze back to Naruto.

"The deadlast of your class, being protected by a dead clan." Neji snorted, creating a deep snarl across Sasuke's face. as the his gripped the hilt of his sword that protruded outward atop his right shoulder, unsheathing his sword and brandishing it towards Neji.

After hearing these words, Sasuke gripped the hilt of his blade before unsheathing it, surging towards Neji. But instead of moving, Neji chuckled in response, forcing his eyes to bulge and twitch.

"Come, Uchiha" After speaking, Neji's white eyes abruptly morphed into a lavender color, fueled by the throbbing veins across his face.

This veins was the distinct pattern of the Byakugan, one of the three great Doijutsu, like the Sharingan. Because of this, Neji possessed an extensive list of abilities, beyond anything that a normal shinobi could accomplish.

"Behold the might of the Uchiha!" Sasuke barked out, revealing his 2 tomoe Sharingan.

While these enraged Genin drifted towards each other, a violet flash quickly appeared between them. This purple aura completely overwhelmed Sasuke and Neji, overpowering their ancient Doijutsu.

Sasuke and Neji were then flung backwards by an unseen force, flipping and sliding across the wooden floor. Soon, Neji slammed against a crowd of nearby Genin while Sasuke fell on top of Sakura.

"No violence please." Naruto mumbled with a sheepish tone, rubbing his spiky hair.

As Naruto spoke, he stood in the exact spot where Sasuke and Neji just were, shocking the nearby Genin with his speed. Even Izumo was left speechless by this display, filled with sheer disbelief.

"Did you see that?" A random boy in the crowd murmured.

"He's faster than Sensei!" An unknown girl cut in.

"We have to go up against him?" Another random boy asked his own teammate.

Oooooh - Naruto, what was that? Lee exclaimed to himself.

N-no way! The kid canceled Neji's rotation? Tenten thought to herself in shock, no way could this fresh out of the Academy Genin beat a prodigy like Neji.

Nice job, for once... Naruto. Sakura thought to herself, allowing Sasuke to lay on her for several minutes.

"Really? why the fuck was I pushed back too? Couldn't you just have done that to to him?" Sasuke asked in a loud, annoyed tone.

"Well - I didn't want to get cut by your sword." Naruto stammered out in a timid tone as he stared at his teammates, lowered his left arm to his side and rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner similar to Iruka.

"Mmmmm, thanks Naruto - 3/0." Sakura hummed, causally grabbing Sasuke's hand before giggling.

"Not one moment of rest." Sasuke scoffed, pushing himself away from Sakura before standing up.

"Well I mean if you didn't draw your sword I wouldn't have to-." Naruto attempted to exclaim, only to be cut off by several students behind him grunting and groaning in pain as Neji stood up and pushed them away, his action garnishing everyones attention.

"Clanless flith - how dare you." Neji spat out in disgust as he glared at Naruto, the latter matching his angry glare with a confused and innocent look.

"Well I mean - if you weren't such a dick, I would'nt have to step in." Naruto replied timidly as he turned around to face Neji, shrugging in an innocent manner at stared at Neji through his bangs.

It was then that Naruto's mouth flew open in shock as small drops of sweat formed and ran down his face, as he observed Neji's chakra network, aswell as the massive build up of chakra that had swelled where Neji's eyes were.

B-Byakugan... Naruto quickly thought to himself as the entirety of the world around him slowed down, both Naruto's and Neji's Kekkai Genkai activated, and both of them staring eachother in the eyes, observing the chakra that had swelled there in both individuals.

What's going on? How does some Clanless flith like him possess a Kekkai Genkai? Neji asked himself as he squinted his eyes in annoyance.

And even if he did - what's with this chakra? I've never seen anything like it before. Neji concluded to himself as he obeserved the purple aura of chakra that flowed through and filled Naruto's chakra network.

He has nothing, no clan, no family and no future - then how? How can he possess jutsu like this? And even more, what is the extent of his jutsu? Neji asked himself as he thought back to the moment Naruto push both him and Sasuke away, shattering his rotation.

Ordinarily the individual chakra network was certan in the persons stomach, with the bulwark of they're chakra amassed there and several veins and networks protruding from this center, feeding and filling the rest of the body with chakra using this system.

However in both circumstances for Neji and Naruto, a surprisingly high amount of chakra had forced and built its way to they're eyes, obstructing the users eyes from the other as the dense chakra aura swarmed and filled they're vision.

It was like this for several moments, no sound or question being made from the crowd, or the other members of team 7 and team 3, as Naruto and Neji quietly stared upon one another, each of them observing and judging the other.

Theres no doubt about it, he can see my eyes. Naruto concluded to himself as he remembered reading that the Byakugan of the Hyuga can see an individual's chakra network.

Afterall he briefly thought he himself was a Hyuga in the past since Naruto never could explain where his eyes came from, or the power they possessed, but once he realized he didn't possess the characteristic vein bulging around his eyes he knew he wasn't.

A field of 360* vision, unsurpassed by all other forms of visual Kekkkai Genkai... Naruto reread one of the lines written about the Hyuga in the green book he had gotten from the Uchiha compound so long ago.

Does that include even mine? Naruto asked himself, knowing next to nothing about his eyes, nothing except that even Kakashi-Sensei didn't know what they were, or what they could do.

"Wait a second - this isn't even the 3rd floor why the fuck did you stop here Naruto?" Sakura snapped out, still laying on the floor as she stared at the label above the door that led into the classroom for the exam, or atleast they thought it did.

"Huh?" Both Sasuke and Naruto replied in unison, each of the confused as the other.

"It clearly says room 201 above that door, atleast to anyone who isn't at complete fucking failure at Genjutsu." Sakura sighed at as she pushed herself up off the ground with her left hand and pointed at the door with her right.

"Na-Naruto!" Sasuke screamed out as and glared at his teammate, his clenched right fist shaking.

"Why did you stop here? I thought you knew where you were going?" Sasuke bickered, his eyes squinting several times throughout the sentence.

"Watch where you're going!" Sasuke asserted as he shook his still clenched fist mildly in the air in a comedic fashion.

"Hey hey - I was distracted, I just wanted to help Lee and his friend." Naruto replied as he rested both his opened palm hands infront of his chest and waved them vertically several times in an innocent, pleading manner as he sighed in embarassment.

"We were already late before so I don't we have time for this you two, unless you want to fall down again Sasuke." Sakura asked in a innocent manner.

"That was Naruto's fault not mine!" Sasuke snapped back, a slight blush glowing on his cheeks.

"Sakura - right?" Lee asked as he appeared kneeling on one knee infront of Sakura, smiling so wide that his teeth were showing.

"Uu-uhhh-yeah." Sakura stuttered out.

"Please be my girlfriend, I vow to protect you with my life." Lee asked as he winked and extended his right arm outward, offering his hand to Sakura.

"Yeah - No, I only care about Sasuke but I know how much Naruto likes you so you're cool with me bushy brow." Sakura replied as she smiled at the now depressed Lee.

"This isn't over Uchiha, Lee won't be able to keep you and your little friend safe." Neji snapped out as he glared at the 3 members of team 7.

"Shut the fuck up bitch boy, don't talk to Sasuke like that." Sasuke snorted as she crossed her arms against her nonexistent chest.

"What did you say you blossom bitch?" Tenten scoffed out in annoyance as she and Sakura began glaring at eachother, both of them only 2 feet away from the other.

Naruto then lowered his head and slowly started walking towards Sasuke and Sakura, grabbing the hilt of Sasuke's sword and pulling it free from the floor before handing it to Sasuke, who quickly sheathed it on the hilt that rested against his back.

"Fuck you, my hair is much more attractive than those puff-balls on your head." Sakura mocked as he rested her right hand against her waist and smiled at Tenten.

"You little bi-" Tenten stated, only to be cut off by Naruto mid-sentence.

"Hey come on everyone can't we just get along." Naruto asked timidly as he smiled and rested each of his hands atop the shoulders of both Kunoichi, walking alongside them in the hallway with Sasuke fast behind.

Naruto was so focused on attempting to defuse the situation that he didn't even notice he walked passed Lee, his head held down as he leaned against the wall of the hallway, an aura of depression surrounding him.

"Bushy brow? There not even that big..." Lee muttered quietly to himself, the only people who heard it was himself and Sasuke as he walked by.

"Lee wanna tag along while we go upstairs?" Sasuke asked, knowing that Naruto thought real highly of the individual in a full-body green jump suit.

"Sure!" Lee yelled back in response as he threw a thumbs-up towards Sasuke and once again smiled so wide that his teeth showed, this action instantly causing Sasuke to regret his offer.

"What about Neji?" Lee asked as he turned his head slightly to the right to stare at his teammate now over 10 feet away, the latter still glaring at Naruto, deep in thought.

"He's a dick." Sasuke snorted as he brushed past Lee, strolling towards both his teammates aswell as Tenten.

Lee stared towards Neji for several moments, pondering the situation at hand before his head quickly began turning from side to side, constantly staring back between his friend Naruto, or his teammate Neji.

Well we are teammates - but Sasuke is right he is a dick. Lee concluded to himself as he thought back to all the sparring sessions he had shared with Neji.

And - if Naruto could do beat him so easily...maybe he can teach me how. Lee told himself as he began walking towards Team 7 and Tenten, aswell as the 2 dozen other students following them, none of them having noticed it was a Genjutsu until Sakura said something.

* * *

 _At the far opposite side of the hallway, inbetween a classroom door cracked open._

"So thats the bunch of misfits Kakashi and Guy trained huh?" Izumo asked himself rhetorically as Kotetsu's still unconcious body lay on the ground beside him, Izumo having moved his body when he thought no one noticed.

"Hmph - if any of them passed this 1st test, it was that fox brat, I can't believe he did this to Kotetsu." Izumo mumbled aloud to himself.

"Still, it looks like the exams are going to be fun this wait, I hate that Hyuga and Uchiha get to battle." Izumo muttered to himself as he continued to stare through the cracked door towards the students that filled the Hallway.

"Hmhmhmm, well maybe for me, but not for them, or even Kotetsu here." Izumo joked to himself as he chuckled slightly, looking forward to the upcoming Chunin exams.

* * *

 _7 minutes later, on the 3rd floor in the hallway leading to room 301._

"Hold on you 3, I want to say something real quick." Kakashi stated as he slid one of the many windows that lined the wall of the hallway open and poked his head in, breaking his three Genin away from the horde that accompanied them.

"What's up Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura stammered out in cofusion, she didn't think she would meet her sensei today.

"Hmmmmm - I'm glad to see all 3 of you together, its a sight that almost brings a tear to my eye, if Shinobi were allowed to cry." Kakashi stated in a mocking tone as he winked towards his students.

"Geez Kakashi-sensei when you say shit like that I don't want you to show up." Sakura mumbled in disgust.

"Oh don't worry I won't be here for long, just here to give you all my best wishes." Kakashi hummed out in response as he snapped his orange book shut with his left hand and placed it in his pouch tied to the back of his waist.

"We will make you proud - Sensei." Naruto spoke out as he smiled towards his teacher.

"Oh I'm sure you will Naruto its the other two I'm worried about." Kakashi replied in a lazy tone.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura snorted out in response.

"Just a Joke, I assure you." Kakashi replied.

"Well your jokes are terrible." Sasuke scoffed as he crossed his arms.

"Hmmmm - maybe so but I just want to tell you 3 something." Kakashi hummed, garnishing the attention of all 3 of his students.

"I'm proud of you." Kakashi spoke as he once again winked towards his 3 students, both of his hands resting in his pockets as his upper torso still poked through the window.

"Ew Kakashi-sensei what's with all this lovie dovie shit." Sakura sighed.

"Well, once you 3 pass you won't have much use for little ol' me anymore, and that just breaks my old heart." Kakashi replied as he held his right hand over his heart.

"You really think we can pass Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I know you can, because you 3 have something it took my own team years to develop." Kakashi stated.

"Oooooh? Really? What it that Sensei? Huh - huh? Tell us!" Sakura replied, causing Kakashi to sigh.

"Teamwork Sakura, I want you personally to remember that, okay?" Kakashi responsed.

"Huh? What do you mean Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she titled her head slightly in confusion.

"Naruto and Sasuke have spent years together, fighting and refining they're style to the point where they compliment each other perfectly, something you need to work on." Kakashi asserted.

"O-oh yea..." Sakura mumbled out as she downcast her head and thought back to when Naruto and Sasuke had flawlessly combined they're Water and Lightening Styles together to overwhelm Guy, while she couldn't contribute anything other than getting in the way.

Despite all her training, she hadn't come far enough, even when she grew and developed, Sasuke and Naruto grew more and continued to dwarf her, forever forcing her to remain in they're shadow.

All those hours with Haku...all those days spent training and sweating and for what... Sakura thought to herself as she continued to stare at the floor infront of her feet.

Even Naruto is better than me, he saved Sasuke when I completely failed... Sakura reminded herself.

Maybe its useless...maybe I'll never be a great Kunoichi... Sasuke told herself.

"Me and Sasuke are both here for you Sakura." Naruto spoke out as he gripped Sakura's left shoulder with his right hand, breaking her current train of thought and returning her to the real world.

"After all, you're the one who said we're always here for one another right?" Naruto asked as he smiled towards Sakura, the latter shocked as she had honestly only said that in an attempt to get inside Sasuke's pants.

"U-uh yeah, thanks Naruto." Sakura replied as she matched Naruto's smile with her own, observing the features of Naruto's face, examining his whiskers and bangs as they continued to smile at one another.

You really have grown up - haven't you Naruto? Sakura thought to herself.

You aren't the same kid you were back at the Academy - but I am. Sakura concluded to herself, the aura of depression once again surrounding her.

"Stop being so depressed Sakura, lets get this over with, I'm ready to be a Chunin already." Sasuke scoffed as he pulled his left hand from his pocket and extended it towards Sakura, notioning for her to grab it.

"Ooooooh! You wanna walk me inside? Okay Sasuke!" Sakura shrieked out as she gripped Sasuke's left hand with her own as marched towards the door to room 301, dragging Sasuke behind her.

"You sure do know how to inspire her, Naruto." Kakashi spoked as both he and his blond student stared at the situation that unfolded infront of them.

"When someone loves someone else, or even something, they always want it to love them back." Naruto mumbled in response.

"Naruto." Kakashi asserted, his tone much more serious than before as he gripped Naruto's left shoulder with his right hand and crouched slightly along side him, having jumped into the building from the window he slid open.

"I won't be able to intervene once you and your teammates pass this door, from that point on, you will have to protect them." Kakashi told Naruto, shocking the latter.

"I-I have to protect them?" Naruto stuttered out in response.

"These exams are very dangerous Naruto, people will try to hurt them, to hurt you." Kakashi replied as he stared at Naruto's eyes, or atleast the faint glimmers of purple and violet that protruded from inbetween his strands of hair.

"If a moment comes when Sasuke and Sakura are in danger..." Kakashi stated, causing Naruto to feel a large knot twist in his stomach.

"It is up to you to save them, as you saved me, and the entirety of the Land of Waves, do you understand Naruto?" Kakashi asked, causing the young blond to downcast his head.

"A-and you trust me to do it? You really think I can?" Naruto mumbled out.

"Think? I know you can." Kakashi replied as he tore his hand from Naruto's shoulder and gripped the top of Naruto's head with it, rubbing his hair in an Iruka-like fashion.

"Besides you already promised me you would become a Shinobi as great as Iruka, that door leads to that path Naruto." Kakashi asserted as he stared past Sakura and Sasuke, towards the door infront of them.

"And as great as you, Sensei." Naruto stated as he lifted his head and stared up as his teacher, his bangs falling to the side slightly and allowing more flashes of violet to pierce through.

The Rinnegan - to be the teacher of one who possesses such power, is this the burden you had to endure Jiraiya-sensei? Kakashi asked himself.

"Do what you do best Naruto." Kakashi spoke as a small smile formed underneath his facemask.

"Wh-whats that Sensei?" Naruto stuttered out as he tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Make me proud to call you my student." Kakashi hummed out as he rubbed Naruto's hair and closed his one visable eye while smiling, or atleast he would be if his mask didn't hide his face.

Naruto felt a sudden feeling in his stomach he hadn't felt she Iruka died, he felt a sense of parental love.

"Hurry up Naruto." Sakura barked out as both she and Sasuke waited infront of the door to room 301 staring back at Naruto and Kakashi.

"I will - Sensei." Naruto whispered as he vanished in a flash and reappeared standing inbetween Sasuke and Sakura, the yellow of his hair and the purple of his tunic radiating brightly from his teleportation.

"Lets do this!" Sakura declared as she tore her hand free from Sasuke and raised her right leg to her chest, her knee pressing against her nonexistent breasts.

"Chaaa!" Sakura shrieked as she slung her leg outward, slamming the hilt of foot into the door center panels of the twin doors and forcing both of them to fly open.

A bright light leaked in from the room, engulfing all 3 members of team 7 as they slowly walked into the room and the door slammed shut behind them.

It was then that Kakashi pulled his left hand free from his pocket and reached into his pouch with it, pulling out his orange book of "Make-out tactics." and picking up on the paragraph he had previously been reading.

Kakashi leaped out of the window, landing atop one of the many rooftops of as he then proceeded to dash across them, never tearing his gaze from his book but never slipping or running into anything, he just liked reading while he walked.

* * *

 _Meanwhile inside the room Team 7 had just stepped into._

"U-u-uh guys..." Sakura muttered out timidly as she raised her right hand to cover her mouth.

"Tch." Sasuke snorted out as he observed the room.

"Hm." Naruto hummed to himself quietly as he took the opportunity to study every entrance and exit into the room, something Zabuza always taught he was the most cruical skill for any 'real' Shinobi.

Infront of them was a crowd of over 150 Genin, almost everysingle one of them older than the 3 members of team 7, some of them were even in they're 20s.

There were headbands from 6 different villages, the majority of which belonged to the village Hidden in the Leaves, with the 2nd largest group being Shinobi from the village Hidden in the Sand.

Next were Shinobi from the village Hidden in the Rain, 21 of them specifically by Naruto's count, as he continued to study and observe the room, a habit Zabuza had drilled into his skull.

Why are they all together if everyone else is spread out? Naruto asked himself as he studied the large group of Rain Shinobi standing together, several of them staring back at Naruto when they noticed he was looking in they're direction.

Are they trying to hide they're skills? Maybe they don't want to be social? Naruto pondered to himself.

No - if that was true they wouldn't even come here, for there to be so many they must have a purpose. Naruto told himself as his attention shifted from the Shinobi of the Rain to the Sand Shinobi, and vice versa, several times over as he attempted to learn more about the situation at hand.

So that just leaves... Naruto thought to himself as his eyes dashed else from underneath his bangs, observing a small group of 15 Shinobi from the village Hidden in the Grass leaning against the far right corner of the room.

And then... Naruto told himself as his eyes shifted and focused on the small group of 12 Shinobi from the village Hidden by the Waterfall, for some reason all of them were already glaring at Naruto, with a look of hatred and disgust on they're faces.

Which means that those 3 are from they're own village. Naruto told himself as his attention shifted to focus upon 3 Genin from the village Hidden in the Sound, 3 Shinobi who stood completely alone and seperated from all others.

Much like the Waterfall Shinobi, these 3 Sound Shinobi were also staring at Naruto, but unlike the Waterfall Shinobi the latter were all smiling a twisted smile as they stared at Naruto, all except for the man whose face was hidden by several layers of bandages.

"SASUKEEEE!" Ino shrieked out as she ran up towards team 7 from they're right side and wrapped both of her arms around Sasuke, one around his torso and the other around his neck in an endearing fashion.

"Where have you been? Boy you have no idea how much I was hoping you would show up here." Ino stated as she leaned her head over Sasuke's right shoulder and nuzzled her cheek against Sasuke's, both of them blushing slightly.

"Get the fuck off of him you hag!" Sakura screamed as she pointed towards Ino, a look of disgust covering her face, her scream attracting the looks and stares of everysingle foreign Genin.

"Ms. Forehead they let you in?" Ino joked as she pulled her right arm free from Sasuke's torso and leaned her whole body to the right as her left hand continued to grip Sasuke's left shoulder, hiding behind Sasuke as she mocked Sakura.

"Last week was the first time I saw you since the Academy graduation 7 weeks ago, was kinda hoping I could go another month without seeing you again." Ino taunted in a childesh manner as she pulled her right eyelid down with her right hand and stuck her tongue out at Sakura.

"Yo Naruto." Shikamaru mumbled out lesiurely as both he and Choji approached team 7 from the same direction Ino did, walking up behind her.

"Auuhhhhmmmm, auhmmmmmm, auuhmmmmmm." Choji stated as he threw several hand fulls of chips into his mouth.

"Shikamaru! Choji!" Naruto exclaimed in a happy tone as he smiled brightly at his two friends.

"I knew this would be a drag, but atleast with you here it'll be alittle less of a drag." Shikamaru stated as he gripped the back of his skull with both of his hands and smiled towards Naruto, who returned it with his own.

"Auuhhhmmm, auuuhhmmmmm, auuuhmmmmm." Choji stated, still throwing hand fulls of chips into his mouth.

"Hehahah, you can say that again." Naruto replied in a slight chuckle, as if he understood what Choji was saying.

"Does he ever stop eating?" Sakura asked as she leaned in close to Ino and Sasuke.

"No - never." Ino replied with a deadpan expression as she tore her attention away from Choji and redirected it towards Sasuke.

"Well well, looks like the gang is back together again." Kiba asserted as he, Shino and Hinata all strolled up to the members of Team 7 and 10, approaching from the massive crowd of Genin, several dozens of them still staring at Sakura.

"H-hi Naruto..." Hinata mumbled out quietly.

"Hey guys, how are you?" Naruto asked as he smiled at the members of team 8.

"Be more concerned about how you're going to beat us instead of our feelings, we've trained like crazy in the past week." Kiba scoffed out as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, Akamaru barking in agreement as he sat atop Kiba's hood from his jacket.

"Only cause Kurenai-sensei was really upset with how we preformed dur-" Shino spoke out, only to be interrupted by a screaming Kiba.

"Damn Shino you barely say anything and when you do it makes me look bad!" Kiba snapped out as he raised his clenched right fist to his jawline.

"Like what the hell have you heard of being a wingman? Can you learn to do that? You always bring me down Shino its such a bummer!" Kiba snapped out, his fist still positioned infront of his jaw.

"Right, I apologize." Shino replied in an emotionless tone, causing Kiba to hang his head down in defeat, causing Akamaru to almost fall off.

"You guys too huh? Man everyones here for this stupid thing." Shikamaru sighed out as he lifted his gaze and stared at the ceiling.

"Yup, here we all are - the 9 rookiees, hahaha, this is gonna be fun." Kiba replied.

"Atleast for those of us good enough to make that cut, right Sasuke?" Kiba asked, referring to how high both his and Sasuke's grades were in the Academy.

"Careful you don't get overconfident, you can't tell how strong someone is just from grades or their appearance." Sasuke remarked with a small grin on his face, knowing that Kiba was trying to smear Naruto and his terrible grades at the Academy.

"Hey - you guys." A Shinobi who wore a dark purple shirt with a high collar, a white under-shirt, and dark purple pants that ended 3 inches above his ankles asserted as he approached the members of team 7, 8 and 10 from the dense crowd of Genin in the middle of the room.

He wore dark purple fingerless gloves that rose to his elbows with armoured plates on the back of the hand and a wore a thick white linen cloth around his waist, giving off the appearance that he was wearing a suit instead of a shirt nad pants.

He had ash-grey hair which was well kept and short in the front but spikey and loose in the back, infact the majority of his hair was tied into a ponytail.

His most noteable feature was his black rimmed circular glasses that covered the majority of his face with the headband of Konoha tied around his forehead.

"You might wanna try keeping it down alittle, I mean no offense but you're the 9 rookiees right? Fresh out of the Academy?" The unknown Shinobi asked as all 9 rookiees stared at and observed him.

"I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves, just cool it, this isn't a class field trip." The unknown Shinobi stated, enraging both Sakura and Ino.

"And just who asked you?!" Sakura shrieked in response.

"Yea! Who are you?!" Ino screamed alongside her former classmate.

"Kabuto Yakushi - but really - look around you, you've all made quite an impression." Kabuto asserted as he notioned towards the crowd of over 150 Genin, several dozens of them glaring at the 9 Rookiees with looks of annoyance and anger.

Sakura panicked as her eyes settled upon 2 dozen Shinobi, all of who were glaring at her, clearly annoyed at her constant yelling and screaming.

"Tch." Sasuke snorted out as he observed the horde of Genin glaring at him and his teammates, not taking any of them seriously.

A bunch of nobodies, I was trained by the Copy-cat Ninja of the leaf, he who can use over 1,000 jutsu, these people are nothing to me. Sasuke concluded to himself as he attempted to annoy the fact that Ino was still gripping his left shoulder and hiding behind him.

I wonder where Lee is? Naruto asked as he stood on his tiptoes and stared at the crowd of Genin, not even acknowledging they're looks of hatred and contempt as he attempted to find his friend that walked into the room only minutes before him.

Awh man, I hope this isn't apart of the exams cause I totally ain't passing this. Sakura thought to herself as he knees slightly began shaking.

Her days of training with Haku had refined her fighting style, aswell as her level of chakra control and even doubled her affinity for Taijutsu, however she was only trained to fight 1 person at a time, this group of over 150 was really terrifying to her.

"What a drag." Shikamaru sighed aloud.

"See those guys standing together? They're from the Rain village, very touchy, they all are, this exam makes everyone tense and you don't want to rub them the wrong way wrong now." Kabuto explained as the massive horde of Genin continued to glare at the 9 Rookiees.

"Ah." Sakura sighed out in response.

"You can't help it - I mean how could you know how things work, you're just Rookiees, you remind me alot of myself awhile back." Kabuto exclaimed.

"This isn't the first time you've taken the exam?" Sakura asked.

"N-no, its my seventh." Kabuto replied in an embarassed tone.

"Huh?" Shikamaru replied with a shocked tone as he dropped both his arms to his sides.

"Well, there held twice a year so this will be my 4th year." Kabuto asserted.

"Woah a veteran, you must really be an expert by now." Ino exclaimed in awe as she tighten her left arm around Sasuke's shoulder and rewrapped her right arm around his torso.

"Yea, sort of." Kabuto replied with a small grin upon his face.

"Cool, you can give us all the inside tips!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yea some expert he's never even passed." Shikamaru scoffed as he buried his face in his right palm and sighed.

"Well 7th times the charm, thats what they say right?" Kabuto sighed out in an innocent, joking manner as raised his right hand to his head and rubbed the back of his scalp with it in a sheepish fashion as he laughed timidly.

"So I guess all those rumors about the exam being super tough are true." Shikamaru exclaimed with a deadpan look on his face as he raised it from his hand.

"Oh man what a drag." Shikamaru sighed as he once again buried his face in his right palm and sighed.

"Hang on don't give up hope yet, maybe I could help you kids out alittle." Kabuto stated as he used his left hand to reach into the pouch he kept tied to the back of his waist.

"With my ninja info cards..." Kabuto asserted as he pulled out a deck of several dozen orange cards with green trim on the edges and the Kanji for Shinobi on the back, the other side still concealed from the Rookiees.

"What the heck are those?" Sakura asked?

"Its hard to explain, but these thing have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past 4 years." Kabuto stated as he crouched low to the floor and placed his deck beside side.

"I've got more than 200 of them, so you see, I haven't been completely wasting my time." Kabuto explained as he drew the fist card from atop his deck and flipped it horizontally, revealing a solid white blank piece of paper.

"They might not look like much, infact they appear blank to the naked eye but that's just because I haven't used my chakra yet, don't want just anyone seeing this stuff." Kabuto explained as he extended his left arm outward and poked the card with his left index finger.

Once Kabuto began pouring chakra into the card, it starting twirling in a counter-clockwise motion underneath his fingertip, spinning several times as Kabuto continued to pour chakra into it.

"What are you doing?" Ino asked as she poked her head over Sasuke's right shoulder and rested her chin there, causing Sasuke to tilt his head away slightly.

"You see I'm using my chakra to reveal there secrets, like this for example." Kabuto asserted as he raised his right hand to his face and preformed the half Ram seal, causing the card underneath his finger to erupt and be engulfed in a miniature smoke cloud.

Due to his small size the cloud quickly dissipated, revealing a small map of the 5 great Shinobi nations and the minor countries that surrounded them, aswell as several small numbers scribble onto the card.

"Awesome a map! Of what?" Ino asked.

"It shows the Geographical distribution of all the candidates who have come to take the Chunin exam." Kabuto replied as he tilted his head up and stared at the 9 Rookiees.

"What villages they come from and how many from each village, why do you guys thin they all come to take the exam together at the same time?" Kabuto asked, the only sound being heard from the 9 Rookiees was Choji chewing his chips.

"Its to foster friendship between nations of course, internatioal brotherhood and all that, and its true enough as far as it goes." Kabuto stated.

"But theres another reason." Sasuke responsed.

"Yea, you see this way they can carefully regulate the number of Shinobi who appear in each village, there-by maintaining the balance of power." Kabuto explained.

"Oh yea, balance of power, totally." Sakura spoke.

"Balance of power, ya ya - big deal its all a drag." Shikamaru sighed.

"If the balance of power isn't maintained one nation could end up with many more Shinobi than its neighbor, so this is how they try to maintain the balance of power." Kabuto stated.

"Well that and the Jinchūriki of course, hah." While Kabuto spoke, he shot a quick glance towards Naruto before quickly tore it away and staring back towards his cards. This action went unnoticed by everyone except Naruto.

"What the fuck is a Jin-chu-ri-ki?" Ino asked.

"Nothing." Naruto mumbled quietly, stating his own opinion of himself as he attempted to derail the conversation, apparently only him and Kabuto knew what a Jinchūriki was.

"Hold on... You said you have over 200 cards, do you have information about the other candidates, individually?" Sasuke asked.

"They might." Kabuto responded as a wide grin grew upon his face while he held his left hand over the card still placed on the floor. The card once again exploded into a small puff of smoke before the cloud dissipated and revealed a blank, white card.

"Do you have someone special in mind?" Kabuto asked as he placed his card atop his deck before picking the deck up and beginning to shuffle it.

"Neji - Neji Hyuga of the Leaf." Sasuke spat out in a disgusted tone.

"Awe man you even know his name, that's no fun at all." Kabuto joked out as he once again placed his deck atop the floor beside his left knee.

"Could I see one about Garaa? He's a Sand Shinobi." Naruto mumbled out as he remembered the headband the individual kept tied around the strap of his gourd.

"Show me, show me, I'm Kiba Inuzuka." Kiba stated as he jumped up and down.

"Oh and Naruto of course so I can show him how much stronger I am." Kiba scoffed as he once again crossed his arms, notioning towards the blond haired member of team 7 with his head.

"Cool, gives me an excuse to test out my information on you Rookiees." Kabuto asserted as he once again threw a quick glance towards Naruto before redirecting it back at his cards.

"Here we are." Kabuto stated as he drew a card from his deck and placed it on the floor infront of him, mirrioring the same action as before and channeling chakra into this new card.

A card that also spiraled and twisted several times under his fingertips before erupting into a small cloud of smoke and then dissipating, revealing a small picutre of Neji's from his waist up, aswell as small head icons of his 2 teammates and Sensei.

"Looks like he's 1 year older than you guys, he's completed 11 C-rank missions and 20 D-rank missions, his squad leader is Guy and his two teammates are Tenten and Rock Lee." Kabuto explained as he read the card aloud.

"If you look at his individual stats, Taijutsu is his strongest skill at 3.5 but thats not taking into account his clans kekkai genkai, the Byakugan whi-" Kabuto attempted to explain only to be cut off by Sasuke.

"I know enough about the Byakugan, I want to know what importance he has to the Hyuga clan." Sasuke asked, remembering just how pissed he got that Neji would insult the position of Clan Head.

"Says here his father was brother to the current Clan Head, Hiashi Hyuga, his father was named Hizashi Hyuga and he willingly allowed himself to die inplace of his brothers life during the Hyuga affair." Kabuta explained.

"Hyuga affair? What's that about Hinata?" Kiba asked as he turned to his shy teammate.

"The Hyuga affair took place over 9 years ago, when the Head Ninja of the village Hidden in the Clouds attempted to kidnap Hiashi Hyuga's first daughter, and when Hisashi killed the man the Hidden Cloud village demanded his body as payment." Kabuta stated.

"Hold on, how could they invade a neighborring village, attempt to kidnap a child from one of the clans, and then demand the body of the person who killed they're spy? Why wasn't they're a war?" Sakura asked.

"Well you see the villages had already been at war for over 10 years, and the very same spy who attempted to kidnap Hiashi's daughter was all the same person that met with the Leaf village to offer peace.

"So hang on, he came here to offer peace then when he got it he attempted to kidnap a citizen of the village before he left, and then when he was killed his village demanded payment?" Sakura asked.

"That's right, the payment was supposed to be Hiashi, but Hizashi, Neji's father, volunteered to take his place." Kabuto replied.

So...just because he dad was born seconds later than Hiashi...he was labeled a minor member of the clan, and forced to serve the Head Clan...no wonder he has a stick shoved up his ass. Sasuke thought to himself.

"They sound like a bunch of morons." Sakura asserted as she crossed her arms, causing Kabuto to chuckle slightly.

"Oh man you're lucky they're village isn't allowed to compete or you would have really pissed off alot of Shinobi right now." Kabuto asserted.

"Hinata aren't you the daughter of Hiashi?" Naruto asked, thinking back to the dozens of books he had read on the Hyuga.

"Wel-well I- I um-um well yea." Hinata mumbled out in response.

"There you are, living proof of the Hyuga affair, now lets move on to Garaa of the Sand." Kabuto explained are he drew another card from his deck and placed it about Neji's preforming the same action as before and revealing the card to all infront of him.

"Garaa of the Sand, it looks like he doesn't have a last name, his mission experince is 8 C-rank missions and get this, 1 B-rank mission, as a Genin, sadly I don't have any info on how many D-rank missions he's done." Kabuto asserted.

"I barely have that much info on this guy at all, his teammates are Temari and Kankuro, while his squad leader is unknown, he's a Rookiee from another village." Kabuto stated.

"I don't even have any information on his stats, like Taijutsu or Ninjutsu." Kabuto explained.

"But there is one thing, one important thing, this guy has completed everysingle mission without even being scratched, infact, no one has even be able to touch him." Kabuto asserted, shocking all 9 Rookiees infront of him.

"The dudes done a B-rank as a Genin? And wasn't even hurt?" A shocked Shikamaru exclaimed.

"Whats the deal with this guy?" Sakura exclaimed in an awed tone.

Theres more than that...I felt it...something else... Naruto thought to himself as image of Garaa's face floated throughout his mind.

"So you mean he has no clan?" Sasuke asked.

"None that I know of, his family and last name are unknown, lets move on to Kiba Inuzuka now." Kabuto exclaimed as he drew another card and place it atop of Garaa's, once again pour chakra into the card and revealing its contents.

"Sweet, get ready to be impressed." Kiba joked with a slight chuckle.

"Kiba Inuzuka, a 1st year Genin whose completed 11 D-rank missions, his squad leader is Kurenai Yuhi, and his two teammates are Hinata Hyuga and Shino Aburame." Kabuto explained.

"And his stats are pretty terrible." Kabuto stated, causing Kiba to downcast his head in defeat.

"His best stat is his speed at 3.5, but I suspect thats only when he's fighting alongside his pet, Akamaru." Kabuto asserted, recieving a loud bark from Akamaru in response.

"One thing to note is that he has virtually no Genjutsu, its only 0.5, basically nothing." Kabuto stated.

"His next highest stat, get this, is his Intelligence at 1, hah." Kabuto chuckled out as he giggled at the information infront of him.

"Awh just move on to Naruto already, his stats will make me feel better." Kiba scoffed as he he gripped his waist with both his hands and Akamaru barked.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Kabuto spoke boldly as he glanced towards the blond whose name he just spoke.

"I don't believe I ever mentioned my last name." Naruto replied as he stared at Kabuto from underneath his bangs.

"Forgive me, I'm guilty of doing prior research on you all." Kabuto replied with a slightly twisted smile on his face and his drew another card from his deck, one again placed it atop the prior card he drew and channeled chakra into it to reveal its secrets.

"Naruto Uzumaki, otherwise none as th-" Kabuto stuttered and froze mid-sentence, as he stared at the card in shock.

"Whats wrong, speak up." Kiba stated, causing Kabuto to pick up the card with his right hand and raise it to his face, making sure what he was reading was actually there.

"Ot-otherwise known as the Hero of the Waves - has completed 6 D-rank missions and 1 A-rank mission." Kabuto asserted as both he, and all the members of team 8 and 10 glared at Naruto in shock.

"And get this, during that mission he single handedly defeated Zabuza Momochi, the demon of the Mist, an S-rank rogue Shinobi from the village Hidden in the Mist." Kabuto spoke loudly, causing his statement to echo throughout the room, allowing everyone to hear.

* * *

 _On the other side of the room._

"Hey that's the kid from before, do you really think he took out an S-rank rogue Shinobi?" Kankuro asked Temari as Garaa stood in an emotionless stood inbetween them.

"Well, he took you down easily enough." Temari scoffed out as she giggled slightly.

"Yea yea whatever." Kankuro sighed before both he and Temari glanced at Garaa as he stood in between them. During this, Gaara was staring through the crowd towards Naruto on the far side of the room.

"Wh-whats up Garaa?" Kankuro asked, attempting to cheer up his brother, even thought he was extremly afraid of Garaa.

"Blood, mother says I need his blood." Garaa grunted out in an angry tone as he continued to stare at Naruto on the far side of the room, his sentence causing both Temari and Kankuro to look at one another in fear and panic.

Oh no, its happened already, I knew this was a bad idea, bringing him here. Temari thought to herself as her mind was filled with dread and fear.

This kid, this blond brat, he's really getting to Garaa, I only hope they don't face eachother in them exam, for that blond kids sake. Kankuro concluded to himself.

* * *

 _Elsewhere in the room._

"Oh damn, an S-rank rogue Shinobi?" Tenten stated in a shocked tone.

"Yea, he is truly worthy of being my rival." Lee asserted in an inspired tone as he stared towards his friend on the far side of the room.

"Hmph." Neji snorted.

"Oh come on Neji don't be so sore, he didn't just beat you he also beat the S-rank Shinobi, that should make you feel better right?" Tenten asked as she attempted to cheer up her moody boyfriend.

"It's not just that, that kid is hiding something." Neji replied.

"Huh? Hiding what?" Tenten asked.

"Didn't you notice before?" Neji asked, causing Tenten to sigh.

"We're not all as gifted as you are dear." Tenten replied.

"Back then, in the hallway." Neji responded as he thought back to the confrontation between him and Sasuke.

"Sasuke was only inches away from my jutsu, and as you know my rotation repells and nullifies all forms of chakra and physical attacks." Neji explained as his girlfriend and Lee both nodded.

"At that moment, when Sasuke was barely inches away... Naruto, somehow, managed to appear between the two of us, a feat of speed I'm not even sure Guy could match." Neji explained.

"Whaaaa! Naruto is strong but he isn't on Guy-sensei's level." Lee argued.

"Its more than that Lee, the feat of speed wasn't the only thing, he was able to break my rotation something that no one has ever done before." Neji stated as he glared through the crowd towards Naruto.

"Aren't we and Sasuke the only people you've used it against? Thats like 3 people." Lee answered, causing Neji to sigh.

"That's not the point, it nullifies all chakra, so if he had used Water Style, or Earth Style or even Fire Style, my Rotation would have canceled it... On the other hand if it was a physical attack, like Sasuke was planning, it should have been deflected" Neji explained.

"But it wasn't?" Tenten replied.

"Exactly... meaning it wasn't either... Not a chakra nature technique or a physical attack." Neji proclaimed in a low tone.

"OOOooooooh, so if it wasn't either of those thing, than what was it?" Lee asked as he stared at his teammate.

"A good question." Neji mumbled in response as the Image of purple chakra swelling into Naruto's eyes filled his mind.

* * *

 _Elsewhere in the room._

"You hear what he said about that kid? That he took out Zabuza Momochi by himself?" Zaku whispered into Dosu's ear as he stood over him, both Kin and Zaku standing while Dosu sat leaned against the pillar they were positioned against.

"I heard." Dosu replied in a cold, caculating tone.

"I say, we show that kid the power of the Sound." Kin stated.

"Agreed." Dosu replied in a cold tone.

"Then the nerd in the glasses can update his info, to 'Killed by the Sound'." Zaku scoffed.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at the entrance to the room._

"His Ninjutsu is 3.5, while his Taijutsu is 3.0 and his Genjutsu is 2.5, his Intelligence is very low, only 0.5, but then again so were his grades at the Academy." Kabuto explained.

"His Strength isn't anything to mention either, only 1.5 while his speed and stamina are unknown... His Hand Seals are 3.5 though suggesting he knows atleast dozens of Jutsu... And that's not even getting into his statue that was built on the border of the Land of Waves, infront of the very same bridge that is named after him." After Kabuto spoke, the surrounding eyes then once again focused upon him.

"Wa-wait, they named the bridge after me?" Naruto asked as he smiled at the thought of people thinking fondly of him.

"What!? Thats what shocks you! Not the S-rank rogue Shinobi? An S-rank rogue Shinobi? All by yourself? How did I not know about this!?" Kiba screamed in complaint as both Sasuke and Sakura downcast they're face in an attempt to avoid his gaze.

"Well you're always happy when you dog on me for being weak, I didn't want to ruin your good mood ya' know." Naruto replied as he grinned towards Kiba, the latter falling face first to the floor in embarrassment.

"Thats a lie right Naruto? Sasuke totally did everything." Ino asked as she once again nuzzled her face against Sasuke's.

"Looks like you're the weak one here, Kiba." Shino asserted quietly, causing Kiba to jump and and begin barking at his teammate, during all of this Kabuto continued to read information on Naruto's card.

Th-The Rinnegan...just like the leader of that Organization... Kabuto thought to himself as a image of a Red cloud appeared in his mind as he stared at the picture of Naruto's statue in the Land of Waves, a statue with the Rinnegan painted as his eyes.

If this is true...than Lord Orochimaru should be told about this. Kabuto told himself as he tilted his head upwards to stare at Naruto, but only became shocked when he realized Naruto was already staring at him.

"That's an aweful lot of information for something that only happened 1 week ago, right Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he continued to glare down at Kabuto from inbetween his bangs.

"Now that you mention it - yea, that mission had nothing to do with the Chunin exams, why di- actually how did you get that information?" Sasuke asked.

"Well you see I never reveal my secrets, that would be breaking my clients trust." Kabuto sighed out as he rubbed the back of his scalp with his right hand in an innocent fashion.

Naruto then stepped forward, breaking away from the other 8 Rookiees and standing only a foot away from the still crouched Kabuto as he stared down at him from inbetween his bangs.

"I'm sure you have many secrets." Naruto stated.

"Oh you wouldn't know the half of it... But then - you have secrets too, don't you Naruto?" Kabuto asked as a twisted smile bloomed upon his face.

Zaku then appeared in mid-air several feet above both Kabuto and Naruto, throwing 4 Kunai towards the latter, at the same time Kin, standing on the floor of the room below Zaku, unleased 6 Shuriken from her pouch towards the blond Shinobi, eager to show the other Genin present the power of the Sound.

Naruto downcast his head entirely as 1 Kunai soared past the back of his neck, before quickly retracting his head and tilting it competely backward as 2 more Kunai soared past his throat before he then counter-clockwise and side stepped to the right towards Kabuto, dodging the 4th and last Kunai while pushing Kabuto back with his right hand, attempting to save him from the oncoming Shuriken.

"Wind Style: Swift Wind Wall!" Naruto exclaimed as he raised his left hand to his chest, his right arm still extended towards a falling Kabuto, as his left hand preformed the Half Ox, Half Dog and finally Half Rat seals, preforming one Handed Seals, shocking all Rookiee's present, except Sasuke.

An engulfing gust of condensed wind and air erupted from all around Naruto, before bellowing out and consuming both Kabuto and all other 8 Rookiees as several massive currents of air spiraled and danced around the Shinobi, all under Naruto's command.

The 6 Shuriken then slammed harmlessly into the main current of air that surrounded Naruto, being absorbed into the swirling vortex that surrounded him and his friends, as the 6 Shuriken spun around inside the Tornado-like jutsu.

For several moments the currents of air continued to swirl and dance around Naruto and those close to him before quickly dissipating and disappearing completely, the 6 Shuriken falling harmlessly to the floor around Naruto.

Naruto's left hand was still held infont of his chest, with his right arm still extended outward towards Kabuto who had finally fallen to the floor as 7 of the other Rookiees stared at him, awed by him preforming one Handed Seals.

"You've left yourself wide open." Dosu declared as he appeared infront of Naruto, his right hand extended outward vertically with his left hand pulling the sleeve of his right arm up, revealing an odd metal forearm guard, with several holes drilled into it.

"HA!" Dosu grunted as he flung his right fist forward, knowing that even if he missed the Sound compression release from his device would immobilize Naruto, however instead of dodging it, or even moving at all, Naruto just lowered both of his arms to his side as Dosu leapt towards him, putting up no resistance, even as Dosu's fist raced towards his face.

Suddenly Dosu, aswell as his fist, froze in mid-air as a gust of wind erupted from Naruto, an unseen force directed the wind as it continuessly pushed and protruded a powerful force out from Naruto towards Dosu, the force erupting from all around Naruto was so powerful that it even caused his bangs to lift and float, revealing his violet eyes to a now shocked and scared Dosu, as he remained froze in mid-air in a helpless fashion.

Naruto then slowly raised his right hand from his side, extending his fingers outwards as he directed his palm towards Dosu as all the built of chakra around him flung itself forward towards the Sound Shinobi, flinging the latter backwards with such force that the floor underneath him cracked slightly as he flipped, twisted and flung through the air, smacking into several other Genin.

In total Dosu had been flung into 7 different Chunin teams, 4 from the Leaf and 3 from the Sand, lucky for him he was flung towards Garaa, as the impact of slamming into other human beings and tables was already painful enough.

"You little bastard!" Zaku barked out as he charged at Naruto, only for Sasuke to appeared in a blur infront of him, Kneeing him in the gut before striking the back of his neck with his left hand in a karate chop-like fashion, knocking Zaku out and causing him to fall to the floor.

"Zaku! Dosu!" Kin exclaimed as she attempted to intervene, only to be forced to preform 3 backflips to avoid the 4 Senbon thrown at her feet, thrown with such force that they stabbed into the stone floor.

"I'll fuck you up hag!" Sakura shrieked as allow several Senbon to protrude outward from inbetween her fingers, 3 Senbon in each hand for a total of 6 and he brandished them infront of her face in the fashion Haku had taught her.

"FUCK YOU KID!" One of the Shinobi from the Grass screamed as he threw a kid towards Dosu's jaw, annoyed that that the latter had slammed into him.

"Its that Rookiees fault!" One of the Shinobi from the Waterfalls asserted as he pointed at Naruto, several other members of his clan rising in protest as they all stared towards the blond.

Suddenly, as if it was planned to prevent the Riot that was surely moments away from occurring, a massive pillar of smoke erupted from the front of the classroom, opposite the entry way where all 9 Rookiees stood.

"ALRIGHT YOU BABYFACED DEGENERATES QUIET DOWN AND LISTEN UP!" A mascular, raspy voice from inside the smoke cloud bellowed, garnishing the attention of all Genin present.

After several moments, filled only with the dead silence from the crowd of over 150 Genin staring at the smoke cloud infront of them, the cloud finally began to dissipated and clear, Revealing 14 individuals standing in the center of the previous smoke cloud.

"I'll say this once, and I don't repeat myself so make sure you pay attention." The man with a rasphy voice declared.

Stand behind and all around the speaking man were 13 other Shinobi, all of various size and height, aswell as rank, but everysingle one of them belonged to the Intelligence Division, evidence by the standard dark grey Intelligence Division outfit each of the individuals wore.

"Don't start what you can't finish." The raspy man spat out as he glared at Dosu and the other members of the Sound Squad, before briefly directing his glance towards Naruto.

"Now - My name is Ibiki Morino." Ibki explained as he raised his right hand to his face and pointed at himself with his thumb.

He wore a darker version of the Intelligence Division uniform, darker than grey but not black as he wore a solid black trench coat with a raised collar and gloves over this uniform, his face was covered by two massive scars on each side, one slanted downward and beginning under his right eye before ending several inches below his jawline.

The other scar was much more dominant and noticeable, beginning beside his left eye and running down the entire length of his face, crossing over his mouth and ending at his chin, atop his head he wore a solid black forehead beanie, the Headband of Konoha sewn into the front of it, with several small, barely visible scars protruding out from underneath it.

"Its time to begin." Ibiki asserted as he contined to glare at Naruto on the far side of the room.

"I'm your protector for this exam, and from this moment on - your worst enemy." Ibiki stated in a sick tone, causing several weak-willed Genin to panic with fear and anticipation.

"This is it - the Chunin exams begin now!" Ibiki yelled as Dosu finally stood up and stared at the individual speaking, as did everyone else present in the room, all of them eager to become Chunin especially the members of team 7.


	16. Chapter 16

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: The Human Path grants a Rinnegan user the ability to read the mind of any target by placing his hand on the individuals head or chest and pulling the soul out of the body.**

 **By pulling a soul out with the Human Path, Naruto can absorb all memories thoughts and knowledge before storying that soul inside the King of Hell. This technique gains past secrets, hidden memories and untold jutsu while also killing the target.**

 **The Human Path will affect Naruto's development as a character, because it will affect his perception of reality. Also,** **any soul that Naruto stores inside the King of Hell will be unreachable by Edo Tensei.**

 **On the subject of the Hyuga clan, they used to be a really big deal in part 1. But then Shippuden happened and they got left in the dust with all the MS and EMS power-ups that Kishimoto pulled out his ass.**

 **I can already hear people saying "WhAt AbOuT ThE tEnSeIgAn!?" and that makes me sad. Because that shit didn't exist in Part 1 and Boruto is complete dogshit anyway, I'd cut myself with a rusty razor before watching Boruto.**

 **I will be writting the Byakugan from the original Part 1 Naruto perspective, I plan to fix the Hyuga problem that Kishimoto created.** **The Byakugan will continued to be a threat like originally planned before Kishimoto started deepthroating Uchiha dick.**

 **Finally I want to remind my readers of something very important and very special. A theme to this story and the reason why I've tried to flesh out and explain Naruto's life before he leaves the village.**

 **Seeing people change isn't what hurts, what hurts is remembering who they used to be.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Start your Engines! The Chunin exams begin.**

"What a pathetic group of kids - all of you." Ibiki spat out as he examined and observed as group of over 150 standing infront of him, several of the individuals Dosu had slammed into still laying on the floor.

"Usually I'd give a warning to you 3 brats, for fighting without being told so." While speaking, Ibiki observed Dosu, Kin and Zaku with the latter was laying unconcious atop the floor beside Sasuke.

"But since that blond brat and his friends put you in your place, it looks like I don't have too." Ibiki concluded aloud, his statement causing Dosu to grind his teeth together in rage.

Give me a break he did that jutsu with only one hand? Even Kurenai-sensei can't do that! Kiba exclaimed to himself in confusion as he glared at the backside of Naruto's head, the latter staring at Ibiki on the far side of the room while his arms rested at his sides.

Na-Naruto...when did you learn that? Sakura thought to himself as her shocked eyes moved from Sasuke to Naruto several times, staring at the backs of both individuals.

An-and why doesn't Sasuke she so effected? Did he not see? Or did he already know? Sakura asked herself.

Na-Naruto... Hinata thought timidly to herself, as she placed her clenched right fist against her breasts in a shy manner.

Geez looks like theres even more stuff Naruto is holding back, what a draaaag. Shikamaru concluded to himself as he raised his right hand to his head, and drilled his pinky finger into his right ear attempting to kill time.

"Auuhmmmm, auuhmmmmm, auuhhmmmmm." Choji mumbled aloud, the only 1 of the 9 Rookiees completely content and happy with his surroundings as he continued to eat his chips.

"Hm." Shino hummed quietly to himself.

Since when did Naruto get so badass? If he stopped drawing those stupid whiskers on his face he might actually be hot. Ino told herself.

"There will be no combat between candidates! That means no attacking eachother with the permission of your Procter... And even then the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited. Anyone who even thinks about messing with me will be disqualified immediately." Ibiki snorted out in a harsh tone as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Now, if we're ready, we will proceed to the 1st stage of the Chunin exam." After he spoke, Ibiki uncrossed his arms before pushing his right hand through the pocket of his trench coat.

"Hand over your paper work, in return you will be given a number." Ibiki stated as he pulled his right hand from his trench coat pocket and held his arm aloft in the air infront of his chest, a small 2in x 2in white paseo tile with the number '1' painted in black on the front.

"This number determines where you will sit, once you are all seated, we will start the written test." After speaking, a loud chorus of sighs erupted from the competing Candidates.

"Th-The what?" Ino mumbled out in a depressed tone as she downcast her head.

"Di-did he say...written?" As Ino spoke, she fell to her knees in depression, clearly upset at the idea of a written test.

Izumo then lifted a massive pile of pages from atop one of the desk him and the other procters stood by, bending the pages back slightly before allowing them to fall forward, the sound of paper cringling cutting through the air, depressing Ino even more.

"NOOOOOOOooooooo! Not a written test!" Ino screamed as she slammed her palms atop the floor infront of her, still on her knees, entering into a fit of hysteria as all other 8 Rookiees, aswell as the entirety of the room followed Ibiki into the next room.

After 9 Rookiees had moved past, Kin stepped behind them and picked Zaku up, wrapping her left arm around his torso and his right arm around her shoulders as she picked him up.

"Weak bitch, I hope Dosu wakes you up using his high pitched Sound to burst your ears." Kin snarled to herself, disgusted at the weak failure of Zaku, aswell as herself as she dragged Zaku's body with her while she walked towards the door with Dosu already waiting there.

* * *

 _14 minutes later, 9:02am May 27th 58 SSP, inside a 40ft x 40ft room on the 3rd floor._

Lining the far left side of the room was a series of massive 36in x 24in windows, with several chairs positioned infront of them and exam proctors sitting in those chairs, observing the 13 by 3 rows of tables that the candidates sat in.

The rows were assembled to were 4 Shinobi sat on one side of each table, facing the front of the room, with 3 rows horizontally and 12 rows vertically, in total there were 153 Genin assembled ready to take the Chunin exams.

All teams of 3 had been seperated and dispersed among the tables, a surprising amount of effort was put into making sure no teammate was next to another.

Sasuke was placed in the center table of the 7th row, while Sakura was the 8th person seated on the far right table of the 4th row, with Naruto seated as the 3rd person on the far left of the 2nd row.

Ordinarily Naruto didn't care much for exams, infact he had always failed his past exams to make sure Iruka never got in trouble incase Naruto got grades that were too high, but this exam was specifically troublesome as he was seated next to Gaara of the Sand.

It wasn't that he hated or disliked Gaara, Naruto even made great effort to befriend the Sand Shinobi when they had first met, but anytime he was near the individual he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, as if something was attempting to claw itself out.

It seemed Naruto also had an impact on Gaara, the latter of which was gripping his forehead feriously with both hands, his elbows implanted into the top of the desk as he grunted in pain.

"Nnnnnhhhh!" Gaara grunted out as he dug his fingernails into his forehead near the Seal that was placed there, his action making Naruto really uncomfortable and wishing he was seated elsewhere.

"Listen up maggots!" Ibiki asserted as a tapped a piece of white chalk against the massive blackboard behind him.

"Soon mother...soon..." Gaara grunted as he slowly dragged his fingers downward across his face as he glared at Ibiki, his statement once again making Naruto uncomfortable as he shifted his head down, hiding his face up to his nose behind the raised collar of his tunic.

"Eyes up front - there are a few rules you need to be made aware of and I don't answer questions so you better pay attention the first time." Ibiki declared as he once again tapped the blackboard with his chalkstick.

No questions? What kind of rules are these? Sakura asked herself.

"Alright, Rule number 1 is this." Ibiki declared as he turned around and began drawing on the blackboard with his chalkstick.

"The written part of the Chunin exam is conducted on a point reduction system." Ibiki explained, as he chalk struck, slammed and dragged across the blackboard in several different brushes and strokes.

"You all begin the test with a perfect score of 10 points, 1 point will be deducted for each question you get wrong." Ibiki asserted.

"So if you miss 3, your finally score will be 7." Ibiki stated as he turned around to face the candidates, having finished writing a small explanation of the rules onto the blackboard behind him.

And if I miss 10 my final score will be 0. Sakura thought to herself in a depressed manner, she had been so focused on training her physical traits and talents ever since training with Haku, that she became guilty of now researching or doing any studying before the exam.

"Rule number 2, teams will pass or fail based off the total score of all 3 members." Ibiki explain, causing several of the Genin seated to gasp with shock while slight mumbles and compliants filled the room.

Ibiki's statement also caused Sakura to viciously face plant, slamming her head against the top of her desk before quickly raising it as if nothing happened, the only evidence it did was the large red bruise swelling on her forehead.

"Wait a second!" Sakura scream aloud.

"You're saying we all 3 get graded as a team?" A bewildered Sakura asked.

"SILENCE! I have my reasons, so shut up and listen." Ibiki snapped out.

Reasons? As if - I'm so going to fail. Sakura thought to herself as she leaned forward, resting her chin atop her desk as she wrapped her arms around her jawline as she stared at Ibiki in a depression fashion.

"Rule number 3, the sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating." Ibiki explained as he nodded towards that 12 procters that lined the corners and walls of the room.

"And for every incident of cheating they spot, the culprit will have a 2 point deduction subtracted from they're total score." Ibiki stated as he grin, his statement once again causing several of the Genin present to mumble and complain quietly.

"Be warned - they're eyes are extremely sharp, and if they catch you 5 times you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored." Ibiki declared.

Sheeessh - they make it to where theres all sorts of ways to lose points. A depressed Sakura thought to her.

"Anyone foolish enough to be caught cheating by the Sentinels isn't skilled enough to be here." Ibiki asserted, his unique choice of words confusing Naruto who was still hiding his face behind his raised collar, really uncomfortable sitting next to Gaara.

"If you want to be considered Shinobi - than show us what exceptional Shinobi you can be." Ibiki asked.

Okay okay...relax...I know Sasuke will be alright...and Naruto will probably do just as well since he reads those scrolls and books of his so much... Sakura thought to herself, still laying her chin and arms atop her desk.

That just leaves me... Sakura concluded to herself as she hid her face under her arms.

Hopefully if Naruto and Sasuke do well enough...they can drag me to the finish line like usual... A depressed Sakura told herself as she thought about how useless to the team she was.

"1 more thing - if any candidate should get a 0 and fail the test, than the entire team fails." Ibiki asserted, causing of aura of defeat to surround Sakura.

"WHAT DID HE SAY!?" Ino shrieked aloud in shock.

Oh man they're going to kill me, why do I always have to drag them both down... Sakura asked herself.

"Infront of you is a page with 9 questions on it, the 10th and final question won't be given out until 15 minutes before the end of the testing period." Ibiki explained.

"You'll have 1 hour in total - BEGIN!" Ibiki yelled as the arm on the clock struck 9:30am.

* * *

 _5 minutes later._

Oh man - oh man, each of these questions are just as hard as the last. Sakura thought to herself as she examined all 9 questions, attempting to find one easy enough for her to answer.

I wonder how Sasuke's holding up... Sakura asked herself as she fought the urge to turn around and look at Sasuke, afraid of getting punished and causing her teammates to lose even more points.

"Hey you!" Ibiki screamed all, garnishing everyones attention as he stared at his victim.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Sit normally, like everyone else." Ibiki ordered out at Naruto who had taken both his shoes off and sat Indian style at the table he was seated, still hiding half his face behind his raised collar.

"But there are only 4 rules - and none of them say anything about how I'm supposed to sit, I could sit on the desk itself and I still wouldn't be breaking any rules." Naruto replied timidly as he raised his pencil from his page.

Naruto's statement shocked many Genin around him, awed by the fact that he would even talk back to the man who clearly wanted someone to make an example of, however it retrieved no direct response from Ibiki as he stood frozen, still glaring at Naruto.

Finally a twisted, warped smile developed on Ibiki's face as he grinned towards the blond Shinobi, his devilish smile causing Naruto to sink his head deeper as he attempted to hide his entire face behind the raised collar of his tunic.

"Nice answer kid, I already have you to thank for missing one of my procters today, and starting that little brawl out in the waiting room, lets see if you have the brains to match your brawns." Ibiki stated as he continued to grin towards Naruto who quickly went back to writing.

It wasn't that Naruto was answering questions, infact just like Sakura he had attempted to find a question easy enough to answer only to realize they were all extremely complicated, something no fresh out of the Academy Genin would ever know.

But unlike Sakura who was panicking and having a meltdown, Naruto was content to sit there and doodle little chibi artworks of his friends and teammates, having already drawn all 3 members of team 7 and currently working on Kakashi.

Naruto's doodles were drawn inside the answering boxes, as if his little chibi doodles were the answer to the questions instead of complicated equations relating to Shinobi survival and the proper degree at which to throw a Kunai.

Naruto put a surprising amount of effort into his chibi doodles as he attempt to ignore that sharp pain still in his gut from sitting beside Gaara, the latter of which was surround in several grains of sand with his left eye closed as he wrote answers to the test.

Naruto didn't know if Gaara was answering the questions correctly, and honestly Naruto didn't care, over the past 6 years of Academy schooling with Iruka it became very hard for Naruto to take any exam seriously, especially a written exam.

That is why Naruto just reserved himself to doodling artwork on his page as answers to his questions, he figured the 10th question would probably be some bonus question, especially since the first 9 questions were far to complicated for it to be done on purpose.

Question number 2... Sasuke read aloud in his mind, having just spent the first 10 minutes of the exam decoding the 1st question.

Line B on the diagram indicates the trajectory of a Shuriken thrown at enemy C by Shinobi A seated atop a tree 7 meters tall... Sasuke thought to himself as he studied the 2nd question of the exam.

Describe and formulate the trajectory required if C were positioned at points D, E and F, also predict the farthest possible range of the Shuriken and explain how you arrived at your answer. Sasuke asked himself as he observed the diagram presented for questioned 2.

Huuuuuu - I hope Naruto and Sakura are doing better than I am... Sasuke thought to himself as he glanced up towards his teammates.

Naruto's been writing for almost 8 minutes straight, he's probably almost done by now, but Sakura has even picked up her pencil. Sasuke noted to himself.

Forget it - this is hopeless, what am I gonna do, what am I gonna do? Sakura asked herself as she gripped both sides of he head with her hands, covering her ears entirely.

I'm a know-it-all at the Academy but that gets me no where, so then I train hard to become tough and now I have to do written exams again, just great, I'll never win Sasuke's heart like this. Sakura concluded to herself as she looked down at her page in defeat.

Awhh man this is hopeless... Sakura told herself.

* * *

 _10 minutes later - 9:52am, 38 minutes before the written exam ends._

That does it, I got no choice I have to cheat! Sakura screamed aloud inside her mind as she stared at the blank exam paper infront of her, not a single thing written on it, not even her name.

N-no I can't do that...what if I get caught...what if I drag down Naruto and Sasuke like before... Sakura thought to herself.

No, no its okay I can do this, just pick up the pencil Sakura. Sakura told herself as she picked up her pencil and pressed it's led against the top right hand corner of the page, finally writting her name on the page, something most other candidates did over 20 minutes ago.

Just - just... Sakura stuttered to herself as she finally finished writing her name and released she had nothing else to write.

Naruto must be having the time of his life...he hasn't stopped writing in over 20 minutes. Sakura thought to herself as she glance towards her teammate at the front of the room, his right hand scribbling across the page in confindent, smooth strokes.

Little did Sakura know that Naruto hadn't answered a single question either, or rather he didn't answer them in what could be conceived as the correct way.

The answer to question 1 was the entire team 7, Kakashi included, all drawn in chibi fashion and standing over a firepit roasting marshmellows in the forest surrounding Konoha.

The answer to question 2 were all members of team 3, Guy included and all in chibi form as all 4 of them sat on the stools of Ichiraku's ramen stand eating ramen, the same place Naruto saw them when he went shopping for Iruka's birthday

The answer to question 3 was team 10 with Choji eating chips, Shikamaru snoring while he slept and Ino wrapping bandages around her legs while all three of them sat on a hill, he always meant to ask Ino how long it took to wrap those bandages around her body.

But Naruto always felt like he was bothering Ino, like something he did just annoyed her so he never got the chance to ask, which is what prompted him to draw her wrapping them, he wanted to draw they're sensei but he had no idea what he looked like.

The answer to question 4 were all members of team 8 with Shino wearing a bug outfit, Kiba dressed as a Akamaru and Hinata wearing ghost robes, he didn't know why he gave them all spooky outfits, but he really liked Hinata's complexion, he felt she made a great ghost.

And currently Naruto was working on question 5, having already drawn a chibi Kankuro being controlled by an exact replica of Kanuro as Naruto put alot of effort into drawing the chakra strings before he moved on to drawing Temari.

This is ridiculous, how do they expect any of us to answer these questions? Even I can't. Neji told himself as he sat infront of his blank page, crossing his arms against his chest in protest.

And its even more than that, how is that blond runt preforming so well? His pencil hasn't left his page in over 20 mintues, what is he doing? Is he that confindent in his answers to the test? Neji asked himself as he glared toward Naruto, seated 2 rows directly infront of him.

No - its somthing else...something more, why only a 2 point deduction if we're caught cheating? Usually if you are caught cheating even once you're thrown out but for some reason you can cheat up to 5 times here until its a problem. Neji concluded to himself as he observed his surroundings.

Uh...! A shocked and surprised Neji thought to himself.

Anyone foolish enough to be caught cheating... Sakura thought to herself, unaware that both she and Neji were thinking about the same exact thing.

So that's it...they're not trying to test our knowledge, but our ability to gather information... Sakura concluded to herself as she stared down at the blank page infront of her.

But how...how am I going to gather information - all I've been practicing the past two weeks are my Senbon skills and taijutsu, Kakashi-sensei has barely even showed me anything about Earth Style other than that lame wall. Sakura told herself as her legs shook violently under the table.

If the real test here is to steal the answers without getting caught, that just leaves finding someone who has all the correct answers to steal. Neji thought to himself as he stared at the back of Naruto's head.

And I'll start with that runt - BYAKUGAN! Neji told himself as the veins around his eyes bulged and protruded as his lavender-tinted eyes were replaced with his kekkai genkai.

Now - lets see what all you got to offer me, runt. Neji thought to himself as he grinned slightly for several moments only to instantly slam his forehead atop his desk when he realised Naruto was drawing instead of answering questions.

That was my fault for thinking someone with such terrible grades could preform well on a written exam. Neji admitted to himself as he raised his head off his desk, the headband on his forehead preventing a bruise from forming there.

"Number 59 failed, number 33 and 9 failed" One of the procters declared as he marked the names of the failures onto his paperwork, having caught number 59 cheating 5 times, forcing him to be dismissed.

"Number 23 failed, number 27 and 43 failed." Izumo asserted as he threw a Kunai towards Number 23, the Kunai stabbing itself into the page the individual kept infront of him, the action garnishing the attention of several candidates.

"Wh-what the! What was that all about!" The unknown Shinobi questioned as he stood up and slammed the palms of his hands atop his desk.

"5 strikes and you're out, we don't have time to waste training garbage Shinobi like you, take your piteful teammates with you." Izumo stated as he scribbled the names of the 3 idividuals on his paper work while 2 of the individuals left the room in defeat.

"No - NO! Let me go! I didn't do anything! That was just my teammate!" Number 27 begged as he was dragged out of the room by two Procters, each of them holding his arms as they dragged him across the floor.

* * *

 _10 minutes later, 9:09am, 21 minutes before the exam ends._

"Number 12 failed, number 56 and 39 failed." An unknown procters with several bandages wrapped around his head concealing his eyes asserted as he scribbled they're names onto his page.

"No! No way! Who said I cheated 5 times wheres your proof?" Number 56 declared in a hostile tone as he stood up and slammed his palms atop his desk, revealing that hewas a Shinobi of the Sand.

"How can you keep track of all of us! You got the wrong guy!" Number 56 screamed.

"How do you know I wasn- Ugghh" Number 56 attempted to explain on to be kneed in the stomach by the procter who quickly shoved his left forearm against the candidates throat, shoving him to the ground as he stood over him.

"Sorry pal - we we're chosen for this duty because we don't make mistakes like that." The bandaged Shinobi asserted and he placed the sole of his foot atop the individuals throat.

"You can't even blink without us seeing it, we're the best of the best and you my friend are history, now get out and take your worthless teammates with you." The bandaged Shinobi stated

"Number 41 - failed! Numbers 35 and 62 - failed." Another Procter declared as he scribbled they're names onto his paperwork.

"Hey! No wa-Arghhhh-" Number 35 protested, only to be punched in the jaw and slammed atop the floor while a procter slammed his foot into his gut as he stood over him.

Thats the 13th team they've dismissed so far... Kabuto thought to himself as he sat patiently infront of his exam, all questions on his page were perfectly answered and explained.

This needs to hurry up and end so I can inform Lord Orochimaru... Kabuto thought to himself as he glanced forward, 4 rows ahead and to the right as he glared at the back of Naruto's head, the latter still writing on his exam page.

Only 20 minutes left and I haven't done shit - I'm so busted... Sakura concluded to herself.

Unless...in 5 minutes they'll give out the 10th question... Sakura told herself as she downcast her gaze and stared at her exam page, completely empty and blank except her name.

So that's what it comes down to - everything's riding on this... Sakura concluded to herself as she clenched her fists atop her desk, her nails scratching against the surface of it.

* * *

 _5 minutes later, 9:15am May 27th 58 SSP._

15 teams down so far, now that we've weeded out the pathetic ones its time for the main event. Ibiki told himself.

"Alright - listen up this is the 10th and final question!" Ibiki declared as all Genin present stared at him, except Sakura who was staring down at her desk in defeat as she gripped her pencil nervously and Naruto who was still drawing on his test.

"But...before I give you the question, there are a few more rules that you need to be aware of." Ibiki asserted, causing several faint sighs of disblief and mumbles of complaint to be heard.

"Now - these rules are unique to question 10, listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you." Ibiki explained as his eyes squinted and glared at Naruto, everyone else in the room was paying attention but for some reason Naruto was still writing on his test.

"Rule number 1, each of you are free to choose if you want to be given question number 10, its your decision." Ibiki stated.

"Woooah - so whats the catch? Say we don't want to take the 10th question what happens then?" Ino asked aloud.

"If you choose not to take the 10th question, regardless of your answers to the other 9, you'll get a 0." Ibiki explained.

"In other words you fail and that means of course both your teammates fail aswell." Ibiki asserted as a twisted grin grew upon his face.

"Some choice, who would choose to fail?" A Shinobi from the Land of Waterfalls asked rhetorically.

"Of course we'll answer the question then." A Shinobi from the Land of Grass responsed.

"Not so fast - you didn't let me finish." Ibiki replied as the grin on his face dissipated and he downcast his head slightly.

HUUUUUuuuuu - more rules? Enough already. Ino thought to herself.

"If you do accept the question but answer incorrectly..." Ibiki stated in a sinster tone.

"You will not only fail - you will be forbidden from taking the Chunin exam every again!" Ibiki yelled in a deep and rasphy voice.

"No way!" A Shinobi from the Land of Sand responsed as he stood on and slammed his palms against the top of his desk.

"Impossible, your village is just trying to scam us!" A Kunoichi from the Land of Waterfalls snorted out as she crossed her arms against her rather large breats.

"Yea - whats the big deal? You're hiding something from us!" A Kunoichi from the Land of Rain asked.

"Thats bullshit man!" Kiba screamed as he stood up from his chair and pointed at Ibiki with his right hand, having stood up so quickly that his chair fall backwards to the fall behind him.

"Theres lots of people here who have taken the test before!" Kiba stated with Akamaru barking in approval atop his head.

"Hmhmhmm - hmphhmphhmph - hahahahahah." Ibiki chuckled out in a dark tone.

"I guess you're just...unlucky...I wasn't making the rules before - but I am now." Ibiki declared as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Of course - if you don't want to take it - you don't have to." Ibiki explained.

"If you're not feeling confindent then by all means skip it...and come back next year hahaha" Ibiki stated, once again chuckling in a dark tone.

Thanks alot...so if anyone of us chooses to skip it than all 3 of us fail? Forget it that's not going to happen. Sakura told herself.

On the other hand we only get 1 shot, if we screw up - if I screw up I'll never get another chance, I'll be stuck as a Genin forever, Sasuke won't love a Genin. Sakura concluded to herself as several small droplets of sweat began to form on her cheeks and forehead.

"Now if we're all ready, the 10th and final question - those that don't want to take it raise your hand now, your number will be record and then you are free to go." Ibiki stated as he glared at Naruto.

Naruto was still writing on his test, while most people were freaking out or having mental break downs at the thought of never becoming a Chunin, Naruto was just calmly writing on his exam as Gaara sat emotionlessly to his right, his arms crossed against his chest.

Infact the sound of Naruto's pencil dragging across his test was the only sound in the room as several of the Genin were panicking and scared speakless at the idea of all they're dreams being lost if they couldn't become Jonin, Genin got terrible pay afterall.

What could the question be...what if it's easy? What if its not? Sakura asked herself.

If I get it wrong I'll be a Genin the rest of my life - and the way things are going... Sakura told herself as she continued to stare down at her blank test, the only thing written it was her name.

But I can't just skip it then we all fail, I can't do that to them . I can't drag them down again - not anymore. Sakura thought to herself.

I'm okay - no way is he getting me to raise my hand. Sasuke told himself.

What about Naruto? Why is he still writing? He's been writing this entire time how is he not finished yet? Is he even paying attention? Sasuke asked himself.

And then theres Sakura...she hasn't written anything in over 30 minutes and shes just sitting there, shaking, Sakura - what are you thinking? Sasuke asked himself as he glanced towards Sakura.

"Im out - that's it, I'm out." A Shinobi from the Land of Fire asserted as he stood up from his chair and raised his right hand, his action resonating with Sakura as she was seated right beside him to his left.

"I just can't do it - I'm sorry." The Shinobi stated as he downcast his head and clenched his fists by his sides.

"Number 50, failed - Numbers 130 and 110, that means your out too." Izumo spoke as he scribbled their names and numbers onto his paperwork.

"Geni, Inoho - I'm so sorry you two." Number 50 stated as both his teammates stood up and began walking towards the exit, anger and disappointment clear upon their face.

"Thats it - I quit!" Another Shinobi, this one from the Land of Grass, asserted as he also stood up and raised his hand, this Shinobi was seated directly infront of Sakura.

"Me too sir, I'm out." A Shinobi from the Land of Fire stated as he stood up and also raised his hand, this Shinobi sat directly behind Sakura.

"Same, me too." The Kunoichi seated directly to Sakura's left stated as she too stood up and raised her left hand, further traumatizing Sakura as all the individuals around her began dropping out.

"Numbers 15, 92 and 101 - failed." Izumo asserted as he scribbled their names onto his paperwork.

"Number 13, failed - that means numbers 27 and 98 failed." The Bandaged Shinobi declared.

"Numbers 24, 34 and 79 - failed." An unknown procter stated.

I-I... Sakura told herself as he right hand trembled atop her desk, not completely alone as everyone that was once seated around her had either dropped out or was dismissed for cheating.

What I have isn't a dream...because I will make it a reality. Sasuke's voice stated inside Sakura's mind as she thought back to the first day she and her newly formed team met atop the roof of the Academy.

My dream is to protect everyone, no matter what. Naruto's voice rung aloud inside Sakura's head, as she thought about the dreams of her teammates.

I couldn't even tell them my dream - all I could do was squeal like a school-girl. Sakura told herself as she remembered being unable to produce an answer to the question of what her dream was, inside all she did was fan-girl over Sasuke.

I can't impress Sasuke if I'm just some wimp...with no dreams or goals... Sakura concluded to herself.

I've come so far...bu-but I can't...Sakura thought to herself as her right hand slowly lifted off her desk and was raised into the air above her head, her hand trembling, her action causing Sasuke's eyes to bulge with shock and fear at the realization that both he and Naruto would be failed for Sakura's weakness, yet another time where Sakura was the weak-link among team 7.

Since Naruto was seated in the 2nd row he didn't notice Sakura raise her hand, and even besides that is head was still directed on his exam, his pencil still dragging and stroking against the page.

As her hand trembled in mid-air, and the eyes of Ibiki fell upon her, Sakura found herself lost in thought as she remembered one of the conversations she had held with Haku.

 _-Flashback-_

 _5:32pm, May 16th 58 SSP, by one of the streams next to Tazuna's house in the Land of Waves._

"Wonderful Sakura, you're showing alot of improvement." Haku spoke in a gentle tone as he stood over a panting, bruised and bleeding Sakura, the latter of which had her head laid atop a tree root.

"So Haku-sensei..." Sakura panted out as he chest rised and decined several times over as she attempted to breath.

"Theres no need for titles, I'm merely helping Naruto achieve his dream." Haku replied kindly as he leaned down on his left thigh and tucked both his bent legs underneath his ass as he sat atop them.

"We-well...thats what I mean - about dreams atleast..." Sakura panted out.

"Yes, a dream, a goal that a certain individual strives to reach no matter the cost, or sacrifice." Haku responsed.

"Wel-well...what if that individual doesn't have a dream..." Sakura asked as she stared up inbetween the tree-line, up towards the glimmering Sun above them.

"Hmmm...when an individual doesn't have a dream it can be a very lonely existence." Haku replied, his reverbating into Sakura's heart.

"Lo-lonely?" Sakura responsed, still attempting to catch her breath.

"Can you understand? Not having a dream...not being needed by anyone...the pain of merely being alive?" Haku asked with a gentle smile on his face, showing kindness even when talking of such morbid subjects.

It was then that a flock of Seagulls began calling in the distance, one of the more unique aspects that came with living in the Land of Waves.

Sakura listened to the Seagulls and she grinned slightly, enjoying the sound they made before her smile turned into a frown once she thought back to Haku's question.

"Yes, som-sometimes I wonder what I'm doing, and If i'm doing it right or wrong." Sakura spoke, still staring up inbetween the tree-line towards the glimmering Sun.

"Hm, I remember that time, a time before Lord Zabuza and the kindess he bestowed upon me." Haku replied with a light smile.

"Wh-what made you team up with him anywhere? We've already talked about the weird relationship you two have, but not why you stay." Sakura asked, causing Haku to giggled slightly.

"Well, you see, Zabuza is my dream." Haku responsed, still smiling.

"That sounds really gay though Haku..." Sakura replied, once again causing Haku to giggle.

"Well he has never attempted to do anything of that sort with me so far, but if he wanted to I wouldn't say n-" Haku attempted to reply only to be cut-off by a screaming Sakura.

"NOOOO!" Sakura screamed as she leaned all the way up, sitting on her ass with her legs still extended outward as she used her arms to form an 'X' infront of her body.

"EW! EW! EW!" Sakura shrieked, she was so loud that she didn't even hear Haku giggling.

"Like so gross." Sakura asserted as she closed her eyes and raised her right hand to her face and griped the bridge of her nose with it while shaking her head.

"Really? Its gross? What about Sasuke and Naruto? They're alone together all the time, you don't think they're...?" Haku asked in a perverted as he grinned mischievously.

At first Sakura blushed at the image of a naked Sasuke but gagged when she realised that Sasuke was sitting atop a naked Naruto's lap, the latter groping her future boyfriend, this thought caused Sakura to grip her throat with her right hand as her body attempted to gag but since she hadn't eaten all day, as part of Haku's training, nothing came out.

"But like seriously." Sakura stated as she raised both her legs, positioning her knees against her nonexistent chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Well, I realised something." Haku replied as he stared lovingly at Sakura, in a brotherly manner.

"Realised what?" Sakura asked.

"I realised the most painful thing..." Haku responsed as he looked Sakura directly in the eyes.

"That in this world...my existence was not needed." Haku spoke, his usual kind tone and aura absent.

"Geez Haku, first you gross me out then you bum me out." Sakura exclaimed as her eyes turned white and her head tilted side-ways, resting her right ear atop her right shoulder.

"My apologies." Haku replied in a gentle tone as he smiled at Sakura.

"But, like - if your existence wasn't needed than why stay?" Sakura asked.

"I stayed because Zabuza gave me that existence, he was my purpose" Haku responsed.

"For what I truly dispared, what I truly feared was my purpose, the idea that in the whole world there wasn't a single person who needed me, the fear that I was unneccessary." Haku spoke as he raise his gaze towards the tree-line and the glimmering Sun above it.

"Then I found it, I found my purpose, I found my dream, I found Zabuza." Haku stated while Sakura stared at him in awe.

"But how is Zabuza your dream? He's just a person?" Sakura asked.

"I want to protect the person important to me, I want to work for that person, I want to fight for that person, I want to make that person's dream come true, that is my dream." Haku replied, redirecting his gaze back towards Sakura.

"An-and Zabuza gave you this dream? He gave you your purpose? One person gave you that much?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, and I have a feeling one day you too will realize your dream, and fufill your purpose." Haku spoke as he smiled brightly as his student, who returned it with her own smile.

"I'm going to miss you when we leave here tomorrow." Sakura stated, referring to herself and her teammates having to return home to the village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Not as much as I shall miss you." Haku replied

 _-Flashback ends-_

"CHHHAAA!" Sakura screamed as she stood up from her chair, forcing it to fall down behind her.

She then clenched her previously raised hand into a fist and slammed it atop her desk, shattering it in half as splinters and wood debris flung all around her, indicting that she had infused chakra into her fist to strengthen it, no doubt something Haku taught her.

This sound was the first thing to register to Naruto in the past 40 minutes, causing he to flinch upward, popping his head out of his raised collar like a meerkat as the pencil in his right hand flung loose, swirling into the air between Naruto and Gaara.

The pencil then plummeted down towards Gaara, falling almost several inches away from Gaara's forehead before several grains of Sand formed underneath, gripping the eraser end of the pencil and flinging it towards Naruto, stabbing into the chibi-verison of Gaara Naruto had drawn.

"Awh man..." Naruto mumbled to himself as he quickly resunk his head into his raised collar while he held his left hand over his stomach, attempting to smooth the clawing feeling that erupted from within it.

"LISTEN UP YOU BIG EARRED FREAK!" Sakura barked out as she pointed at Ibiki with her left hand, her right fist still held vertically infront of her, above the remains of the spilt-in half desk Sakura had assaulted.

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF SOME CUT-UP OLD MAN!" Sakura screamed.

"I DON'T CARE IF I FAIL YOUR LAME TEST BECAUSE EVEN IF I CAN'T BE A CHUNIN I'LL CREATE MY OWN RANK AND BECOME SOMETHING EVEN GREATER!" Sakura shrieked.

"YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE GREATEST KUNOICHI WHO EVER LIVE, SAKURA HARUNO, REMEMBER THAT! Sakura snorted out as she crossed her arms against her nonexistent chest.

"Now give me that 10th question, and a new desk, I don't have time to stand here wasting." Sakura snapped out as she closed her eyes and tilted her head upward in a snobby fashion.

What the hell has gotten into you billboard? Being a brute aswell. Ino thought to herself as she stared at the back of Sakura's head.

Hmph, not bad Sakura. Sasuke told himself.

Geez what was that about, and where did everyone go? Naruto asked himself as he studied the dozens of chairs that were full when he started writing but now they were empty.

"This decision is one that could change your life, if for any reason you wish to quit, this is your last chance." Ibiki replied as he glared at Sakura

"Are you still talking?" Sakura snapped out as she redirected her gaze towards Ibiki.

"A Kunoichi never backs down and she never gives up - that's the Shinobi way." Sakura replied, as several Genin who had previously raised they're hands to quickly low them in shame and regret.

I'll become so badass Sasuke will be forced to love me... Sakura concluded to herself.

Ibiki then stared around the room, observing and studying the teams that still remained, taking a mental note of how many teams remained.

Hmph, now I remember why I used to be friends with you billboard. Ino told herself as she grinned, still sitting at her desk.

Remarkable, that little outburst has given the others some backbone, she's inspired them into staying. Ibiki concluded to himself as he continued to study the vast majority of Genin seated infront of him.

78 left - that's more than I expected. Ibiki told himself as he stepped forward, walking directly infront of the 1st row desk, now empty since all the individuals seated they're had been failed.

But I don't see anyone wavering, I think that's it. Ibiki thought to himself as he glanced around the room towards the procters scattered there, each of they're eyes meeting and nodding in approval as if they already knew what Ibiki was thinking.

"Well then, I admire your determination if nothing else, for those of you remaining there is only 1 thing for me to tell you..." Ibiki stated.

"You all pass the 1st stage of the Chunin exams." Ibiki spoke, shocking all the candidates in the room as Ino's pencil fell out of her hand in confusion.

"Woah hold on!" Temari asserted as she stood up from her chair.

"What just happened? What do you mean we pass? Where is the 10th question?" Temari asked.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph - there never was one, not a written one atleast." Ibiki replied as he chuckled and smiled from ear to ear, showing his freshly cleaned white teeth to the Genin infront of him.

"Actually your decision to stay was the answer to the 10th question." Ibiki stated.

"Huh?" Sakura mumbled out as both of her arms dropped to her sides.

"So the other 9 questions were just a waste of time, is that what you're saying?" Ino snapped out.

"I wouldn't say that, infact I would say quite the opposite." Ibiki replied as he tilted his head to the right and stared out of the windows towards what he assumed was a bird.

However the longer he stared at it the more he realised it was approaching the window too fast to be a bird, and the closer it came the more apparent it was that it didn't have wings, it was just a massive ball of black fabric soaring through the air.

The ball then smashed threw the window Ibiki had been staring towards as it sent shards and pieces of glasses onto the floor.

The ball flung directly infront of Ibiki before unswirling as 4 Kunai were kicked and thrown in different directions, embeding 2 of themselves into the ceiling tiles of the room and the other 2 into the floor, spreading out the black ball into a banner with words on it.

Jumped the gun as usual. Ibiki thought to himself as he stared at the back of the black banner that had suddenly sprawled out infront of him in a matter of seconds.

"Heads up boys and guys this is no time to be sitting down." Anko stated as several Genin stared at her in confusion while others stared at her in lust.

"Cause I'm your next procter, Anko Mitarashi." Anko explain as she flung her right arm outward in a dramatic fashion from his torso as she stood infront of her banner, a banner that read 'Your Pain is our Gain - Anko and Kakashi'.

"Are you ready for the second test?" Anko asked rhetorically.

"GOOD - lets go!" Anko screamed as she flung her righ handed fist into the air.

This action caused the boys that were looking at her in lust previously to instead just tilt the'yre heads side-ways in confusion as they pondered if a girl this crazy was worth the time, something Kakashi thought about several times.

"You're early, again." Ibiki explained as his left handed gripped the edge of the black banner and he poked his half-way concealed head out from behind it.

"Huuuu-" Anko hummed out in embarassment as he face turned a faint shade of pink.

Oh great this girl reminds me of Sakura, that's just what we need, another loud mouth. Ino thought to herself.

"Wait a second how many are there?" Anko asked as she dropped her right arm to her side and studied the Genin seated infront of her.

"Ibiki, you let all these guys past? Your test was too easy, some big time leader of Anbu interrogation you are." Anko scoffed, alerting the Genin in the room as none of them knew how highly ranked Ibiki was.

"Or it could be, a stronger crop of candidates this year." Ibiki responsed with a smile.

"Hm, they sure don't lo-" Anko stated before ending her sentence mid-statement as she noticed her boyfriends favorite student.

"Oh hey Naruto." Anko stated, causing the blond Shinobi to sheepishly raise his right hand and wave at Anko, his face up to his nose still hid behind his raised collar while Gaara glared at him with his left eye.

"Besides him I'm sure they're all a bunch of failures." Anko scoffed.

"And just what the hell does that mean!?" Sakura screamed out as she raised and positioned her clenched right fist infront of her nonexistent chest.

"Well if it isn't my boytoys slowest student, hey there pinky." Anko replied, further enraging Sakura.

"Wheres the emo bitch?" Anko asked as she positioned her flat hand above her eyes and stared around the room, looking for Sasuke.

"Good to see you too hag." Sasuke responsed with a slight blush on his face as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Awh - why are you blushing baby, do you want another peak?'" Anko asked as she gripped the sides of her tan trenchcoat with both her hands and pulled it back slightly, further embarassing the young Uchiha.

"Can we have a better peak please mama, I think it will help on the next stage." Kiba asked with a grin on his face.

"Awh thats sweeeet." Anko replied in a flirty tone.

"You actually think you're going to survive the next stage, how adorable." Anko stated.

"Wh-what? If could we would theres no way we could die in this exam is there?" Kiba asked, earning a twisted giggle from Anko.

"Oh sweetie, you're a long way from your safe space with your Sensei wiping your ass all day, from this moment on - shit is real." Anko stated as she positioned her clenched right fist against her waist.

"You maggots have had it easy so far but that all ends right now, early or not, anyone who doesn't follow me is disqualified - LETS GO!" Anko screamed as she leaped out of the room, leaving everyone in it filled with confusion.

"I'd listen to her, she only gets worse if you don't." Ibiki mumbled out, causing some teams to stand up from they're seats and dashed out the same window Anko broke, running towards they're procter.

Gaara, Kankuro and Temari all stood up in unison as Garaa walked away from a still sitting Naruto towards his teammates before all 3 of them also dashed out the window towards Anko.

As Team 3, 8 and 10 and group up and leaped out of the broken window, Sakura ran towards Sasuke and reached he just as Naruto appeared in a flash behind him.

"How did ya'll do on the test? I enjoyed it." Naruto spoke.

It wasn't that Naruto was lazy or even that he hated test, it was just the fact that for the past 6 years everytime Naruto would take a test he would purposely fail it for Iruka's sake, this conditioned Naruto to just never take written tests seriously.

"You enjoyed it? I had a nightmare!" Sakura shrieked as she clenched her fists in rage.

"Agreed, I could only answer 2 questions before I had to start cheating." Sasuke state, unafraid of punishment as he realised that cheating was apart of the test.

"You three are still here? Anko is probably half-way across the village by now, if you don't catch up you'll be disqualified." Ibiki explained with a grin on his face, causing all 3 members of team 7 to fumble and dash towards the broken window.

Leaping out of the window and landing atop the roof of a neighboring building Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura ran after the fading images of they're fellow candidates dashing across the rooftops on the far side of the horizon, all 3 of them ready to become Chunin.


	17. Chapter 17

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Lets talk about the Summoning Jutsu, specifically the Summoning's of the Rinnegan user.**

 **I've been rewatching the Jiraiya vs Pain, Naruto vs Pain, Nagato vs Leaf Anbu aswell as the Naruto Ninja storm games. And I can't find any instance of the Rinnegan user needing blood for the summoning, except the Gedo Mazo.**

 **With this knowledge in mind, and the constant amount of summoning Pain does by simply clapping his palms together. I will be going with the assumption that Naruto can do the very same thing.**

 **In terms of summoning the Gedo Mazo, blood sacrifice is still required. However, I can't find evidence of blood being require with any of the other Rinnegan summoning's.**

 **Lastly, in canon the trio of Sand Shinobi finished the 2nd stage of the Chunin Exam in 97 minutes, breaking the previous record. I don't know who's record the broke (either Minato or Itachi) but the point is, the did it in 97 minutes.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: The Next Stage of the Chunin Exam! Forest of Death.**

 _11:24am, Friday May 27th 58 SSP._

"Wow... Nice place." Sakura mumbled after entering a large clearing over seventy other Genin.

This clearing was completely surrounded on all sides by a dense forest and a massive 40ft tall chain-link fence. This fence was so massive that it disappeared into the tree-filled horizon before circle around a massive forest, a forest that dwarfed all other forests.

The fence in front of this forest was covered with several warning signs with 'death' or 'stay away' written on them. Also, an old wooden booth was resting in front of the fence with six separate Chunin instructors seated behind it.

"This is the location for the 2nd stage of the Exam..." Anko remarked with a carefree tone.

"It's the 44th battle training zone, but we call it the Forest of Death." As Anko spoke, her words forced several nearby Genin to abruptly tense.

"Th-the Forest of Death." Sakura murmured will hold both hands in front of her nonexistent chest.

At this moment, a light gust of wind blew in from the south, forcing Sakura's outfit to rustle in the breeze. At the same time, the breeze also forced portions of Naruto's hair to waver in the wind, exposing a faint violet flash in his eyes.

"ARH, ARH." A hovering Fire Hawk cried out while flying over Anko's head.

"Yea... Yea I got it sheesh. That was four years ago, it won't happen again." Anko retorted before rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"What won't happen again?" Sasuke asked.

"Something about not beating or cutting the candidates, some candidates lost several fingers last year, strange." Anko remarked with an innocent tone.

"L-lost fingers?" Ino mumbled.

"Awe man... Such a draaaggg." Shikamaru complained.

"Why fingers?" Sasuke asked, tilting his head sideways slightly.

"I dunno… It's not like anyone can prove it was me." Anko exclaimed.

"This whole place just completely creeps me out." Sakura mumbled.

"It should, they call it the Forest of Death and soon enough you'll find out why, Pinky." Anko replied.

"HMPH!" Sakura snorted in response. in response causing a gust of wind to erupt out from both of her nostrils.

Sakura then clenched both fists before pressing her knuckles against either side of her waist. Afterwards, Sakura to wiggle and squirm her entire body like a worm while glaring at Anko.

"ThEy CaLl It ThE fOrEsT Of DeAtH aNd SoOn EnOuGh YoU'lL FiNd OuT wHy." Sakura mocked.

"Do you're worst hag, Kakashi-sensei isn't here to safe you from me now!" While shouting, Sakura pointed at Anko with an accusatory glare.

"So...looks like you're feeling tough today, Pinky." Anko replied with a polite smile while closing both eyes.

At this moment, Anko's right hand pulled a kunai from her trench coat before flinging it through the air at Sakura. As this kunai approached, Sakura continued to wiggle her body before grabbing Anko's kunai in midair.

Sakura then twirled her entire body in a counter clockwise fashion before launching Anko's kunai back at her. At the last moment, Anko disappeared in a puff of smoke before reappearing behind Sakura.

Inside of insulting Sakura, Anko wrapped her left arm around the pink-haired kunoichi before giggling several times. During this, Shikamaru and Sasuke were both yawning with boredom.

"Since when did you get so good, Ms. Forehead?" Ino asked.

"Yea what's going on!" Kiba cut in.

"You guys did less missions than all of us, why do you keep showing me up?" While speaking Kiba crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"Seems like everyone here today is quick-tempered, there must be something in the air." Anko giggled with a grin.

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK, HAG!" Sakura shrieked in response.

"Ah, you remind me of the little snort-rag I used to be when I was your age." Anko grinned as she tilted her head up and stared at the clouds.

"Anyway lets get started." Anko spoked as she turned around and walked towards the chain-link fence, infront of a section covered in signs warning people to stay out.

"Now before we begin this Exam I have something to hand out to you all." Anko stated as she shoved her right hand into the inside of her trench coat as she shuffled threw it with her back still directed towards the candidates.

"Its just a standard consent form." Anko explained as she turned around and pulled out a massive stack of papers.

"Before the test, all of you are going to have to read over this form, and sign it." Anko explained as she slapped the back of the stack of papers with the back of her left hand.

"What for?" Sakura asked.

"Some of you might not come back from this Exam, and I have to get your consent that you are aware of that risk, otherwise it would be my responsibility." Anko stated as she broke into a small fit of laughter after stating the last 6 words of her sentence.

Upon hearing her statement several teams began mumbling among themselves as they murmured and complained about the situation they found themselves in.

"Now I'll explain what you'll be doing on this Exam, here Pinky pass these out." Anko stated as she extended her right hand towards Sakura, the latter then walked towards Anko and snatched the papers out of her hand before walking back to her teammates and passing the pages out from there.

"The 1st thing you need to know is this isn't just some survival exericse, this Exam will test everysingle surivial skill you've ever been taught and more, this isn't just Academy survival this is Shinobi survival." Anko explained.

Survival - what a drag. Shikamaru thought to himself as he grabbed the page Naruto gave him, reading his for a few brief seconds before yawning and using his left hand to pass the stack of pages onward to other candidates.

"1st I'll give you all a description of the terrain on the practicefield." Anko explained as she held her right hand parallel to her chest and unrolled a scroll that she held while she placed the knuckles of her left fist against her waist.

The scroll had a professionally drawn map of the 44th training ground and its surrounding drawn upon it, indicting important entrances and junctions aswell as the tower placed in the center.

"The 44th battle training zone has 44 locked entrance gates, there is a massive river that runs through the center of the zone, aswell as a tower placed in the center of the zone located exactly 6 miles away from each gate.

"The Forest is filled with several deadly creatures aswell as insects, since this Forest was created by the 1st Hokage during his battle with Madara its suggested that prolonged exposure to the excessive amounts of wood style has mutated the wildlife." Anko explain in a bizarrely cheerful tone.

"Its in this confined area that you'll undergo the 2nd Exam." Anko stated as she tucked on the scroll upward, forcing it to snap shut.

"The Exam consists of - an anything goes battle to get your hands on these scrolls." Anko explained as she pulled out a black and white scroll, the white scroll had the Kanji for Heaven written upon it while the black scroll had the Kanji for Hell on it.

"Both of them?" Naruto asked timidly, remembering how serious Kakashi had told him this Exam would be, but at the same time the 1st Exam was easy, or atleast Naruto though it was since all he did was draw.

"Correct Pumpkin, you'll be fighting to get both, a Heaven scroll and a Hell scroll." Anko explained, her boyfriends love for Naruto having begun to rub off on her.

"All together, 26 teams will be taking part in this Exam so half of these teams will be going after the Heaven scroll and the other half will be going after the Hell scroll." Anko stated as she gripped both scrolls into the palm of her left hand.

"I'll hand over 1 kind of scroll to each team and thats what you all will be fight for." Anko spoke as she raised her left hand to her face, hold the scrolls there as she stared out infront of her towards the candidates that were assembled.

"Okay, so how do we pass the Exam?" Sasuke asked.

"Your entire squad must bring both a Heaven and Hell scroll to the center tower." Anko replied as she shoved both the Heaven and Hell scrolls back into the inner-lining of her trench coat.

"That means at the very best, atleast half of us will fail and thats only if everyone survives and manages to get the correct scroll." Sakura replied in astonishment at how tough the Exam would be.

"No one ever sad it would be easier Pinky an- oh one more thing, the Exam has a timelimit, you must finish it within 5 days." Anko explained.

"5 Days in there!?" Ino asked in shock.

"What are we supposed to do for food!" Choji questioned, one of the few times he stopped shoving potatoe chips into his mouth.

"Just look around, the forest is full of things to eat, theres plenty enough to feed all of you." Anko replied.

"Yea but...that's not all the forest has plenty of, there are man eating beasts and posionous plants in there." Kabuto asserted.

"Awh man...what a drag..." Shikamaru exclaimed.

"Hey calm down, that's why they call it survival training." Ino snapped out towards Shikamaru.

"Completely surrounded by enemies, there won't be time to rest we'll have to keep a constant watch." Sasuke explained.

"Right emo-bitch, this Exam also measures endurance behind enemy lines, this Exam is designed to be a horrific experince and I'm sure some of you if not most of you will fail like the disgusting failures you all are." Anko explain, causing Sakura to deadpan her face as she dropped it in depression.

Kakashi-sensei, what do you see in this hag... Sakura asked herself rhetorically.

"So um..." Shikamaru broke out as he raised his right hand into the air.

"Lets just say mid-exam, can we quit?" Shikamaru asked.

"Of course not you can't just say I quit in the middle of the battle, well you most likely could but it'll probably get you killed." Anko snickered out.

"Oh just great - this is gonna be a drag." Shikamaru sighed as he crossed both his arms against his chest.

"Now there are also some ways you can get disqualified." Anko spoke as she raised her left hand parallel to her shoulders as she extended her index finger outward as if she was counting.

"The 1st is simple, if all 3 members of a team can't get to the tower in the center of the zone within 5 days." Anko stated.

"Number 2, if a team loses a member or if a member becomes incapacitated and can't continue." Anko explained.

"But most important, none of you - absolutely none of you may look at the contents of the scrolls until you've reached the tower." Anko asserted.

"What if it just happens to fall open and you accidently read it?" Naruto asked as he tucked his head down, hiding his face behind his raised collar as he felt dozens of stares directed towards him.

"I'd advise against that Pumpkin, Kakashi would be very upset if you did." Anko replied with a slight grin towards Naruto, while the latter matched it with a bright smile.

"There are times when a Shinobi will be asked to carry secret documents, the scroll rule is to test your integrity." Anko explained.

"Okay - were done each team take your consent forms and exchange them over there for your scrolls." Anko stated as she used her right hand to point towards the rotted, wooden both that 6 Procters sat in.

"After that each team will pick a different gate, 1 of 44 and then you will be let inside." Anko explained before releasing a deep sigh, one eerily similiar to Kakashi's.

"Oh and I have 1 more word of advice." Anko hummed out as she downgast her head, clearly bored and tired with the situation she was preforming.

"Just don't fucking die." Anko scoffed, shocking all 9 Rookiees as they began to realize how serious the Exam was, alerting Naruto that everything Kakashi had told him was true and that the lives of his friends depended on his success or failure, something that weighed heavily upon him.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Sakura was circling around the fence that contained the Forest of Death for what felt like minutes. The young Kunoichi was searching for a good entrance to start from.

"Well, well, well... If it isn't the future failure." Ino snorted before swinging out from behind a nearby tree.

"What's up billboard brow." As Ino spoke, she earned a hostile snort from Sakura.

"So sad." Sakura mumbled in a carefree tone..

"You're jealous that I'm spending five days alone in the woods with Sasuke." After speaking, these words forced Ino's face to briefly blush.

"And its clearly turning you into someone very petty and ugly, and you were already ugly - heheh." Sakura giggled with a sinister smirk on her face.

"Arrhhhhhh!" Ino grunted out in reponse as she leaned forward, shoving her face into Sakura's, who mimicked the action herself as she also grunted and leaned forward as sparks of lightening and fire began to erupt from their eyes as they stared at one another.

"Ugly!" Sakura scoffed.

"You are!" Ino retorted.

"Ugly!" Sakura shouted.

"Billboard forehead!" Ino barked back.

"Ugly!" Sakura replied.

"Billboard forehead!" Ino once again barked back.

"Ugly!" Sakura once again replied.

"Billboard forehead! Ino once again snapped out.

"Enough! Give it up Sakura! You and I both know you're too weak to pass this test!" While speaking, Ino stomped her left foot atop the ground.

"You don't know anything!" Sakura protested.

"Oh real mature!" Ino scoffed before both she and Sakura turned away from each other.

This battling kunoichi then snorted at each other several times before Sakura walked towards her distant teammate. During this, Kakashi was sprawled across a distant tree branch while reading his orange book in silence.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later. At entrance gate #16._

"YAHOOO! We rock at survival - there's no way we can lose!" Kiba exclaimed while jumping for joy.

"Mmmm - right." Hinata replied timidly.

While this conversation unfolded, a quiet and patient Shino stood beside each of his teammates.

* * *

 _Meanwhile - at entrance gate #27._

"This exam might cost us our lives - what a drag." Shikamaru exclaimed

"Burrito - check, potato chips, check." Choji mumbled to himself as he continued to shuffle through all the food he had managed to shove into his Shuriken satchel.

"But since we have to do this lets just hope we don't get placed against Naruto or that Sand guy." Shikamaru hummed out, knowing that his friend would never hurt it but still aware that there were no rules in this zone they were about to enter.

"Pulled-pork, check, strawberry layed cake, check." Choji stated as he shuffled through his bag while a shocked Ino watched from his left side, with her left hand gripping her waist.

 _Meanwhile, at entrance gate #12._

* * *

This is it - watch this Sasuke this is the moment when I win your heart!" Sakura exclaimed as she raised her clenched fists to her jawline and began jabbing, punching and striking out towards the air in a boxing fashion.

"I dare those other Shinobi to bring it on cause I'll just direct it back a thousand fold!" Sakura asserted as she continued to jab out at the air as both her teammates watched her, Sasuke filled with slight embarrassment while Naruto with love and admiration in his heart for one of the few friends he held in this world.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at entrance gate #20._

"Hm - the time has come to carry out our orders, don't weigh us don't this time Zaku." Dosu hummed out as he stood in-between both his teammates.

"No more hiding - we do this in the open." Dosu stated, completely ignoring the Procter standing infront of them that hadn't opened the entrance gate yet.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at entrance gate #38._

Kabuto and his 2 masked and dark clothed teammates stood quietly infront of their entrance gate, almost unaffected by the news and Exam they had previously undertaken today, or as if Kabuto had something in his mind that he was focusing on, something he couldn't get over.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at entrance gate #6._

Not only do I have to deal with punks on the other teams - but I'll be with Gaara. Kankuro told himself as he directed a sideways glanced towards Gaara who stood to his right side, with Temari standing to his left.

And he might try to kill me - I hate being near him this is going to be bad. Kankuro concluded to himself.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at entrance gate #15._

"Well target the Rookiees, they'll be easy pray." An obese grass Shinobi who wore a bamboo hat with the emblem of his village screwed into it stated.

"We'll get their scroll from them in no time." An oddly feminine grass Shinobi sitting on the rock next to the 1st asserted as he pulled his own bamboo hat down to cover his face, while their 3rd masked teammate laid crouched silently inbetween them.

"Anything goes - right?" The feminine Shinobi stated rhetorically, already planning out the amount of fun they were going to have inside the Forest of Death.

 _Meanwhile, at entrance gate #41._

* * *

"Guy-sensei! I will make you proud!" Lee screamed as he heled his clenched right fist up to his jawline and his pupils turned into buring fire.

"Just watch - soon everyone will know the name - Rock Lee!" Lee exclaimed loudly.

"Yea I'm sure some people just heard it." Neji scoffed out, making a joke at how loud Lee was being.

* * *

 _3 minutes later, 11:30 am, May 27th 58 SSP._

"Alright you maggots the 2nd part of the test has begun!" Anko screamed out as her voice echoed acrossed the Forest of Death and all of the entrance gates instantly flung open, allowing several individual to dash and surge foreward into the Forest, except team 7 who decided to leisurely walk into the forest, with Sakura and Sasuke strolling a few feet infront of Naruto as if none of them had a care in the world.

* * *

 _4 minutes later, 11:34 am, May 27th 58SSP._

"So if the tower is where everyone is going to be headed towards the end, I'd say we lay a trap near it and just take the scrolls of whoever we catch." Kiba explained as in stood in a small clearing, forming a circle with his two teammates.

"Arrrhhhh" Akamaru growled as he sniffed and tossed his snout from side to side as he sat ahead Kiba's head.

"Well well, we got company." Kiba asserted as he followed Akamaru's lead and began sniffing around aswell.

* * *

 _Several feet away, atop the dense tree branches surrounding team 8._

"Hah - bunch of fools, standing out in the open as if they want to get caught." A unknown Shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Rain concluded to both his teammates who sat crouched beside him.

"Well it seems like they've sense our presence - but they'll all such lame Shinobi that they can't pinpoint our locationed." The 2nd teammate asserted, before both he and his 3rd teammate instantly stared at the 1st in shock.

"Hey what's wrong? What's in your shirt?" The 3rd teammate asked as he stared at the oddly large bulge that pulsated atop the back of the raised collar that their 1st teammate wore.

Suddenly the collar slide down slightly, revealing a massive 1 wide leech that was attached to the back of the Shinobi's neck, draining his blood at an alarming rate.

"UH! What is that thing?" Both of the mans teammates asserted as they stared at the pulsated blob in disgust and shock.

It was then that several dozens of leechs began raining down from atop the tree branchs above the Rain Shinobi, falling and landing atop all three of them, some of they shoulders and arms and others even atop their head and eyes.

"AH! AHHH! AHHH!" The 2nd conscious Rain Shinobi screamed as both of them aswell as their first teammate all fell foreward, plummeting to the floor of the forest below them and just several feet away from the members of team 8.

"Well it looks like the Leechs found them." Kiba concluded with a smirk as he glared at the 3 Rain Shinobi who had fell inbetween the several laid downed wire traps they had placed.

"They sense body tempature and perspiration while they hide in the tree tops, and then in a group the swoop down on they're prey in an overwhelming force of numbers." Kiba explained.

"If they suck your blood for only 5 minutes, its all over." Kiba stated.

"These predators are smart, and we've used their instincts to trap our enemies for us." Kiba stated.

"Get off me!" The 2nd Rain Shinobi asserted as he used his right hand in an attempt to pull the leech free from his face while his left pushed himself off from the ground, only to find out his left hand pulled a wire which released and raised him and his teammates into the treeline wrapped in a metal-wired bag.

"Theres 1 team down." Kiba smirked as the team of 3 Rain Shinobi his team had just effortlessly defeated began screaming and crying out for help as the leechs sucked their blood dry, their screams echoing across the entirety of the forest as far off in the distance Anko smiled in delight.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 11:39 am, sitting in a circle on a branch atop a massive tree._

"Was that a scream? This place is really creeping me out." Sakura complained as she pulled her knees to her nonexistent chest and wrapped her arms around her ankles as she stared at her 2 teammates.

"Its fine Sakura, we're here - I promise nothing bad will happen, right Sasuke?" Naruto asked as his brotherly figure instantly nodded in approval.

"1st things first, we need to form a plan on how to proceed from here, we're so high up that no one can hear or see us, but we can't just stay here." Sasuke explained.

"Want me to just swarm the forest with clones?" Naruto mumbled out as he shrugged his shoulders, shrugging off a feat that even few Kage could accomplish.

"H-how many can you create Naruto?" Sakura asked, eager to learn just how powerful the boy she had ridiculed in the Academy had become.

"Eh - I don't know, 100? 200 maybe? But for some reason I can't only see through 5 of them, If I make more them 5 clones they rest are blind and can't see at all for some reason." Naruto explained, leaving Sakura shocked at the number he stated but Sasuke didn't even ask twice as if he and Naruto had talked about this before.

"It must have something to do with you eyes, you said your vision is connected right? between you and all 5 clones?" Sasuke asked.

"Yea, if I make 5 clones then I'll have 6 fields of vision, counting my own of course, but then any extra clones are blind." Naruto replied.

"What if you made 15 clones, have 1/3 of them transform into me, another 1/3 into Sakura and keep the rest with your appearance, then you just use one pair of eyes for the group?" Sasuke responsed as he thought of ways for Naruto to swam the Forest.

"That could work, a single clones eyesight should be enough for me to react in time, and at the very worst I'll still locate the enemy and prevent them from capturing the real us?" Naruto stated as he sat indian style atop the treebranch.

"That would give you 5 teams of 3, 5 teams you could send in polar opposite directions, all of which resemble us in appearance and would fool others into thinking they are really us when infact we'll be miles away." Sasuke explained, going over all the positive actions of Naruto using clones.

"Sure thing." Naruto mumbled in response as he positioned both his hands infront of his chest and preformed the Clone Seal, abruptly being surrounding by 15 puffs of smoke that erupted quietly from all around team 7, before the smoke parted and revealed 15 clones, all sitting Indian style.

"Just trying to be quiet ya' know?" Naruto exclaimed as he briefly scratched his nose in an Iruka-like fashion.

"With this and that little explosive tag trick of yours, we'll get a Hell scroll and reach the center tower in no tower Naruto." Sasuke exclaimed as he stood up, with all 16 Narutos and Sakura following in response.

"Any targets or individuals you want me to stalk while their out?" Naruto asked as his hands clapped together, preforming the Dog, Boar and finally Ram seals before 5 Naruto's transformed into Sakura, while another 5 transformed into Sasuke, creating 6 team 7s in total.

"Neji" Sasuke retorted, earning a slight chuckle from 7 of the Naruto's while a chorus of agreement from the other 9.

The small horde of Naruto's then scattered and dissolved, each dashing towards an opposite side of the enormous tree branch team 7 sat on, the Naruto's entering into groups of 3 as some sat crouched and others stood, staring off into 5 unique directions and angles.

During this Sasuke and Sakura leapt pass the real Naruto, dashing off the tree branch and beginning their log journey towards the center tower, Naruto's gaze followed them as they ran past him, causing him to turn around and stare at the back of his teammates.

"Scatter." Naruto mumbled.

This statement forced each of Naruto's clones to abruptly disappeared into a hazy blur. Afterwards, the real Naruto disappeared with Kage-level speed, using the Flying Thunder God seal to watch over his friends.

* * *

 _Three hours later._

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura walked alongside each other on the forest floor while deep in conversation. Each of these Genin were deep in thought about food, despite their deadly surround.

"BBQ Pork, as always, that isn't even a debate." Naruto remarked.

"Doesn't Sakura like Fish?" Sasuke asked while scratching the bridge of his nose..

"I hear Sasuke like's Chicken." Sakura exclaimed.

"All this talk about ramen is making me hungry." Naruto mumbled with defeat.

"I beat Lord Gramps wants us to survive off of worms or butterflies." Sasuke complained with a Naruto-like tone.

"Haha... I love that man." Naruto chuckled in response.

"Who doesn't? Lord Gramps is the best." Sakura cut in with a wide smile across her face.

"Yea anyone who doesn't like Lord Gramps can g-" While speaking, Sakura froze midsentence after a a small cut appeared across Naruto's right cheek.

This action was followed by the faint sound of wind blowing through a cave, forcing each of the Genin to tense. After several seconds, a condensed torrent of wind swirled into view before swirling towards team 7.

The strength of this wind managed to uproot small portions of earth while snapping nearby tree branches. This torrent of wind the approached Naruto, forcing him to raise his right hand into the air.

Naruto then attempted to funnel chakra into his eyes, trying to deflect the approaching technique with his Rinnegan. Because of this, Naruto's eyes began to pulsate and throb before nothing happened.

This realization greatly confused Naruto before he quickly shook it off and clapped both hands together. Naruto then weaved through the Tiger, Snake, Rat, Snake and Tiger Seals while inhaling a significant breath of air.

"Water Style: Water Wall jutsu!" Naruto exhaled a condensed stream of chakra-filled water from his mouth.

This water spewed across Naruto's feet like a loose stream before erupting with the force of a waterfall. Afterwards, this water began to spin and rotated around Naruto's entire body before creating a protective sphere.

Naruto just created a significant amount of water where never previously existed, a Kage-level feat. Despite this impressive display, Naruto was so focused on the approaching wind that he didn't even think about it.

At this moment, the dense gust of wind collided against Naruto's rotating water, creating a fierce explosion of chakra. After several seconds, Naruto's water slowly fizzled out before splattering across the ground near his feet.

A tense period of silence then filed the air as Naruto glanced from side-to-side, searching for his unknown attacker. As the smoke, dust and debris from the previous wind finally dissipated, Naruto noticed a large scar that was cut into the ground.

This scar was a heavy indention in the ground, giving off like road-like appearance before three Grass shinobi jumped down from a nearby tree branch. Despite their headbands, each of this shinobi wore a purple rope-like belt that was tied around their waist in an inverted fashion.

"You two, go have fun somewhere else." An unknown grass shinobi ordered with a commanding tone.

This statement was met by a nod of approval from the remaining two grass shinobi before they both disappeared from view. Afterwards, a snake-like tongue slowly slithered out from the shinobi's mouth before licking his lips.

This shinobi wore a tan garb with a long-sleeved black shirt and ankle-length pants worn underneath. This brought attention his waist-length black hair and a bamboo hat with the headband for Kusa, the shinobi village hidden in Grass.

Despite his manly traits, Naruto couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl while a Kage-level amount of chakra radiated out from the unknown shinobi. This created an awkward silence as the Grass shinobi took his hat off before casually tossing it to the ground.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph." The grass shinobi giggled a devilish laugh before his snake-like tongue once again licked his lips.

"I see... You." As he spoke, his tone abruptly became dark and sadistic.

"So like... Ae you a boy? Cause I can't tell?" Naruto mumbled.

After Naruto spoke, the grass shinobi slowly focused his attention on Sasuke and Sakura. This allowed him to notice that each of the Genin had their eyes closed.

"Awwh… Hiding your dear Sharingan from me?" After speaking, the figure unleashed a creepy laugh.

"You're making me uncomfortable." Naruto replied while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh I apologize... My sweet little Naruto." The Grass shinobi apologized before once again licking his lips.

"Call me Shiore... I just wanted to have some fun with you and Sasuke here." While speaking, Naruto finally noticed that he was a boy.

"Do you have a Hell scroll? Cause that's what we need." Naruto remarked.

This statement forced Shiore to giggled as his left hand reached behind his back. Afterwards, the mysterious shinobi pulled a back scroll loose, a scroll with the kanji for 'Hell' sprawled across it.

"This thing?" Shiore asked.

"Yea please, what do you want for it?" Naruto questioned.

Shiore then chuckled for several moments before raising his scroll into the air, directly in front of team 7. The mysterious shinobi then unhinged his jaw before a snake-like tongue slithered into the air.

This tongue then draped and wrapped around Shiore's scroll before dragging it down into this mouth. This created a wide bulge inside Shiore's throat as he casually shoved the scroll down before it disappeared.

This created an awkward silence while a disgusted expression spread across Naruto's whiskered face. At the same time, Shiore was giggling with delight after wiping drops of saliva from his mouth.

"Now then, what do I do with you, my precious little jin-chū-ri-ki." Shiore teased.

These words forced each of Naruto's concealed eyes to twitch as his mouth fell open. During this, Sasuke and Sakura still had both of their eyes closed for some strange reason.

"How do you know that?" Naruto asked.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not here for that, I'm here for you." Shiore replied.

"That's kind of unsettling." Naruto murmured.

"I can be very unsettling." Shiore replied with a chuckle.

Suddenly, each of Shiore's eyes briefly flickering with a bright yellow and snake-like appearance. Afterwards, Shiore groaned with interest after noticing that Naruto was completely unaffected.

"What's with your eyes?" Naruto asked.

"A question I could ask you too, Naruto." Shiore replied with a twisted smile and tone.

"Wh-... What at do you mean?" Naruto stuttered.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph." Shiore giggled in response.

"I never imagined I would meet another individual who possessed those eyes, the Rinnegan." While speaking, Shiore's snake-like tongue draped across his lips several times.

"The Rinnegan?" Naruto repeated.

"It should be mine - it will be mine - a child has not right to hold those eyes." Shiore remarked.

"I was unprepared the last time - you see." As he spoke, the faint silhouette of a red cloud drifted through Shiore's mind.

"I let him get the best of me, I didn't know enough of his abilites." While he spoke, a silhouette of an orange haired man with violet eyes pierced Shiore's mind.

"So you have no idea how happy I became when I heard about your Rinnegan. It's such a treat." After speaking, Shiore raised both arms into the air as if he was reaching out for something.

Th-the Rinnegan, how does he know so much about my eyes? Naruto asked himself before a brief period of silence filled the air.

"HSHHH!" A massive 20ft long snake roared before uncoiling itself from a nearby tree branch overhead

Since both Sakura's and Sasuke's eyes were still closed, Naruto was the only member of team 7 with a line of sight. However, he didn't want look away from Shiore but he also couldn't ignore the loud hissing from above him.

Suddenly, Sasuke twirled behind Naruto before the both pressed the backs together. Afterwards, Naruto closed one eye before Sasuke finally opened an eye, allowing him to see the approaching snake.

For some strange and unknown reason, Sasuke had a Rinnegan in his left eye. Also, Sakura was already looking in the same direction as Sasuke even though both of her eyes were still closed.

At this moment, each of these Genin raised both hands to their chest before weaving through dozens of seals. At the same time, these Genin inhaled such a significant breath of air that their cheeks bulged.

"Wind Style: Great Breech!" Sakura exhaled an impressive torrent of rotating wind.

This was an extremely odd and basically impossible display of jutsu. Sakura herself can could preform Earth Style, let alone something as complicated as Wind Style.

"Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!" Sasuke's voice pierced the air.

Sasuke exhaled a chakra-filled spray of dense flames that quickly merged with Sakura's technique. This created a fierce combination of Wind Style and Fire Style, giving birth to a lethal fire tornado.

"Water Style: Water Bullets!" Naruto spewed several dozen bullets of chakra-filled liquid.

These bullets then slung through the air while soaring towards Shiore with Jounin-level speed. As these bullets approached, Shiore's body contorted and twisted itself in an inhumane way, as if he didn't have bones.

This allowed Shiore to effortlessly dodge Naruto's display of Water Style before laughing. At the same time, Sasuke's and Sakura combination of jutsu completely scorched the attacking snake before it's burnt corpse plummeted to the ground.

As this corpse approached, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto each jumped out of the way at the last moment. Afterwards, these Genin once again appeared atop the forest floor with each of their backs pressed together.

"My, my... How interesting." Shiore's voice spoke out.

"You didn't even look." As Shiore spoke, his voice was filled with interest.

"No signs of visual or physical communication, not a single wasted movement." While speaking, Sasuke closed his left Rinnegan eye, allowing Naruto to open his own left eye.

"You're not a Genin, are you?" Naruto asked.

"I am... A being who shall achieve perfection." Shiore hummed out in response.

"Summoning Jutsu." As Shiore spoke, he bit a gash in his right hand before slamming it atop the ground.

This action created a dense cloud of smoke before Shiore's entire body was concealed from view. After several seconds, the massive diamond-shaped head of a green skinned snake with blue eyes poke its head out from this cloud.

"Uhh..." Naruto stuttered after noticing the sheer size of this snake, dwarfing the previous 20ft long snake.

Wh-... What's going on, a snake summoning? Naruto asked himself.

Anko told me only her and one other person had the snake summoning contact... As these thoughts raced, Naruto felt an uncomfortable feeling that swirled inside his stomach.

"What is your wish, my lord." The behemouth green snake asked while Shiore stood atop his head.

"I just wanted to feed you, enjoy these snacks... Samanaga." Shiore remarked.

"Thank you, my lord." Samanaga replied before his jaw instantly unhinged itself.

At this moment, Samanaga lunged at team 7 as Shiore jumped off before casually landing atop a nearby tree branch. As this snake approached, Naruto closed his right eye before Sakura opened her left eye, revealing a violet Rinnegan.

Suddenly, Sakura noticed a nearby bush was shaking while Ino, Shikamaru and Choji was hiding from view. Because of the Rinnegan's unique power, Naruto had a shared vision with both Sakura and Sasuke, aslong as their eyes were opened.

This realization forced the pupil inside Naruto's visible eye to pulsating before shrinking. At the same time, Naruto funneled a dense amount of chakra into his eyes only for nothing to happen.

Soon, Naruto briefly thought back to the Land of Waves and a distant conversation he held with Sasuke. Sasuke insisted that Naruto summoned some strange creature during his battle with Zabuza.

However, Naruto had no memory of this summoning or even his battle with Zabuza. Despite this, Naruto was so concerned over the safety of team 10 that he quickly clapped both hands together.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto's voice pierced the air before he was enveloped by a cloud of smoke.

This smoke then polluted the air for several seconds as Samanaga continued to slither towards team 7. Suddenly, a fierce and dog-like howl resonated through the entirety of the Forest of Death.

This roar startled dozens of Genin inside the forest was a distant Anko knew something serious was happening. Also, the shockwaves from this roar forced the smoke from Naruto's technique to dissipate.

"RAAAH!" A 25ft tall dog roared as foam spewed from its mouth.

This dog was brown-furred with a large black-chakra rod that was pierced through its upper snort. Also, this dog possessed a pair of Rinnegan eyes and bat-like wings, but these wings were too small to fly.

Instead of retreating, Samanaga rehinged its jaw before slithering to the right as Naruto's dog bit into his scales. Afterwards, Samanga twisted and spiraled its body around the torso of Naruto's dog before slamming the beast to the ground and constricting it.

Suddenly, the neck of Naruto's dog was abruptly snapped before it briefly became limp for several seconds. The corpse of this dog then bubble and contorted before multipling into another dog.

"RAAAH!" Both dogs roared in unison before growling at Samanaga.

The entire sequence of events that Naruto displayed left Shiore speechless and utterly fascinated. This level of interested forced Shiore's snake-like tongue to once again drape across his lips.

"Magnificent." Shiore chuckled to himself.

At this moment, Sakura began to run away while her Rinnegan eye radiated with a bright violet aura. Even though Sakura strangely possessed the Rinnegan, Orochimaru was so focused on Naruto that he didn't even care or notice.

"My lord?" Samanga asked in confusion, waiting for orders.

Suddenly both dogs rushed towards Samanga, cracking portions of nearby earth and stone as they charged. As this approached, Samanaga began to contort, twist and flip his large body in multiple directions.

As this battle between giants continued to rampage, Sakura finally reached the cowering members of team 10. Sakura then screamed at each of these Genin to run away while closing her Rinnegan eye.

After team 10 disappeared from view, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura each began scaling various trees. Soon, these Genin began rushing towards Shiore even though Naruto was the only person with his eyes open.

After running for multiple moments, all three Genin jumped into the air before landing several feet in front of Shiore. During this, a giant battle between behemoths was raging across the forest floor.

"I must say, when are you going to let me see your eyes, my dear Sasuke?" Shiore hummed, forcing Naruto to visibly tense.

"I thought you only wanted my eyes." Naruto mumbled..

"I shall have both." Shiore remarked.

"Sadly, that little nine tails inside your stomach prevents me from using your body, but your eyes will more than suffice." While speaking, Shiore once again licked his lips.

"I have one last question." Naruto mumbled as Samanaga struggled to first his massive summoning's.

"Ah yes - one last question before you die." Shiore chuckled.

"Does the name Anko mean anything to you?" Naruto asked, earning a devilish smile in response.

"You could say she and I are quite familiar, friends even." Shiore replied before an extended period of silence filled the air.

"Thank you." Naruto murmured before all three Genin erupted into a puff of smoke.

As Naruto disppeared, his previously created summoning's also vanish from sight before Samanaga gasped for air. During this, each of Shiore's eyes bulged with a yellow and snake-like appearance as his face contorted with rage.

"ARGGHHH!" Shiore's scream pierced the air.

The force of this roar instantly snapped several nearby tree branches before they fell to the force floor. Afterwards, an tense silence filled the air before Shiore chuckle with delight, ready to have some fun.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_

"Geez, I'm glad we're not over there." Sakura remarked while dashing over several tree branches beside her teammates.

"Do your clones known anything, Naruto?" Sasuke asked

Because Naruto was running behind Sasuke and Sakura, neither of them noticed the grim and foreboding expression that covered Naruto's face. This was an abrupt shift to his usual calm and cheerful personality.

"No... Nothing at all." Naruto lied.

Team 7 then continued their long and dangerous journey towards the center of the Forest of Death. However, Naruto knew something that no one else did, team 7 was being hunted.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Ibiki walked through dozens of rows inside his empty classroom while collecting various tests. The Chunin candiates sat in this room barely two hours ago but now Ibiki was finally collecting their papers. rows of tables and desks that the candidates had sat at barely 2 hours ago, picking up several pages and tests for the Exams as he strolled throughout the room.

Soon Ibiki casually picked up Naruto's paper before Sakura's broken desk garnished his attention. This forced Ibiki to slowly approached Sakura's desk before bending down and picking up her test.

This test forced Ibiki's left hand to clench and tighten, forcing the stack of papers he held to become wrinkled and contorted. Afterwards, a brief silence filled the air while Ibki glared at Sakura's empty and barren test page.

"Hmph." Ibiki snorted before a genuine smile spread across his face.

"I just passed a candidate who didn't answer a single question..." While speaking, Ibiki shook his head from side-to-side in disbelief.

"Sakura Haruno… One of Kakashi's runts." As Ibiki spoke, a genuine smile remained prominent across his face.

"And from what Anko said, she the weakest of the three." After speaking, the bang-covered face of Naruto drifted through Ibiki's mind.

Naruto had been extremely calm and tranquil through the entire examine, and he didn't even cheat. This realization filled Ibiki with interest, curious to see what Naruto wrote on his test.

Lowering Sakura's page to his right side, Ibiki pulled Naruto's test loose from his stack of papers before glancing at it. This action revealed dozens of chibi figures that Naruto had doodled across his empty paper.

"Hmphhmphhmph… Hahah... HAHAHAH!" Ibiki's laugh bellowed throughout the empty classroom.

"One student doesn't answer a single question, and the other draws a bunch of doodles instead of answering the questions." As he spoke, Ibiki shook his smiling face from side-to-side.

"Yep... Those are definitely Kakashi's students." After speaking Ibiki turned around before walking to his desk.

This was a rather interesting moment for Ibiki, the moment when he finally took an interest in Naruto. However, Ibiki had no idea about the dark and twisted future that Naruto was going to experience.


	18. Chapter 18

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Since I want this story to be realistic, and I don't want Naruto to swarm the field, I have to impose restrictions. So, Naruto can only maintain six fields of vision with his clones (because six is a symbolic number with the Rinnegan).**

 **This gives me a plot device to limit Naruto's clones, so he can't just make like 1000 and swarm the field. Technically, he still could, but he can only see through six of them at a time.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: A Murderer On The Loose! Strange Circumstances Ahead.**

 _Friday 4:37pm, May 27th 58SSP._

"Fuck... This is gruesome." Kotetsu muttered, pinching his nose shut.

As Kotetsu spoke, he was surrounded by Izumo and an unnamed Chunin, standing several feet behind him. This group of Konoha shinobi were assembled in front of a bloody scene, littered with dead foreigners.

"Three dead already..." Izumo remarked, ignoring the crows overhead.

"No... The blood is dry, that means they've been dead for quite sometime." Kotetsu concluded before standing up.

"Also, this is outside the jurisdiction of the Chunin Exam, this is a memorial site not a training ground." As Kotetsu spoke, he scratched the back of his head with one hand.

"A problem already, huh?" Izumo scoffed.

"Isn't that some kind of forbidden technique?" The unnamed Chunin spoke out, pointing at a limp corpse.

The scene in front of these Chunin was one of distress and chaos, drawing attention to an array of Buddahist statues. Stained with splatters of dried blood, these once tranquil statues were witness to a horrific murder.

Before long, these Chunin became focused on a nearby corpse, defined by his deformed face. Devoid of any mouth, nose, eyes or ears, this limp shinobi was propped against a smiling Buddha.

"Send word to the proctor, Anko needs to know about this." Kotetsu ordered, quickly met by a whirlwind of leaves.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"Mmm... Sweet bean broth is the best with Dango." Anko hummed to herself.

Propped against a barb-wired fence, Anko had both legs cross against each other, barely contained by her short skirt. Exposing her lush lips, Anko licked her mouth out of anticipation.

"Auah, that tastes just like Kakashi in the morning." Giggling aloud, Anko swallowed a mouthful of dango.

Hurling her empty dango stick through the air, Anko pierced the distant silhouette of a large tree. Carved the Konoha symbol with dango sticks, Anko finally completed her work of air.

"Given the rate of this program, the good ones should be arriving there by tonight." Scratching her ear, Anko jumped to the ground.

Pressing both arms against her bulging chest, Anko casually yawned into one hand. Disturbed by a strange whirlwind of leaves, Anko glanced over her shoulder, staring at an unnamed proctor.

"We have an emergency!" Crouched on one knee, this proctor bowed his head in front of Anko.

"Corpses, three of them." Undaunted by these words, Anko rolled her eyes in response.

"And there's something strange with their corpses!" Inspired by these words, Anko hummed with interest.

"Strange?" Anko repeated, bombarded by a leaf-filled breeze of wind.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"Hmmm." Anko grimaced, staring at the faceless corpse of a foreign Chunin.

"From there ID's. We confirmed they're all shinobi from the village of Kusa." Izumo proclaimed.

Partially enveloped by a swirling vortex and green leaves, Anko didn't even hear Izumo. Too distracted by the mulitated corpse in front of her, Anko's eyes bulged with horror.

"His face is gone." Stating the obvious, Anko clenched her together it.

Met by a searing pain in her neck, Anko placed both hands against an odd chakra mark. Pulsating with a fiery appearace, Anko's entire body twitched under this intense pain.

There's no doubt... He's here, in the village. Pondering her thoughts, Anko's conscious was pierced by a pair of snake-like eyes.

"Show me their ID's! Give me a photo, now!" Shrieking with panic, Anko snarled her teeth.

Falling on his backside with anxiety, Izumo hastily flipped through several pages on his clipboard. Stumbling upon his page for Kusa, Izumo pulled a handful of photos into view.

Snagging these pictures without hesisation, Anko quickly raised each of them in front of her eyes. Eventually, Anko tightly clenched her right fist, trembling with pure rage.

So he took this kids face... Anko finally realized what was happening.

Flinging these photos through the air, they quickly mixed with a drifted tornado of fresh leaves. Floating through the horizon of Konoha, Anko casually ignored this beautiful depiction.

"This is an S-rank threat." Spitting her words out, Anko crossed both arms in front of her large chest.

"I-... Isn't that a bit extreme? This is just a Chunin Exam." Stuttering in protest, Izumo downcast his face.

"I don't have time to explain myself! Go to the third Hokage at once! And tell him..." Anko's sentence trailed off, gazing up at the afternoon sun.

"Tell him, Orochimaru has returned." Biting her lip out of frustration, Anko was obscured by dancing leaves.

* * *

Five hours earlier.

"Geez this is boring." Sakura declared as she sat with her knees pressed against her nonexistent chest and her arms wrapped around her ankles.

"Better than being out there, glancing in every direction worried about whats coming." Sasuke replied as he shoved 2 Sushi rolls into his mouth and chewed, sushi rolls that Naruto had sealed inside 1 of several scrolls he kept in his Shuriken satchel.

"Well I mean we've only been at this for alittle over 2 hours, how come we moved so fast at the beginning then we just slowed down in the past hour?" Sakura asked.

"No reason to head to the tower without a scroll." Naruto replied, sitting indian style at the far corner of the tunnel they sat in, underneath a massive hole that must have led to the surface

"Yea but is it really necessary to hide underground like this?" Sakura asked as she twisted and turned her head in several directions, looking around the 5ft by 5 ft wide tunnel that she had carved into the ground using the Earth Style Kakashi had taught her.

"The real question is if we dug down far enough to remain hidden." Naruto replied, confusing Sasuke as he noted that Naruto was acting strange.

"I dug 15 ft down, and then dug this tunnel, just like you said Naruto." Sakura argued as she crossed her arms against her nonexistent chest and snorted.

"Yea - what's with you Naruto? It would be easier to just speed blitz to the tower and then take the Hell scroll from whose ever waiting there." Sasuke asked, intent to discover what was wrong with Naruto.

"Nah - nah." Naruto replied as he shook his downcast head slightly.

"My clones can take care of this, I don't want either of you 2 to worry about anything." Naruto replied as he tilted his head upward and smiled at his 2 sitting teammates.

These Exams are very dangerous Naruto, people will try to hurt them, to hurt you. Kakashi's voice rung out aloud inside Naruto's mind.

Once you pass this door - you will have to protect them. Kakashi's voice once again stated inside Naruto's mind.

"Well that's nice and all Naruto but isn't this Exam supposed to test all 3 of us? Not just you?" Sakura asked.

"Im surprised Sakura, I thought you would love being treated in a tight tunnel with Sasuke." Naruto replied, attempting to change the conversation.

"Oooooh! You're right!" Sakura screamed, instantly causing Naruto to shush her, before she soon began scooting her ass against the dirt ground of the tunnel as she inched towards Sasuke.

"Huuuuuuuuuuh - really Naruto?" Sasuke asked, caused the young blond Shinobi to smile widely.

"Just pretend this is a vacation for you 2, don't worry one of my clones will get a scroll in no time." Naruto stated, a smile still wide upon his face.

"Then we can leave this tunnel and head towards the tower." Naruto spoke, the smile instantly disappearing from his face as he once again downcast his head, apparently disturbed at the concept of leaving the tunnel.

"What all have your clones seen so far?" Sasuke asked.

"I've found 4 teams that have lost their scrolls already, also I saw team 10 hiding behind a bush."Naruto replied.

"Hah - serves Ino-pig right, that hag deserves it." Sakura snorted out.

"Is that all?" Sasuke asked, confused that Naruto had made so little progress in over 2 hours.

"Well I don't want to fight anyone unless they have the scroll we need, and since team 10 has a Heaven scroll just like us, I didn't want to do anything." Naruto replied.

"Well if you don't find a Hell scroll in an hour lets go ahead and keep moving, I don't want to have to sleep in this Forest." Sasuke replied as he once again shoved 2 Sushi rolls down his throat, so busy eating he failed to noticed Naruto grind his teeth together while his head remained downcast.

For Naruto failed to mention something to his teammates, he failed to tell them an important piece of information that he feared to reveal.

He didn't tell them that Shiore had already forced Naruto to disperse 3 clones, something that he denied when Sakura asked if he knew what was making all that noise 2 hours earlier.

Little did Naruto now that the Fire Style he had used against Shiore was now developing into a deadly outcome, as the flames from his jutsu continued to jump and leap from tree to tree, setting a surprising amount of the Forest a fire, atleast near entrance gate 12 where team 7 first entered the zone.

This left Naruto with only 12 clones, and he forced all of them to run in polar opposite directions from the 3 clones he had dispersed against Shiore, hoping to mislead the Shinobi and give me and his friends a chance to make it to the tower undisturbed.

Atleast now he had 6 fields of vision to share among 12 clones, instead of 15.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Hoki - you seen any of those Rookiees?" An unnamed ninja spoke out, crouched atop a tree branch.

"Nah... But I've been looking." Hoki sighed in response, standing in the center of a small grove.

Each of these shinobi from Genin from the village of Taki, otherwise known as the Land of Waterfalls. A minor nation that bordered the northern lands, the village of Taki was an untrustworthy ally of Konoha.

Denoting Hoki's tan face, he had ear-length brown hair that partially matched his black eyes. Also, Hoki wore a sleeveless grey shirt with a contrasting pair of blue pants, held in place by a white sash.

"Where's Jimei?" As Hoki spoke, his Taki headband was exposed, draped across the side of his forehead.

"Actually looking unlike you 2." Jimei replied as he instantly leaped into the clearing Hoki stood in, crouching slightly as he landed before standing all the way up.

Jimei had short spiky brown hair and wore his Waterfall headband tied around the top of his head, just like Sakura did, with a long-sleeved dark blue colored shirt, with its collar cut in the shape of a 'V'.

His pants were the same dark blue color as his shirt, with the standard white linen fabric tied around his left thigh, and a Kunai pouch tied around that with standard blue Shinobi shoes worn on his feet and a Shuriken satchel tied around the back of his waist.

"Go fuck yourself dude, we've been looking." The unnamed Waterfall teammate retorted.

"No - fuck you Fumaza, I've been working my ass off looking for those weaklings." Jimei retorted towards Fumaza.

"Their 1st years, no way they can keep hiding for long." Hoki concluded.

"Do you think they just entered on different sides of the Forest? So we might not be near any of them?" Jimei asked.

"I hope not that would suc-" Fumaza attempted to say, only to become speechless when a blond blur emerged beside him on the treebranch he stood upon, causing him to lose his footing and lean forward, falling off the branch.

As he plummetted through the air he twisted and flipped his body several times as he soon landed harmlessly atop the forest floor next to his 2 alerted teammates, both of which had drawn a Kunai in each hand in the time it took Fumaza to fall.

"Excuse me..." Naruto whispered out from atop the treebranch Fumaza had fallen from, his mouth concealed by the raised collar of his tunic and his eyes hidden by his bangs.

"Do you have a Hell scroll?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head to the right, causing his bangs to slid and fall across his face, revealing a brief violet flash towards the 3 Waterfall Shinobi that stood in the clearing below him.

"Hey look its that quiet runt from the 1st Exam." Jimei stated, having sat 2 rows behind Naruto and being one of the few candidates to notice how calm and carefree Naruto was.

"Perfect." Hoki concluded as he grinned towards the blond Shinobi who stared down back at him.

"Yea we do - so I take it you have the Heaven scroll then? That's great now hand it over." Fumaza ordered as he reached his left hand behind his back and plunged it into his Shuriken satchel, sliding 3 of his fingers into 3 separate Shuriken holes.

"Can I see it, please?" Naruto asked kindly, his head still tilted to the right, causing several brief violet glimmers to erupt from his eyes, clearly visible to the 3 Waterfall Shinobi below him.

"Sure kid - here we are." Hoki smirked as he tossed the Kunai in his left hand to his right, and flung his left hand behind his back before he pulled out a black scroll with the Kanji for 'Hell' written on it as he held it horizontally with his hand wrapped around it.

Instinctively Naruto raised his right hand, extending his open palm towards the scroll as he began to pour and funnel chakra into his eyes in an attempt to pull the scroll through the air towards himself, as he had first done with Gato alittle over 2 weeks ago.

However just like before when Naruto attempted to use this technique on Shiore and his summoning, nothing happened, despite the amount of chakra Naruto had poured into his eyes.

"Hmmmm." Naruto hummed aloud to himself, deep in thought.

"What are you doing runt? Extending your hand in marriage?" Jimei snorted out in a humorous tone, causing both of his teammates to chuckle slightly.

Suddenly Naruto lowered his right hand back to his side as he restraightened his head and lesiurely strolled forward, walking off the branch in a carefree manner and quickly falling the 20ft gap between it and the ground, his knees buckling slightly before he abruptlystraightened them and stood up tall.

"I would very much like that scroll please, I'm kind of in a hurry." Naruto asked, using Sasuke's opened Rinnegan eyes to study and scout the area surrounding the clearing, while Sakura stood beside him, both of her eyes closed, clearly Naruto was on edge and expecting something to attack him.

"Enough of this brat!" Fumaza yelled as he pulled his left hand from behind his back, flinging the 3 Shurinken that were wrapped around his fingers togethers Naruto.

The moment Fumaza had thrown the Shuriken Naruto disappeared in a body flicker technique, no doubt one of the many things Zabuza and Haku had taught him.

As quickly as he disappeared he also reappeared, this time directly infront of Hoki before launching his right foot forward and upward, kicking the bottom of the scroll out from Hoki's hand and causing it twist and turn as it flung several feet into the air.

"Ac-" Hoki grunted out in shock, awed by the speed the Rookiee infront of him had just displayed.

N-no way, who is this rookiee? Hoki thought to himself as Naruto quickly lowered his right leg before leaping back 5 feet and jumping into the air, raising his right hand up to the Hell scroll before it quickly slide downward into the sleeve of his tunic, concealing itself from view.

"You idiot Hoki!" Jimei yelled as he threw both of the Kunai in his hands towards Naruto who was still in mid-air, his action snapping Hoki out of his daze as he raised his right hand to his chest and also threw the 2 Kunai he held there.

Noticing this Naruto briefly lowered his gaze to observe the Kunai hurling towards him, briefly considering what options he had to use since for some reason he couldn't push or pull things like he had become so used to.

For several moments Naruto hovered in mid-air with 4 Kunai hurling towards him, his mind racing through what to do, especially since he had to deliver the scroll he had just capture.

Suddenly Naruto gasped as his mouth flung open in shock and his eyes bulged with fear and concern as through the vision of Sasuke scouting the nearby area he saw several dozens of snakes swarming, sliming and scaling across the treebranches towards team 7.

Again? Naruto asked himself, he had tried his best to convince himself not to take Shiore's threat seriously which was one of them many reasons he avoided mentioning his 1st encounter with him to his teammates, but clearly Shiore wanted something from team 7, from Naruto's friends.

Overwhelmed by the reappearance of Shiore, and the need for Sakura to open her eyes therefore meaning he had to close his, Naruto was forced to close his eyes in mid-air as the Kunai continued to fly towards him.

However instead of hitting him or even scratching him, Naruto suddenly disappeared in a flash, something that even the 3 Waterfall Genin knew was far beyond a body flicker.

"I thought the Yellow Flash was dead?" Jimei asked, as both he and his 2 teammates where left utterly confused at the circumstance that had just unfolded.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Bllllhh." Shiore gargled as he slide down from a branch that overlooked Sakura and Sasuke before unhinged his jaw as several dozens of snakes poured and scaled out of his mouth towards the 2 members of team 7 below him.

Hoping to buy more time, aswell as to uncover more about the Shinobi hunting him and his friends, Naruto had Sakura leap to the left while Sasuke leaped in the opposite direction, both of them turning their gaze and heads in mid-air as they observed the snakes surrounding them, the violet color of their eyes noticed by Shiore whose own eyes widened in shock before quickly squinting with interest.

"Fire Style...…." Sasuke declared as he raised his left hand to his chest, his hand weaving through the half Tiger, half Ram, half Monkey, half boar and half horse before once again settling upon the Tiger Seal.

"Wind Style..." Sakura stated as she positioned her right hand infront of her chest, her hand dancing through the half Dog, half Horse and half Bird Seals, both her and Sasuke on polar opposite sides of the tree-line as swarms of snake slithered and scaled towards each of them.

It was then that both of them inhaled, breathing in an engulfing amount of air as their cheeks swelled and puffed out while they tilted their heads backwards, the air inside their stomachs being kneaded and condense into the specific chakra nature the individual was using.

"Fireball Jutsu! Breakthrough Jutsu!" Both Sasuke and Sakura yelled at the same time before turning away from the snakes infront of them at the last moment, directing their attention aswell as their jutsu towards Shiore who stood on the sidelines watching, Sakura and Sasuke using the same technique they had used against the massive snake that attacked them and Naruto earlier that day.

"A-Ahhhhh." Shiore sighed out in awh and fascination as the Fireball became engulfed by the funnel of condensed air that Sakura had released, causing the fire to contort and twist as it joined the rotating funnel, hurling itself towards Shiore as it burned, scorched and scarred all the tree branches and leafs that surrounded Shiore, aswell as the Shinobi himself.

The rotating funnel of fire and condensed air was so overwhelming and powerful that it burned clear through the tree that Shiore stood infront of, the funnel of twisting fire and air swirling out onto the opposite side of the tree and setting the tree branches behind it aflame, the 2nd forest fire that team 7 had created, even if they were small at the moment.

Without tearing their gaze away from the ash filled tree that Shiore stood infront of, aswell as the scorched and burned tree branches he stood atop, Both Sakura and Sasuke weaving completely different Seals with their hands, preforming an advanced and complicated amount, each of them doing it with just 1 hand.

As their hands weaved through these Seals, their free hands reached behind their backs, Sakura using her left while Sasuke used his right, each of them plunging their hands into the Shuriken satchel they kept tied around their waist, before retracting it and flinging their hand outward, throwing 3 Shuriken each for a total of 6 as each of them held the half Tiger Seal infront of their chests.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Both Sasuke and Sakura yelled out in unison as the 6 Shuriken become 12 in a blur, then multiplied into 24 in a blur before duplicating and becoming 48 and once again multiplying into 96, all of which hurled and spun through the air towards Shiore in different fashions, degrees and angles.

What followed next was the sound of metal stabbing into and cutting against wood as several Shuriken passed through the burning hole Sasuke and Sakura had created, stabbing into tree's and tree branches on the over side, but no sound of metal hitting flesh could be heard, causing both Sasuke and Sakura to squint their violet, ripple patterned eyes known as the Rinnegan as their studied their surroundings, the snakes that were swarming towards them before now stood completely still.

"That's not it." Sasuke asserted as he and Sakura continued to glance in all angle around themselves, be never once breaking direct line of sight with the other.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Shiore chuckled from the encompassing tree-line that surrounded Sakura and Sasuke.

"You're as smart as my information told me, Sasuke - but I wonder...if that really is your name." Shiore echoed out across the tree-line, causing Sakura and Sasuke to squint their violet eyes, they couldn't close their eyes incase Shiore attacked so their was no use in trying to hide in, no use in Naruto trying to hide the Rinnegan that was present in every clone he summoned, even clones that used the transformation jutsu.

"Couldn't I ask the same thing of you - Shiore?" Sakura asked, concluding there was no way a Genin should be this powerful.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Shiore once again chuckled out in response, his twisted laughter cascading across the tree-line.

"Interesting - most interesting, this trip truly was worth my time." Shiore spoke.

"I'm going to assume the 2 individuals infront of me are clones, your clones perhaps, my dear Naruto?" Shiore asked, his question causing both Sakura and Sasuke to clench their fists.

"I'm guessing those eyes are a little present to your clones, something I find fascinating..." Shiore hummed out.

"Why are you here? Last time I saw you, you were on the complete opposite side of the forest, how did you travel over 4 miles and not encounter a single squad that had the scroll you needed?" Sasuke asked.

"Scroll? Why would I want a scroll?" Shiore asked innocently, his body and location still hidden from view.

"I've already told you, my dear sweet Naruto..." Shiore continued.

"I want you - and Sasuke of course." Shiore spoke, the sound of his tongue dragging across his lips being heard after he spoke.

"My eyes and his body - right?" Sasuke and Sakura asked in unison as they continued to observe their surroundings aswell as eachother, their constant stream of eye contact with one another further adding to Shiore's fascination.

"Oh I'd want his eyes too - why settle for 1 pair when I could have 2 pairs? The eyes of a Sage and the eyes of a prodigy." Shiore replied, the sound of his tongune dragging across his lips once again echoing throughout the clearing after he spoke.

"There's no way an ordinary Genin could survive what you did." Sakura stated as her right eye glanced towards the still burning and ash filled tree Shiore had stood infront of moments prior.

"Why thank you - I have always considered myself above the talentless trash that inhabits this world." Shiore replied with a sadistic chuckle, his laugh encompassing and surrounding the 2 members of team 7 as the several dozens of snakes in-between them all stuck their heads up and began hissing in unison.

"But enough of me - lets talk about you - my dear Naruto, and those clones infront of me of course." Shiore remarked causing both Sakura and Sasuke to grind their teeth together before their forms began to contort and twist, morphing into the appearance of Naruto, as now Naruto's stood in place where Sakura and Sasuke once were.

"I once read that no Doijutsu, or even jutsu itself, could allow an individual to notice when a Shadow Clone was the real individual or not..." Both Naruto's concluded aloud in Unison.

"But I guess my Doijutsu makes it easy to find me." Both Naruto's mumbled aloud to themselves, having no idea just how correct they were.

Suddenly the snakes in-between both clones began swirling and scaling atop one-another, wrapping themselves around the other as a mound of slithering, scaling and forked tongue reptiles slowly rose upwards from the countless swarm of snakes that continued to scale around it.

The mound then twisted and turned as several snakes fell off and others even began changing shape, color and size, some shrinking and others contorting as if they were combined together in a pile of scales and flesh.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Shiore chuckled out as snakes atop the mound morphed and changed color, their scales now resembling the appearance and outfit of Shiore as he stood calmly where the mound of snakes once did, several small and large snakes slithering up to and inside of his sleeves and pantlegs.

His face was different than before, as the areas of skin that once covered his forehead and cheeks bubbled and dissolved from the extreme heat of Jutsu that Naruto release upon him, revealing pale, light grey snake underneath the sections that had been burn, his skin the same tone and color as several of the snakes swarming his feet.

Most drastic of all aswell as something that horrified and disgusted the 2 clones of Naruto, was Shiore's new left eye that apparently revealed itself underneath his once visible one, as if he world a 2nd face under his 1st one

His new eye had a solid yellow colored iris that resembled a reptiles eye as the pupil in the center was slanted and extended vertically, a type of eye that shocked even Naruto.

Outlining his eye socket was a single coat of thick, black face-paint that encircled and surrounded his eye, with purple face-paint lined above it and running down to the bridge of his nose.

"Snake Summoning, right?" One of the Naruto's asked, making a reference to the behemoth snake known as Samanga that Shiore had summoned before, aswell as the visibly apparently snake-like appearance the individual had

"Oh that's not interesting at all - no where near as interesting as what you Summoned during our last encounter, my sweet Naruto." Shiore spoke as he stood calmly in-between the 2 clones of Naruto, several dozens of snakes swarming and scaling around and over his feet.

"If you know these are clones - then why waste your time with them? Wouldn't you want the real thing?" The other Naruto asked, both of them attempting to buy my time for the real members of team 7.

"In due time - its not like 3 children can escape from me anyway." Shiore replied as his tongue protruded several inches out from his mouth and dragged itself across his lips before retreating.

"Because - I want you to show me what you can do, boy." Shiore hummed out in response as a twisted grin on his face, his statement followed my several moments of silence as the only sound escaping from around the 3 individuals was the constant and endless hissing that erupted from the snakes around Shiore's feet.

"I'd never imagine you could preform Sensei's jutsu, a mere Genin preforming an A-ranked technique, hmphhhmphhmphhmph." Shiore spoke before chuckling at the end of his sentence, his statement visibly shocking both Naruto's as they took several steps back.

"S-Sensei?" Both Naruto's muttered out in unison, knowing full well that the technique they had just preformed was one of the 3rd Hokage's, someone who only taught 3 individuals, but he couldn't recall any of their names, when it came to the history of the 3rd Hokage Naruto always preferred reading about him personally, instead of his kids or his students, due to the high regard, opinion and love he held for the seasoned 3rd Hokage.

"Hmphhmphmph - if you play with me, I'll gladly tell you my real name, boy." Shiore explained.

"I'd rather just do this." Both Naruto's replied in unison as they abruptly erupted into a puff of smoke, causing the grin on Shiore's face to develop into a sadistic smile.

"Yes my boy...…..yes...…..run." Shiore mused to himself as he shrunk downward into the puddle of snakes below him, his body disappearing and hiding itself under the countless swarm of snakes below.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 5 miles away back in the underground tunnel where team 7 was._

Suddenly the once dark and dimmed tunnel that team 7 sat again became illuminated in a bright aura of yellow, briefly blinding both Sakura and Sasuke and quickly alerting the latter as he attempted to stand up and draw his sword only to slam his head into the top of the tunnel.

With Sakura still blind from the light and Sasuke dazed from smacking his head into the top of the tunnel neither of them noticed a clone of Naruto appear kneeling from within the center of the flash, as if he caused it, before he quickly extended his right hand outward towards the real Naruto.

Without uttering a word Naruto extended his own left hand, just in time for the Hell scroll to slide down his clones right sleeve and fall directly into his hand, before he squeezed down upon it to reassure himself it was real.

"Whats that Naruto?" Sakura asked, both her and Sasuke finally realizing it was a clone of Naruto that had appeared.

"Its our Hell scroll." Naruto stated before quickly dispersing the still kneeling clone infront of him.

"Cool, you can just hang on to both of them." Sasuke stated as he tried his best to stand up, having to crouch slightly and bend his knees just to stand up in the tunnel.

"Lets get going then, like I said I don't want to sleep in this forest and since we have both scrolls we can just make a dash for the tower, we've already traveled 3 miles so we're halfway there." Sasuke spoke as he attempted to stretch and extend his arms and legs and in attempt to relax his muscle.

Sasuke was so busy with stretching and attempting to pop his joints that he failed to notice Naruto once again grit his teeth at the mention of leaving the tunnel, only Sakura noticed.

"Sakura, couldn't we just travel underground to the tower?" Naruto asked.

"Uh - yea - no, we're lucky I could even dig this tunnel, its one of the few and I mean very few things that Kakashi-sensei actually taught me." Sakura sighed.

"Theres a reason I started calling Haku sensei for awhile there, he taught me more than Kakashi did that's for sure." Sasuke spoke.

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?" Naruto asked, a slight tone of panic escaping his voice.

"Yea Naruto, I mean I could probably make it a mile tops before my nails started to bleed, and you wouldn't want to me to hurt myself, would you Naruto?" Sakura asked rhetorically, knowing how much Naruto cared about how.

"Yea..." Naruto replied in a depressed tone as he downcast his head briefly, an action that both his teammates noticed.

"Okay fine lets get going, be we have to move quickly and both of you need to stay behind me." Naruto spoke as he stood up and leaped upwards through the 13ft deep tunnel, breaking through the 2ft layer of dirt that Sakura had left atop in an attempt to disguise the hole, this action left both Sasuke and Sakura utterly stunned, not the action of Naruto leaping out of the tunnel, but the fact that Naruto wanted to walk infront of them.

"N-Naruto always walks behind us, what's with him Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"I think there's something he isn't telling us." Sasuke replied.

"But why would Naruto do that? Naruto tells us everything doesn't he? Or atleast he tells you everything." Sakura questioned before suddenly Naruto leapt down the tunnel, landing quietly at the bottom before crouching slightly.

"Hurry up, we need to move - now." Naruto asked, clearly concerned about something, his concern apparent to both his teammates.

"Yea yea, we're coming Naruto." Sakura replied as both she and Sasuke scooted over towards the exit of the tunnel, with Naruto quickly leaping up and out of it once again, because just like last time Naruto had seen something he didn't want to tell his teammates about, something he didn't want them to worry about, something he considered his sole responsibility, he would protect them.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, roughly 2 miles away on the far side of the Forest, 11:56am. 26 minutes after the Exam began._

"This should be good." Kiba mumbled out as he sat crouched behind a bush, staring out into a clearing that contained 3 Sand and Rain Shinobi, both teammates glaring at eachother.

"Achhh-Acccchh." Akamaru whined out timidly, filled with fear from the individuals stranding it the clearing, causing Kiba to lower his head to his left side to glance down at his companion.

"What happened? You two stopped moving all of a sudden?" Hinata asked and both she and Shino landed in a semi crouched positioned to the left side of Kiba and Akamaru.

Shaking and still whining quietly Akarmau isn't stood up and bridged the small 1 foot cap between him and Kiba, before burying his snout into the lower section of Kiba's jacket and pushing it open before he rushed inside, hiding his entire dog body inside of Kiba's jacket.

Once he finally reached Kiba's chest, he placed his snout against it, still cowering and shaking with fear, shocking Kiba as he had never seen Akamaru act like this.

"Akamaru just stopped all of a sudden, it must be one of them." Kiba replied as he notioned towards the 6 Shinobi that stood in the clearing infront of their bush.

"Why?" Shino asked in an emotionless tone.

"He can sense Chakra signatures, to find out how strong the individual is, this is the 1st time I've ever seen him so frightened, one of them must be going crazy out there." Kiba replied as he bruised his left hand against Akamaru's head in an attempt to soothe him.

"I-isn't that the guy that sat beside Naruto?" Hinata asked timidly as she glanced at the red-haired Sand Shinobi that stood with his arms crossed in the clearing.

"How should I know? I don't pay attention to Naruto." Kiba snapped back.

"O-oh right - sorry." Hinata replied timidly, making Kiba feel back for his sudden burst of rage.

"Hey don't worry about it, but even if that guy did sit by Naruto it was just a written Exam, no one could have really used that much chakra while writing." Kiba explained.

"But out here, in an Exam that is life or death, you can bet people are gonna go crazy." Kiba stated.

* * *

 _Several feet ahead, inside the center of the clearing infront of team._

"Sand runts challenging us in the open like this? Ha!" The Rain Shinobi stand in-between and infront of his 2 teammates mocked.

He had short spiky brown hair with a 3 bandages tied around his head, covering his forehead, he also had two scars running upward from his right cheek, one of which extended so far it blinded his right eye, causing him to constantly keep it closed.

The far right corner of his mouth was sewn up with 3 stitchs, forcing him to keep the right corner of his mouth mostly closed.

On his back he carried an oxygen tank and 6 sheathes to contain and fit all of the oddly wooden handled umbrella's he kept latched around his back.

He wore a full body jump-suit similar to Lee except his was ocean blue in the center while the outer sections of his raised collar, sleeves aswell as pants were colored a faded tone of lavender.

Atop this outfit he wore a jet-black cape that hung down to his ankles in the back but only reached the length of his fingertips in the front, his hands covered by dark-grey gloves that he wore.

Covering his chest was an odd metal plate with a tube that extended from it and ran to his back, the plate that the Shinobi wore brandish infront of his chest, the same plate of metal that his cape was pinned against, keeping it in place.

"Yea, doesn't that runt know what happens when Sand gets rained out?" The short teammate who stood behind him to his left side stated.

"HA - good one Baiu." The 1st Shinobi replied.

"Thanks, just thought about it Shigure." Baiu responsed with a grin on his face.

Baiu had a small stature and was the shortest of the 3 Rain Genin, even shorter than the members of team 7. he had fair skin, tiny black beady eyes with no eyebrows and wore a pin striped light grey jumpsuit similar to Shigure in its layout, but different in the fact that the color in the center was black instead of blue.

Much like Shigure he wore an odd metal plate that ran infront of his chest, and since he didn't wear a cape like Shigure did, it became visible that the metal plate wrapped around the entirety of his shoulders, with no cape this also revealed the location the tube on his chest ran to. an oxygen tank carried on the back left side of his waist with gloves covering his hands and black Shinobi shoes adorning his feet similar to Shigure.

On his head he wore an altered kasa hat with the Village of Rain symbol on the front of it, and 4 Sheaths pressed against his back to carry his four umbrellas on his back, but 2 Umbrella's were already missing.

"They are indeed quite foolish." Shigure declared as a slight gust of wind blew in from the surrounding Forest.

"Look at the red-head, he's so scared he can't even speak - hahaha!" The 3rd Rain Shinobi, standing behind Shigure and to his leftside.

"Hahahah." Both Baiu and Shigure chuckled out in response.

"Good one Midare." Shigure replied as he grinned towards the 3 Sand Shinobi infront of him.

Midare was the second tallest of the three, and like his 2 teammates he possessed fair skin, evidence that all 3 of them lived under the constant cloudy and sun deprived sky that belonged to the Village Hidden in the Rain, he wore a pair of dark black glasses that almost weren't visible due to the black face paint he had painted across his eyes and brows in a rectangular fashion, the only section visible was the bridge of his nose that ran up and extended in-between his eyebrows.

His outfit was an exact copy of Baiu, suggesting Shigure was the leader of the group as he wore a completely different color and outfit than Baiu and Midare.

Much like Baiu, Midare wore a pair of 4 sheathes on his back to contain and hold the Umbrella's he kept fashioned there, and just like Baiu, 2 of his Umbrella's were already missing.

Infront of them stood the 3 emotionless members of Team Baki, Gaara standing infront of and in-between his 2 teammates with Kankuro behind him on his left side and Temari on his right.

Temari stood in a crooked fashion, resting her head downward allowing her chin to graze against the metal of her headband that was tied around her neck in the same fashion as Naruto.

Kankuro stood with his body twisted away slightly from his 2 teammates, his eyes closed and both of his hands rested into the pockets of his full-bodied black outfit.

Gaara stood perfectly still infront of them, his arms crossed infront of his chest as he stared at the 3 Rain Shinobi across the clearing, not blinking once since they had encountered eachother.

"Hey kid, you should be more careful when you pick you opponent." Shigure stated as he stared at Gaara with his opened left eye.

"You are all going to die." Shigure snarled out as he opened his mouth and bared his teeth against the Sand Shinobi, his lips pulling against the stiches on the right corner of his mouth.

"Enough chatter..." Gaara spoke out.

"I don't need your words...I need your blood." Gaara stated emotionlessly as he continued to stare at the 3 Rain Shinobi infront of him, his statement doing nothing to the Rain Shinobi but visibly frightening Hinata and Akamaru.

Fight them? Kankuro asked himself as he opened his right eye and used it to glance at Gaara.

We don't even know what scroll they have, what if they have the same one as us? Kankuro asked himself.

"Hey, Gaara!" Kankuro spoke out, causing several seconds of silence to fill the clearing before he continued.

"Shouldn't we see what scroll they have first? Before we pick a fight?" Kankuro asked.

"If they have the same scroll as us, there's no need for us to fight." Kankuro stated.

"Unecessary fights are..." Kankuro attempted to continue, only to be cut off by Gaara.

"It doesn't matter." Gaara replied in an emotionless tone.

"Tc-." Shigure grunted in shocked, surprised by Gaara's words and tone.

"I'll kill everyone we encounter." Garaa spoke, his tone empty and lifeless, disturbing everyone present, especially his teammates and the members of team 8.

And that's why I don't like being near you Gaara, no one does. Kankuro reminded himself as as he opened his left open and stared at the back of Gaara's head, both of his eyes now open.

"Tch - then let's do this." Shigure snapped out as he reached behind his shoulders with both his hands, his arms forming an 'X' infront of his chest as he gripped 3 handles of his Umbrella's in each hand.

Suddenly he flung both his arms forward, unlatching and opening all 6 of his Umbrella's in a dramatic fashion, a light gust of wind erupting from the strength of his Umbrella's shooting open.

He then lifted his arms upwards and tossed all 6 of his Umbrella's into the air, causing them to float and lift up, getting carried away in the extensive air current that was constant in the Land of Fire.

"Hmmmm." Kankuro hummed out as both he and Temari looked up at the Umbrella's but Gaara continued to stare at Shigure, unblinking.

As the Umbrella's hovered 20 ft above the trio of Sand Shinobi, Shigure slammed his hands together, forming the Tiger Seal infront of his face as he began to grin in a twisted fashion.

"Die, kid!" Shigure yelled.

"Ninja art: Senbon Shower!" Shigure declared as the 6 Umbrella's hovering overhead began to spin and twist in a counter clock-wise fashion.

Instantly Senbon began to fling and pour from the encircling Umbrella's above head, showering the Sand trio in hundreds of shadows produced from the senbon racing down upon them.

"T-There hidden needles!" Hinata exclaimed as she and her teammates continued to hide several feet away behind a bush.

Shigure then released his hands from one another before extending both of his open palms outward, directed towards the Sand trio, as the Senbon released from his Umbrella began to dash, swirled and encircle around the Sand trio, as if Shigure was controlling them by Chakra.

"This jutsu strikes from above, left and right - theres no escape, theres no way you can survive this." Shigure remarked as he continued to grin with both his palms directed towards the Sand trio.

"The senbon are also regulated by my chakra, and will strike my target with deadly precision and accuracy, not even a 5ft thick metal shield could save you now." Shigure explained.

Suddenly all the senbon grouped together before flinging themselves towards towards Gaara, and Gaara only either out of respect to Temari and Kankuro for standing aside, or maybe just cause Gaara had bothered him so much.

It was then that hundreds of senbon slammed into the ground surrounding Gaara, piercing the ground with such force that it caused a cloud of dust and debris to erupt all around him, with so many senbon that some even protruded out from around the dust cloud.

"To easy." Shigure told himself as he lowered his arms to his sides.

"You other 2 are free to go, after you hand over that scroll of course." Shigure explained as he stared at the dust cloud he had just created with his jutsu.

"That red rat just really rubbed me the wrong way, challenging a superior Shinobi like that, he had to be put it his place." Shigure asserted.

"Is that all..." Gaara questioned, his voice left Shigure speechless as the dust cloud began to part and dissipate, revealing an encompassing, compact and dense sand shield that covered the area where Gaara was once standing.

Pinned into the sand shield that surrounded and protected Gaara were several dozens of senbon, almost to many too count, but all of them were stuck and lodged into Gaara's sand, the senbon able to cut through metal but not through Gaara's sand for some reason.

Some sections of his sand protruded several more inches outward than other parts, with the vast majority of it caressing and covering everysingle part of his body, as if the sand refused to let him get hurt.

"Wh-what!?" Shigure panicked as he too several steps back.

"Not a single hit? He's completely unharmed?" Shigure asked himself as he continued to cower and shrink backwards, finally standing beside his 2 teammates who were also shocked and terrified by the technique Gaara had just displayed.

Suddenly Shigure once again slammed his hands together into the Tiger Seal and once again began pouring chakra into his Umbrella's that still hovered several feet in the air.

This action caused several more senbon to pull themselves loose from his Umbrella's and flung towards the frontal section of Gaara's shield, the section that had already dissolved and erroded away, leaving Gaara completely vulnerable.

As the senbon were several inches away from Gaara's body a cascading amount of sand erupted outward from the gourd on his back, filling the entirety of Gaara's shield with sand, blocking his body from view and once again absorbing the senbon thrown at him.

"A-again? But he didn't even move!" Shigure screamed in disbelief.

"How can you preform Ninjutsu without even weaving hand signs!?" Shigure questioned, having no idea who, or even what Gaara was.

"A Rainfall of needles, eh?" Gaara asked in a dry tone as the sand that rose infront of him seconds prior dissolved and fell to his feet, once again revealing Gaara who stood calmly with his arms crossed infront of his chest.

"Wouldn't it be funny..." Gaara asked, his tone still just as dry as before.

"If I made it rain with your blood instead?" Gaara questioned, his statement visibly disturbing Shigure.

"Tch." Shigure grunted, attempting to hide the fear he felt developing in his stomach.

"This chakra is huge." Kiba murmured several feet away behind the bush where he and his teammates hid, Akamaru still cowering inside his jacket.

And that sand - it smells like pure chakra - is that even sand at all? Kiba asked himself.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Kankuro chuckled out, garnishing the attention of the 3 panicked Rain Shinobi infront of him.

"Ninjutsu? That's not Ninjutsu at all." Kankuro spoked, shocking the Rain Shinobi even further.

"The sand moves on its own accord, it's own will, Gaara doesn't even have to move." Kankuro stated, making the Rain Shinobi infront of him go speechless.

"The sand uses his chakra to harden itself, making it so dense that even your special little senbon were nothing to it." Kankuro stated as he stared at the sand shield that engulfed his teammate.

"Why do you think it's called the perfect defense?" Kankuro asked rhetorically.

"No one can even harm him - hell, no one can even touch him." Kankuro asserted, causing all 3 Rain Shinobi to take several steps back each.

"It's not so much a jutsu, as it is an ability unique specifically to Gaara." Kankuro explained as the sand that surrounded Gaara began to lower and dissolve itself, causing the several dozens of senbon lodged in it to fall and bounce off the ground surrounding him.

The sand fell to the ground surrounding Gaara, softening and coating the area around his feet, covering up the several dozen ends of senbon that stabbed out of the ground in separate directions.

"You 3 can't do anything against Gaara, why do you think we're so relax?" Kankuro mocked.

"Tch - don't take me lightly I was personally chosen by Lord Hanzo!" Shigure screamed out in response as he began dash towards the sand trio, clearly angered by Kankuro's words.

Gaara downcast his glance slightly as he glared at the oncoming Shigure, preforming a sick and twisted grin, it was then that Gaara raised both of his hands from his sides and positioned them infront of his grimaced face as they preformed the Bird Seal.

It's over. Temari concluded to herself.

He's dead, no way anyone can avoid Gaara's sand. Kankuro told himself.

As the angered Rain Shinobi continued to dash towards Gaara, he made the mistake of stepping atop Gaara's sand, too filled with rage to focus on his surroundings, suddenly the sand below him rushed upward, wrapping around his left ankle and tightening before raising even further and engulfing the entirety of his left leg from his knee and below.

At the sametime, another large portion of sand rushed up his right leg, before surging upwards past that and wrapping around his left shoulder then circling around his neck and wrapped over his right, soon even more sand rose from underneath Shigure and enveloped both of his arms aswell as the entirety of his lower and upper body, leaving his head as the only thing not covered by the chakra empowered sand.

"S-Shigure!" Both Baiu and Midare yelled out in Unison.

"I-I can't move." Shigure gargled out in a rasp voice as the sand pressing against his torso made it hard to breath, blocking his ability to pour chakra into his Umbrella's and forcing all 6 of them to fall and plummet to the ground, some stabbing into it and others bouncing off it.

"Talk - talk - talk." Gaara mumbled in a quiet as he lesiurely strolled forward, stepping atop his sand that covered the ground atop him and protected his feet from the sharp ends of the senbon.

"If I kill you right now, I won't have to listen to you talk later." Gaara concluded as he extended his right arm outward and grabbed the wooden handle of an Umbrella that had stabbed into the ground next to him before he quickly pulled it loss, all while walking towards Shigure.

Gaara then popped the Umbrella open with his right hand, before raising it above his head as if it was raining, while at the sametime he also extended his left hand outward vertically with his fingers bent and directed towards his palm.

"W-wait!" Midare stuttered out as he flung his right hand behind his back, reaching underneath the sheathes for the Umbrella's he kept there.

"He-here!" Midare stated as he pulled a Heaven scroll from his back and presented it infront of his face before quickly throwing it at Garaa.

Instead of catching it, or even moving, a thin layer of sand formed between Gaara and the approaching scroll, blocking Gaara from its impact aswell as catching it in mid-air.

"Pl-please just let him go! Let us go! You have our scroll." Midare asked.

"Your scroll?" Gaara asked, a tone of confusion resonating across his voice as if he never even considered or processed the concept before.

"I don't want scrolls..." Gaara asserted, his left hand twiching in mid-air.

"I want blood..." Gaara spoke as he twisted his left hand clock-wise before clenching his fist close.

"Sa-" Gaara mumbled out, only to be overwhelmed by the loud voice that enveloped his calm, emotionless one, a voice that echoed across the surrounding tree-line.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" The familiar voice of Naruto screamed out, his voice instantly became followed by the overwhelming sound of Water pushing against and washing over everything in its path.

The Water then formed together and washed across the tree-line that surrounded the clearing the Rain and Sand Shinobi stood in, shocking everyone present except Gaara who lesiurely glanced up at it without a care in the world.

"GRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH" The massive, encircling and chakra infused Water dragon grunted as it hovered over the clearing, its size hidden by the trees it extended out from.

"Sh-shit." Kankuro stuttered as his hands flew out of his pockets and he took several steps back, clearly shocked at the level of Jutsu he was facing.

Water Style...Gaara's weakness. Temari noted to herself as she stood much more calmly than Kankuro did, but slightly impressed by the fact someone used Gaara's weakness to their advantage.

Suddenly the Water dragon lunged forward with an alarming amount of speed, and once again shocked all 6 Shinobi present in the clearing, aswell as the members of team 8 who watched, when the dragon attacked Shigure instead of Gaara.

Rushing downward and unhinging its nonexistent jawline, the massive behemouth of Water slammed its mouth atop the sand engulfed body of Shigure, soaking Gaara's sand and making it completely useless as the dragon swallowed Shigure, aswell as the wet sand that still clung to him.

Instead of continuing its assualt, or even its existence, the Water dragon instantly erroded in a massive splash of water before it washed away on all sides, forming several puddles and ponds in the clearing where none had existed before.

The Water settled atop the ground and ceased its movement as Gaara finally allowed his left arm to drop back down to his side as he stared at the scene infront of him, the scene of a panicking Shigure pushing himself out of Gaara's wet and mushed sand.

"N-no way." Kankuro mumbled out in disbelief as he saw Shigure flee backwards towards his two panicking teammates.

"Where are you going...there hasn't been enough..." Gaara murmured out.

"Blood." Gaara spoke, the sand around him rushing forward towards the 3 Rain Shinobi across the clearing, scarying Baiu and Midare and unphasing Shigure as he was still running away and didn't see the approaching sand.

It was then that a yellow blur appeared inbetween the Rain Shinobi and Gaara's approaching sand, the front of the blur contorting and twisting in several shapes and forms as if it had arms and was preforming Hand Seals.

"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" The voice of Naruto spoke as an engulfing amount of Water erupted and poured out of his mouth, swarming, surrounding and protecting him aswell as the 3 Rain Shinobi that were cowering behind him.

For several moments the tough and relentless currents of Naruto's Water wall continued to swirl and circle around him, softening and watering down the once deadly attack of sand before transforming it into nothing but a mound of wet mush before his water then abruptly dissolved, sending several splashs aswell as drops across the clearing, turning the already puddle and pond covered clearing into a half-flooded one as water rushed out and drain into the surrounding forest, the water almost causing Kiba to leap up and howl like a dog once it touch his damn.

Damn that's cold. Kiba remarked to himself.

"I never thought I'd say this..." Naruto stated, his voice garnishing the members of team 8's attention, especially Hinata and Kiba.

"But the guy wearing make-up is right." Naruto spoke, causing a brief moment of silence to fill the clearing before Kankuro finally realized what he was talking about.

"FUCK YOU RUNT! THIS IS WAR-PAINT!" Kankuro rebuttaled, his yell masking the giggles the escaped from Temari.

"You have to admit, that was pretty funny." Temari stated, still giggling slightly.

"Was not, beside - what the hell was I right about runt?" Kankuro snapped out.

"Unnecessary fights are pointless, that's what you were going to say before Gaara interupted you, right?" Naruto asked, trying his best to ignore the sharp feeling erupting from his stomach, the feeling of claws stratching against his insides.

"U-" Kankuro scoffed out in shock as he took several steps back from Gaara, clearly more afraid of his teammate than anyone else.

"Naruto..." Gaara hummed out as a steady stream of sand began to pour out of his gourds in several different angles, a twisted grin still present on his face.

"Naruto - Uzumaki." Gaara spoke, his tone dark and demonic, having finally showed emotion, even if it was a twist and sadistic one.

"Tha - what's that idiot doing? Doesn't he feel the chakra that guy is putting out? He doesn't want to mess with that guy." Kiba asserted as he attempted to calm down Akamaru from behind the bush.

"Arrrrhh - Arrrrrrh." Akamaru groaned out in fear causing Kiba's mouth to fall open agasp and overwhelmed by the information Akamaru just told him.

"What did he say?" Shino asked calmly, knowing full well that Akamaru and Kiba could talk with one another.

"Th-that chakra, the chakra that's scaring Akamaru….." Kiba replied.

"I thought it was from the Sand Shinobi, sense I smelled such a large amount of chakra infused into his sand..." Kiba explained.

"But I was so focused on the smell of his chakra that I failed to notice our surroundings..." Kiba spoke.

"Our Su-surroundings?" Hinata questioned, not understand what Kiba was referring to.

"There's 3 massive currents of chakra all around us..." Kiba spoke, alerting both his teammates, even the usually quiet and calm Shino, however before they could ask anymore questions Kiba spoke out once again, his statement further stunning and confusing his teammates.

"And it Naruto's chakra..." Kiba spoke.

"Yea, thats my name, we met already - remember?" Naruto asked as he scratched the back of his head in an Iruka-like fashion while standing nonchalantly in the center of the clearing between the Sand and Rain Shinobi..

"You even ruined my chibi drawing of you." Naruto spoke, confusing both Temari and Kankuro alike.

"Your blood..." Gaara mumble out in response, still holding the Umbrella above him as he spoke.

"Mother says your blood is special." Gaara spoke.

"Well, its offical, this forest doesn't creep me out - it's the people in it." Naruto responsed timidly, remarking to himself that this was the 2nd time an individual had made him uncomfortable in the Forest of Death.

As this conversation was taking place, Gaara was so fixated on Naruto that he failed to notice the 3 Rain Shinobi behind him dash off into the tree-line, running for their lives from Gaara. Gaara also failed to notice Sasuke on a distant treebranch scare the members of team 8 away, worried about the outcome if they stayed much longer.

Naruto was more comfortable with the current situation then he had been all day, even if Gaara always caused his stomach to become upset, he was comfortable because now he had 6 pairs of eyes to share among 9 people, instead of 12 or 15 like he did earlier that day.

It was because of this that he had Sakura guarding the North side of the clearing while Sasuke remained scouting over the South side, the direction when he had just scared the members of team 8 off too.

"There was no need to do that Gaara." Naruto explained, only for complete silence to follow as Gaara offered no response.

"Weren't you raised better?" Naruto asked, causing both Temari and Kankuro to gasp as Gaara remained perfectly still.

Before Naruto could ask question Gaara any further questions, an erupting sharp pain began to once again claw against the inside of his stomach, causing him to kneel down to the ground, slamming his left knee into it as he positioned both his hands over his stomach and grunted in pain.

"Awh - what's wrong kid? Scared?" Kankuro mocked out.

"I don't know why you're acting all high and mighty, didn't he beat you in like 2 se-" Temari attempted to retort, only for Kankuro to shove his left hand over her mouth before she quickly bit down on it causing Kankuro to scream out in pain as tears erupted from his make-up covered eyes.

For several moments Gaara's stared down at the kneeling and groaning Naruto, either deep in thought or considering different ways to kill the individual infront of him.

"Silence." Gaara spat out, causing Temari and Kankuro to instantly stop in their tracks, tears still sliding down Kankuro's cheeks as he tried his best not to make a single sound.

"A-nnnnnh." Naruto grunted as he tilted his head up to glance at Gaara from underneath his bangs, curious how 1 individual could cause him so much pain.

I-I don't understand, how come I'm the only one in pain, doesn't he feel any pain in his forehead? He did last time. Naruto concluded to himself as he recalled Gaara clinging to his face with both of his hands as he forehead throbbed in pain.

Naruto didn't know what the Seal on his forehead stood for, but he knew he had seen it before and just didn't have the time to research it between his first meeting with Gaara and the start of the Exams, what Naruto didn't know is that he was half right, Gaara didn't feel any pain, not at the moment atleast, he was too enthralled with bloodlust.

Without saying another word Naruto erupted into a puff of smoke, as the sound of 2 different puffs of smoke could be heard erupting from the surrounding tree-line, leaving Temari and Kankuro completely confused, while Gaara continued to stand absolutely still.

After several moments of silence, the cloud of sand that clung to the Heaven scroll in mid-air hovered towards Gaara before he gabbed it and tossed it over his right shoulder towards Temari, who caught it.

Gaara then turned counter clock-wise before dashing upwards into the tree-line, heading towards the tower in the center of the forest and also leaving his teammates behind in the clearing before they quickly leaped into the tree-line and began following him.


	19. Chapter 19

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Running No More! A Genin's Stand.**

Faint rays of sunlight sparkled down between dense tree branches, illuminated the outline of team 7. Standing at the base of a massive tree, this young Genin were enthralled by an argument.

"Why are we taking a break every thirty minutes?" Sasuke complained.

"Yea, this is getting crazy, Naruto!" Sakura cut in.

Waving both hands through the air with a nervous twitch, Naruto struggle the hide the sweat on his face. Scratching a pair of whiskers, Naruto searched for the right answer.

"I just don't want to spend the night out here." Naruto mumbled.

Dramatically shoving two fingers against Naruto's nose, Sakura scoffed, defined by her emerald green eyes. Creating an awkward staring contest, Naruto groaned under Sakura's gaze.

"Then why keep stopping?" Questioned her teammate, Sakura continued to poke Naruto.

"Well... At least let me use the bathroom." Naruto murmured, running behind a nearby tree.

Quietly tapping her foot against the forest floor, Sakura crossed both arms in front of her flat chest. Startled by the sound of rushing water, Sakura briefly blushed before jumping behind Sasuke.

Magnified by a loud zipper, Naruto sheepishly approached his friends, rubbing the back of his head. Gagging with disgust, Sakura pointed at Naruto with an accusatory glare.

"You didn't wash your hands!" Sakura panicked.

"How many clones do you have left, anyway?" Sasuke cut in, completely changing the conversation.

"About fourteen, give or take." Stuttering his reply, Naruto wrinkled his pale nose.

Shrugging both shoulders with a care-free tone, Sasuke pulled team 7's unique scroll from his satchel. Admiring this object for several moments, Sasuke pointed towards a distant building, nestled in the forest of death.

"Cool. Let's get to that tower as fast as possible." Sasuke declared, escorting his friends through the forest.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Standing in the center of a leaf-filled grove, Neji's face was illuminated by burning embers from distant flames. Smothering a vast crop inside the forest of death, this fire polluted the skyline with black smoke.

A fire? Here? Neji asked himself as the distant sound of fire embers and crackles could be heard, indicting Neji was no less than 30 ft away from the massive blaze.

Is this some joke? No doubt a game for that crazy wench. His thoughts concluded as the image of Anko faded into mind.

It was then that the nearby bush at the opposite side of the clearing rustled before several panicked and disturbed murmurs could be heard orignating from the bushs, causing Neji to glance towards and observe it.

"Stop hiding and come out." The elite Hyuga ordered, causing all 3 members of the nearby cowering team to panic even further.

"But we hid as fast as we could..." A scared Ino whisper from in-between her 2 teammates, their bodies completely concealed behind a dense bush.

"Geez, a troublesome guy found us..." Troublesome sighed as he raised his left hand to his mouth in an attempt to muffle his voice.

"Why does this keep happening to us?" Ino asked, this being the 2nd time they hid behind a pair of bushs from an opponent inside the Forest of Death.

"Do you think Naruto will come save us this time?" Choji questioned, one of the few times he wasn't talking with food in his mouth.

"Tch - man - I'm just glad he didn't try to take our scroll, no way could we stop him - its such a drag." Shikamaru murmured as he downcast his head and began to rub the back of it.

"Well it was Ms. Forehead that told us to make a break for it, not that whisker-wearing weirdo." Ino argued.

"Those aren't painted on Ino, how do you not know though?" Choji asked, his question causing Ino's jaw to drop to her knees as she sat with her knees against her chest with both her arms wrapped around her ankles.

"B-then why does he have whisker?" Ino asked.

"I'm just glad we got out of there when we did." Shikamaru mumbled, still rubbing the back of his head as the staring at the forest floor surround his feet.

Naruto... Shikamaru spoke to himself, as the image of his smiling and laughing friend shot into his mind, images of his and Choji's eating contest aswell as images of the endless laughs they had shared together.

Summoning Jutsu! Shikamaru heard Naruto's voice scream aloud inside his mind, followed by the image of smoke being pushed and forced away, as a roar from the enormous dog Naruto had summoned forced it back.

I had no idea he could use that Jutsu, let alone summon a creature of such tremendous size, it must have required a staggering amount of chakra... Shikamaru concluded to himself.

And not only that... Shikamaru reminded himself, as the eyes of the dog Naruto had summoned pierced into Shikamaru's very mind, the eyes of the Rinnegan.

"Tch - troublesome." The bored Genin muttered aloud.

"Come out or I'll shall force you too." Neji ordered, becoming annoyed at the rate of time it took the 3 to stand up and reveal themselves.

"Shi - okie okie, plan #1: hide and avoid trouble, failed!" Ino whispered to her teammates.

"Since plan #1 failed, we have to execute plan #2." As Ino spoke, she extended her right index and middle fingers outward while closing the remaining fingers of her hand.

"Whaaaat? Really?" Choji asked, clearly he didn't think plan #2 would work.

"What do you have a problem with it?" Ino asked rhetorically before instantly continuing, not stopping to give Choji time to respond.

"It'll work for sure don't worry, even the strongest Shinobi can't handle it." Ino assured her skeptical teammates as she waved her left hand vertically several times in a fanning motion.

"Huuuuuuu - I don't mind." Shikamaru sighed out as he slammed his left palm against his already downcast face.

Suddenly all 3 of them smiled brightly and in a cheerful manner as they all stood up and ran horizontally outward from behind the bush in unison, all of them holding their raised clenched fists to their chest in excitement.

"Oh my - how lucky of us to meet last year's #1 top rookie, Neji Hyuga..." Ino exclaimed in a flirty tone as she continued to lightly sway her legs and ass through the air in what she considered a seductive manner.

"Autograph! Please sir, we would like your autograph!" Choji exclaimed.

"You're just so famous Mr. Hyuga!" An overly excited Shikamaru spoke.

"Oh, it's just you three." Neji replied in a clearly depressed tone.

Ino then raised her right hand to the top of her head and seductively grabbed the root of her ponytail as her left hand slid and brushed across the bandages tied against her stomach, reaching downward and grabbing the steel plate of her headband that sat tied around her lower waist.

Here we go - plan #2 - I'll destroy our enemies with my sexiness! Ino concluded to herself as suddenly pulled the ponytail holder loose from her hair, causing it to cascade and wrap around her upper torso while at the same time she dragged her left hand slowly across the bandages she had tied around her stomach.

After dragging and loosely pulling on her bandages with her left hand for several moments, she then raised it even further, brushing it against the lower section of her crop top before she gripped the lower lining on it, pushing and rubbing it against her upper torso as she revealed brief glimpses of flesh from above the bandages she had tied around several parts of her body but apparently not her lower chest because that was what she was revealing.

"Begone, whore." Neji responded in a deadpan tone as he spun around and began walking away, his sentence causing Ino to plummet face first into the ground infront of her, getting dirt in her mouth aswell as causing both of her teammates to giggle.

She then shoved both of her fists into the ground on either side of her face, pushing herself upwarded and onto her feet as she began punching the air in the direction Neji was walking in.

HOW DID HE RESIST MY SEXY CHARM!? Ino screamed violently aloud inside her mind, still punching towards the fading figure.

NOW I'M PISSED! NOW I'M PISSED! Ino proclaimed to herself as her strikes and punches directed towards Neji began to increase in speed and power, her action causing Neji to stop mid-stride over 20 feet away.

"You're pointing your fist towards me...Does that mean you want to fight?" Neji asked, his back still directed towards the members of team 10.

"N-No no, no, not at all." Ino responsed as she rubbed the back of her head with her left hand and waved her right hand vertically several times in an innocent manner, while all Shikamaru sat down beside her, right in the middle of the clearing, to overwhelmed by the amount of work he was doing.

"Then level - If I take a scroll from cowards like you, I'll just become the laughingstock of our village, and I wouldn't want to take Naruto's title away from him." Neji declared as he continued to walk away from the members of 10 team, before quickly disappearing under the surrounding tree-line.

"Geez - what a drag." Shikamaru mumbled as he sat indian style, having already pulled off his right Shinobi shoe and begun rubbing the sole of his feet with his left hand as his right hand was wrapped around his ankle.

"Agreed, he sounds just like Pa, I wonder why everyone always talks bad about Naruto." Choji asked.

"Probably people as blind as Ino, I just can't believe she thought his whiskers were painted out." Ino replied, causing Ino to snort and pout

"Well who the fuck just has whiskers? That's not normal." Ino complained as she stood overlooking her seated teammate.

"Yea well, normal is just a setting on a washing machine, who wants to be that?" Shikamaru scoffed, cause Ino to snort once again before taking several steps back, not having a good response to his statement.

"On the bright side - atleast plan #2 did work." Choji mused, causing Shikamaru to chuckle while Ino had a sour look on her face, plan #2 did work, just not in the fashion Ino expected it too.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 2 miles away, eeriely close to the location team 7 had stopped for Naruto to pee, 12:15 pm._

The massive and bulky branches that hung and wove through the air in between each of the enormous trees that they grew from bent and creaked, as several brief yellow-purplish blurs manuvered and dashed across the top of them, causing leaves to fall loose atop the ground below.

A strong gust of wind blew in from the south, causing several more bundles of leafs to fall and float downward through the air towards the forest floor as numerous blurs continued to dash and leap across tree branches over head.

Suddenly 5 pairs of feet landed in unison atop the same branch, stopping and standing absolutely still, each of the feet belong to an individual Naruto, for 5 Naruto's in total.

It was then that Naruto on the far left side crouched and bent down, resting his open palm against the bark of the tree branch he and the other 4 Naruto's stood upon, as he stood facing West, glaring in that direction.

At the same time, Naruto on the far right side leaned back before quickly sitting down indian style, pressing both of his sleeves together infront of his chest as he sat, concealing his arms entirely has he stared in the down in the same direction as the previous Naruto.

In between these 2 Naruto's stood 3 more, The one in the center stood slightly infront of the others, with the lower section of his face hidden behind his raised collar as he glanced down from underneath his bangs in the same fashion and direction the other Naruto's did.

His arms hung down loosely on both his sides, the sleeves of his tunic completely concealing and hiding his arms and hands from view.

Underneath his bangs his violet eyes pulsated and bulged inside his skull, as he stared at the chakra signature hiding in the shadows on the forest floor, a chakra signature he had become all too familiar with since the start of the 2nd Exam.

Behind this Naruto, to his right side and in between the one sitting indian style, stood yet another Naruto, this one with his arms crossed infront of his chest in a fashion similar to Gaara.

Adjacent to this Naruto, in between him and the Naruto that stood crouched with his open palm pressed against the tree branch, stood yet another Naruto, both his hands raised and positioned behind his head, gripping the back of his skull with his elbows hanging outward in the air.

"I thought you wanted my eyes..." The Naruto standing at the center and forefront of the others asked.

"Here I am." Naruto spoke out, his statement being followed by a sadistic chuckle that resonated from within the shadows that all 5 Naruto's stared at.

"5 at once this time?" Shiore asked rhetorically, his location and body still hidden from view.

"My - you truly humble me, Naruto." Shiore spoke, pronounce his name in a sweet and sincere tone.

"But I must admit - you've made a mistake, my sweet Naruto." Shiore stated.

"Usually prey runs." Shiore asserted.

The entire time he spoke the central Naruto continued to stare at the shadows that covered the forest floor, with the other 4 Naruto's glancing, turning and staring in several different directions and angles, using their connected eyesight to prevent them from being ambushed by snakes.

My Ninjutsu appears completely worthless, either too weak or it just has no effect at all. The central Naruto concluded to himself.

Even a barrage of Jutsu that scorched a tree-size snake to a crisp, was nothing to him. Naruto reminded himself.

At this distance, he could reach Sasuke and Sakura... Naruto told himself, as the connected eyesight between him and the Naruto traveling with his teammates reaffirmed his suspicion.

Without Ninjutsu, that leaves only Genjutsu and Taijutsu, but I don't want to get close enough for either. Naruto remarked to himself.

It's not like I'm really that good at either of those anyway, and even If I was, this guy is different. Naruto thought to himself.

No Ninjutsu, Genjutsu or even Taijutsu... Naruto concluded to himself.

That only leaves... Naruto told himself as he raised his right hand from his side, extending his open palmed right hand towards the forest floor where his eyes alerted him of Shiore's chakra signature.

Clones for some reason can't push or pull, as if my eyes have a different affect on each clone I make - one even managed to summon that Dog earlier but Sasuke said the last thing I summoned was a statue? Naruto thought to himself.

If Clones can't do it... Naruto remarked too himself as he began funneling and condensing a significant amount of chakra into his eyes, his pupils shrinking slightly as they became overwhelmed and swelled with chakra.

"Is this a test?" Naruto asked, his right palm still directed towards the shadows as he attempted one last time to uncover why this individual had been hunting him and his teammates for the past 40 minutes.

"A test? Didn't you already fail the test I gave you?" Shiore asked, confusing Naruto.

"What test did you already give me?" Naruto asked.

"That test with dear, sweet, innocent Iruka-sensei." Shiore responsed, causing all 5 Naruto's to visibly tense as their expressions shifted into a dark and grim one.

"And you failed that one - didn't you my dear Naruto?" Shiore asked, his body still hidden and concealed by the shadows on the forest floor, his statement causing Naruto's extended right hand to quiver and shake

"Not only did you fail that test..." Shiore hummed out.

"But you failed poor, innocent Iruka-sensei..." Shiore mocked, thesound of his laughter echoed behind his statement.

For several moments Naruto's extended right hand continued to tremble in mid-air, the expression on his face was one of pain and regret as his mouth hung open slightly, suggesting he attempted to speak but no words would come out.

Suddenly he clenched his jawline tight, slamming and grinding his teeth together as his face contorted into a hate-filled scowl as he instantly raised his left arm from his side before directing it towards the shadows in the same fashion as his right.

"BeGONE!" Naruto yelled, his scream frightening away several nearby birds aswell as massive centipedes and other assorted wild-life of the forest, as his scream resonated and carried across the entirety of the 2nd stage for the Exam, just like many things Naruto had done in the past hour.

So powerful was his command, that the very earth and tree's that once stood infront of him, trees and earth that had concealed the chakra signature of Shiore merely 10 seconds ago, uprooted and flung themselves backwards, as if they were fleeing from Naruto.

Dirt, trees, rocks, and even misfortune wild-life of the forest were shoved backwards with an unstoppable, unrelentless and unending force, a force that erupted and eroded away everysingle thing that once stood infront of Naruto's path

Further and further the force continued to push and shove, carving out and creating a massive ravine where none once stood, the ravine created stretching for over 60ft, 60ft wide and 30ft deep, with trees, boulders and mounds of dirt littering the ravine.

The sound created aswell as the sheer weight of power behind the force, caused the surrounding ground for several miles to shake, tremble and rumble, disturbing and alerting everyone in its path, everyone inside the Forest of Death, at the sheer maginatude of the event.

Naruto then crouched down atop the tree branch he once stood on, panting, his breathing clearly disturbed and bothered by the sheer amount of chakra he had just released, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath as his hands remained extended outward, previously towards Shiore but now towards the Ravine that was carved infront of him.

Suddenly the tree he and the other 4 clones stood on began to pop and crackle, before abruptly jolting forward, plummeting downward into the ravine, the roots of the tree having lost all stablity and balance since Naruto had pushed away so much of the ground that it once used for support.

Pouring chakra into the soles of their feet and shoes, they stood upright on the tree branch as it fell off the newly created cliff, all of them quickly rushing and surrounding each other as they placed their backs against once another and quickly observed their surrounds while they plummeted downward.

His chakra...its all around me... A surprised Naruto concluded to himself, all 5 clones using their doijutsu to observe and stare at the chakra signatures that lined the walls of the ravine they were falling into.

This guy - he's on a completely different level, a level above even Zabuza. Naruto concluded to himself as all 5 Naruto's leapt upward and off of the tree they once stood upon, the tree smashing and crashing into the earth as all 5 of them landed harmlessly beside it, all of them except for the central one crouching slightly before standing up straight.

"Hhhhhhuh-hhhhuh-hhhhhuh." Naruto panted out, kneeling on the ground with his right knee lodged into the area below him before the other 4 Naruto's abruptly surrounded him and formed a tight square around him, using their 5 fields of vision to observe the battlefield.

To think he could survive something like that... Naruto thought to himself as he continued to pant and breathe heavily, still out of breath from the jutsu he used.

"Uh!" A still panting Naruto gasped in shock as through his connected field of visions he saw several hundred, if not thousands of snakes scaling and racing across the ground of the newly formed crater.

"HIIIHSSSSSSHH!" A chorus of dashing and jolting snakes hummed and hissed out, some scaling atop the ground and while others scaled atop other snakes.

Wrapping, scaling, sliding and even contorting over one another, the massive horde of snakes surrounding the 5 Naruto's on all angles continued to rush and scale forward, giving off the appearance of 4 massive snake Tsunami's rushing across the earth.

"Tch-" The crouched Naruto standing in between the other 4 grunted out, surprised that the Grass Shinobi could recover and respond so quickly from the level of attack Naruto had just used.

There's too many to hit with the standard Water Jutsu Zabuza taught me. A still crouched Naruto thought to himself, as all 4 Naruto's around him stared at the approaching waves of snakes.

I could use Fire Style - but that would only burn and kill the snakes, it wouldn't effect Shiore - I need to force him out for a decisive confrontation - I need to end this here. Naruto remarked to himself, as all 4 Naruto's standing around him abruptly raised their hands to their chests before clapping their palms together as they began to funnel and amass chakra.

And since Wind Style wouldn't don't anything except push them back - that only leaves... Naruto told himself as he thought back to his training under Zabuza, under the Demon of the Mist.

I don't care if you use this Jutsu to kill people - or even kill yourself. The voice of Zabuza spoke in his mind, as Naruto thought back to a lecture he recieved from the Demon of the Mist almost 2 weeks ago.

Jutsu is a tool, a tool of the Shinobi - a tool that can be used to kill - or even protect. Zabuza's voice explained, all 4 Naruto's pressing their palms together even further, grinding and tightening with every word that passed and every memory they remembered.

I don't mind if you kill 10 children with it, or even save 100 criminals using it. Zabuza stated aloud inside Naruto's mind, all 4 of Naruto's clasped together hands trembling and quivering infront of their chests as the chakra they had amassed began to swirl around them, creating a gentle breeze that erupted from them.

All I care about... Zabuza's voice rang out as the hands of all 4 Naruto's weaved and raced through the Tiger, Ox, Monkey, Rabbit, Ram, Boar, Ox, Horse, Monkey, Tiger, Dog, Tiger, Snake, Tiger, Ox, Monkey, Rabbit and finally Birds, weaving through 18 Hand Seals in a matter of seconds.

"Water Style!" All 4 Naruto's yelled out in unison as they tilted their heads back and engulfed a tremendous amount of air, holding and containing the air in their stomachs as their chakra kneaded and transformed it, morph what was once air into condense and concentrated water.

Is that you think of me when you use it. Zabuza's voice explained, causing the Naruto who stood in between the other 4 to abruptly stand up, before quickly slamming his palms together in the same fashion as the Naruto's around him.

"Great Waterfall Jutsu!" The central Naruto yelled, causing all 4 Naruto's around him to exhale, downcasting their heads as they flung their mouths open, causing several small yet constant streams of water to pour from and erupt out of each of them.

Soon the once small stream of water quadrupled in size, rushing and pouring out of their mouths like a relentlessly waterfall as the heavy currents and waves of the water they released surged outward in all directions.

Still the flow of water increased, coming out with such force that waves and small Tsunami's began forming and surging forward, following the current of water that rushed out in all directions around Naruto, so much water was created that all 5 Naruto's began standing atop that water themselves, pouring chakra into their feet as the amount of water continued to increase, allowing them to stick to and stand atop the ruthless body of water they were creating.

Finally the crushing and condensed water Naruto had created crashed into the several hundred snakes that had once been swarming towards him, crushing and bearing down upon everything in its path, the weight and crushing depth of the water becoming maginified by the amount of chakra Naruto poured into the jutsu.

This is my chance. Naruto told himself, as the hands he still held infront of his chest weaved through the Ox, Snake and Ram Seals before inhaling a deep breath of air and quickly exhaling.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Naruto screamed as an encompassing and enshrouding fog poured and protruded out from his mouth, the fog engulfing and consuming his body, aswell as the body of the 4 Naruto's around him, the sound of running water the ceased, and suddenly everything went quiet.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 12:35pm atop the tree branches team 7 dashed across, 1 hour and 5 minutes after the 2nd Exam began and only 600 feet away from the center tower._

"Maybe its just some type of Jutsu." Naruto replied, attempting to come up with an excuse to Sakura's question as he continued to leap from tree branch to tree branch infront of his teammates, his eyes shooting and glancing in several different directions and angles as he did.

"Jutsu? Jutsu?!" Sakura retorted.

"Geez Naruto how dumb do you think I am?" Sakura asked, causing Naruto to grit his teeth in defeat as I feared Sakura realized he was lying.

"That wasn't Jutsu - it must have been an earthquake, nothing else could make the ground shake like that." Sakura explained, causing Naruto to sigh with relief as he continued to led his teammates through the forest at an alarming rate of speed.

"Yea - Yea I totally agree, it must have been a earthquake." Naruto replied.

"That's it Naruto." Sasuke cut in as he halted his movement in mid-air, landing atop a branch several dozen feet above the ground, causing both of his teammates to stop and turn back to look at him, Sakura looking back in confusing while Naruto turned around with an expression of panic and concern.

"Digging tunnels, traveling 50ft above the forest floor, forcing Sakura to shut her fat mouth, and now making up lies on the spot?" Sasuke accused.

Fat mouth!? A depressed Sakura asked herself.

"We have to keep moving." Naruto exclaimed, his voice filled with concern.

"Why? What have your clones seen? Are you even the real Naruto?" Sasuke questioned as he reached his right hand over his right shoulder, gripping the hilt of his solid black sheathed sword, the hilt of the sword matching the sheath in color and tone.

"Look - Look." Naruto pleaded as he raised his right hand to his face and brushed it against his bangs, pushing and moving the heavy amount of hair away from his eye as he pressed his middle and ring finger against the eye socket of his right eye, revealing his Rinnegan to his teammates.

Sakura had seen them before, but she never got a good look at it because she usually only saw them in glimpses and brief flashs, but here and now she glared forward at them, quickly becoming awed and hypnotized by his eyes as they pierce into her mind.

"No one can copy this - we learned that together Sasuke." Naruto stated, suggesting Sasuke had attempted to transform into Naruto sometime prior, but was unable to properly manifest his unique violet eyes.

"Tch." Sasuke snorted in defeat as he released the hilt of his sword from his grasp.

"Then why are you acting so fucking crazy? I swear you've been unsufferable the past hour." Sasuke asked as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

"We need to keep moving." Naruto repeated, his voice filled with just as much concern as it was before as he lowered his right hand back down to his side, allowing his bangs to once again fall over and cover his right eye, breaking Sakura from her short hypnotic trance.

"Why? Why do we need to keep moving?" Sasuke asked as he tilted his head slightly to the right.

"Sasuke please - we have been friends for over 6 years - trust me - we need to keep moving." Naruto explained, panic leaking from his voice.

"I showed you how to preform 1 Handed Seals and I even gave you that scroll for the Silent Killing Jutsu Zabuza gave me - please just keep moving - we need to keep moving." Naruto spoke.

"Wh- how come you didn't show me how to preform 1 Handed Seals?" Sakura asked.

"I just didnt' think you would be able to - please we have to keep moving." Naruto replied, his accusation forcing Sakura to face plant into the tree branch so should on, embarassed that even someone as kind as Naruto thought she was weak.

"Just because it was funny watching her face hit the tree branch, I'll keep going - but once we get out of this Forest I don't want anymore secrets Naruto." Sasuke spoke, further depressing Sakura.

"I promise you - I'm not hiding anything - I am only protecting you." Naruto replied.

"We're supposed to be protecting each other jackass, don't act like your stronger than me just cause you beat Haku when I failed." Sasuke stated.

"Or would you like to spar right here and now?" Sasuke asked, growing irritated by Naruto's behavior over the past hour since the 2nd stage of the Exam began.

"No - lets just keep moving." Naruto replied as he abruptly spun around and began dashing off towards the tower, both his teammates briefly glancing towards one another before leaping forward as they began to follow their teammate.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 12:45 pm, inside the ravine that was now flooded and filled with water, transforming it into a 60ft wide lake that was 20ft deep, leaving a 10ft wide cliff drop._

The head of a pale, snow-white snake popped out atop the water, its size surprisingly large, but still considerably smaller than the massive green snake known as Samanga that Shiore had summoned before.

For several brief moments the snake aswell as its 9ft long body swayed and rocked across the waves of the lake, waves that had no visible source, before its head adruptly shot upward as its jaw unhinged itself and lowered.

"Bllllllhh-" The snake gargled and groaned as the sound of slim sliding out of a wet hole erupted from its mouth and a ooze covered, apparently dead corpse, slid out of the beasts throat, falling into the surface of the water below the white snake before quickly resurfacing.

The corpse was Shiore and once his body resurfaced atop the water, the snake that had ejected him from its mouth fell sideways, plummeting into the water before it dissolved into white ash that sprinkled out and spread across the water, surrounding Shiore's corpse.

His head twisted and contorted as several small bubbles began to escape from the water next to his mouth, before his head abruptly tilted backwards, positioning his chin atop the water's surface as he stared out at the forest turned crater turned lake that Naruto had created.

"My my - the things this boy can do..." Shiore hummed aloud as he smiled to himself.

"He's peaked my interest..." Shiore spoke, as dense sections of fog and mist continued to hover over head.

"If it wasn't for that troublesome nine tails sealed inside him - he would make a fine host, a fine host indeed." Shiore stated as he pressed his palms aganst the surface of the water, pouring chakra into his feet and hands as he quickly pushed himself up and stood atop the waters surface.

"Hmmmmmmmm." Shiore hummed aloud to himself as his snake-like yellow eyes scanned the surface of the water aswell as the surrounding cliffs, the once fair-skin and young looking Shinobi replaced completely with a now pale white-skinned one, the one Naruto's Fire Style had revealed earlier during the Exam.

Suddenly a pair of hands reached out and wrapped around Shiore's ankles from underneath the water, using the white ash sprinkled atop its surface to hide their attack as their finger nails dug into the white fabric and flesh that covered Shiore's ankles.

"Tc-" Shiore remarked in shock as he quickly downcast his head and glanced at the 4 hands gripping his ankles, 2 hands grasping onto each of his legs.

Attacking from the water? Shiore asked himself as he was abruptly dragged down over five feet, the white ash becoming wet and sinking down with him, blinding and obstructing his view from underneath the water.

"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!" 5 Naruto's yelled out in unison, their voices and words muffled by the water they swam in, as their hands flew through the Snake, Ram, Horse, Hare Ram, Horse, Hare, Snake and finally Ox Seals before their hands quickly clapped together underneath the water.

"A-" Shiore grunted out in shock as 5 separate currents of water began to weigh down and condense upon his body before quickly swirling and rotating around it in a spherical shape and fashion as he entrapped and engulfed the entirety of his body.

"Ahhhhhh-AH!" All 5 Naruto's screamed out in unison from underneath the water as they pressed their hands together even further, pouring and focusing more chakra into the jutsu they were using.

The spherical shape of water that encompassed Shiore's body then hardened and ceased all forms of movement, giving it the illusion of being a normal part of water that belonged in the lake.

"Y-yo-" Shiore murmured out as he 2 snake eyes shot forward and glared at the Naruto directly infront of him, the sheer weight of the jutsu used upon him making it hard to talk as it continued to bare down and crush him.

This boy - he didn't use his Hidden in the Mist Jutsu to escape - he used it conceal his movement - and wait for me to make mine, before he made his. A shocked and angered Shiore explained to himself.

He could've easily made a run for it after having used his Great Waterfall Jutsu, leaving a few clones as bait and yet... Shiore thought to himself as he continued to glare at the Naruto infront of him, only separated by several feet of water.

Suddenly all hints of rage or shock utterly disappeared from Shiore, replaced only with interested and delight as he smiled sadistically towards Naruto, causing the latter to funnel even more chakra into the jutsu.

It was then that Shiore opened his mouth slightly as his eeriely long tongue protruded from within before it dragged and slid across his lips, shocking Naruto as he appeared to be completely unaffected by 5 separate Water Prisons all cast upon him at the same time.

Th-this gu-this guy. An utterly stunned Naruto whimpered to himself.

How is he even able to move? How is he still breathing? A speechless Naruto asked himself.

"I've seen enough." Shiore spoke coldly and calmly from underneath and within the 5 layered Water Prison, before he abruptly slammed his hands together with such speed that Naruto couldn't even register it.

The force of this action instantly tour the 5 layered Water Prison surrounding him into nothing more than droplets of water as everything in a 20 ft radius around the Shinobi was flung backwards, even the water itself.

Shiore had infused his chakra into a nameless Wind Style technique, using it to push off everything around him, dispersing 2 Naruto's underwater, causing 2 to swim further down to avoid it and flinging the Naruto directing infront of him backwards.

As Naruto shot out from atop the surface of the water, he abruptly prefromed 4 backflips before twisting clock-wise over 4 times in mid-air, then landing atop the water with a quiet, yet heavy splash as he peered through his connected eye sight from the 2 Naruto's below.

No doubt about it - that was chakra - pure chakra - he pushed me back with sheer chakra alone, he manifested chakra outside of his body. A Stupefied Naruto remarked to himself, awed and horrified at the power he was facing.

It was then that Shiore leapt out from below the water, landing atop the surface and crouching slightly before he stood up straight and smiled towards Naruto, his smile extending from ear to ear.

"Summoning, Clones, Jutsu - even control over gravity itself." Shiore remarked as the 2 remaining Naruto clones jumped up from the waters surface, each of them standing 20 ft behind Shiore while the other Naruto stood 15 ft of him.

"What can't you do, boy?" Shiore asked in a sinster tone as he tilted his head to the right before his tongue once again protruded from within his mouth as it slid across and licked his lips.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Shiore chuckled out as he played with his prey, his food.

"Oh yes - I know what you couldn't do." Shiore spoke with a smile, causing all 3 Naruto's to squint their eyes as they stared at the figure, using their 3 fields of vision to observe Shiore from all 3 angles.

"You couldn't save sweet, dear, innocent, Iruk-" Shiore attempted to mock, only for his words to be cut short as Naruto abruptly appeared like a blur infront of him, before lodging his right fist forward, burying it into Shiore's jawline.

His head twisted clock-wise as spit and saliva flew out of his mouth before he flung, swirled and flipped several times backwards, smashing and skipping across the surface of the lake for over 35 ft before smashing into the cliff side with a surprising amount of force, suggesting Naruto had ampilifed his punch with chakra.

That's not it - there's no why that could have killed him. Naruto concluded to himself as he strolled forward 25 ft, bridging the gap in between him and his clones before he stood between him, the cliff Shiore had slammed into being only 10 ft ahead.

"Come out - snake." Naruto remarked as he stared at the dirt and dust cloud that covered the cliff infront of him, having developed nothing but hatred and disdain for the individual he was fight.

"I SHALL HAVE YOU!" Shiore shrieked out as he soared through the 10ft gap between him and Naruto, his legs having formed a snakes tail, amplifing his speed as he raised his right hand towards Naruto's face, retracting his pinky and ring finger as he extended his 3 other fingers out.

The world moved in slow motion as Naruto's violet eyes bulged and widdened in shock and fear from underneath his bangs, as the right hand of Shiore inched closer and closer, his index, middle and thumb fingers forming the shape of a triangle, suggesting he was going to shove them inside Naruto's eye socket before ripping out his Rinnegan.

Inch by Inch Shiore's hands reached closer and closer to Naruto's eyes, the speed at which he moved was so great that Naruto couldn't even react properly.

At last - Mine. Shiore told himself as his fingertips brushed against Naruto's bangs and lunged forward, only for his hand and fingers to freeze in mid-air, his index and middle finger barely even a inch away from Naruto's left eye.

"A-" Shiore groaned aloud as he suddenly felt held in place, his arms, legs, and even his fingers were completely frozen, fingers that were so close to his dream, suddenly a brief flash of light erupted from in between Naruto eyes and Shiore's fingertips, harshly flinging his arm back with such force that if he was human, it would have been dislodged from its socket.

At that same time, Naruto raised his right hand to his chest before he quickly extended his palm outward, positioning it directly infront of Shiore's shocked face, it was then that an overwhelming, unseen force once again flung Shiore backwards.

However instead of flipping and sliding across water as he had done mere moments before, Shiore found himself being pushed and shoved into the hardened rock of the cliff side, the impact of Naruto's attack forcing him to carve a 6 ft deep human crater, crushing Shiore against the weight of rocks and stone itself.

"Now." Naruto spoke, as both of the clones beside him nodded in unison, before quickly jumping 15ft into the air as they reached behind their backs with both hands, reaching into the Shuriken satchel tied around the back of their waist, a satchel Naruto aswell as his clones kept filled with Sealed scrolls, each meant for a different occasion.

It was then that both Naruto's retracted their hands from behind their backs, pulling loose a scroll that hung open and unrolled itself infront of the individual opening it, sprawling outward infront of them as the odd Kanji scribbles began to glow a faint aura of purple, the color of Naruto's chakra.

Suddenly 7 Kunai each flung out from the individual scrolls, 14 Kunai, each of them containing an explosive tag wrapped around they're hilt as they plunged down towards the small hole in the cliff Naruto shoved Shiore in.

As the 14 Kunai in neared the entrance to the small cove, the 2 Naruto's dropped their scrolls in mid-air, before abruptly clapping their hands together, both of them weaving through the Ox, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake before finally slamming into the Tiger Seal.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Both Naruto's screamed aloud in unison, using an A-rank jutsu meant for Shuriken on Explosive tagged Kunai, something that shouldn't have worked but oddly did as the Kunai mulitipled and duplicated over several times, 14 becoming 56.

It was then that the tags of all 56 Kunai sparked to life, the ends of the tags erupting in fire as the Kunai stabbed into and lodged across the cove Shiore was shoved into, aswell as the surrounding cliff side.

Soon the tags became completely engulfed in flames before a brief yellow flash erupted from them, as a minor 5 ft wide explosion occured, over 56 times, breaking, shattering and collasping the cliff side as a cave-in occurred, falling down upon and crushing Shiore with several rocks and boulders, even rolling past his corpse and into the lake.

"Hmmmm." Naruto hummed aloud as he stood atop the lake, still 10ft infront of Shiore, not even moving while rocks, boulders and debris erupted from the cliff side, before soon the other 2 Naruto's landed down in unison on either side of him.

"I can see your chakra signature, you cannot hide." Naruto explained as both he and his 2 clones glared towards the twisted, purple chakra of Shiore, chakra that horrified Naruto because it was the same color as his and Zabuza's.

"Bllllllllh-" The unseen body of Shiore gagged aloud, as the sound of slim rubbing across a wet surface followed, aswell as several gagging sounds from Shiore.

The sound of ooze splattering atop rocks and stone could be heard emitting from within the small dust cloud that concealed Shiore's body from sight, as the gagging sounds increase in volume.

"HMMMhmphhmphhmphmphhmphmph." Shiore chuckled out, the sound of his feet stepping atop stone could beheard, as he lesiurely strolled foreward and exited the dust cloud, stepping atop the surface of the water and he walked towards the 3 Naruto's.

"You truly have developed into a delicious Shinobi, Naruto." Shiore spoke in a disturbingly flirty tone as he continued to calmly walk towards Naruto.

Almost there - just a few more moments... Naruto concluded to himself as he peered through the connected vision of the Naruto traveling along side Sasuke and Sakura.

"However, I think we've both wasted enough time on this exchange today, you do want to go finish the Exam correct? With your sweet, dear teammates." Shiore asked, he question earning only silence from from the trio of Naruto's infront of him.

"Even I must admit, I would love for you to survive until the end of the Exam..." Shiore spoke.

"To see the power you would display..." Shiore stated as his tongue protruded out from within his mouth before licking his lips and retreating.

"But I have power to Naruto, power far greater than anything you've displayed today." Shiore chuckled, notioning towards his undamaged and untouched outfit, no burns, scorchs or even spots of dirt on it.

"The world is mine, not even someone as powerful as you can defeat me Naruto...imagine the world we could create if you joined me." Shiore explained, causing the trio of Naruto's infront of him to squint their eyes from underneath their bangs.

"Your power combined with my own, you would be an unstoppable force, a walking God among men, a walking Sage." Shiore pointed out.

"Imagine it! Together!" Shiore spoke with glee as he raised both his hands outwards, reaching towards the sky.

"First of all..." The central Naruto replied, garnishing a cold glare from the snake-like eyes of Shiore.

"I don't know your life story, your childhood or even your family..." Naruto spoke.

"But I do know what your problem is..." Naruto concluded.

"Hmmmmm-then what is it? What is my problem - boy." Shiore spat out in disgust and disdain, as if Naruto had hit a spot soft in his character.

"Your problem...is your greed." Naruto replied, twisting and contorting Shiore's face into a hate filled scowl before he instantly dashed towards Naruto, the latter crouching down slight and raising his forearms up to his chest, as both Naruto's next to him did the same.

As Shiore arrived infront of Naruto, he flung his right clenched fist forward attempting to punch Naruto in the face, only for his feet to instantly become stuck and glued in place atop the surface of the water, halting his advance as Naruto abruptly preformed 3 backflips to create distance.

"Leaf Hurricane!" The 2 Naruto's standing on either side of Shiore yelled, one swirling his feet counter clock-wise a few inches above the waters surface aiming for Shiore's ankles, while the other hovered in mid-air, his feet spiraling clock-wise aiming for his head.

With his feet still glued and stuck in place atop surface of the lake by some unseen force, Shiore was victim to a crippling Taijutsu Kick to his left ankle and the back of his neck, both kicks being empowered by chakra, due to Naruto's Kage level of chakra control, a result of constantly prefroming the Leaf Concentration Practice.

Instead of passing out and becoming crippled like any normal human would, Shiore raised his left leg, somehow overpowering the water that had kept him in place for several seconds, positioning his knee against his chest before he kicked outward in a slanted, horizontal fashion, kicking the Naruto on his left side directly in the face as a puff of smoke erupted from where he once stood.

He then retracted his leg to his side before raising his right hand vertically, gripping the ankle of the Naruto whose left foot was buried into the back of his neck, an area that usually caused its victim to pass out when struck, but Shiore stood unwavering.

Suddenly, as Naruto still hovered above him in mid-air, 5 separate white snake heads protruded outward from the right sleeve of his odd, tan colored garb, the snakes slithering and sliding up his forearm in several different angles as they rushed forward to attack.

Instead of biting down, or even coiling around the blond that they had been summoned to face, Naruto disappeared in a brief yellow-purplish flash, his face and vulnerable body mere inches away from the approaching poisonous fangs that Shiore had summoned.

Just as quickly as he disappeared he also reappeared, this time directly to the left of the Naruto who stood infront of Shiore, maginifying Shiore's delight and interest for Naruto, as he began to stroll forward across the surface of the water, completely overpowering the water that still attempted to cling to his right foot.

"You move well..." Shiore complimented, the 5 snakes retracting into his sleeve as a sick grin grew on his face while he walked across the water's surface towards the 2 Naruto's infront of him.

"You have great timing, and a wide arsenal of Jutsu..." Shiore once again complimented.

"People like you, need to be killed before you become a problem." Shiore explained as he halted in movement in mid-air before standing only 10 ft away from the 2 Naruto's positioned infront of him, his statement causing both Naruto's to squint their eyes from underneath their bangs.

"Than it looks like we have found your second problem..." Naruto hummed out, peaking Shiore's interest as he decided to one again play with his food.

"Ohhh? And what is that? Great, Wise Sage." Shiore remarked in a dark, sadistically humorous tone.

"I have already become a problem." Naruto responded in an oddly cold tone.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Shiore chuckled out in response.

"A problem for me? Or for the village you almost destroyed, Nine tails?" Shiore mocked, his statement causing the 2 Naruto's infront of him to visibly tense.

"Why stay? Why stay in a place and land that hates you? Why stay next to people who hate you?" Shiore asked as he shrugged his shoulders in a questionable manner.

"Join - stand by my side and we could rule together as Gods!" Shiore explained, once again raising both of his extended arms towards the sky above.

"You mean as Demons..." Naruto responsed timidly.

"Demons - Gods, these is merely points of view, dear Naruto." Shiore replied.

"Could a Demon exist without a God to keep it in check? Could a God exist without any Demons to defeat?" Shiore asked rhetorically as his raised hands hovered and twisted through the air above him, as if he was praying to the sky.

"You could be like me, Naruto, one who instills fear and helpessness in his victims, one who even the Kage tremble before." Shiore explained, causing 1 of the Naruto's to downcast their gaze as the other kept it directed towards Shiore.

"You feel it too, don't you boy? The hatred and disdain the villagers have for you, because their jealous Naruto, envious of the power you have recieved, power so strong that if you trained under me, none could stop you." Shiore stated.

"Think about it, is this the world dear Iruka-sensei died to give you? Is this a world worth living in?" Shiore asked, having no idea just how often Naruto asked himself these very same questions.

"Image it, Naruto, a world that knows only peace, a world that knows only winners, a world that knows no pain..." Shiore spoke.

"Worlds like these can be created, join me - and we will find a way." Shiore pleaded as he extended his right hand out towards the still downcast Naruto, a wicked grin blooming upon his white-skinned face.

For several moments, silence filled the entirety of the ravine, no sound of any kind escaping at all except from the nearby surrounding forest that hung above the cliff side, as sounds of birds chirping could be heard far off in the distance.

I truly believe that a day will come when all the pain and hatred can be put aside and everyone will live in love and happiness. The comforting voice of Iruka spoke aloud inside Naruto's mind, his head still downcast and glancing towards the water's surface, as the other Naruto kept staring towards Shiore.

And maybe, just maybe, if that doesn't happen in my time, you'll be the one to build that world Naruto. Iruka's voice reaffirmed itself inside Naruto's mind.

There is a lot of pain in this world Naruto, and even more hatred towards villages, homes, father, mothers and even children. Iruka reminded Naruto.

However, knowing the feeling of pain is what allows us to understood one another aswell as be kind to eachother. Iruka spoke.

If we all understand one another's pain - then we understand eachother and a new world can be built. Iruka reminded Naruto, causing the latter to clenched both of his fists as they rested against his sides.

H-how do I do that? I want to do it. Naruto remembered asking.

You first have to grow up Naruto... Iruka's voice faded out as the image of his smiling face echoed through Naruto's mind for several moments, before he turned around and began walking away into the horizon of the Leaf Village that Iruka and Naruto had watched together for so long, Iruka quickly fading away, causing Naruto's hands to tremble slightly.

"You come into my home..." Naruto murmured, his head still downcast as he his statement caused Shiore to squint his eyes in interest.

"Try to kill my friends..." Naruto mumbled, the image of Sakura and Sasuke popping into his mid.

"Threaten my family..." Naruto spoke, as the image of 3 dozen villagers cloud his mind, villagers that hated his guts yet apparently he felt only love for them.

"Mock my Sensei..." Naruto stated, the Image of a smiling Iruka sliding across his mind.

Naruto then abruptly raised his head, directing his glance towards Shiore as he hunched down slightly and raised both of his open palmed hands infront of his chest vertically, his palms directed towards the sky above.

"I KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!" Naruto spat out as a suddenly shocked Shiore glanced down, staring at the approaching dark blur that dashed up towards him from underneath the water's surface.

"Gua!-" Shiore gasped in utter shock as his snake-like eyes bulged and his mouth fell open slightly, before he quick side step to the left, leaping over 3 times across the surface as he attempted to dodge the approaching shadow from below.

As Shiore attempted to flee and escape from the approaching shadow the grew more and more large with each passing moment, 2 Naruto's surrounded him in a blur, one standing infront of and the other standing behind him.

The front Naruto leapt 4 feet into the air extending his right arm backwards as if he was reaching for something, hovering there slightly as Shiore continued to run towards him, and he continued to plummet towards the Grass Shinobi.

Suddenly the sleeve that conceal his right arm began to ruffle and wrinkle, as if some object was sliding or extending outward from his arm, it was then that a 7in black metal rod protruded from the right sleeve that hid Naruto's hand, his hand quickly contorting and twisting itself forward as Naruto flung it, aswell as the black rod protruding from it, towards Shoire who was only several inches infront of a still hovering Naruto.

At the same time, the Naruto behind Shiore dissolved and dispersed into water, lunging out, clinging and contorting around Shiore, holding him in place as the Naruto infront of him and the shadow below closed in.

Abruptly a 5ft long, dark crimson pincer protruded upward from the water underneath Shiore's feet, rising vertically and causing several waves to ripple out from the action, as Naruto's black steel rod pierced into Shiore's heart, causing blood to spill into the water that contained him.

For a brief second Shiore's mind was overwhelmed and plunged into total darkness before 2 unblinking, overbearing eyes pierced into his very soul, stunning his mind and body even further than the rod through his heart or the water contorting around him, as if the rods had some effect on an individual when they were stabbed into their body.

It was then that the dark cimson pincer rose vertically in between Shiore's legs, both ends of the pincer lining either side of his front and back before it abruptly clenched down, cutting through the water that surrounded Shiore before it sliced into his body, cutting him in half vertically.

Naruto abruptly leaned back, pulling the black rod loss from Shiore's heart before leaping back several feet, as blood dripping from the rod sprinkled and splashed atop surface of the water.

The pincer then erupted into a puff of smoke above and below the water, clouding around Shiore's now bisected corpse as both ends feel down horizontally in opposite directions, smashing atop the water's surface as his blood spilled out into the surrounding area.

His mangled hair, lifeless limbs and mutilated torso floated atop the waters surface for several moments, Naruto staring down at the corpse in a surprisingly calm manner, staring intent at Shiore's blood to spilled out.

Suddenly the red blood turned white, as it began to bubble and vibrate, resembling egg whites being cooked atop a pan as it continued to rumble, some bubbles even popping and bursting, the bubbles then twisted and contorted themselves before conforming and morphing into small 3ft long white snakes that slithered and scaled across one another, creating a mound of no less then 200 white snakes that swarmed around the area where Shiore's corpse floated mere seconds ago.

"Ua-" Naruto gasped out in shock as he fell down on his right knee, placing his left hand atop his left knee and his right hand atop the water's surface infront of him, left speechless at the scene unfolding before him.

Several dozens of the white snakes shot up, striking into and clinging to one another, as they convulsed and molded together into a white blob that protruded and extended upward from the mound of snakes surrounding it.

Naruto's right hand atop the water's surface began to quiver and shake, sending light ripples outward across the water's surface, Naruto was utterly terrified at the power the individual infront of him was displaying.

"Didn't I already tell you..." Shiore's voice rang out from within the still convulsing and bulging white blob that was formed by several dozens of snakes merging together.

The blob then began to morph and straighten itself even further, the white color replaced by tan, purple and black, before those colors evened out and spread across the newly appeared and seemingly unharmed body of Shiore.

"My power - is far before your comprehension." Shiore spoke, his voice filled with delight as he stood 7ft away from a still kneeling Naruto.

"But I must admit, you are far more delicious than I expected..." Shiore explained as his tongue protruded out from his mouth before sliding across his lips and retracting itself.

"You hid a clone before you even engaged me, hiding it among the forest as we battled, waiting for the perfect moment for it to reveal itself..." Shiore asserted, remarking that this clone had been the specific one who glued his feet to the water's surface before, aswell as summoned the massive underbeast that quickly revanished.

"He's hiding even now, isn't he?" Shiore asked as he tilted his head side-ways and smiled towards a still trembling and stunned Naruto.

"The level of preparation that must have required...to hold him in reserve, and concealed for this long, all in an attempt to gain an opening and kill me - right?" Shiore questioned with a smile.

"Tch-" Naruto spat as he gritted his teeth together, finally overcoming the wave of shock and overcome with one of helplessness as he realized not a single thing he had done in the past 30 minutes even stratched the individual infront of him.

No blood, no bruises or even scratch's could be seen on Shiore or any of his features, it was as if no battle had occurred at all, or as if he had a completely new body, Naruto couldn't comprehend this, he couldn't understand how anyone could be this powerful.

"You see it, don't you child? My power..." Shiore hummed out as he flung his mouth open and extended his tongue outward, causing it to scrap against his white chin as the teeth in his mouth began to grow and sharpen.

"Have a taste..." Shiore whispered as his neck shot forward and extended itself from his torso, his neck dashing across the 7ft gap between him and Naruto like a rope on a sling as his head and bared teeth flung towards him.

Naruto, who was still kneeling down, abruptly stood up and attempted to take several steps back as the speed of Shiore's attack overwhelmed him and forced him to stumbled backwards in shock.

Shiore's distorted face then brushed past Naruto's left check as his bared teeth sank and bit into the flesh on Naruto's neck, causing black ink to spill out and erupt from him, forming a black small circle written with scribbled Kanji atop Naruto's flesh on the left side of his neck.

It was then that Shiore's teeth released their grip and his teeth unsank themselves from Naruto's neck as his own neck retracted his head back to his torso, while Naruto fall forward, kneeling down atop the water's surface as his both his hands were pressed against the left side of his neck.

"A gift..." Shiore hissed out as grunts and groans of pain could be heard releasing from Naruto.

"Come seek me out for more pow-" Shiore attempted to explain, to convince Naruto to seek him out for power, only for the kneeling boy infront of him that he had just bit to erupt into a puff of smoke - a Shadow Clone, the real Naruto had already escaped after Shiore was bisected.

"Rr-..." Shiore groan as he abruptly downcast his head and his fist clenched tightly in rage as they trembled against his sides, the aura around him instantly shifting to one a dark and grim one.

Suddenly, ripples began to break out across that water's surface that Shiore stood competely still on, his clenched fists still trembling.

"ttrrrrrRAAHH!" Shiore screamed as he raised his clenched fists to his chest and directed his roar upwards towards the sky, the water around him forming into small waves as the flung away in all directions towards the cliff side, due to the force of Shiore's chakra-infused roar that forced them back.

Naruto had come and gone, buying his teammates the time they needed to arrive at the tower, successfully managing to protect his friends just as Iruka once protected him.


	20. Chapter 20

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **deltadragon373 - Sakura is a pain in the ass because canon Sakura is a pain in the ass. Even though this Sakura will grow to become drastically different, she hasn't met that maturing moment like Sasuke and Naruto have.**

 **Canon Sakura was so bad she gave birth to an Uchiha that had to wear glasses.**

 **ShadowDeathSkull - thank you for reading and reviewing, since I plan to update 2 chapters at a time hopefully everytime you come back you have enough to read for a small 30 minute break from the world.**

 **Itulquorra - I love your review more than I should cause you sound just like Kabuto, and I love it.**

 **In terms of emotional stability, yes I'd say this Naruto is pretty pathetic. But unlike canon Naruto he actually had a father figure and was present when he died, even something Sasuke wasn't forced to witness.**

 **Ricknn - I agree, Sakura is a favorite of mine, I have a weakness towards her design and character and have strived to write a convincing and plausible Sakura, as I fill many fanficts (Rinnegan specifically) just make her a whiny little bitch and while that is canon friendly I fill the character deserves better.**

 **In regards to your 2nd review, thank you for pointing on that mistake in chapter 8, I have gone back to that chapter and fixed the mistakes you mentioned aswell as fixed a few others I found myself, the more reviews I recieve the better my writing becomes.**

 **animeficfan - Ignoring all filler (atleast the lore parts and not the characters as I adore the characters) It has been very consistent in both the anime and manga that its impossible for anyone, regardless of Doijutsu, to distinguish a clone from its orignal creater.**

 **Even Obito (his mask still on) during the 4th Shinobi World War was surprised to find out the Naruto he was fighting might be a clone.**

 **If someone with the visual prowess and power of Obito can't determine if a clone is real. Than I can see no evidence that someone weaker than him, like Orochimaru could.**

 **The only evidence I can find to disprove this fact is Madara. He stated that he was able to distinguish Hashirama from his Wood Clones.**

 **Either Madara was just wanking himself and talking about how powerful his eyes were. Or he was referring to his life-time friendship and rivalry with Hashirama, and I will be doing the same thing with Naruto and Sasuke.**

 **In regards to Sakon and Ukon, I will be using the manga depiction of their hair, dark blue. Instead of the light grey that it is depicted in the anime, since I have a fetish for colored hair and I'm the writer, I can make these decisions.**

 **Lastly the Vanishing Facial Copy Technique, the jutsu Orochimaru uses to steal an individuals face. No hand seals are given in the anime or manga and with that in mind I've had to just wing it so please be aware of that.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Student Vs Master! Awakening of the Seal.**

 _8:42am Friday, May 27th 58SSP, inside a memorial park on the outskirts of Konoha._

"We should probably get going, eh Shiore?" A masked Grass Shinobi asked as he sat indian style infront of a row of buddha statue's, all of them carved from solid stone.

"We could Moksai, but whats the hurry? It'll be nothing to us, we're the best of the best." Shiore replied, standing directly infront of his masked teammate known as Moksai, his hands hanging down against his sides.

"Agreed, this is the Year of the Grass." An Obese, cloak wearing Grass Shinobi stated, standing to the right of Shiore and left of Moksai, the entirety of his body from his knees up was concealed and hidden under his cloak.

"I don't know about that Suski, I just have a weird feeling about this Exam." Moksai replied to the Obese Shinobi, the latter scoffing under his bamboo hat.

"The only weird thing about this Exam is that they don't just pass us right now." Shiore retorted with a confident smile.

"Why do we have to be out here though? I haven't seen a single person since we came here, doesn't that weird either of you out?" Moksai asked, causing Suski to downcast his head and the hat attached to it while Shiore just shrugged and continued smiling.

"Can't stand our chakra levels." Shiore joked out.

"He has a good point Shiore, we've been out here for over 30 minutes, lets head to the Leafs Academy and get the 1st stage of the Exam over with." Suski explained as he raised his head up straight and directed his gaze towards his teammate.

Abruptly a strong breeze blew in from the south, causing several leaf's to break away from the nearby trees as they danced and flew around the surrounding park that the 3 Grass Shinobi Shinobi stood in, before a Kunoichi leapt into sight from behind Shiore, garnishing Moksai's attention as he remained seated.

She was a pale-skinned girl with a slender and firm build, suggesting she exercised regularly, Moksai quickly noted she was shorter than him and his 2 teammates, something that caught him off guard due to how short Suski was, she couldn't be anymore than 14 years old.

4'7 maybe? Nah 4'8. Moksai noted to himself, remarking to the height of the newly appeared girl that neither of his teammates had noticed yet since Moksai was the only one staring in that direction, suggesting she was very skilled at concealing her movement.

She had brown eyes with prominent eyelashes that extended and protruded against the 4 corners of her eyes, suggesting she used black war-paint as makeup on her eyelashes, her face was dry and expressionless as if she didn't feel anything, or didn't care.

Her hair was long, untamed, and crimson red, it was so long that it ran past her shoulders down to her lower middle back, just above the purple, rope-like belt tied in an inverted bow around her waist.

She wore a black hat with bandages wrapped around the bottom and sides, attempting to tame the wild red hair underneath, with long parted bangs framing either side of her face and one between her eyes that hung down slightly past her right cheek, while the rest was pushed back behind her shoulders and trailed down her back.

She wore a tan tunic with sleeves that ended 2 inches above her elbows, the tunic was of a different style then the one Naruto wore, as this one hung down only to the Kunoichi's knee's, with the sides of the lower tunic separated and parted, allowing both the flaps of her tunic to wave gently in the breeze that continued to blow in from the south.

Underneath the torso of the tunic, was a barely visible black skin-tight shirt, only visible due to its collar rising slightly above the collar of the tunic, clinging to the lower portion of her collar-bone.

Most curious of all, was the symbol sewn into the frontal section of the tunic, a black circle with 4 small Sound Symbol's pressed against the 4 edges of the circle, with a final larger Sound Symbol in the center, the Symbol belonging to the newly formed Village Hidden in the Sound.

Underneath her still gently blowing lower tunic were black skin-tight shorts that ended 3 inches above the knee, below that were skin-tight black leg warmers that rose up from the black Shinobi shoes she wore and ended 4 inches below her knee's.

Bandages were wrapped and drapped around the leg warmers, concealing her calves and ankles aswell as the leg warmers from direct sight, except for the slightly visible amount of black that protruded out atop from the layers of bandages, the top bandages wrapped around each other over 6 times, making the top layer bulge and protrude out from the rest.

On her forearms she wore black skin-tight arm warmers, that concealed the entirety of her forearms, rising from her wrist and ending half an inch below her elbows.

Not bad. Moksai told himself, peering through the eye holes of his mask towards the Kunoichi infront of him, a Kunoichi he considered pretty hot.

The Kunoichi then abruptly reached behind her back with her left hand, reaching towards the area above her purple belt and hidden under her hair, before pulling out and revealing a simple silver flute and quickly raising it to her mouth.

As she positioned the far left end against her lips, she raised her right hand and placed it beside the extended end as she held her 4 fingers above the 9 holes in the flute, 8 holes being to manipulate the instrument and produce sound, while the final was for breathing into.

She then gripped down 2 fingers atop the sound holes with her left hand, her fingers concealed from Moksai's view due to her backhand being directed towards him while her palm was directed towards herself.

At that moment she also pushed down her right ring finger atop the hole nearest to her right hand as the faint sound of inhaling a massive breath of air could be heard emanating from the red haired Kunoichi.

"Hm?" Moksai hummed out as he uncrossed his left leg and extended it outward horizontally from his body, quickly applying pressure to it as he attempted to stand up.

"What?" Suski asked as he spun around, attempt to catch a glimpse of what held Moksai's attention and focus.

The unnamed Kunoichi then blew into the flute held against her lips, filling the instrument with air as it molded and formed an odd melody that echoed out loudly across the park before dampening its sound then quickly repeating as her fingers danced atop the flute held in her hands.

"-" The trio of Grass Shinobi gasped out in shock as they were overwhelmed by the sound emanating from the Kunoichi and her flute, the world around them rippling like the surface of water.

At that moment, while Suski was still paralyzed by the sound, a blur of steel could be seen digging into his throat, so deep that blood spread and leaked from the cut, splattering the nearby row of statues to his right with blood.

The sound echoing from the flute caused Moksai's left leg to cave in, forcing it to plummet to the ground in a contorted, horizontal fashion as the sound of bones cracking could be heard slightly before a faint flash of kunai steel could be seen sliding across his throat, his blood spraying against the row of statues to his left.

Kabuto then appeared in a blur infront of a still dazed and speakless Shiore, before quickly raising the already blood covered Kunai held in his right hand up next to Shiore's neck and fiercely carving into it in a reversed grip, horizontal fashion.

As he cut into Shiore's throat, he proceeded to push the individual backwards, forcing him to fall atop his back as his blood sprayed through the air while he plummeted, before falling atop the ground and allowing it to leak out of his neck, forming a small puddle of blood beneath his neck.

For several moments Kabuto stood emotionlessly over the corpse of the individual he had just killed, his eyes concealed by the dark tint of his glasses.

"Nice work there..." Kabuto spoke as he lowered his right hand to his side, the blood covered kunai still gripped tightly in his gasp as blood dripped off of the blade, falling atop the ground below and splattering against Kabuto's right shoe.

"Tayuya..." Kabuto hummed as he gripped the frame of his glasses with his left hand and straightened them, revealing his emotionless, twisted eyes that were once concealed underneath.

"Fuck you, I'm only here cause Lord Orochimaru told me to be." Tayuya retorted as she placed her flute behind her back, shoving it into the fabric of her belt before allowing her hands to hang down loose by her sides.

"That's so unlady-like..." An unknown individual replied as he appeared slightly behind Tayuya to the right, he was much taller than Tayuya, as he stood at an even 6'.

He was a large and imposing young Shinobi, towering over both Kabuto and Tayuya, he had fair-skin and narrow, slanted orange eyes, with a stern look on his face, he had three tufts of orange hair on his head, a mohawk that ran down the middle and two similar styled tufts of hair at the sides.

He wore a tunic almost identical to Tayuya's, with the only exception being that his was sleeveless, the loss, torn fabric on the ends suggesting he tore the sleeves off, unlike Tayuya, he didn't wear a shirt under his tunic, instead he wore a necklace that comprised of red metal beads separating long, metallic shard pieces.

Underneath the flaps of his lower tunic, he wore a pair of skin-tight black pants that ran down 2 inches below his knees, with black Shinobi sandels on his feet aswell as calf-high black leg warmers with bandages wrapped around them in a similar fashion to Tayuya.

Also like Tayuya, he wore black skin-tight arm warmers that began at his wrist and ran until half an inch below his elbows, with a purple, rope-like belt tied in an inverted bow around his waist.

"Shut your dirty, gluttonous fatass up Jirobo, nobody asked for your opinion." Tayuya snorted out as she snarled at Jirobo.

"Huuuuuuh - so unlady-like." Jirobo sighed out.

"Same old Tayuya." An unnamed Shinobi asserted as both he and another unnamed individual leapt inside the park that Tayuya, Kabuto and Jirobo all stood up, all of them completely ignoring the corpses of the 3 Grass Shinobi they had just murdered.

Both of the freshly appeared Shinobi stood slightly to the left of Tayuya, with the one that had just spoke being closer to her than the other, much like Tayuya he had pale-skin and like the majority of sound Shinobi, he wore a purple, rope-like belt tied in an inverted bow around his waist.

His hair was dark blue and straight, the loose, long bangs on his face were pushed to the side, framing the right side of his face and concealing his right eye from view, his hair was shaped and cut like a bowl, with the back of his hair trailing over and down his shoulders before being tied into what appeared to be a condensed ball of blue hair.

He wore an Emerald green shade of lipstick, with black lines and paint around his eyes in a similar fashion to Tayuya, he was smirking and his head was leaned slightly forward, allowing his bangs to hang loose infront of his left eye.

His outfit was almost identical to Tayuya's with the only 3 exceptions being the long sleeves on his tunic, sleeves that ran down to the black skin-tight arm warmers he wore, a dark-red beaded necklace worn around his neck and a giant scroll behind his back, placed through one of the loop of his rope-like belt.

"Honestly Sakon, if she wasn't such a pain in this ass I don't think our group would be the same." The unnamed Shinobi who stood to the left of Sakon declared with a wide smile on his face.

He was a dark-skinned shinobi with black, shaggy hair tied into a ponytail in the back and black eyes, he was the second-tallest member of the 4 individuals that now stood infront of Kabuto, the only one taller than him being Jirobo.

Unlike the other 3 Sound Ninja present, he was the only one that actually wore a headband for the Village Hidden in the Sound, a headband tied around his forehead in the standard fashion that many Shinobi and Kunoichi wore it in.

More unique and disgusting than anything else present, he also had six arms that protruded from his upper torso, instead of the standard 2 that any regular human possessed, giving him a spider-like appearance.

His outfit was very similar to Jirobo's except he actually wore a shirt underneath his sleeveless tan tunic, a sleeveless black shirt, one that matched the 6 black skin-tight arm warmers he wore, one on each forearm.

"Do you think its just her way of showing us she cares Kidomaru?" Sakon joked out, asking the 6 armed individual who stood to his left side.

"I hate every single fucking one of you." Tayuya snorted out as she crossed her arms infront of her nonexistent chest, a trait she shared with Sakura.

"My my, I can feel the love." Kabuto remarked out in a dry tone as a twisted grin formed on his face, trying his best to sound humorous.

"Especially you, 4 eyed rat." Tayuya snapped out as she glared towards the 'Leaf' Shinobi infront of her.

"I'd prefer 4 eyed snake." Kabuto replied as he used his left hand to push up his glasses slightly.

"Of course you would." Tayuya mocked out as she continued to glare at Kabuto, who returned her glare with his own for several moments.

"Now now children, haven't you all learned to get along?" Orochimaru hummed out as he appeared in a blur to the left of Kabuto, his back directed towards the corpse of Shiore while his face was directed towards the 4 sound ninja infront of him.

"My lord" Kabuto replied as he turned slightly to the left before raising his clenched right fist to his heart and bowing slightly.

"Hmmmmm." Orochimaru hummed out as he gaze shot to Kabuto, then the 4 sound ninja infront of him, studying each of them for several moments before moving out to the next.

"Where is Kimimaro?" Orochimaru asked, causing a blurred whirlwind of leaf's to appear infront of him, before quickly dissipating and revealing a kneeling Shinobi.

His clenched right fist was positioned endearingly over his heart, somehow showing much more respect than Kabuto did, while his clenched left fist was pushing down atop the ground infront of him, his knuckles resting into the grass with his left knee digging into the ground below him.

His head was bent down, bowing and offering respect to his lord as he was kneeling infront of him, his crouched back directed towards the 4 sound Shinobi behind him.

Much like Tayuya and Sakon he had pale skin, but unlike them he possessed beautiful, lush green eyes, eyes very similar to Sakura's, decorating his still bent face were two scarlet red dots on his forehead, with scarlet red paint lining the bottom of his eyes.

He had shoulder-length solid white hair, which he wore divided down the middle on his head, distinguished by the zigzag pattern his hair line made atop his scalp, with two separate red, tube-like hair ornaments haning off both sides of his head, securing and bundling two locks of his white hair.

His outfit was similar yet also vastily different and more unique than the ones the 4 sound ninja behind him wore, the color of his tunic was light lavender, similar to the same color that the Byakugan was.

It was also extremely loose-fitting, the sleeve of his left arm hanging down entirely, concealing his left hand from view while his right sleeve rolled down his forearm due to his hand being raised against his chest, sleeves that could easily conceal the entirety of his arms.

His tunic could also be zipped-up in the upper torso section, the zipper beginning 1 inch above the purple, rope-like belt he wore tied in an inverted bow around his waist, the tunic also had a 'V' cut collar, revealing an odd black seal inscribed just below his throat and collar bone.

He wore black, loose-fitting pants that ended 4 inches above his ankles, with bandages wrappibf the portion of skin inbetween his pants and his standard blue Shinobi shoes.

"I was delayed, please - forgive me my lord." Kimimaro pleaded, his head still bent down and his right fist still held against his heart.

"Hmmm." Orochimaru hummed out as he smiled in a devilish fashion, positioning his right palm against the purple, rope-like belt he wore tied around his waist.

"Of course, my dear Kimimaro, I forgive you." Orochimaru spoke out as he continued to smile in a twisted fashion.

"Thank you, my lord." Kimimaro replied as he raised his head and glanced up at his lord, his savior, his purpose.

"Now, let us begin." Orochimaru spoke as he turned around and glared down at the corpse of Shiore infront of him, raising his hands to his chest and placing his open palms against one another before his hands weaved through the Ram, Horse, Monkey, Dog and once again Ram seals.

Orochimaru then knelt down infront of Shiore's corpse, his right hand grasping his face, while at the same time Kimimaro stood up, glancing down at the back of his lord, just as Kabuto standing beside him and the 4 sound ninja behind him did.

A sudden pain then shot inside of Kimimaro's lungs, causing him to abruptly raise his right hand to his face before covering his mouth as he began to cough harshly, his shoulders rising and falling with each forced gasp of air.

He then pulled his hand away from his mouth, causing his eyes to gasp and bulge at the significant amount of blood that fill his hand, blood he had just coughed out, causing him to hold his right hand infront of his face for several moments.

"What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Kabuto asked as he turned his head slightly to the right and glanced at the back of Kimimaro's hand, aswell as the concerned look on his face.

"No - nothing at all." Kimimaro replied as he wrapped his blood covered palm around the red ornament dangling from the right side of his hair, before quickly dropping his right hand to his side and allowing his sleeve to cover and conceal it.

During this, Shiore's face dissolved and disappeared, before remerging and positioning itself atop Orochimaru's face, bubbling and contorting slightly before settling and merging with his own face, changing Orochimaru's facial appearance entirely and giving him the appearance of Shiore.

"Now then, my dear Kimimaro, take Kidomaru and Sakon out of the village, and prepare for the upcoming finals." The newly formed Shiore ordered.

"Of course my lord, but what finals?" Kimimaro asked.

"These Exams consist of 3 stages, the 1st Exam, the 2nd Exam and the final 3rd Exam, of course sometimes there is even a preliminary round for the finals." Shiore explained.

"My informants tell me that Anko is the proctor for the 2nd Exam, meaning it will be hosted inside the Forest of Death, knowing her." Shiore explained with a twisted grin.

"Your failed student, right?" Kabuto asked.

"Yes...trash I rid myself of long ago." Orochimaru replied.

"The 4th Kazekage intends to travel here to observe these finals, after the 2nd Exam we will have to...go meet him before he does." Shiore stated, earning a devout and loyal bow from Kimimaro.

"Wait, then what are me and this disgusting fatass supposed to do?" Tayuya asked, noticing both her and Jirobo's names were specifically absent from Orochimaru's orders.

"You two will stay behind in this village, disguised as citizens, and living in a hotel." Shiore explained, visibly angering Tayuya.

"I have to stay in this dog shit of a village?" Tayuya huffed out in annoyance, earning a twisted smile from Orochimaru that quickly put her in her place.

"Yes my lord..." Tayuya muttered as he downcast her head, concealing her eyes from view as her arms were still held infront of her nonexistent chest.

"May I ask why my lord?" Jirobo asked.

"You two can fit in much easier than Kidomaru or Sakon." Shiore replied, as the previously thought bundle of hair on the back of Sakon's neck contorted itself upwards, revealing a face oddly similar to Sakon's.

The face copied and mimicked Sakon's facial appearance almost perfectly, even the green lipstick he wore, the only noticable different were his bangs, bangs that were pushed to the far left side of his face, framing it and concealing his left eye from view.

"You got that right." The face on the back of Sakon's neck stated.

"Atleast we don't have to stay in this village for long Ukon." Sakon replied to the head sprouting out of the back of his neck.

"Here." Kabuto spoke as he spun around and threw a small bag of coins towards Tayuya, the latter uncrossing her arms and gripping the bag in mid-air with her left hand before tossing it slightly, as if to judge how much money was inside.

"How long do I have to endure this shit?" Tayuya asked.

"There is always a 2 week gap between the 2nd Exam and the finals, time to aloud important vistors and Kage to travel to and from the villages." Shiore explained.

"2 fucking weeks? I have to spend 2 weeks with this dirty, disgusting, smelly overweight fatass?" Tayuya spat out, her tone filled with both anger and depression.

"Well actually, that's only after the 1st and 2nd Exam, if the 2nd Exam is held in the Forest of Death like lord Orochimaru suggests, then it may even take longer than that." Kabuto explained as he gripped the side of his waist with his right hand while speaking.

"Since I'm a candidate in the Chunin Exam and you two are going to be hidden are citizens, we can't room in the same hotel or even acknowledge one another, that money is for food and housing." Kabuto spoke.

"There is like what, 100 fucking Ryo in here?" Tayuya huffed out as she jingled the bag of coins in her left hand.

"120 Ryo, actually." Kabuto replied with a smile.

"Fuck you, I couldn't even make 120 Ryo last myself 2 weeks, let alone me and fatass here." Tayuya scoffed out.

"How unlady-like..." Jirobo sighed out.

"You will make do, if need be steal food to survive, but if you are caught, just kill yourself and save us the misery." Shiore replied as he glared at Tayuya in a sadistic fashion, obviously becoming tired of her outbursts.

"Yes my lord." Tayuya replied as he tilted her head down once more, her version of bowing, obviously much more prideful than Kabuto and Kimimaro.

"Also you'll need to get change immediately after leaving this park, no one can seeing you wearing those outfits." Kabuto spoke.

"Tch - I'll just steal them off a clothesline I guess." Tayuya replied as she raised her head back up.

"Good..." Shiore mused out in a slight chuckle.

"Now go." Shiore ordered, causing all 5 of the sound ninja infront of him to instantly vanish from sight, leaving only Kabuto by his side.

"The end of the leaf - finally." Kabuto spoke as he directed his gaze towards his lord, Orochimaru, disguised as Shiore.

"I am going to teach that old man a lesson." Shiore replied as he turned his head to the left and stared off into the distance at the Hokage monument carved into the cliff side on the horizon, staring intently upon the face of the 3rd Hokage.

* * *

 _Later that day. 5:52pm Friday, May 27th 58SSP, inside the Forest of Death._

Anko's feet dashed and pushed across the tops of several branches that encompassed the tree line she was leaping through, attempting to avoid the flames, embers and smoke filled ash that was bellowing out from the forest all around her.

"Fuck - shit - piss." Anko muttered to herself, trying her best to avoid stepping on branches that were burned or scorched but finding that almost completely impossible due to the flames that engulfed the section of the forest she was traveling through.

Due to the enshrouding flames and rising cinders that protruded from the trees and forest below and around, combined with the aura and color of the setting sun on the distant horizon, this painted Anko's silhouette in a tone of orange and red.

Who the fuck is burning my forest? Anko asked herself, both annoyed and surprised that such a large portion of the forest was aflame and burning, forcing forest wild-life aswell as the remaining candidates to flee from its path and radius.

The forest was scorched black, the once mossy covered trees now burned to a harden ash that fell and dissolved as the trees cracked and plummeted against the forest floor and one another, causing even more ash and smoke to pour into the sky above.

The fire burned a 2 mile long and 1 mile wide searing scar infront of Entrance gate #12, the 40ft tall rusty fence that lined the zone kept the fire contained from spreading towards the neighboring forest the lined the outskirts of the village.

He's nearby - I can feel it. Anko concluded to herself as the black inked seal on the left side of her neck throbbed, the seal comprised of 3 tomoe encircling one another, oddly resembling the type of tomoe that the Sharingan gave its user.

The heavy metal shinguards she wore on each leg weighed down her feet, causing each step to release a loud thud as the tree branches that had not completely burned to ash began to crack and snap underfeet.

Abruptly a bright ocean blue glimmered from the distance over the tree-line that Anko was dashing toward, causing her eyes to squint as she continued to leap forward at the approaching blue glimmer, the blue getting larger and more encompassing with each jump.

She then slammed the sole of her left foot atop the branch underneath her, lunging her forward while at the same time causing the burnt branch to crackle and break, falling down towards the forest floor, releasing heaps of ash with each object it hit.

As she flung through the air towards the fast approaching blue, she flew through the opening where the blue had first shown itself, a flashing light and overwhelming brightness forcing her to raise her arms infront of her face in an 'X' fashion, attempting to peer out from underneath her forearms.

"U-" Anko uttered out in shock as she realized that she just leapt into a 10ft deep crater that held a body of water she had never see before, causing her not to know how deep the water was or who had even created it.

"Tch-" Anko snorted as she flung her arms upwards and plummeted down towards the waters surface, slamming down atop it and crouching before placing her right palm atop the waters surface, ripples echoing out from the area where she stood.

Her eyes glanced around at the scene infront of her , a small cliff side that appeared to have collasped for no reason, rumble, rocks and loose boulders lining the small cove infront of the crumbled cliff.

First a fire now a fucking lake? Anko asked herself as she now glanced around the entirety of the crater, a 60ft wide 10ft deep crater, filled with a unknown amount of water that she couldn't see the bottom of.

She then redirected her gaze back at the collasped cliff side, standing up straight while she squinted her eyes even further than before, staring at the rocky and boulder lined cliff.

Upon close inspection she realized that several corners of the collasped cliff side, aswell as boulders that lined it, were burned and scorched a slight tan of black, suggesting an explosion had occurred near the cliff side.

A battle? Anko asked herself, raising her left hand and pressing it against the black seal that throbbed and pulsated on the left side of her neck.

For someone to cause this much damage... Anko thought, noting to herself the drastic difference in terrain from the forest above and the lake beneath her feet, a lake that wasn't there when the 2nd stage of the Exam began at 11:30am earlier that morning.

No doubt it was him...Anko concluded to herself, reassuring her suspicions.

But who was he fighting? No way one of the Genin runts could've forced him to use this much power. Anko told herself.

"Nhhh-" Anko grunted out in pain as she knelt down atop the water, her left knee slamming against it as the seal on her neck bulged with pain, causing her to raise her right hand to her neck as she placed it atop her left.

"How - Nostalgic." The voice of Shiore echoed out from atop the cliff side infront of a still kneeling Anko, causing her to abruptly stand up straight while she lowered both her arms to her sides, completely ignoring the pain that protruded into her body from the seal on her neck.

Shiore hung half-way out from the bark of a tree that stood atop the cliff side, his lower half and body concealed and apparently merged with the tree, before he began to slowly ooze out from it, his legs protruding out as a single snake-like tail, before reforming into human legs as he stood up and infront of the tree.

"You are an extremely dangerous S-class wanted criminal." Anko replied, glaring up the cliff slide at the individual 30 ft ahead and 10 ft above her.

"That is why I am going to kill you here and now, even if I die in the process." Anko declared as several ruffles and bulges could be seen sliding down the sleeves of her trench coat, followed by 3 senbon each to slide down into her hands, fitting in between her fingers.

"It is my job as your student to end you here and now, and restore honor to the snake contract bearers aswell as this village." Anko asserted as she raised then crisscrossed both of her arms infront of her, preforming a 'X' infront of her large chest.

"Right...Orochimaru!" Anko screamed as she uncrossed her arms and flung them forward, flinging the previously held senbon in her hand towards Orochimaru, all 6 of them dashing through the air at they're target.

For what seemed like minutes Orochimaru stood perfectly still, smiling at the approaching senbon and his former student that threw them before abruptly raising both his hands infront of his body and extending each of his fingers outward, creating a gap in between them.

He then quickly clenched and tightened all of his fingers shut, revealing he had caught all 6 senbon in between his fingers harmlessly, holding them in the same fashion Anko did, as if he was the one who taught her how to throw.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Orochimaru chuckled, causing Anko to grit her teeth and clench her right hand into a fist, her rage growing and swelling as the setting sun disappeared from over the horizon and the night sky formed overhead, the forest fire behind Anko illuminating the night sky and nearby surroundings.

"After all these years the first thing you do is attempt to kill me, only to prove me right all along, you're so sweet to me Anko." Orochimaru replied as he unclenched his fingers, allowing all 6 senbon to fall and plummet into the collapsed part of the cliff side infront of him.

"Prove you right about what?" Anko retorted, her right fist still clenched with rage as 3 more senbon once again slid down her left sleeve, fitting perfectly in between her fingers.

"How pathetic you and everyone in this village are." Orochimaru mocked out as a sadistic smile formed on his face.

"Die!" Anko screamed as she threw her left hand forward, attempting to fling 3 more senbon towards Orochimaru, only for the latter's jaw to unhinge itself, allowing his tongue to spit out and dash towards Anko, moving with kage-level speed as it bridged the 30 ft gap in between them in seconds.

His tongue twisted and wrapped around Anko's left wrist several times, perventing her from throwing the Senbon held there, she then abruptly dropped them into the water below before using both her hands to grip and grasp Orochimaru's slimy tongue.

"Get over here snake!" Anko ordered as she heaved with all her might on Orochimaru's tongue, yanking him off the cliff side and pulling him through the air, soaring towards Anko.

She then ungripped Orochimaru's tongue with her right hand before raising it to her chest and cocking her arm backwards as her right hand clenched, forming a fist, while at the same time continuing to pull on the tongue with her left hand.

"Traitor!" Anko yelled as she threw her right fist forward, smashing it into Orochimaru's mouth, causing him to fly backwards as 2 tooth and several drops of blood could be seen flying through the air.

"I'm not done yet!" Anko barked out as she once again pulled on Orochimaru's tongue that was still wrapped around her wrist, yanking the latter back towards her.

She then released his tongue from under the grasp of her left hand, before reaching out and grabbing the throat of Orochimaru with, his tongue still wrapped around her left wrist as she picked up his left hand with her right.

"I'm going to using this hand of yours - Sensei." Anko explained, spitting out the final word of her sentence as her right hand combined with Orochimaru's left, forming a unknown yet specific hand seal.

"T-that seal.." Orochimaru gasped out as his snake-like eyes bulged while Anko continued to squeeze down on his throat with her left hand, barely able to keep his feet off the surface of the water since he was 5'8 and she was only 5'4.

"That's right - both of us are going to die right here - Sensei." Anko replied with a twisted grin.

"Nina art: Twin Sna-" Anko attempted to assert, only to be cut off back a sadistic chuckle echoing out from atop the cliff side over 30 ft infront of Anko.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Orochimaru hummed out as he phased out from the same tree he had mere minutes prior, no doubt using the Hiding in Surface Technique to merge and conceal himself inside the tree.

"Are you trying to commit suicide?" Orochimaru hummed out as he completely phased out from the tree and once again stood atop the cliff side infront of Anko, causing the Orochimaru held in her left hand to crumble and dissolve into white ash, ash that sprinkled atop and spread across the surface of the water.

"Tch-" Anko gritted out as the seal on her neck began throbbing at an alarming rate, as if the jutsu she had just attempted to use fueled and awoke it, causing her to clenched both of her fists in an attempt to endure the pain.

Its now or never... Anko concluded to herself as she unclenched her fists before raising them to her chest and gripping both of the hems that lined the inner side of her trench coat, while pushing her chest out and bending her elbows back.

She then allowed her trench coat to fall off of her firm and tone body, drapping off her shoulders and arms before plummeting atop the water's surface, floating for several seconds before it began to sunk down due to the weight of the water, the purple inside of her coat revealed as it sunk into the lake.

With no coat, this revealed her shirtless, full-body tight-fitted mesh outfit and the tan short mini skirt she wore over it, with the standard blue Shinobi shoes most ninja of the 5 great nations wore and a black Shuriken satchel on the back of her waist.

Since her mesh outfit was cut in a fishnet pattern, and she didn't wear a bra or shirt underneath, this revealed her bare breasts that rose and descended with each breath, a sight that would make regular men and even some women take interest, but not Orochimaru.

"My my, how far are you willing to go for me to return home?" Orochimaru mused out with a sinister smile.

"There will be no returning for you." Anko replied as the seal on her neck began to glow and hum with an aura of orange.

"No 2nd chances - no forgiveness." Anko spoke, the seal on her neck spreading and sprawling across the left side of her neck, face and chest, spiraling out in bright orange flame-like markings.

"You have dishonored our village for the last time." Anko declared as the flame-like markings from her seal spread down to her left elbow and across her left breast, while also consuming almost the entirety of the left side of her face, causing the white of her eye to turn black as her left iris become yellow.

"I will kill you where you stand." Anko asserted, unaware she wasn't the first individual to say that exact sentence to Orochimaru that day, the once orange like markings cooling before turning black.

"Now I truly am humbled, are you going to fight me like that?" Orochimaru asked rhetorically as he smiled down at his former student.

"Do you truly expect to kill me using the seal I created? The seal I gave you? Even using the Jutsu I taught you?" Orochimaru hummed out in a sadistic fashion.

"You are nothing but a pathetic knock-off, you will never be me, I only wish I realized that when we first met so I could've avoided wasting time on you." Orochimaru explained as he gripped the right side of his purple, rope-like belt with his right hand.

Anko then reached behind her back, both her hands digging into the satchel she kept on the back of her waist before retracting her hands forward, positioning both of them beside of rather large chest.

In her right hand she held 3 shuriken in between her fingers, each shuriken had a thin cord of black steel wire rope tied around the center holes of it, ropes that ran behind her back and into her left hand, a hand that held each of the 3 steel wire ropes around her 3 central fingers.

Using the increased speed and power granted to her by activating the seal on her neck, she leapt 30 ft forward and 20 ft upward, soaring through the air and releasing the 3 Shuriken gripped in her right arm, allowing them to briefly fall through the air beside her.

"Na-" Anko grunted out as she flung the 3 steel wires gripped in her left hand forward, launching the 3 Shuriken they were tied too around her body, slinging, rotating and spinning towards Orochimaru before Anko abruptly gripped all 3 wires in both hands and began waving and contorting the wires in a certain fashion, controlling the rotating Shuriken attached to the wire in a surprising amount of accuracy.

The Shuriken flew vertically, horizontally and every angle in between as they twisted and swerved through the air before departing from and flying in opposite angles from one another before Anko suddenly released the wires from her hands as the left Shuriken flew by the right side of Orochimaru's lower torso, while the right flew across his left side and the central flew over his left shoulder, the steel wire rope attached in between the 3 Shuriken forming a triangle infront of Orochimaru's torso.

The Shuriken continued flying past him, the force from Anko's throw dragging him back as the 3 Shuriken stabbed into separate trees, the wires slamming Orochimaru's body in the very same tree had he phased out of.

"Fire Style:..." Anko declared as she slammed her palms together in mid-air, forming the snake seal as her head tilted back slightly due to her inhaling a massive gust of air, holding it in for several seconds as she used her chakra to knead and mold the air inside her lungs into condensed flames.

"Dragon Fire Jutsu!" Anko screamed, her hands preforming the Dragon, Rabbit then Tiger seals as she arched her head forward and exhaled, revealing that a 4th steel wire rope was extending out of her mouth, a wire connected to the 3 pinning Orochimaru against the tree.

The wire protruding out from her mouth then abruptly became engulfed in a searing amount of flames, flames that spewed and spread out from Anko's mouth, trailing down the metal wire and sprawling across the 3 against Orochimaru's torso, consuming him and the 3 attached trees in fire.

"AAHHHHHHHHHHH." Orochimaru's voice could be heard screaming out in pain as the flames spewing out from Anko's mouth only increased in density and heat, causing several of the loose wires that tied the steel rope together to burn and contort.

Anko then landed heavily atop the cliff side, only 6 feet infront of the buring corpse that belonged to Orochimaru, crouching slightly before standing up straight and spitting the steel wire out from her mouth.

For several moments the sound of burning leaf's and tree bark could be heard crackling, both infront of and behind Anko due to the massive forest fire that continued to ravage the Forest of Death.

Anko's eyes squinted as she glared at the apparent corpse of Orochimaru, staring at it intently as if she knew something was wrong, as if she knew her old master wouldn't die that easy.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Orochimaru's twisted laughter echoed out, as he emerged and phased out of a nearby tree branch, belonging to and extending from 1 of the 3 trees Anko had set ablaze with her jutsu.

"It appears you gained alittle knowledge from your time with me, congratulations, you're not a complete failure." Orochimaru mocked out as he gripped the side of his purple, rope-like belt with his right hand.

Suddenly Anko appeared to the right of Orochimaru, using the increased speed granted to her by her seal to close the distance between them, before quickly flinging her right leg upward and forward in a slanted vertical fashion, attempting to kick Orochimaru in the jawline.

Orochimaru merely turned slightly to the right while raising his open palmed left hand to his chest before grabbing the toes and foot that Anko had launched towards him, stopping such a powerful kick with 1 hand alone.

Anko then clenched her left fist and launched it forward, only for Orochimaru to position the back of his right hand against her inner wrist, pushing away her concentrated attack as if it was nothing at all.

Anko then raised her left leg and flung it up towards Orochimaru's jaw, her right foot that was still gripped in his left hand pivoting in a circular fashion, increasing the momentium of her kick.

Orochimaru's neck extended and lunged itself backwards several inches, pulling his face and jaw back out of the reach of Anko's kick before releasing her right feet and jumping back 5 feet, pressing his back only a foot away from the burning bark of the tree behind him.

As Anko twirled in mid-air 6 more steel wire wrapped Shuriken fell out from the satchel on the back of her waist, before Anko abruptly grapped them and flung all 6 of them towards Orochimaru, each of them flying in a separate angle towards the elite rogue Shinobi.

"I'm done with that." Orochimaru replied as he clapped his flat hands together, causing a sudden and powerful current of wind to burst out from his body towards all directions and angle's, flinging the 6 steel wrapped Shuriken and Anko flying back.

The force of this wind slammed Anko against a nonburning tree behind her, the 6 shuriken she had thrown at Orochimaru instead wrapping around her, forcing and binding her against the side of the tree.

"Tch-" Anko grunted out in rage as she attempted to squirm free from the steel wire ropes.

"My my, what a pathetic state your in." Orochimaru mocked as he calmly began walking towards his former student.

"You're here to assassinate the 3rd Hokage, aren't you?" Anko asked, attempting to funnel the increased strength her seal gave her to break free from the wires, but the 6 of them were too strong.

"I'd love that, it would be quite funny don't you think? Murdering my own Sensei? It's what you're trying to do right now afterall." Orochimaru spoke out in a humorous manner, taunting his former student.

"Like Master like Apprentice, that's what they say, isn't it?" Orochimaru asked rhetorically as he finally stood only 2 feet infront of Anko's restrained body.

"I am nothing like you." Anko snarled out, her rage and hatred becoming visibly apparent.

"Whats wrong, we haven't seen each other in years and you're acting so cold to me." Orochimaru asked in a seemingly innocent tone as his tongue protruded from his mouth and drapped across his lips.

He then leaned forward slightly before pushing his tongue outward, causing it to graze and slide across Anko's chin and cheeks several times as he chuckled aloud to himself, before quickly retracting his tongue back into his mouth.

"Are you jealous?" Orochimaru asked as he raised his right hand and used it to brush and rub Anko's left cheek causing the bangs that framed the left side of her face to be pushed away by his hand while the latter gritted her teeth in anger and continued to squirm.

"Are you still angry that I used you, then cast you off like the worthless trash you are?" Orochimaru asked with a sick smile as he continued to rub Anko's left cheek.

"I have my eyes set on a certain Shinobi, one far beyond any other his age..." Orochimaru whispered as he leaned even closer to his former student, the bridges of their noses only 4 inches away from one another.

"A child whose eyes shall turn me into a Sage." Orochimaru spoke as he tore his right hand free from Anko's face before allowing it to rest by his right side as the Image of 2 violet eyes whose pupils were surrounded by 3 encircling black ripples peered into his mind, the image of the Rinnegan.

"Unlike you, he is a prodigy, one worthy of being called Shinobi." Orochimaru mocked, causing Anko's arms to flex and pull, forcing the wires tied around the tree to dig and carve into its bark, as her rage continued to boil.

"I really don't understand why you're so hateful this days, you have something I would dream of having, after all." Orochimaru spoke as his tongue quickly protruded from his mouth and licked his lips before retracting inside.

"The Sharingan..." Orochimaru stated with a smile, his statement forcing Anko's eyes to bulge and tremble upon recognizing what he was referring to, her boyfriend and the only weakness she held in this world besides Dango, Kakashi Hatake.

Anko's head quickly downcast itself and fell forward, as if she had passed out, but Orochimaru could sense the dramatic change in the aura around her, something he took delight in.

Suddenly the black flames that sprawled across the left upper section of her torso and arm once again turned orange before spreading and running down her left and right arm completely, aswell as her stomach, legs and face, this process caused Orochimaru to pull his face away from Anko's as he smiled.

"That's it, that's the way, it's you only hope for defeating me..." Orochimaru spoke out as he raised his opened palm hands up towards the sky, as if he was offering something to the gods above.

"Use my power and my knowledge, it is the only way you'll grow.." Orochimaru hummed out as he smiled in a sadistic fashion up towards the night sky above.

The searing orange flame-like markings that sprawled across the entirety of her body once again cooled and settled into a black tone as she raised up her gaze upward, revealing her 2 yellow snake-like eyes with black Sclera instead of white ones, eyes that glared towards the unaware S-rank Shinobi still staring up at the sky infront of her.

Anko then abruptly jolted forward, the 6 steel wire ropes that bound her to the tree tearing and carving through its dense 5 foot thick bark as she dashed forward with such might and speed that the tree behind her cracked and splintered under the force.

She raised her opened right palm hand and shoved against Orochimaru's face, her seal covered fingers squeezing and clenching down as she dashed across the 7ft long branch Orochimaru stood on, slamming the back of his skull into the burning tree that the branch connected too.

Further and further the fingers on her right hand squeezed and clenched down, the burning bark behind Orochimaru's skull cracked and splintered due to the force she had used to shove the individual back.

"DIE TRAITOR!" Anko screamed aloud, her screaming echoing across the forest as she flung her clenched left fist towards Orochimaru's throat, her seal covered, chakra infused fist piercing and plunging into his throat, severing and disconnecting Orochimaru's head entirely as her left fist smashed even further, crashing into the tree bark behind Orochimaru's now decapitated corpse, causing blood to splatter across her hand and the fire that burned the tree.

"Hhhh-hhhh-hhhh" Anko heaved out in heavy breaths as her right hand continued to squeeze down on her former sensei's decapitated skull that she held close on her right side, the seal that covered her body blocking out all of the pain from the fire that was now burning her left hand.

The seal then once again turned orange, but instead of spreading further it began to receed and retract back to the origin of her seal, back to the left side of her neck before the orange seal then turned black.

"Arggg-." Anko grunted out as the fire burning her left hand finally registered in her mind, causing her to pull her left hand free from scorching heat of the burning tree while at the same time releasing his decapitated skull from her grip, causing it to fall to the forest floor below as she fell several feet backwards onto her ass on the tree branch before quickly raising both of her hands atop her seal and pressing down on it.

"NNnnnn-" Anko groaned out in pain as she rolled back and forth across the top of the now cracking tree branch, too stunned and overwhelmed with pain to move.

Suddenly the burning, headless corpse of Orochimaru bulged and contorted itself before quickly dissolving into several dozen white snakes that slithered out towards Anko, swarming over her body and concealing her entirely from view.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" A unknown voice screamed from the surrounding forest, as a dense concentrated burst of wind surged out towards the white snakes that swarmed Anko, blowing the snakes aswell as Anko off of the branch, and even breaking it in the process, causing all of them to fly down towards the Lake below.

"Earth Style: Golem Jutsu!" Another unknown voice from the surrounding forest screamed out, causing a large condensed and harden hand of earth to reach out from the cliff side, reaching out and wrapping around Anko's body as the tree branch and several dozen white swarms plummeted to the water's surface below.

It was then that 6 masked Anbu of Konoha appeared atop the cliff side, each of them wearing a specific mask that was related to a unique animal.

"Fire Style:..." All 6 Anbu present asserted in unison as they all clapped their hands together individually into the Tiger seal, only to halt all movement once they notice the white snakes dissolve into ash when they splashed atop the waters surface.

"Eagle - Bear - Get Anko to the tower now!" The Anbu with a squirrel mask ordered without turning his gaze or attention away from the white ash sprinkled atop the waters surface below.

"Yes - squad leader." Both of the individuals known as Eagle and Bear spoke out in unison, Bear using the Golem hand he had greated to place a still concious Anko atop the cliff side.

"About damn time the Anbu showed up." Anko complained as her body quivered and shook in pain.

"Lets go!" The squad leader who wore the Squirrel mask ordered, before he and the 5 other masked Anbu disappeared in a blur, no doubt hunting down Orochimaru, eager to earn the fame of killing such a powerful traitor to their village.

The Eagle masked Anbu then knelt down to the right side of Anko before wrapping his forearms under her arms and pulling her up, allowing her to lean back against him, something he certainly didn't mind at all.

"That better be a Kunai, or I'll fucking murder you before Kakashi even gets the chance." Anko huffed out, causing the Eagle masked Anbu to quietly side step to the right before wrapping her right arm around his shoulder and his left arm around her waist.

"Lets go Bear." The Eagle masked Anbu asserted as his squadmate nodded in approval and both of them dashed away from the lake, towards the tall red tower in the center of the forest that was barely 1 mile away.


	21. Chapter 21

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: T** **his chapter shows how old Naruto as a series is, they legit had to use "VCR Tapes" in part 1, I had to google that shit. VCR tapes are so old and although I want to just make them DvDs I will remain true to the source material and use VCR tapes.**

 **I can't find who's record team Gaara/Baki broke in canon, I know it was either Itachi's or Minato's, but I cannot find which one. However, the anime confirms they "break the previous record by over four hours".**

 **During the fight Jiraiya Vs Pain, Jiraiya remarks in a flashback that Nagato was able to achieve all 6 chakra natures. From my manga research and databook reading, I've come to the conclusion he was remarking to Yin-Yang release, grouping those 2 together and referring to it as a 6th Nature.**

 **Therefore I will be too.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: The Hermit Returns Home! A Record Broken.**

 _7:03pm, Friday May 27th 58SSP, inside a room of the tower in the Forest of Death._

"I don't need that, just go get me some Dango." Anko retorted as she brushed aside a small jar of pain medicine that the Eagle masked Anbu offered her.

Anko was laying horizontally atop a small blue loveseat, but since she was only 5'4 she fit perfectly atop it, with her head and feet each resting atop opposite ends of the armrests.

She was panting rather heavily, no doubt still physically exhausted from using the seal placed on the left side of her neck, her intense breathing causing her large chest to rise and fall, something both masked Anbu infront of her took heavy interest in.

The room had simply red texture square tiles that paved the floor, with solid maple walls and roof, there was an oak sliding door directly behind the loveseat, most likely a closet, aswell as a oak sliding door to the right of the armrest that Anko's head rested atop.

8 ft to the left of the armrest Anko's feet rested against were a pair of 6 full-body sized, square cut windows, allowing the user of the room to get a grand view of the night sky that hovered over the blazing forest underneath it.

Infront of the loveseat, 10 ft precisely, were 2 circular bamboo tables positioned infront of the wall, with each of them holding a 24 inch fat-back TV atop it, with several large and bulky wires running from the TV to an outlet on the wall.

The metal of the TVs were teal blue and the front glass screen was screwed into place, beside each TV was a VCR player with cords running to and connecting with the TV beside it, cords much smaller than the ones running to the wall.

"Anko, surely you understand that you need actual medicine." The Eagle masked Anbu replied.

"Yea I do need medicine, so go get me some Dango and after that we can discuss the situation at hand, with a dangerous S-rank traitor wondering around the forest, and almost half of it on fire, we have a serious problem here." Anko huffed out in response.

"But we can't cancel the Exam, it's too important... what did Lord 3rd suggest?" While speaking, Anko stared up at the maple wooden ceiling.

"Lord Jiraiya is confirmed to already be inside the village, both he and Lord 3rd should be here any moment." The Bear masked Shinobi replied, causing Anko to sigh with relief.

"Sweet...Lord Jiraiya is just the type of person to deal with Orochimaru..." Anko spoke aloud, not truly believing the words she spoke as she assumed it was her responsibility to defeat her former teacher.

"Excuse me." Izumo spoke out as he slid the door behind the resting Anko open, causing the 2 Anbu to direct their attention towards him while Anko continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"What is it? Unless it's about Lord 3rd of Lord Jiraiya, go away - can't you see I'm having an important conversation." Anko barked out, finding a way to snap at people even when she was exhausted of chakra.

"A- right - my apologies." Izumo replied anxiously, know better than to anger the Kunoichi infront of him.

"It's really important though, pertaining to the Chunin Exam." Izumo protested as he raised his left hand infront of his chest, revealing 2 VCR tapes he held in hand, something both of the Anbu present noticed but Anko didn't since she was still staring up at the ceiling.

"What the fuck is it?" Anko snapped out.

"U-uh right here, I'll show you." Izumo replied as he walked into the room, strolling over to the TVs infront of the loveseat Anko laid on before quickly placing both of the tapes inside a separate VCR player, one plugged in to each TV.

This action finally interested Anko enough to sit up, grunting slightly in pain but quickly brushing it aside as she sat in the center of the love seat, crossing her arms infront of her chest and blocking her rather large breasts from view.

The screen of the TV turned to static as Izumo turned it on and began to press a number of buttons on the VCR player while turning knobs on the TV in attempt to get the precise picture and tone.

"As you know, this forest has 44 entrance gates around its perimeter, and to ensure we always have enough doors for the competing candidates, this tower also has 44 doors for each team to individually use and enter the tower through." Izumo spoke.

"Everyone knows that." Anko replied

"Well, each doorway also has a camera present, to observe and film the approaching candidates to document their time of arrival." Izumo responded.

"Of course, I already fucking know that." Anko snapped out.

"One tape is the footage from camera #22 while the other is footage from #23, all of the proctors agree you need to see this." Izumo explained as a proper picture finally appeared on the TV infront of him.

The picture was of a vibrant forest that rested across the perimeter of stone and wood that formed around the tower, the two angles present on the scene showing two separate points of view that both combined together and revealed the same picture in the center.

Birds could be heard chirping from the TV, as bright beams of light could also be seen shining in through the tree branches that lined the background of the image on scene.

"This is footage was taken at 1:37pm today, only 1 hour and 37 minutes after the 2nd Exam began..." Izumo explained as he stood up and backward away, allowing Anko and the 2 Anbu present to get a better look at the scene.

At first the scene on the TV appeared to be frozen, as if nothing was happening at all except for the sound of birds chirping, before Gaara and Naruto both leapt into view, each of them leaping from the surrounding tree line and landing beside one another, each one only 4 feet away from the other.

The moment Naruto touched the ground beside Gaara he erupted in a puff of smoke and after several moments the smoke dissipated and revealed all 3 members of team 7 standing beside the sand trio of team Baki.

The puff of smoke suggested the Naruto that had appeared beside Gaara at first was just a shadow clone, one that was quickly replaced by the real one as if he could teleport to his clone.

"3 from the Hidden Village in the Sand and 3 from the Hidden Village in the leaf's just finished the 2nd stage of the Exam, time: 1:37pm." An unknown proctor declared from an audio recording on the tape.

The tape then showed the members of team Baki and 7 lesiurely strolling forward towards their unique doors, as Naruto and Gaara walked up the steps before they both stopped precisely at the sametime, allowing each of their teammates to walk past them and open their doors.

At that moment both Naruto and Gaara turned their heads sideways, each of them glancing at the other, Naruto's arms hung down by his sides while Gaara's were crossed infront of his chest, Gaara peering at the blond bangs that covered Naruto's face while Naruto glared at the red seal on Gaara's forehead.

According to the timestamp on the camera, they stared at each other for over 52 seconds, certainly each of them were deep in thought, either pondering the situation at hand or the individual infront of them, before both of them walked in through the doors that their teammates did, walking out of view from both cameras as the screens on each TV turned to static.

"W-w-what?!" A speechless Anko declared as her pupils shrunk from the sheer shock of what she had just witnessed.

"Did you say 1:37pm?" Anko asked, as if she didn't believe what she was being told.

"Correct, the 2nd stage of the Chunin Exam began today at percisely 11:30am." Izumo replied as he turned his attention towards a still shocked Anko.

"They finished the Exam in only 97 minutes?" The Eagle masked Anbu asked in awe, as if the feat team 7 and team Baki just demostrated impressed someone of Anbu-level.

"I-is-is this even possible?" Anko stuttered out.

"This has never happened before - in the entire history of the Chunin Exams." Izumo replied.

"Even the previous lord 4th Hokage only managed to get through the forest in 6 hours and 29 minutes - these kids - their abnormal." Izumo declared, thinking back to when the blond boy he held no high opinion of knocked out Kotetsu without throwing a single punch, he knew how Naruto was different though, he just wasn't allow to say it out loud.

"There is no way any of them are Genin." Izumo spoke.

"Naruto was probably just carrying his teammates." Anko replied, thinking about all the high praise her boytoy spoke about Naruto, clearly Kakashi held him in high regard.

"Naruto sure is something, but I wouldn't discount that Uchiha, or even the pink-haired runt, it would take skill just to keep up with someone at that speed, someone who could travel 6 miles in only 97 minutes." Izumo responded.

"And that's not even considering if he actually fought anyone or took breaks." Izumo stated.

"Then theres that red haired kid from the sand." Izumo explained as he walked about towards the VCR player and rewinded it, pausing on a scene that had both Gaara and Naruto present, both of them staring at the other.

"Look at him, there isn't a spot of dirt on him." Izumo pointed out as he squinted his eyes, his statement alerting the 2 Anbu and Anko behind him to the degree of skill it would require to accomplish such a feat.

"Its over 6 miles from here, and every single entrance gate that leads into this forest..." Anko explained as she turned her head to the left and glared out the window on the far side of the room, the forest fire blazing below illuminating the view.

"There are wild beasts, poisonous bugs and steep forest trails..." Anko spoke.

"And all 6 of them just walked in as if nothing happened at all, the only ones whom even seemed remotely affected were Naruto and that red haired sand kid." Anko stated.

"They have no wounds at all, the only noticable thing was the dirt under Sakura's nails, and the drops of wa-" Anko's eyes bulged and throbbed in her skull, as the sheer shock of her revelation caused her legs to shoot up as she stormed forward towards the TV infront of her.

"A-Anko?" Izumo asked out as he took a few steps back to allowing a still stunned Anko to stumble forward infront of the TV, both of her hands grasping the opposite ends of it Horizontally, the pupil's of her eyes trembling and quaking as he bent forward, basically shoving her face against the shove of the TV scene.

She glared for several moments at the frozen body of Naruto, since the tape was paused she was allowed to study his features closely, noticing the several droplets of water that covered his purple tunic and soaked his blond hair.

T-that crater - that lake... Anko told herself, having finally regonized who created the massive lake she fought her Sensei beside, but becoming utterly speechless at the answer to who it was.

Na-Naruto... Anko thought in awe, unable to comprehend how the sweet, innocent blond student of her boytoy could display such power, power that even she couldn't release against her own Sensei.

I have my eyes set on a certain Shinobi, one far beyond any his age. The sinister voice of Orochimaru echoed out loudly inside the mind of his former student.

A child whose eyes shall turn me into a Sage. Orochimaru's voiced reminded Anko, the pupils of her eyes trembling as she stared intently at Naruto's face on scene, his soaked bangs slightly parted and pushed to the side, revealing a faint violet flicker barely visible to the eye.

He is a prodigy, one worthy of being called Shinobi. Orochimaru's voiced remarked as Anko's shocked hands squeezed the sides of the TV in an attempt to calm her shock.

"Hi dear." The voice of Kakashi broke out, garnishing the attention of everyone present in the room, especially Anko due to the weakness she had developed for Kakashi's voice and tone.

"Hi ho - I mean - what the fuck are you doing here?" Anko asked out as she released the TV from her grip and turned to face Kakashi.

He held his iconic Orange make-out tatic book in his right hand, his face up to his nose concealed and hidden behind it, as his left hand and arm was placed behind his back, as he if was hiding something there.

"What's that?" Anko asked, squinting her eyes as she grew suspicious of her boytoy's sudden arrival.

"Sweet Red Bean broth with 12 Dango sticks, dear." Kakashi replied as he pulled a brown paper back out from behind his back and held it infront of his chest, his present causing Anko to hold both of her forearms infront of her chest vertically as she squealed out like a little girl filled with glee, wanting to jump for joy but to exhausted.

"That's that medicine I asked for - all of you get out now, Izumo leave the tape." Anko barked out, as both the Eagle and Bear masked Anbu walked out the door with Izumo falling close before them.

"You know, they call it a loveseat for a reason." Anko explained as a seductive grin grew atop her face.

"I'm sure you want to show me why, don't you dear?" Kakashi asked without raising his attention away from his book as he used the sole of his left foot to close the sliding door Izumo walked out of.

"After I eat - yes." Anko replied as she stretched out both of her arms towards Kakashi, as if she wanted to wrap her arms around him or have him pick her up.

As if he was used to her mannerisms, he nonchalantly closed his Orange book before using his right hand to reach behind his back and place it inside his Shuriken satchel while walking towards his significant other.

"Sounds lovely, dear." Kakashi spoke as he preformed his iconic eye wink towards his girlfriend and finally stood close enough for Anko to wrap her arms around his shoulders, allowing Anko to quickly lean forward and nuzzle her head into her boytoy's chest.

"Carry me." Anko order as she continued to nuzzle against Kakashi.

"Sure thing, dear." Kakashi replied as he handed her the brown paper bag full of her food before sweeping her off her feet and carrying her to the blue loveseat in the center of the room, the only furniture in the room at all.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, several floors higher up on the tower, inside the stairway._

"Anko has already encountered him, and although 4 squads of Anbu have been dispatched into the Forest they haven't located him yet." Hiruzen explained as he walk up the dimly-lit stairway.

"I see - so it's even more grim than I feared." A man walking behind the 3rd Hokage replied, the shadows of the stairway concealing his figure and torso.

"Yes, barring the complaints of your antics and 'research', your arrival is most welcomed." Hiruzen stated as both he and the individual walking behind him quickly began approaching a sliding door infront of them.

"Jiraiya." Hiruzen remarked with a slight smile on his face, as he slid the door infront of him open, illuminating both himself and the man behind him in light, happy to see a student return to the village or atleast one that returned without trying to destroy it.

"Dare I say there isn't a man alive who doesn't appreciate the work that my research inspires." Jiraiya responded with a mischievous grin as he walked behind his Sensei in the hallway that had just entered from the stairway.

"Hm - yes." Hiruzen remarked as he raised his left hand to his face and pulled down the tip of his Hokage hat slightly, attempting to hide the blush that covered his face.

"Anyway..." Jiraiya spoke out, the previous humor that filled his tone completely disappearing as he took on a much more serious voice.

"This is curious, why would he return now? After all these years? What is there to gain?" Jiraiya asked as both he and his sensei continued to walk through the hallway together.

"I know Orochimaru better than anyone, he always has a reason, a method to his madness." Jiraiya explained.

"There is a reason he has returned, something he is after, something that will benefit him." Jiraiya concluded as he raised his right hand to his face before wrapping his fingers around his chin as he walked.

"He knows the time to strike is now, he knows that no one alive in this village could defeat him, not even me I fear." Hiruzen replied.

"Is that why you summoned me back?" Jiraiya asked.

"No - the reason I summoned you is of far more importantance." Hiruzen responded, causing his student walking behind him to tilt his head slightly to the right in confusion, still gripping his chin.

"More important than Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes - do you recall those 3 orphans from the Land of Rain, the ones you trained during the 2nd Shinobi War." Hiruzen replied.

"Huuuu - of course." Jiraiya sighed out in defeat as he released his chin from his grasp before raising his head slightly and staring up at the maple wood ceiling above him as he walked.

"I'll never forget them, they were all one of a kind." Jiraiya responded as he continued to stare up at the ceiling, his mind so far away that his eyes weren't even affected by the lights overhead.

"Yahiko, Konan and of course Nagato." Jiraiya spoke, the image of Nagato's eyes searing itself into his mind as he spoke, the image of the Rinnegan.

"And that boy - Nagato - his eyes..." Hiruzen responded, allowing his sentence to trail off as if he was waiting for Jiraiya to finish it.

"Yes - the eyes of legend, the eyes of that belonged to the Sage of Six Paths..." Jiraiya replied as he downcast his gaze and stared at his Sensei that was walking infront of him.

"The Rinnegan." Jiraiya spoke, causing several brief moments of silence to fill the hallway him and his Sensei walked down.

"You say you trained the boy, how was his progress?" Hiruzen asked.

"He mastered every single jutsu I taught him, what took me years to learn only took 3 weeks." Jiraiya replied.

"Not only was he able to flawlessly preform A-rank jutsu at the age of 10 but he also demonstrated the ability to achieve all 6 changes in chakra nature, which is unheard of in a single person." Jiraiya explained.

"Even you, someone known as the God of Shinobi, can only achieve 5 manipulations in chakra nature, and that is after decades of experince and training." Jiraiya remarked.

"Nagato achieved all 6, in a matter of weeks." Jiraiya stated.

"He was well versed in dozens of jutsu, demonstrating such control that even an elite Jonin couldn't accomplish, he could preform Fire Style at one moment then Water Style the next, accomplishing a feat that should have been impossible for anyone his age." Jiraiya spoke.

"And to think - he accomplished all this at just 10 years old, something that has taken other Shinobi entire life times to fulfill." Jiraiya asserted.

"Of all the Doijutsu known in this world, the Rinnegan is claimed to be the most empyrean, as if they were the eyes of a God." Jiraiya explained.

"The legends say that the father of the all Shinobi, the Sage of Six Paths, used the Rinnegan to create the moon itself." Jiraiya remarked.

"The legends also say that the eyes are a tool of God, capable of bringing holy salvation to this world in any time of chaos..." Jiraya spoke.

"Or - a tool of destruction that will wipe out and erase everything in existence, returning this world to how it was in the beginning, returning it to nothing." Jiraiya stated.

In my dream, I saw that you'd become a great Shinobi, perverted and all. A giant, wrinkle covered toad spoke aloud inside Jiraiya's mind.

And in time, you will have a student of your own. The enormous toad asserted.

That student will become a Ninja that will bring about great change to the Shinobi world. The large toad explained before his eyes opened slightly and stared down at the young kneeling Jiraiya infront of him, as if this was a memory from decades ago.

Change of great stability and peace or of unending destruction and death. The toad stated.

"I truly believed Nagato was that child, a child destined to bring about great peace and salvation to our hate-filled world..." Jiraiya mumbled out in a depressed tone as he downcast his head, staring at the feet of his Sensei walking infront of him.

"When I heard all 3 of them had been killed during the 3rd Shinobi War, I was devastated." Jiraiya admitted.

"When I realized Nagato possessed those eyes, I felt relieved - I felt like I had came across my destiny, my foretold student." Jiraiya explained.

"Only for this Shinobi world to end him, as it has so many others..." Jiraiya sighed in depression.

"Then perhaps, destiny shines upon you again." Hiruzen remarked, causing Jiraiya to raise his gaze and direct it towards the back of his Sensei walking infront of him.

"What? Just what are you saying?" Jiraiya asked.

"The reason I summoned you here, the Rinnegan has surfaced inside a child of this village."

"Are you serious? When? How? Which child?" Jiraiya asked as he stopped walking mid-stride, to overwhelmed from the thoughts now racing through his mind.

"I would not have summoned you if I wasn't serious." Hiruzen replied as he stopped in the hallway, standing 5 feet infront of his student with his back directed towards him.

"As for when, I can not say, but ever since the death of a certain leaf Shinobi, strange circumstances have surrounded this child." Hiruzen spoke as the Image of Iruka flew through his mind.

"How - that is a good question, sadly it isn't one I can answer." Hiruzen stated.

"And as for the child..." Hiruzen remarked as he turned around, using his left hand to push up his Hokage hat slightly so he could look his student directly in the eyes.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Hiruzen asserted.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, higher up the tower, on the balcony extending from the 16th floor, 2 floors below the top._

The midnight sky was Illuminated by the blazing fire that roared underneath it, scorching the Forest of Death for over 6 hours now as smoke continued to bellow and rise upwards, forcing the night sky to become much darker than usual.

The clouds were black and dense, causing the moon to appear more bright and vibrant than usual asthe smell of smoke filled the air, mixed with the smell of burning bark, grass, leafs and even flesh, suggesting some candidates had fell victim to the air.

The balcony extended over 10 ft outward from the tower and resembled more of a observation deck than a balcony, both the deck and the 4ft tall railing that lined it were painted forest green.

The pathway leading from the door was narrow, only 5 ft wide and 5 ft long before opening up to a circular area that was also 5 ft in length with a green banner protruding upward from the green railing that lined it.

The background of the banner was the same color and tone as the railing it was placed inside, a hole having been screwed into the top board of the railing to allow the banner to slide in and remain stable in place.

At the center of the banner was the red swirl symbol that decorated the Headbands of Konoha, aswell as so many other things in the village, the banner gently blowing from the midnight breeze, as powerful breezes of wind were common in the Land of Fire.

I haven't changed at all - have I Sensei? Naruto asked himself as he sat atop the railing beside the rustling banner, staring off in the distance at the fire he created.

I'm still the same child that failed you. Naruto concluded to himself.

All I could do was tell them to run - like how you told me. Naruto reminded himself.

He was so close, so close to my friends, and I could barely stop him. Naruto thought, remarking to how dangerously close Shiore had come to harming his friends.

All the Jutsu I've learned, all the books I read, everything I knew, I used everything against him. Naruto told himself as the imagine of the man he knew as Shiore flashed into his mind.

And it was nothing to him...All my training, all my studying - it was completely useless. Naruto thought to himself.

If I can't even keep my friends safe, how can I call myself a Shinobi - how can I call myself your student? Naruto asked himself as the smiling face of Iruka appeared in his mind.

I need more Jutsu Sensei - I need more power - power to keep everyone safe. Naruto concluded to himself.

Zabuza, Haku, Kakashi and even the scrolls or books I've read, none of it is enough, I need more, but where? Who could teach me, who could show me such power? Naruto asked himself as he raised his gaze towards the moon hovering in the dark night sky above.

His bangs fell and departed due to his movement, revealing his violet, ripple pattern eyes that glared up at the vibrant moon, staring at it for several moments with his unblinking eyes.

Jutsu far beyond anything I've ever seen, Jutsu no one could stand against, but who could teach it to me? Naruto once again asked himself.

Lord Gramps is too busy being Hokage, and most the stuff he knows I've already read about anyway, I need something that isn't documented, something that isn't common, somethin- Naruto told himself only for his train of thought to be cut short as the sliding door leading to the deck he sat on flew open.

This sound caused Naruto to turn his head around, his movement forcing his bangs to fall infront of his eyes and conceal them from view, as he stared at the individual who just opened the door, a individual he had never seen before

"Whew - its hot in there, smart move coming out here for this breeze." The unknown Shinobi spoke in a friendly tone as he slid the door behind him close and began strolling towards Naruto.

He was a tall and well-built man in well into adulthood, Naruto guessed he was easily over 50 years old, he had fair-skin and a wart on the left side of his nose with waist-length, spiky white hair that was tied in a pony tail in the back, with two shoulder-length bangs framing his face.

There were red painted lines under his eyes which extended from each of his eyes going all the way to the bottom of his cheeks, he wore a green short shirt, long sleeved kimono with matching pants, under which mesh armour was visible at his wrists and ankles.

He also wore green plated hand guards that matched the same tone of his kimono, a black belt, red wooden sandals that Naruto found odd, and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side.

He carried a large scroll on his back horizontal, with the end of his pony tail drapping over it slightly and had a small, barely noticeable tattoo on his left palm, with a horned forehead protector that had the kanji for "oil" on it, something Naruto had never seen before.

"I just love a good midnight breeze, don't you?" The unnamed man asked with a grin as he stood directly behind Naruto, the latter's head still turned around and looking at him.

"U-uh yea, I like them to." Naruto asked as he turned back around and once again stared out at the forest fire raging in the distance.

He had been on alert all morning during the 2nd Exam, and even shortly after arriving to the temple as he grew supicious and concerned of all the individuals he didn't know, however he felt oddly secure next to the person who just joined him outside.

"How long do you think that fire is going to burn?" Naruto asked, eager to know how much damage he had caused, he didn't want to set the forest on fire but he had to protect his friends.

"Well the Exam still has 4 more days to go, and the Hokage can't just go in and order it extinguished, that would cheapen the Exam." The man replied as he leaned against the railing Naruto sat out, placing his forearms horizontally atop the railing, parrallel to one another.

"Yea, I guess that is true." Naruto admitted.

"Speaking of the Exam, I hear you already finished it, amazing." The unnamed man complimented.

"In 97 minutes, that is incredible, I'm proud of you." The man spoke, causing Naruto to turn his head to the right and stare at the man from underneath his bangs.

"Y-your proud of me?" Naruto mumbled out.

"Of course kiddo." The man replied as he glanced up at the moon infront of them before gripping the top of Naruto's head with his left hair then gently brushing it in an Iruka-like fashion.

Naruto stared up at the man in utter confusion, the man was smiling as he looked up at the moon above them while he continued to brush and rub Naruto's hair for several moments.

"I always believed in you, there wasn't a single doubt in my mind you would pass the Exam, but even I must admit, I am shocked at the sheer speed of which you finished it, you broke a record kiddo." The man remarked.

"Whats your secret kiddo?" The man asked as he turned his face to the left and stared at Naruto.

His hair, its the same way Nagato had his back then, the Rinnegan, is it behind those bangs? The man asked himself as Naruto tore his gaze away from him and glanced up towards the moon.

As Naruto tilted his head upward, it caused his bangs to fall and depart from his face, revealing the entirety of his right eye, an eye that awed the man beside him, an eye he had seen before.

"Well..." Naruto murmured out as his eyes stared up at the moon above him, his left eye concealed by his bangs while the right was revealed to the world.

"I haven't had much in my life, but what I do have, I cherish more then anything." Naruto replied, causing the man beside him to grin.

"I have friends, and people who care about me - and I care about them." Naruto spoke.

"I just want to protect those people, no matter what type of pain I may be forced to endure." Naruto stated, causing the eyes of the man beside him to bulge and quiver, overwhelmed by the words he was hearing.

Those eyes, that hair, those words - Nagato - Is that you Nagato? The man thought to himself as his pupils continued to tremble.

I-is this-reincarnation? The man asked himself, unable to believe this was simple coincidence.

A sign - this is my second chance - my destiny. The man told himself as he began to smile deeply towards the boy sitting beside me.

"I see." He replied as he continued to brush Naruto's hair with his left hair while directing his gaze towards the moon, staring at it just as Naruto was, allowing several seconds of silence to bloom.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to teach you then, Naruto." The man remarked, causing Naruto to tear his gaze away from the moon and direct it towards the old man beside him.

"Teach me? Aren't you alittle too old?" Naruto asked, causing the man beside him too fall on his knees, slamming the bridge of his nose into the railing Naruto sat on.

"Oi! Watch who your talking to kid! I taught the 4th Hokage!" The man retorted as he peeled his face off of the railing, his nose bleeding from the impact of his fall, creating 2 streaks of blood that protruded from his nose, one from each nostril, they matched the red painted lines on his face quite well.

"Oooooh! The 4th Hokage?" Naruto awed as he spun his body to the right before he began sitting indian style atop the railing, gripping his ankles with each hand.

"Yes - truly I am incredible." The man remarked as he stood up and crossed his arms against his chest, attempting to look cool but forgetting he still had blood pouring from his nose.

"But - who are you?" Naruto asked.

"Oh - right, excuse me." The man replied as he turned to the left then took 10 steps away from Naruto, before erupting into a puff of smoke.

"THANK YOU FOR ASKING!" The man yelled aloud from inside the puff of smoke, his body concealed from sight.

"Hermit, Sage, Legend, Writer - I have many titles!" The man declared from inside the puff of smoke.

"The Frog Hermit they say - but that is only a disguise kid!" The man explained as Naruto tilted his head in confusion at the scene unfolding infront of him.

"My name is known through all lands - East, West, North and South." The man spoke as he began spinning his head in a counter clock-wise fashion, spinning his long pony tail like a fan and belowing all the smoke around him away.

"Mount Myouboku's #1 Monk and Sage..." The man asserted as he continued to spin his head and the hair attached to it, revealing a small 3ft large toad that he stood on.

"MASTER - JIRAIYAAAAAAAA!" Jiraiya screamed aloud as he positioned his hand hand behind his body with his left hand infront, his left palm directed towards Naruto and his right towards the door he walked through.

"Who-Who-Who." An unseen Owl taunted, as if it was mocking the man, causing him to downcast his head in defeat and shame.

"A Sage?" Naruto asked, curious as this wasn't the first time he had heard that word during the 2nd stage of the Chunin Exams.

"Oh yea - stick with me, and you'll go far." Jiraiya replied as his expression uplifted itself and he smiled towards the blond boy infront of him.

"But what does it mean to be a Sage?" Naruto questioned.

"Hmmmmmm - a good question." Jiraiya replied as he wrapped the fingers of his right hand around his chin while he glanced up at the moon.

"Well a Sage is someone renown for their wisdom and power, someone who is connected to the world, and all the creatures that live in it." Jiraiya spoke as he continued to stare up at the moon.

"Connected? To the world?" Naruto asked.

"Yea, its rather complicated to explain, but don't worry, I'm sure you'd make a great Sage someday." Jiraiya chuckled.

"Are you gonna teach me?!" Naruto screamed as he leapt up from the railing before raising his clenched fists infront of his jawline partially concealed jawline.

"Now now Naruto, lets start slow theres some food downstairs, lets go eat." Jiraiya replied as he directed his right hand towards Naruto and waved it up and down in a vertical manner.

At the mention of food Naruto's stomach rumbled, he hadn't eaten all day since he was so focused on the morning events inside the Forest of Death and the thoughts that followed him after.

"That sounds great, do they have Ramen?" Naruto asked, his clenched fists still held infront of his jawline partially concealed jawline.

"I'm told several restraurants have donated food for the Exam, I'm sure they have some Ramen." Jiraiya replied, much to the delight of Naruto.

"Move!" Naruto screamed as he rushed pass Jiraiya before throwing the slide down open and disappearing out of view, he was in such a hurry that he forgot to ask where the food was being served.

"Huuuu - No one has respect for legends these days, it really puts a damper on my writing." Jiraiya sighed as he slowly began to trail after the blond boy who just disappeared who view, eager to reaffirm his purpose and destiny.

* * *

 _5 days later, 9:30am, June 1st 58SSP._

"First off, congratulations on passing the 2nd stage of the Exam." Anko declared with her right hand placed in her trench coat and her left arm hanging by her side.

A group of 21 Genin stood infront of Anko and the 16 assorted Sensei's, Proctors and even the 3rd Hokage, 8 proctors stood in a slanted horizontal fashion infront of the 7 Squadleaders for the teams present, 5 of the them belonging to the Leaf village and one each for the Sound and Sand village.

They all stood in a large room, easily 80ft by 60ft, with concrete floors and walls, large railing ran up and trailed against both sides of this room, with the southern path leading to a massive, doorless entry point, while the north was decorated with a pair of stone hands pressed together into the Ram Seal, with several large screens TV screens behind it.

The Squadleaders all stood on a slightly raised platform directly behind the 3rd Hokage, on each side of the Hokage 4 different Proctors stood, each of them there for a specific task and each of them carrying a clipboard.

There were 78 runts when I got a hold of them, now theres only 21 left, not bad Anko not bad. Anko told herself as she smirked with delight.

I said I was going to make atleast half drop, but I really wasn't expecting anymore than 3 teams to make it this far, its amazing all the 9 rookiees made it. Anko noted as she observed the dirt covered members of team 10.

"I'm hungry." Choji muttered aloud.

"There's still this many people left? How troublesome." Shikamaru sighed as he placed his dirt covered hand against the right side of his waist.

"Sasuke's team is here too." Ino spoke in a nendearing tone as she glanced to the right towards her ideal boyfriend while positioning her dirt covered hands infront of her mud-covered outfit.

"Of course." Shikamaru replied as he glanced 2 rows to his right and 3 rows forward towards Naruto before glaring at the back of the individuals head for several moments.

"Your team doesn't appear to have a single scratch, not bad Ka-Ka-Shi." Guy mocked out as he still slight to the right of his long time rival and friend.

"Your team must be pretty good." Guy concluded.

"Or perhaps the were just lucky." Guy asserted.

"But as long as my team is here, they can't go any further." Guy explained as he slightly downcast his head before shaking it side to side while a smirk formed on his face.

"Since in the next stage, personal abilites will be critical - and I doubt your students will have anything to off against mine." Guy confidently stated as he closed his eyes and aloud a bright-teeth showing smile to form on his face, his teeth radiating a brief sparkle of light.

"The truth is sweat and sour, sometimes it's even strict, Ka-Ka-Shi." Guy smirked out, his eyes still closed and his face still downcast slightly.

"Hm?" Kakashi hummed out as he slowly turned his head to the right before directng his attention towards the man that stood there.

"Did you say something?" Kakashi mumbled out.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Guy screamed out in defeat as he placed both his palms horizontally atop his head, his scream garnishing the attention and gaze of everyone present in the room, even the 3rd Hokage.

Somethings never change I suppose. Hiruzen thought to himself as he sighed loudly.

That was pretty good, worthy of being called my rival Kakashi! Guy concluded to himself as he raised his twitching clenched right fist to his chest while staring down in defeat and shame at the humiliation his rival had just forced him to endure.

Abruptly a bright aura of faded orange fire began to erupt from and surround Guy as his thoughts, rage and compliments for his rival dashed through his mind.

The attack is somewhat 'modern' as the kids would say - its a sick burn...and that pisses me off. Guy concluded to himself, his hand still twitching in mid-air.

"So that's Guy-Sensei's eternal rival, the one he's been telling us about." Tenten spoke with a vibrant smile on her face.

"The one he wouldn't shut up about, correct." Neji replied with his arms crossed infront of his chest.

Guy-Sensei completely losses to him in terms of looks, but... Tenten concluded to herself.

"There's no way he is stronger than Guy-Sensei." Tenten spoke, reaffirming Lee's each thoughts.

"Guy-Sensei is the coolest among all the teaches, He's shining!" Lee screamed as he mimicked his Sensei and held his own twitching clenched right fist infront of his chest.

"I WILL SHINE TOO SENSEI!" Lee screamed.

Oh no - he's exactly like Guy. Asuma remarked to himself.

"That a boy Lee - make me proud!" Guy responded as he dramaticly launched a thumbs up towards his student, who promptly reponsed by dropping to the ground and preforming push-ups.

"YES! GUY-SENSEI!" Lee yelled while tears of love began pouring from his eyes.

"LEE!" Guy replied.

"GUY-SENSEI!" Lee responded.

"LEE!" Guy echoed.

"GUY-SENSEI!" Lee repeated.

"Mhm." Hiruzen coughed out, quickly quieting the two as he attempted to reattain some level of control and order.

The ones that stood out before are still left, just like I thought. Neji assured himself as his gaze shot in several different directions and angles, studying the other 20 ninja that stood around him.

Even him... Neji reminded himself as he glared at the Uchiha child directly to his left, the latter completely ignoring him as if he was nothing at all.

Sasuke Uchiha. Neji told himself, hoping that he would face the individual beside him before the Exam end, he was eager to prove the superiority of the Hyuga.

"Look, all the weak rookiees from the leaf made it this face, this'll be a breeze." Zaku scoffed.

"Agreed." Dozu hummed out.

Only 7 teams out of the original 26 are here. Temari concluded to herself.

So you're unharmed, just as I suspected - Gaara. A unknown man thought to himself as he stood beside the other Sensei for the candidates who had made it this far.

He was a very tall man with dirt colored skin and two distinctive, red markings on the right side of his face the only visible part of his head as the rest was being covered by his turban-like head gear and a sheet that hung from it on the left side of his face, with his headband tied over that and the standard attire worn for all Sand Shinobi.

Hm - Akamaru is acting weird. Kurenai noted to herself as she squinted her eyes and observed the companion her student kept, the dog trembling from his place inside Kiba's jacket as his head popped out of the collar just infront of Kiba's chin.

Its not just one of them, its both of them. Kiba concluded as his eyes shot in between Gaara and Naruto.

Its the level of chakra their releasing, but the Exam is over, why are they releasing so much? Where are they even getting it, especially that runt Naruto? Kiba asked himself.

Na-Naruto passed, I'm so glad. Hinata told herself as she positioned both of her hands infront of herself before pressing each of her index fingers together as she began twirling her fingers.

So this many remain...And most of them are new. Hiruzen thought to himself.

No wonder they were recommended by their teachers, they indeed were each fully ready for this Exam. Hiruzen told himself.

"We will now have an explanation of the 3rd Exam from the 3rd Hokage, so shut up and listen." Anko barked out.

"Mhm-MMHMM" Hiruzen coughed out as he took 4 steps forward and attempted to clear his throat before he spoke.

"The 3rd Exam will begin, but before the explanation, theres one thing I want to make clear to all of you." Hiruzen stated with his unlit pipe dangling from his mouth as his hands were held behind his back.

"Its about the true purpose of these Exams." Hiruzen explained as he used his right hand to pull his Hokage hat down slightly and conceal his eyes.

True purpose? Sakura asked herself.

"To maintain good relations with the allied nations and heighten the level of ninja in our world." Hiruzen stated.

"This Exam is the epitome of a war between the allied nations." Hiruzen remarked to the shock of several candidates infront of him.

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked aloud.

"If we go back through history, the allied nations right now were once neighboring countries that have fought each other over and over again." Hiruzen replied.

"To avoid wasting military power, those countries decided to choose a place to fight - that is how these Exams first began." Hiruzen explained.

"This is much more than just an Exam to locate and determine those among you fit to be called Chunin." Hiruzen asserted.

"It's a place for you all to fight on behalf of your country's dignity and honor." Hiruzen spoke.

"Country's dignity?" Sakura asked rhetorically, much more concerned about what was in Sasuke's pants instead of her country's honor.

"In this 3rd Exam, feudal lords, famous individuals and even fellow Kage from various countries all visit, some for the entertainment and others are potential future clients scoping out reliable ninja." Hiruzen proclaimed.

"As such, feudal lords, important actors or Shinobi and even Kage will view your battles and progress." Hiruzen stated.

"B-battles?" Sakura asked.

"The 3rd stage of the Exams are a series of one-on-one matches, with the finals leaving only 1 individual to stand atop all the others." Hiruzen replied.

"Therefore, if there is a significant difference in power, the stronger country will be flooded with jobs, if a country is seen as weak they lose jobs." Hiruzen explained.

"While at the same time, countries are able to show their village has grown and possess excellecent military power to the adjacent countries, it is this concept that is used as a deterant for future wars and conflict." Hirzuen remarked, his words inspiring great interest from Naruto.

"With that in mind, this 3rd and final stage of these Exam will be a battle where you fight with your life on the line." Hiruzen stated.

"What!? Why are we expected to do that?" Kiba questioned.

"A village's power is a ninja's power, and since a ninja's true power is only born in life-or-death battle, that is what we as the judges for the next generation shall accomplish." Hiruzen responded.

"And in that life-or-death battle, ninja from their villages can preform unique jutsu and power, honoring and raising the prestige of their village." Hiruzen explained.

"You said maintain good relations, how are those good?" Tenten asked.

"A custom of saving one's life and fighting to maintain an alliance, those are the good relations we compete for in these Exams." Hiruzen replied.

"This is a life-or-death battle for your dream and the dignity of your village." Hiruzen asserted.

My dream.. Sakura thought to herself as her eyes glanced towards Sasuke.

"I don't care." Gaara replied in an emotionless tone with his arms crossed infront of his chest.

"Tell of the details of this life-or-death battle and lets begin." Gaara demanded.

"Very well - Hayate." Hiruzen responded, his voice causing a kneeling figure to appear in a blur of leaf's infront of the Hokage, for some reason using the body flicker technique instead of just walking infront of them.

"Yes lord Hokage, I, Gekko Hayate as the judge for the 3rd Exam will explain." Hayate replied as he remained knelt infront of the 3rd Hokage, his left knee placed atop the floor with his head bowed and the forearm of his right arm resting atop his right knee.

"Hm." Hiruzen hummed out as he nodded in approval, causing Hayate to stand up straight.

He had short brown hair, dark-coloured eyes and dark markings under his eyes suggesting he didn't get alot of sleep, he wore the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with a forehead protector that he wore as a bandanna, flak jacket and regular blue Shinobi shoes, he also carried a katana with a rectangular hand guard strapped over his back.

"Everyone, its nice to meet you." Hayate spoke with his back directed towards the 21 surviving candidates, before he soon became to wheeze and cough repeatedly for over 20 seconds.

Geez should this guy even be here? Sakura asked herself as Hayate turned around and continued to cough into his right hand, the hand he held over his mouth.

"Now then, before the 3rd Exam begins...there's something you all need to do." Hayate explained before he once again became overwhelmed by a series of chronic coughs.

"Fight in some preliminary matches to see who gets to advance to the 3rd Exams main match, usually we wouldn't do this but since there is such a larger amount of you remaining we have no choice." Hayate stated.

"According to Chunin regulations, I must decrease the number of candidates for the 3rd Exam, I don't know how you all made it here, I guess the 1st and 2nd Exams were easy, but I can't allow any weaklings to take up a time-slot in the main event." Hayate spoke.

"As previously mentioned by the lord 3rd Hokage, there are many important guests that visit the 3rd stage of the Exams, and I, as it proctors do not plan for any of them to be disappointed." Hayate asserted.

"So those who aren't feeling well-" Hayate's statement became cut-off mid-sentence as he began overwhelmed by a series of harsh and chronic coughs.

Is this guy okay? Ino asked herself.

"You seem to be the one whose not feeling well, Sensei." Hinata muttered out sheepishly.

"Excuse me - now, would anyone like to quit?" Hayate asked as he raised his clipboard from his side with his right hand and positioned it infront of his chest.

"After or if someone quits, we will begin the preliminary matches immediately." Hayate spoke.

"I-immediately?" Ino sighed out in defeat as she downcast her head in depression.

"Oh man - what a drag, we literally just got here." Shikamaru complained.

"What about a meal?" Choji asked.

"Food has been donated for all candidates present in the past 5 days, if you were to slow to arrive on time then you failed to get any." Hayate replied, causing a dark aura to surround the 3 members of team 10 as all of them downcast their heads in defeat.

"I'll quit." Kabuto spoke as he raised his left hand into the air and smiled sheepishly.

"Lets see, lets see." Hayate mumbled to himself as he reader through the page on his clipboard before flipping it and reading the next page, as if he was looking for something.

"Ah yes, I have your name and ID picture here, you may leave now Kabuto." Hayate proclaimed, causing the former candidate to turn around and begin walking out of the room, walking in between his teammates and team 7.

"I've seen him a few times." Hiruzen murmured to himself as Ibiki and Anko stood beside him.

"I believe he retired during the Main Exam last time aswell." Hiruzen noted aloud to himself as the 2 proctors that stood on either side of him.

"What is he thinking?" Hiruzen asked.

"Anko." Ibiki spoke as he glanced towards the Kunoichi, earn a brief nod in agreement from her before she raised her own clipboard infront of her and proceeded to flip several pages on it.

"Kabuto Yakushi, according to our data he has failed six times in a row." Anko spoke as she read the paragraph written on her page aloud.

"What about his personal history?" Hiruzen asked as his eyes slowly slid and directed themselves towards Anko.

"He didn't stand out in his academy years and his grades were normal." Anko read.

"It took him 3 tries just to pass his Academy Graduation Exam." Anko stated.

"Since then he has done 2 C-rank missions and 14 D-rank ones." Anko proclaimed.

"He doesn't have any outstanding accomplishments at all, barely above a runt I'd say." Anko stated as she tore her gaze from her clipboard and directed it towards the back of Kabuto, before he left the room then walked behind a corner, vanishing from sight.

"Except..." Anko murmured.

"Except what?" Hiruzen asked.

"There is something that occurred before his days in the Academy." Anko replied.

"Hmmmm?" Hiruzen hummed out in response.

"Do you remember the story of the boy that was brought back from the Kikyo Battle Pass?" Anko asked as she directed her attention towards the seasoned 3rd Hokage.

"Yes - a Jonin from the medic squad took custody of an enemy boy that was left behind on the battlefield." Hiruzen responded

"So - he is that boy - interesting." Hiruzen remarked, during all of this the unnamed Sensei of team Dosu stood behind the seasoned 3rd Hokage, smiling in a twisted and sadistic fashion towards the man infront of him.

"I assumed there are no more people who wish to retire?" Hayate asked after finishing a 10 second long coughing-fit, clearly he was affected with some type of lung disease.

"Wonderful, then let's begin the preliminary matches." Hayate proclaimed as he placed both his hands behind his back, concealing his clipboard from view.

"It will be one-on-one combat, in hopes to better imitate real combat." Hayate explained.

"Lucky for us, now that we have exactly 20 people, we can now have precisely 10 matches." Hayate concluded.

"The remaining 10 of you will then advance to the final 3rd stage of the Exam." Hayate asserted.

"There are no rules - you will fight until the other person dies, is knocked out or admits defeat." Hayate proclaimed.

"If you are afraid to die, please give up immediately." Hayate ordered.

"That only other exception is if I, the judge, deem the match to be over for specific and special circumstances, I may even be able to prevent any unnecessary deaths." Hayate explained.

"Now, please pay direct attention to the TV screens behind me, out of all 5, pay specific attention to the one in the top left top, that is the one that holds your destiny." Hayate spoke as he pointed towards the specific TV screen with his right thumb from over his shoulder.

And now, without further ado, I shall let the screen just the first match at random." Hayate asserted as the TV lining the wall turned alive with several yellow colored Kanji symbols dashing, floating and flicking in place.

Oh please don't put me against Naruto or that Sand guy - it would be such a drag. Shikamaru thought to himself.

You better hope you and I don't get matched up Naruto, or else I'll have to show you what I'm truly capable of. Kiba remarked to himself as he grinned, eager to prove that he was stronger than the deadlast blond boy that stood in the same room as him.

Beside's, if we put him in his place - hopefully Akamaru will start feeling better. Kiba told himself as he glanced down at the trembling companion in his jacket.

I already failed lord Orochimaru by not reaching these runts in the forest, if I'm matched with any of them it'll be their complete end. Dosu concluded to himself, knowing better than to fail Orochimaru more than once.

Abruptly the yellow Kanji that dotted and decorated the TV screen began to slow down, indicting that the screen was about to select the first match of the Preliminary Exam.

This is it Neji, this is the moment when the weak triumph over the strong, GUY-SENSEI! Lee told himself as he raised both his clenched fists to his jawline in excitement.

Sasuke, this is when I prove how badass I am, this is when you fall madly in love with me. Sakura assured herself as she crossed her arms against her nonexistent chest while smiling confidently.

I hope I get matched against Ms. Forehead, that's honestly my only hope of winning. Ino told herself.

This is it - this is the moment I've been waiting for. Sasuke thought to himself as he stared nonchalantly at the shifting Kanji's that constantly changed on the TV screen above.

The sooner this gets done, the sooner I can start training with Jiraya. Naruto reminded himself, he hadn't seen the 'Sage' since that first night he met him, since he said he had important duties and research to conduct in the village for several days Naruto tried not to think much of it.

Soon the TV screen frozen as 2 specific names were plastered across the screen in yellow Kanji letters, this offically marked the end of the 2nd stage for the Chunin Exams and the beginning for the 3rd.


	22. Chapter 22

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: GunBlade2018 - In terms of the Preliminary Matches the basic overall layout will remain the same with my own touch and a handful of plot development sprinkled in, so I will indeed be spicing it up - quite a lot in terms of Team 7 specifically.**

 **However in terms of the finals, like Neji vs Naruto, Temari vs Shikamaru, Gaara vs Sasuke - yea none of that shit is happening, none of them, not a single match that occurred in canon will occur in this series.**

 **I say this now because I don't my readers to expect something that won't happen.**

 **jtcookie96 - You are correct, canon Anko refused to use her Seal, no excuses at all, this actually contributes to the Land of Sea arc in Part 1 Naruto (Episodes 169-173) the arc in which Isaribi is introduced.**

 **However, if she didn't use her Seal, I saw the fight as being rather pathetic and dull. I saw her using her Seal against Orochimaru as accepting she couldn't overwhelm him with her own power and as a result decided to use the Seal.**

 **We all know how the canon confrontation between Anko and Orochimaru ended, she was fucking garbage. And since Anko will have a massive role in Kakashi's plot, I wanted to tweak and mold her character slightly.**

 **I wanted to display that fight and give her more attention and justice than she was given in the anime.**

 **Ryu Razuhy Lucifre -** **When Nagato first invades Konoha, and briefly before Konan asks him "Why? Why go this far?" There is a scene where the pupils of his Rinnegan shrink and condense, as the world of color around him changed to one of black and white.**

 **This scene indicts 2 things:** **1.( The Rinnegan can perceive color and upon the will/activation of the user, it can 'activate' itself, allowing the user to perceive chakra networks, and the chakra of individuals.**

 **2.( The Rinnegan gives its user 2 fields of vision (ignoring all the clone stuff) - those fields of vision being a regular colored field, something people would consider normal and also a field of view similar if not superior to the Byakugan, the view of the chakra network.**

 **You state alot of facts and indeed evidence, all of which I thank you for taking the time to type and review, criticism is a valued tool. And I'm glad people take time out of their day to review my work.**

 **Without debate,** **w** **ithout criticism - no administration, government or concept could succeed. So I the writer depend on you the readers for criticism and debate.**

 **When I say activate, I am not referring to Naruto turning off/on his Rinnegan and reverting to his old blue eyes. No evidence has ever been given for any user of the Rinnegan to deactivate their eyes.**

 **I believe this is all a misunderstanding, Naruto's blue eyes are long gone, there is only the Rinnegan. In my** **opinion, deactivating the Rinnegan and turning it off like the Byakugan or Sharingan spits in the face to Naruto as a series.**

 **I believe your review is a product of confusion and misunderstanding. This is something that I take direct responsibility for my failure to display in a proper way to you the reader but I've heavily edited that paragraph to fix my mistake.**

 **hexmaster23 -** **Sakura has to grow and develop just like Sasuke and Naruto already have.** **I can't write Sakura in a mature and developed fashion from the very 1st chapter, as that would be lazy.**

 **In regards to Kabuto's Sensei, Anko's Genin teammate and one of the 3 students of Anko alongside a 3rd unnamed Shinobi.**

 **I had to just make up a name for him and I can find no evidence of this indiviudal being aware of the Konoha Crush. He even cheered on his leaf comrades and attended the 3rd Hokage's funeral, mourning him.**

 **With all that knowledge in mind, Kabuto's Sensei won't be a spy, nor will he be a villian, he will be loyal to the leaf just like Anko and I plan to flesh out their relationship since they were both on the same Genin team.**

 **After some extensive research I've found out guns are canon to Naruto, even shotguns, which while weird I guess kinda makes since considering how fucking batshit crazy the Asura Path for the Rinnegan is.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

 **Chapter 22: Preliminary Matches?! The Few Become Fewer.**

* * *

 _9:43am Wednesday, June 1st 58SSP._

'Yoroi Akadou VS Sasuke Uchiha" The yellow Kanji displayed across the massive screen of the TV that lined the wall infront of the 20 remaining candidates.

"Hmph." Sasuke huffed out as he grinned in a confident and mischievous manner, clearly happy at the outcome.

Right off the bat, eh? Lets see how fast I can breeze through this. Sasuke thought to himself as he stared at the screen that had his and his opponents name scribbled on it, a grin still wide on his face.

My lord - this is the perfect chance. Yoroi told himself as he peered through the black tinted lens of the glasses he wore, staring at the smiling Sound Shinobi who was the Sensei of team Dosu.

He wore black tinted sunglasses that obscured his eyes, the frames of these glasses were so thin and petite that they weren't even visible, tied around his head was the Headband for the Village Hidden in the Leafs, which he wore like a bandanna.

His lower face was greatly concealed by the mask he wore around his mouth that hung down to his chin, his outfit was the exact same as Kabuto's except for the bandanana worn on his head and the mask covering his face, both of these things greatly obscured the short, spiky black hair on his head.

"Those whose names were displayed, step forward." Hayate ordered before raising his left clenched fist to his face and coughing into it several times before returning his hand behind his back.

Sasuke and Yoroi then both stepped forward, walking through the gaps between their fellow candidates and towards the proctor for the 3rd stage of the Exams, whose right hand was gripping his clipboard behind his back while his left was grasping his right wrist.

"Now, the first fighters for these matches are Yoroi Akadou and Sasuke Uchiha." Hayate explained when both individuals stood only 5 feet infront of him, Sasuke on his right side while Yoroi was on his left, both of them only separated by 3 feet of distance.

"If there are no objections..." Hayate coughed out several times in a harsh manner.

"Everyone other than the two fighters proceed to the catwalks against the walls..." Hayate exclaimed after finally calming his cough.

"There are no restrictions on where you stand, or who you stand with but you must be on one or the other." Hayate spoke.

The 18 remaining candidates each turned their heads in various directions and angles, examining the catwalks as each individual attempted to locate where they would stand, except for Gaara and Naruto who boring stared at Sasuke, each of them thinking drastically different thoughts.

"None from me." Sasuke scoffed, with a grin still on his face as he turned slightly to the right, in a clock-wise motion to face Yoroi, while the latter turned left in a counter clock-wise motion to do the same.

"No." Yoroi replied in a cold tone as the unnamed Sensei of team Dosu continued to smile and glare towards both Yoroi and his Uchiha opponent.

Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph The unknown Sound Shinobi chuckled interally to himself, he wore the iconic ninja outfit that all Shinobi villages adorned, with his pants, shirt and jacket all a shade of dark grey.

Tied around his forehead was the Headband for the Village Hidden in the Sound, a newly formed village, barely 6 months old but invited to the Exams as an act of kindness to the upcoming country that replaced the Land of Rice Fields after a sudden shift in political power, the true knowledge of its creation was still shrowded in mystery.

He was extremely pale-skinned and his hair was dark black, with one bang framing each side of his face extending out from underneath his Headband while the remainder of his hair was tied into a ponytail in the back.

The iris of his eyes were black, with grey reptile-like pupils that extended and stretched vertically forming a slanted appearance, black paint lined and adorned the bottom of his eyes, and his mouth was shaped in the form of a smile, obviously pleased with his surroundings.

Now I get to see how strong my darling is. Ino thought to herself as she and her teammates walked towards the left catwalk, left from Hayate's perspective, with team 8 and team 3 strolling lesiurely behind them.

At that moment, Kabuto's Sensei otherwise known as Songo and Baki both disappeared, preforming the body flicker technique as Songo erupted into a swirl of leaf's while Baki twirled into a mini-cyclone of sand, each of them reappearing atop the right catwalk.

Songo had short, sandy-brown hair and dark eyes, he wore large square glasses along with the standard Konoha outfit with its headband tied around his forehead and iconic blue Shinobi shoes.

The shirt he wore underneath his flack jacket came all the way up to his chin, clinging to it and concealing the lower portion of it.

At the same time as Songo and Baki, Asuma and Kurenai also erupted into a swirling cyclone of leaf's, both of them reappearing on the left catwalk, standing extremely close to one another as they waited for their approaching students.

Unmentioned and unseen, Guy was already standing atop the left catwalk in a relaxed position long before Asuma or Kurenai, suggesting his speed was far superior to theirs.

Unlike the other teachers, Kakashi and the unnamed Sound Sensei decided to walk towards their teams, with Kakashi winking towards Sasuke who nodded in response, suggesting some unseen agreement.

Kakashi then kept walking before soon approaching his other 2 students while the Sound Sensei merely grinned ear to ear when he walked past them all.

"Lets go you 2, we need to clear the floor." Kakashi sighed.

"Are you proud of us Kakashi-Sensei?! Huh?! Huh!?" Sakura asked as she raised her clenched fists to her jawline and glared at her Sensei with dog-like eyes.

"I was told we did great." Sakura stated in an enthusiastic tone.

"Like so great, aren't we great Kakashi-sensei?!" Sakura screamed aloud in a pleading manner, her question reverberating across the large stone room.

"Huuuuuuu." Kakashi scoffed out as he placed his left hand atop Naruto's head before he turned his hand clock-wise, pivoting and turning Naruto around so he was no longer staring at Sasuke.

Facing Sakura now and with his Sensei's hand still on his head, Naruto quickly decided to leap into action, as if he sensed some unseen command or clue from his Sensei.

"The faster we get out of the way, the sooner you can see how strong Sasuke is." Naruto explained as he shrunk his head down slightly, hiding his mouth and nose behind his raised collar as he attempted to conceal his impassive expression.

"OOOOOOoh! Lets go already!" Sakura yelled enthusiastically as she spun around and began running towards the stairs leading up to the left catwalk, left from Hayate's perspective.

"She never slows down, does she." Kakashi asked rhetorically since he already knew the answer.

"Are they safe here Sensei?" Naruto asked as he stared at Sakura from underneath his bangs.

Kakashi thought Naruto was referring to the conversation they had before the 1st stage of the Exam, having no idea that Naruto was in fact talking about the figure known as Shiore that hunted him and his teammates in the forest.

"Of course Naruto, you 3 did extremely well." Kakashi replied nonchalantly, not mentioning that he had watched the surveillance tapes on his teams arrival.

"Lets make room for Sasuke." Kakashi suggested as he gently rubbed the top of Naruto's hair before both he and his student began trailing behind Sakura, the latter having already arrived at the stairway.

As they walked away Naruto turned his head slightly to the left, peering through the bangs that concealed his eyes as he glanced at Sasuke with his left eye one last time before turning completely around, not once did he stop walking.

This will be a piece of cake. Sasuke told himself as he continued to grin confidently.

I was prepared to fight anyone, even Naruto before I walked into this room. Sasuke concluded to himself as his grin grew into a full fledged smiled, suggesting he had something special planned.

"Please take a few steps back, each of you." Hayate ordered causing both the candidates infront of him to take several steps backwards, turning the 3ft cap between them into a 10ft cap.

"Begin." Hayate coughed out as he disappeared in a blur of leaves before quickly reappearing atop the fingers of the massive stone hands extending out from the wall.

"Let's go!" Yoroi screamed out as he clapped both his hands together into the Tiger Seal, with his back directed towards the left catwalk and Sasuke's back directed towards the right catwalk.

Abruptly both of his hands became consumed and engulfed in a transparent aura of blue fire, its appearance made it look like visible chakra itself.

This visible chakra impressed and shocked many of the candidates present, except for those with enough visual power to understand it, and the emotionless Gaara who stood with his arms crossed infront of his chest.

Interesting. Sasuke, Naruto and Neji all thought in unison as each of their eyes pulsated and convulsed while they attempted to get a better view of the seen unfolding infront of them, each of them possessing one of the 3 great Doijutsu.

Sasuke's eyes appeared to twirl and spiral in place before the black of his irsis turned crimson red as the 1 tomoe Sharingan formed on his eyes and he used them to observe the opponent infront of him.

At the same time Neji's eyes bulged as the veins that lead to his eyes protruded and throbbed, coloring his previously white eyes into faded lavender ones, revealing the Byakugan.

During all of this, the pupils of Naruto's violet ripple-patterned eyes shrunk and condensed, as the world of color around him faded and the world of the chakra came into view as he switched from one field of view to another.

Unlike the other 2, Naruto's Doijutsu was already active and infact it always was, one of the strange properties Naruto had noticed about his violet eyes was the appearance that they seemed permanent.

Sasuke was the most disadvantaged of the 3 Doijutsu users, the Sharingan didn't provide the same level of chakra-vision and visual prowess to the extent the Byakugan and Rinnegan did.

Both the Byakugan and Rinnegan allowed its user to flawlessly view the chakra network of an individual or object that contained chakra, both gave their user a drastically increased view of chakra, much more superior than the Sharingan.

Naruto and Neji both began to study and observe the convulsing aura of what appeared to be chakra building up and swirling arounds Yoroi's hands, both of them still pressed together in the Tiger Seal.

His chakra...he's pouring it into his hands? Neji asked himself, confused and puzzled on what Yoroi was attempting to accomplice.

That technique - the pattern that his chakra is forming... Naruto remarked to himself, clearly noticing something Neji didn't.

His chakra is swirling outside his body, not the inside. Naruto told himself.

Ordinary Chakra Isn't visible to bare-eye... Naruto remembered.

Only very powerful individuals can manifest their chakra into a physical, tangible form. Naruto reminded himself as the image of Zabuza floated through his head.

And when they do - their chakra pours from the sweat glands that surround their body. Naruto concluded to himself.

But not this guy... Naruto remarked to himself as his eyes squinted slightly from underneath his bangs.

The chakra didn't release from his sweat glands, nor does it appear to have any effect on the rest of his network. Naruto noted to himself as he observed the seemingly calm and tranquil chakra network inside Yoroi's body.

I've read about this before... Naruto reminded himself as he thought back to the seemingly endless amount of books and scrolls he had read.

Chakra absorption... Naruto concluded to himself.

I've never see a technique like this before, how is he doing that with his chakra? Neji asked himself as he attempted to undercover the secret that Yoroi was displaying.

His chakra - its almost like its forming a shield around his body. Sasuke told himself as he continued to study his opponent.

Unlike the other 2 Doijutsu, the Sharingan couldn't percieve the inner chakra network, but it did allow its user to view chakra and pinpoint the location at which it was coming from, that location being Yoroi.

The Sharingan also allowed its user to see the movement and flow of chakra around the body or object they are staring at atleast, but even though they could see it they couldn't percieve the chakra network it extended from.

Why does he have so much chakra in his hands, and so little everywhere else? Sasuke asked himself.

Suddenly Sasuke gasped as both of Yoroi's arms faded and turned transparent before they dropped to his sides, the chakra still surrounding his hands as he began to charge at Sasuke.

For several moments Sasuke was left speechless and confused as he stared at the transparent form of Yoroi charging at him and the real verison of Yoroi who stood still in the same position he had formed when the match began.

I-is he moving? Sasuke asked himself as he attempted to understand the scene unfolding infront of him.

The real image of Yoroi then dropped both of his arms to his side before charging towards Sasuke, in the exact same style and form Sasuke had seen just several seconds prior.

As Yoroi charged towards Sasuke, the transparent faded version of Yoroi outstretched his right hand, reaching out to grab Sasuke instead of punching him, something Sasuke found out.

This must be the power of the Sharingan - I can see his moves before he even makes them. Sasuke told himself as his crimson eyes studied and observed the figure charging towards him, now only 5ft away.

"Hmph." Sasuke scoffed out to himself as he once again grinned.

Sasuke then abruptly leaped back and upwards, soaring 10ft into the air before he quickly slammed his palms together as Yoroi stood where he did only 5 seconds ago.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled confident as his hands weaved through the Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar and once again Tiger Seals before he inhaled a massive gust of air, forcing him to arch his head back slightly.

Hmm. Yoroi thought to himself as he stood still on the ground below Sasuke, staring up at the 'boy' he considered his victim.

What a joke - Genin can't use Fire Style it takes up to much chakra. Yoroi reminded himself as he grinned sadistically underneath his mask.

Does he think I'm a moron? Yoroi asked himself.

Sasuke then abruptly tilted his head forward and exhaled, causing a blanket of searing flames to pour and protrude out from his mouth, spreading out over 20ft in all angles as the flames descended upon Yoroi.

"U-" Yoroi gasped out in shock as his mocking tone morphed into one of fear and disblief.

With the aura of Chakra still engulfing both his hands, Yoroi reached his left hand behind his back before shoving it into the Shuriken satchel he kept tied on the back left side of his waist.

He then retracted his left hand and positioned it infront of his chest, revealing a small clear glass phial with what appeared to be water inside.

The phial was roughly 10in long, with the tube of the phial expanding into a large base at the bottom 3in down from the lid that was covered with a cork.

From its appearance and design Naruto concluded the phial held roughly 14 FL OZ of water, something Sasuke couldn't see due to the descending flames concealing his view.

Yoroi quickly gripped the cork on the phial with his left index and thumb fingers before popping it off and sending the cork flying into the air, quickly becoming burned and scorched by the flames overhead.

Yoroi then raised the phial above his head and tilted it sideways, pouring the contents of the phial atop his body, the water hitting his head and shoulders before dripping down his arms and torso, soaking his cloths.

Yoroi then abruptly dropped the phial from his left hand but slamming both his hands together into the Dragon Seal.

The sound of this action was so loud it overwhelmed the sound of shattering glass that the phial released after hitting the floor and shattering into several shards and pieces.

"Water Style: Water Armor!" Yoroi screamed aloud before only seconds later the overwhelming flames of Sasuke's attack drapped and fell upon him aswell as the surrounding stone he stood on.

Sasuke finally landed atop the ground only 2 feet away from the sprawling field of flames he unleashed.

"Hmph." Sasuke scoffed out with a grin as his face as he gripped the left side of his waist with his left hand while his right dangled by his side.

For several moments the sounds of crackling sparks and embers could be heard as the flames continued to burn and rage, scorching the stone underneath it aswell as the unfortunate individual underneath.

Its not over. Both Naruto and Neji thought in unison as they obeserved the seemingly unharmed chakra network of Yoroi that was concealed underneath the flames.

To the normal eye the flames were orange, however to the 3 candidates present they saw much more, they saw the color of Sasuke's chakra infused into the burning flames, giving it an aura of purple.

Naruto had recongized Sasuke had the same color chakra as him for several weeks now, but he never knew what to make of it, except that they were some how ment to be friends, atleast in Naruto's mind.

However Naruto also had the same color chakra as Zabuza and Shiore, something he didn't mind sharing with Zabuza but the latter greatly disturbed him.

In total there were 4 individuals, including himself, that Naruto knew possessed purple chakra.

Abruptly the center of the flames rose and protruded upwards before 2 water soaked hands tore through the flames, with the water soaked head of Yoroi soon popping out unharmed.

The scorching flames around Yoroi's body dissolved and extinguished due to the layer of water that clung and wrapped around the Shinobi's body.

"Hu? What's going out?" Sakura asked as she tilted her head sightly to the right in confusion.

"Is that water special? Why did he pour it on himself Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she turned her head to the left and glanced up at her teacher.

"No, its just ordinary water." Naruto replied.

"Its the jutsu he used that saved him." Naruto explained.

"The water armor jutsu?" Sakura asked.

"Its a C-rank technique, the user covers their entire body with chakra-infused water." Naruto stated.

"Then they harden and condense the water, transforming it into a suit of armor as strong as steel." Naruto asserted.

"Stronger than steel? Then how is Sasuke gonna beat him!?" Sakura asked in a panicked fashion as she positioned her forearms vertically infront of her nonexistent chest, using her hands to conceal her worrisome expression.

"Just watch, he will win." Naruto replied, suggesting he knew something Sakura didn't.

"But if that stuff was water jutsu than why did he have to pour water on himself?" Sakura asked.

"You use Water Style all the time Naruto and you don't have to do that." Sakura pointed out.

"Water Style is more unique than most, since it usually needs a direct source." Kakashi cut in.

"A direct source?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, the other 4 Chakra Natures, being Lightning, Fire, Earth and Wind can all easily be created and formed from kneading the air around the Shinobi into the element." Kakashi replied.

"While at first this process may seem complicated, creating Fire or Lightning where none existed before, none of them are as difficult as Water Style." Kakashi explained.

"Most users of this Style can only use it when next to or surrounded by a body of water, which limits its use." Kakashi stated.

"Like Zabuza?" Sakura asked.

"Exactly like Zabuza, despite his skill and experince with the Style, he was still forced to fight primarily next to water." Kakashi responded.

"Very few ninja can produce water where none existed before, due to the focus and chakra required to knead it inside the stomach." Kakashi explained.

"The greatest example for this is the 2nd Hokage, reknowned as the greatest Water Style user who ever lived." Kakashi asserted.

"He learned to draw in the moisture from the very air around him, before kneading it into pure condensed water, a feat barely any have managed to repeat." Kakashi spoke as he glanced at the back of Naruto's head.

"So that guy had to pour water on himself so he could properly use his jutsu?" Sakura asked.

"Correct." Naruto replied.

"Then how come you don't have to do that Naruto?" Sakura asked, curious on what made her teammate so special.

Sakura tried to avoid thinking about Naruto, or even talking about him especially back in their days at the Academy.

However over the past 8 weeks since Iruka's death, and the team bond she had formed with Naruto, Sakura began to think much more about him, and the things others said of him.

Sakura soon found herself lost in thought as she stared at the blond bangs that concealed Naruto's eyes, eyes whose image continued to remain inside Sakura's mind, the eyes of the Rinnegan.

 _-Flashback-_

 _7:58am August 20th, 51SSP_

"Stay away from it, do you hear me?" Sakura's dad yelled at her on her first day at the Academy.

"Never go near that - that thing." Sakura's dad told her as both of them stood infront of the entrance to the Academy, staring at the depressed and lonely blond boy swinging alone from the tree.

"Where are his parents at?" Sakura asked, she couldn't have been any older than 5 years old.

"No one wants to be related to that thing." Hizashi replied in a disgusted tone.

Hizashi was usually a kind-faced man with blue eyes, and dull-pink hair which is styled into the shape of a cherry blossom with sideburns that flowed into his angular moustache and a bit of stubble on his chin.

However his usually kind-face disappeared the moment he saw Naruto, as it became replaced with one of disgust and hatred.

Unlike his daughter he had rather tan-skin, suggesting he did alot of outside work that put him within the direct rays of the Sun.

He wore a dark, loose-fitting black kimono-shirt with a long-sleeve green sweater underneath it.

The green sleeves extended slightly outward from the black sleeves of his Kimono while also protruding out from it's collar.

Tied around his waist was his family's traditional obi below that and his Kimono he wore burgundy coloured knee-length pants and a pair of simple blue sandels.

Tied around his neck was a simple silver necklace that a pink cherry blossom on it with a single petal being a deep plum colour while the rest was the same pink as Sakura's hair.

"He's a monster." Hizashi spat out.

"What's wrong with him?" Sakura asked.

"He's disgusting - a freak - I don't want you near him." Hizashi responded.

"Then why is he allowed to be here." Sakura asked.

"The lord 3rd Hokage is a fool." Hizashi replied.

"You can say that again, what is lord Hokage thinking?" An unknown man cut in.

The man was rather tall standing at 5'8, he was rather obese with long, spiky red hair and purple markings sprawled across his cheeks, painting ones cheeks was a common trait in the Akimichi clan.

He wore a full-bodied black suit with 4 straps of leather latched around opposite sides of his torso, the leather held a section of armor in the front and back of his torso.

The front section of the armor had the kanji for "food" (食, shoku) on it, painted in white.

He wore a rope belt and steel hand-guards that matched the same color and tone of his armor.

Instead of the Headband for the Village hidden in the leaf's he wore a hachimaki tied around his forehead, he also wore a pair of silver, hooped earrings.

"Good to see the Akimichi clan is still as wise as ever, thanks to your leadership, Choza." Kizashi replied to the rather large man.

Sitting around Choza's neck was a boy, roughly the same age as Sakura, with black shorts that ended 3in above his knees and a dark leaf green sweather.

He had red swirls painted on each of his cheeks, suggesting he was a member of the Akimichi clan as it was a very common trait among them.

He had spiky brown hair that rose and protruded from his head, allowing Sakura to get a good luck at his face.

"Pa." The boy sitting atop Choza's shoulders mumbled.

"Yes? What is it Choji?" Choza replied.

"Whats wrong with that boy?" Choji asked, having sensed the hatred his father felt towards the blond kid swinging alot from the tree several feet away.

"Everything." Choza responded.

"Sakura, Choji - I want you 2 to promise both of us something, right now." Kizashi asked, garnishing both Sakura's and Choji's attention.

"Stay away from that monster." Kizashi ordered, earning a nodd of agreement from Choza.

"Hmmmmmm.." Choji hummed out as he stared at the lonely blond boy known as Naruto.

Choji didn't like to be ignored, or even made fun of especially since he knew how that felt, most kids didn't like playing ninja with him because of how slow and large he was.

But that's what confused Choji, even if the kids didn't like playing with him he still was allowed to played at first but anytime Naruto tired to play with them, each of their parents would take them home.

Most kids his age hated Choji because of his weight and how slow he was, but it appeared to him that the only people who hated Naruto was the adults, and those adults then teach their kids to hate Naruto, just like his dad was trying to do right now.

"Yea sure." Sakura answered cheerfully causing both Kizashi and Choza to smile in delight, not noticing the depressed expression on Choji's face.

"He looks like a loser anyway, what kind of kid doesn't have parents?" Sakura asked causing her father to lovingly pat the top of her head.

"Thank you darling, I hope the two of you have a wonderful 1st day at the Academy." Kizashi spoke as he looked in between Sakura and Choji several times.

The bell of the Academy then rang, indicating it was time for classes to begin as the entrance doors flung open, causing several parents to hug and kiss their children before sending them through the door.

Choza then grabbed Choji by the waist before picking him up off his shoulders and placing him atop the ground infront of him.

"Be good today Choji." Choza told his son, earning a quick, timid nod from Choji.

Sakura and Choji then began walking towards the door together, with both of their parents watching them from behind.

After taking several steps the 2 fresh Academy students walked through the doorway of the Academy, entering the building for the first time in both their lives.

Abruptly both of them then stopped walking and turned their heads, Sakura to the right and Choji to the left as the glanced back behind them and there parents.

There was Naruto, still swinging alone from the tree, as if he didn't even hear the bell or didn't care.

She briefly thought about running outside and telling the boy he was late for class, or atleast asking Choji to do it.

However she then remembered how her father told her to avoid him completely, causing her to quickly tear her gaze away from Naruto and continue walking into the Academy.

Choji frowned at the blond boy, wanting to go help him but prevented from it since his father was still outside.

"Hmmmm." Choji sighed out in defeat as he turned around and began walking once again, following the path Sakura had made.

 _-Flashback ends-_

Naruto this, Naruto that. Sakura told herself as she continued to glare at Naruto's blond bangs.

When I get home, I'm asking dad what's so special about Naruto. Sakura concluded to herself.

"I wouldn't listen too much to Naruto here, Sakura." Kiba snorted out as he walked up and wrapped his right arm around Naruto's shoulders before shrugging.

"This is the guy who got the worst grades in the academy afterall, even worse than Ino." Kiba remarked.

"I heard that." Ino snapped out in response.

"Do I have to remind everyone about the time you and your dog had a pissing contest on the teachers desk?" Ino asked as she positioned the knuckles of her right hand against the right side of her waist.

"You know..." Kakashi sighed out, garnishing the attention of Kiba, Ino and Sakura as Naruto continued to stare down at Sasuke, focusing intently on the match.

"Naruto's also the only reason any of you are here." Kakashi stated.

Ino and Kiba both briefly thought back to their experinces in the forest, neither of them willing to admit or accept the things they had seen Naruto do.

"What does that mean?" Kiba asked rhetorically as he tore his right arm away from Naruto's shoulders and turned around to glare at Kakashi.

"Hm." Kakashi sighed out in response as he closed his right eye and smile at both Kiba and Ino, his smile revealing itself even from underneath the mask he wore.

"Well that little test we had at Naruto's house." Kakashi replied.

"If I recall correctly, the only thing you 2 did was get in the way." Kakashi spoke in a cheerful expression, causing Ino to downcast her head while Kiba gritted his teeth.

"Hey man that's not right, we just weren't prepared that's all." Kiba argued.

"You really are lucky aren't you?" Kakashi asked as he continued to smile at Kiba, his right eye still closed.

"Lucky?" Kiba replied in a confused tone, causing Kakashi to lesiurely take 3 steps forward and stand directly infront of Kiba.

Kakashi then leaned forward, directing his still smiling, mask-covered face infront of a confused Kiba.

"That you got placed with Kurenai - you never would have made it on my team, I would have failed you without hesitation." Kakashi explained in a cheerful tone.

"Hey man that's not right! I'm a great Shinobi." Kiba barked back as he raised his clenched right fist to his jawline.

Usually Akamaru would agree with Kiba and bark along-side him, but he was still sitting on the inside of Kiba's jacket with his head poking out of the collar, trembling and shaking due to the chakra of the blond boy he was so close too.

"A loud Shinobi." Shino hummed out.

"Hey man can you back me up atleas-!" Kiba retorted as he spun around, only to be interrupted by Yoroi.

"Thanks for feeding me." Yoroi spoke as he crouched down before shoving both of his hands into the chakra-infused flames.

Suddenly the flames around Yoroi began to flicker and faded as they were pulled and dragged towards Yoroi's hands.

"This is some good chakra right here." Yoroi exclaimed as he spread his hands even further, causing more flames to race towards them, like a fly attracted to light.

Such a large portion of the burning flames had been absorbed that the scorched, black stone underneath was now visible.

I see - he is absorbing my chakra. Sasuke concluded, finally realizing something Naruto did over 5 minutes earlier.

But with that water shield... Sasuke thought to himself as he grinned.

He's made himself a perfect target. Sasuke told himself as he crouched down slightly while gripping the hilt of his sword from over his right shoulder.

Yoroi had absorb all the fire around him in a 10ft radius, feeding and encorging himself with Uchiha chakra as he funneled all of it into the heels of his feet, causing an aura of blue chakra to surround them.

That's a lot of chakra. Neji told himself.

"Look at that, I can actually see it." Kankuro murmured out as he leaned nonchalantly against the railing.

"Yea, who would have thought that some masked freak could display such a concentrated amount of chakra." Temari replied.

"A Leaf freak at that." Kankuro smirked out, causing his blond teammate to grin.

"Won't have anymore of those pretty soon." Temari spoke.

"Silence." Baki ordered as he glared at his Kunoichi student, causing her to scoff.

"Yea yea, my bad." Temari replied.

Suddenly Yoroi pushed himself forward, using the tremendous amount of chakra on his feet to amplify his movement and speed as he dashed towards Sasuke, causing the stone underneath him to crack under his weight.

As Yoroi lunged through the air he flung his right hand forward before clenching it into a fist, his fist surrounded by condensed Water armor and his strange aura of chakra absorption.

"Tch" Sasuke scoffed as he unsheathed his sword before throwing it horitizontally into the air, causing it to spin like a fan as it soared through the air in a clock-wise motion.

Sasuke then leaned forward, mimicking Yoroi as he also clenched his right fist and flung it forward, seemingly ignoring the sword he had just thrown into the air.

"Pathetic." Yoroi mocked as the speed he absorbed from Sasuke's jutsu made it too fast for Sasuke to avoid.

Yoroi raised his left arm vertically and used the back of his hand to push away Sasuke's right fist before Yoroi slammed his right knuckles into Sasuke's nose, causing to Uchiha's head to arc back from the force of this blow.

"NO! NOT HIS FACE!" Ino screamed out in a panic.

Sasuke's sword abruptly then erupted into a puff of smoke, before Sasuke himself contorted and dissolved into a current of lightning that zapped and clunged to Yoroi.

"NAAAAAAAAAH!" Yoroi screamed out in pain as the lightning used the water surrounding his body as a conductor, amplifying its strength and pain, causing his muscles to spasm.

The water surrounding Yoroi began to dissolve and fall apart due to the eletric current, causing it to splash to the ground like a puddle as Arcs of Lightning danced and protruded from Yoroi and the surrounding water.

"AHHH-" Yoroi yelled in agony as his spasming muscles forced him to his knees, causing the water underneath him to splash up and once again erupt into several Arc of Lightning.

So much lightning danced around and from Yoroi's body that the surrounding burnt, black stones began to crumble and crack as several strands and bolts of lightning continued to strike it repeatedly.

Overhead the cloud of smoke dissipated as the figure of Sasuke plummeted down from it, with his left leg bent and held close to his body while his right leg was extended out.

Sasuke then flung the heel of his right foot down, slamming it into the back of Yoroi's skull and forcing him to fall face first into the burnt, water covered stone below.

The force of this impact caused stone to crumble and rupture upward around his face, as Sasuke stood atop Yoroi with the sole of his right foot resting atop Yoroi's skull.

"Tch." Sasuke scoffed out as he gripped the left side of his waist with his leg hand while he glanced down at Yoroi.

A small puddle of blood began mixing with the water around Yoroi, suggesting Sasuke's kick had either broke his nose or even his teeth.

For several moments Hayate stood atop the fingers of the massive hands formed from stone, staring intently upon Yoroi for any sign that he was able to continue fighting.

"Huuuu - huuuu." The unknown Sensei for team Dosu sighed out in delight at the sight infront of him, panting heavily as if Sasuke was sexy to him.

"YES! SASUKE!" Both Sakura and Ino yelled at in unison before abruptly glaring at each other with hatred.

"N-no way, that brat can use Lightning Style?" Kankuro asked.

I see - the candidate replaced himself with a Lightning Clone before we even began. Hayate concluded.

He then transformed himself into his sword and had his clone wear it. Hayate told himself, confirming his suspicions.

That's brilliant - truly amazing, he is far beyond a Genin. Hayate thought himself.

"You idiot he didn't just use Lightning Style, he also used Fire Style too." Temari retorted.

"He might even be stronger than you Kankuro." Temari remarked.

"So what if he can use Fire and Lightning, I can use Wind and Earth." Kankuro replied, still leaning against the railing.

"Isn't Earth Style weak against Lightning Style?" Temari asked rhetorically.

"Oh and Wind is weak against Fire." Temari blurted out.

"Yea yea - but Wind is strong against Lightning." Kankuro huffed out in response.

"So what about his Fire?" Temari asked with a smirk on her face.

Temari's remark caused Kankuro to sigh in defeat before leaning forward and resting his chin atop the railing where his arms were placed.

Suddenly Gaara's breath became heavy and deep as he glared emotionlessly towards Sasuke.

Each of Gaara's hand began to clench and squeeze down, the only thing containing his rage was the fact that his arms were crossed infront of his chest, so he was only squeezing himself.

Damn it... Kankuro thought as his eyes shot the the right but his head didn't turn, he was too afraid to look at Gaara.

Again? Kankuro asked as he attempted to act like nothing was wrong.

"There is no point in delaying this match any longer." Hayate explained as he appeared in a whirlwind of Leafs several feet infront of Sasuke and the unconscious body of Yoroi.

"Winner by knockout - Sasuke Uchiha." Hayate spoke aloud as he raised his clipboard to his chest and began scribbl

Hm - I wonder. Tenten thought to herself as her eyes shot from Sasuke and Neji for several moments.

Last year's number one rookiee, Neji Hyuga. Tenten told herself as she glanced to her left, briefly staring at her Hyuga teammate and boyfriend.

And this year's number one rookiee, Sasuke Uchiha. Tenten confirmed to herself as she glanced down at the last remaining Uchiha in the Leaf Village.

I wonder which one is stronger... Tenten asked herself.

"It wouldn't be interesting if he couldn't do stuff like that." Zaku scoffed out in a joke as his 2 teammates and Sensei stood quietly behind him, his Sensei grinning from ear to ear.

"He is so cool." Sakura stammered out in awe as she held both of her dirt covered clenched fists infront of her face to conceal her smile.

There is no way any of us are getting past this round. Shikamaru told himself, talking about him and his teammates.

Please don't put me against Naruto or that Sand kid. Shikamaru thought to himself as he sighed and slammed his right palm against his face.

"I'm hungry." Choji commented.

"It's not that big of a deal - I could have done that." Kiba remarked.

"Sure." Shino responded in a dry expression.

A Lightning clone...interesting. Naruto told himself, he knew Sasuke was going to win but he didn't know it would be with a Lightning clone.

With the battle over Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, while Naruto and Neji both kept their's active to better understand the next few matches.

Suddenly 4 medic's rushed into the large stone run, 2 of them with a stretcher that they quickly positioned next to Yoroi's body.

Sasuke finally removed his foot from atop Yoroi's skull before he took several steps back, giving the medic's plenty of remove to roll Yoroi's body atop of the stretcher they brought.

"Sasuke Uchiha, we the Medical-core are willing to heal you if you come with us." An unnamed medic explained as he took several steps towards Sasuke.

"Tch." Sasuke scoffed before he spun around and began walking towards the stairs leading to the left catwalk.

"The Uchiha don't accept handouts." Sasuke remarked as he left the burnt and cracked floor he had fought upon as he began walking towards his friends and teammates.

Several minutes later the Medical-core left the area, with all 4 Medics escorted Yoroi on a stretcher.

"Why didn't you use any sword stuff?" Naruto asked when Sasuke finally stood beside him once again.

"I know how happy that Silent Scroll of Killing Zabuza gave me made you, Why not use it?" Naruto questioned.

"He was nothing, didn't want to reveal such an important jutsu on my first fight." Sasuke replied.

"You were so sexy Sasuke." Sakura exclaimed as she squeeze in between Naruto and Sasuke before quickly nuzzling the latter.

"Right now I wish I lost." Sasuke complained as Sakura continued to nuzzle her head against his chest.

"Get off him you hag!" Ino screamed as she pointed and glared towards Sakura, who matched Ino's glare with her own.

"Now..." Hayate spoke out before breaking into a fit of coughs, garnishing everyone's attention.

"Lets us proceed to the next match." Hayate exclaimed as he turned around before briefly nodding towards Anko, who matched his nod with her own.

Suddenly the yellow Kanji on the screen began to began and move once again, indicting a new match was about to be chosen.

"I hope Sakura goes next." Sasuke sighed out as he finally matched to free himself from Sakura's grip.

Abruptly all candidates tore their attention away from one another and directed it towards the TV screen, even Gaara and Naruto.

'Zaku Abumi VS Shino Aburame' The yellow Kanji on the screen formed, filling Ino with a way of relief as she wasn't looking forward to her turn.

"Hmph." Zaku scoffed out confidently as he glared across the room towards the left catwalk.

"Whose the weakling?" Zaku asked as he observed each of the candidates on the left catwalk.

Zaku noted that no members of team 7 were named Shino since Orochimaru had already told him their names.

Shino abruptly turned to the left before walking towards the stairs that lead down to the floor.

"G-Go-Good luck." Hinata stammered out.

"Tch - he doesn't need luck, Shino will eat this guy up like a snack." Kiba remarked as he leaned against the railing.

"Fighters - step up." Hayate ordered before he once again entered in a fit of coughing.

Shino and Zaku then approached Hayate, each of them facing their opponent and standing 5ft away from the other.

"We will now begin the second match." Hayate explained as he once again erupted into a whirlwind of Leafs before quickly reappearing atop the massive stone fingers protruding from the wall.

"Begin." Hayate stated before coughing several times in a harsh manner.

Show them the power of Sound - Zaku. Dosu told himself.

For several moments Shino and Zaku both stood completely still, Shino with his hands in his pocket and Zaku allowing his arms to rest against his sides.

"If you fight me here, you will never fight again - give up." Shino exclaimed.

"Compared to the Sound..." Zaku replied as he extended both his hands out towards Shino, slamming his wrists together and curling his fingers slightly.

From this position Shino was able to notice holes inside the center of Zaku's palms, holes that appeared to run down into his arms.

"Decapitating Airwave!" Zaku screamed as a compressed combination of air pressure and sound erupted from the holes in his hands, barreling towards Shino.

The burst of power Zaku released then colided into Shino, hurling him back and slamming him against the stone wall underneath the left catwalk.

Zaku's attack scaped and blew many burnt flakes of stone and crumbled dust from Sasuke's previous battle into the air, obstructing his view and hiding Shino from sight.

The sound of bugs crawling across stone and flesh then began to echo out into the large stone room, a sound that creeped both Sakura and Ino out.

"W-What is that?" Zaku asked as the sound of bugs grew louder.

The dense cloud of dust and burnt rumble then began to fade and dissolve, revealing the dark figure of Shino standing infront of the stone wall.

At first Zaku thought it was just the lighting but soon he release why Shino's cloths had become so black.

Bugs, hundreds if not thousands of bugs swarmed and crawled all across Shino and his outfit.

Zaku took 3 steps back as the fear of what he was facing briefly overwhelmed him, he really didn't like bugs.

Beetles? Zaku asked himself as he observed the several hundreds bugs swarming across Shino's body and tunic.

He is releasing them from inside...his body? Zaku thought to himself in awe and disgust as he saw several beetles crawling out of Shino's ears.

What a creepy guy. Zaku concluded.

Even more so than Lord Orochimaru. Zaku told himself.

"What kind of trick are you trying to pull?" Zaku asked as he squinted his eyes to better observe his opponent, now over 20ft away from him.

Shino didn't respond, he merely stood there with both of his hands inside the pockets of his tunic, his face concealed by his raised collar and his eyes hidden by his glasses.

Suddenly Zaku's eyes bulged with shock and feared as he abruptly turned his head around, glaring at the several hundred black beetles crawling across the floor towards him, using the burnt stone as camoflage.

"These guys are called Kikai Bugs they attack their prey in groups and consume its Chakra." Shino explained.

"If this many attack you - you will never be able to fight again." Shino pointed out.

"Give up." Shino suggested.

Zaku then directed his left palm towards Shino and his right towards the oncoming horde of bugs.

"Decapitating Airwaves!" Zaku once again screamed, this time releasing a burst of pressure and sound 3 times stronger than before.

However instead of releasing this pressure, it built up and swelled inside in forearms since Zaku failed to noticed the bugs clogging his palms.

"ARRRRRRRRRRG-" Zaku yelled in pain as the swelling pressure in his arms began to overwhelm him.

Suddenly his forearms ruptured from the pressure, blowing blood and flesh into the air as several holes oozed across Zaku's forearms.

The pressure was so great that the bandages previously wrapped around his forearms were blown off, giving his fellow candidates a great view of the several gapping holes in his arms.

This pain caused Zaku to downcast his head as he fell to his knees, as his arms hung limp on his sides, he tried to move them but he was unable.

"N-no way." Dosu muttered aloud.

"Zaku." Kin stammered out in shock.

"When I recommended that you give up..." Shino murmured as he lesiurely walked behind Zaku before standing over him.

"I instructed my bugs to block those annoying holes of yours..." Shino explained.

"You should never reveal your trump card at the beginning of a match..." Shino stated.

"My victory is absolute." Shino exclaimed as he slammed the backside of his right fist into Zaku's face, sending him flying 5ft backward.

Zaku then crashed atop the burnt and cracked floor, as hundreds of beetles began to swarm and cover his body, muffling his screams of fear and pain.

"Stop" Hayate ordered as he appeared in a whirlwind of Leafs beside the swarming bugs that Shino controlled.

Hayate appearance caused the bugs to freeze, halting any and all hints of movement, allowing the muffled screams of Zaku to be heard.

"Winner by battle - Shino Aburame." Hayate spoke before breaking into a fit of harsh and heavy coughing.

For the first time that day, the face on Dosu's Sensei turned from one of delight to disgust, clearly angered at the failure of his student Zaku.

The horde of bugs atop Zaku then abruptly descended from him and began crawling back towards Shino.

Once the tremendous number of beetles reached Shino's feet, they began climbing up his ankles and legs, before disappearing inside his tunic.

"That is so gross." Both Ino and Sakura stated in unison.

"If you think that is gross..." Naruto murmured out.

"Wait until you realize those bugs live inside his body." Naruto explained.

Though Naruto was trying to be serious, Ino had other plans for the knowledge she had just learned.

"Really?" Ino asked rhetorically as she pressed her own back against Sasuke's, causing him to sigh.

"I'm kind jealous of Shino." Ino explained, causing Sakura and Naruto to both tilt their heads slightly in confusion.

"After all..." Ino exclaimed as she shrugged innocently with her back still pressed against Sasuke's.

"I can think of several things I'd like inside my body." Ino stated as she nugged Sasuke's back with her right elbow.

"Begone, whore." Neji cut in, once again causing Ino to downcast her head in defeat.

More importantly, how can he- Neji thought to himself before his train of thought was cut-off once he stared at Naruto.

I see - so I wasn't see things earlier today, he actually does possess a Doijutsu. Neji reminded himself as he noticed the swirling violet orbs in place where Naruto's eyes were.

What all can they do? Neji asked himself.

Their most likely better than the Sharingan, but than anything everything is. Neji exclaimed, obivously holding the Byakugan at a higher standard than the Rinnegan.

"He is a member of the Aburame, i've read about them." Naruto explained.

"I had read they let bugs live in their bodies, but I never believed it." Naruto remarked.

Hm - is that an excuse? Or can he actually see them like I can. Neji asked himself as his Byakugan shot from between Shino and Naruto several times.

"Story goes the clan leads their bodies be used as a next for the bugs upon birth..." Naruto explained.

"And in return when the bug user calls, the bugs with fight and defend them..." Naruto stated.

"They control the bugs with their mind and have the bug battle for them." Naruto spoke.

"Yea I think I'll just avoid that." Sakura exclaimed as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head while she looked away from Shino.

Shino then spun around and began walking back towards the stairs, while the medic's placed Zaku atop the stretcher and began to escort him out of the room.

"So he is the next successor to the clan..." Lee stated.

"Yes, the next clan head." Naruto replied.

I regret your loss, Zaku. Dosu thought to himself.

"Why did Zaku's arms become like that?" Kin asked.

"That Shino guy..." Dosu hummed out in response.

"He had the bugs stuff themselves into the tubes inside Zaku's arms..." Dosu explained.

"This clogged the air hole, and prevented any escape for his chakra." Dosu stated.

"The energy then accumulated and swelled, as it attempted to find a location to release..." Dosu exclaimed.

"Zaku's arms are like the barrel of a gun and they were accidently discharged." Dosu proclaimed, causing Kin's face to contort too one of pity and shame at the disgrace of her teammate.

"All that matters is the mission." The unnamed Sensei of Dosu and Kin whispered out, causing both of them to freeze solid.

"Yes, my lord." Dosu and Kin swiftly responded in a hushed whisper.

The entire time he was being carried away Zaku stared up towards his team and his Sensei, towards the man that saved him, towards the man who gave him his purpose, towards Orochimaru in disguise.

However instead of seeing the same pleasant and kind smile he had when he first meet Orochimaru, Zaku saw one of disgust and Disappointment.

Please - forgive me my lord. Zaku pleaded while he was finally escorted out of the room as the harsh reality of failing his lord began to sink in.


	23. Chapter 23

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: A rant about Shonen anime** **:** **The main character is a complete jackass/goofball with minor moments of being a badass.** **And girls serve no purpose in Shonen anime beside's being hot eye candy, which is fine but they don't contribute to the plot.**

 **I don't like a goofy main character, that's my main complaint about Kung Fu Panda, instead of being a badass quiet Dragon Warrior he is a loud mouth jackass that trips over pots and pans.**

 **And while I have no problem with girls being hot eye candy, I do have a problem with them being completely useless, 1 dimesional and boring.** **I know this is something that Kishimoto and Shonen as a whole will never understand, but girls have something more to offer than just pussy.**

 **I have no problem with sexualizing characters, Kishimoto does it to Sarada Uchiha. However,** **I do have a problem when the person who is sexualized literally has no other traits than just being sexy.**

 **In regards to this chapter,** **I consider a InoxSakura romance to be the cutest, most adorable and fagtastic relationship in Naruto. Sadly I do not see that as realistic to the plot which is why I chose SasukexIno.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: The Cherry Blossom Buds Anew! Rivals Clash.**

 _Wednesday, June 1st 58SSP_

"Whew..." Kurenai sighed out as she downcast her head and closed her eyes.

That made me nervous... As these thoughts raced, Shino slowly walked up next to her.

Man - what the hell, I didn't know Shino was that strong. Sakura thought to herself.

Strong and creepy...the worst type of person. While thinking, Sakura crossed both arms in front of her nonexistent chest.

"G-Goo-Good job Shino..." Hinata replied timidly.

"Yea - nice job." Kiba reverbarated.

"Yes, I expect both of you to do the same." Shino replied in an emotionless tone as he turned stared down at the empty floor below the railing.

Shino was so focused on the battleground infront of him that he failed to notice the heated glare of Kiba directing itself upon him.

Damn it, now he's acting like the leader... Kiba complained to himself.

"I would like to move on to the next match now..." Hayate spoke out, garnishing everyone's attention as he once again notioned towards the massive screen at the top left side of the wall behind the stone hands.

Suddenly the yellow Kanji on the screen began to dance and weave through several shapes and letters once again. These kanji cycled through all names that belonged to the candiates present.

'Misumi Tsurugi VS Kankuro' Were the names that form on screen, suggesting Kankuro didn't give his last name.

"Nice - It's finally my turn." Kankuro scoffed as he began walking towards the stairs, quickly approaching them before he began to descend them towards the floor.

Kankuro is completely underestimating the enemy... Baki told himself, referring to Misumi and the Leaf as a whole as Enemies, not opponents.

For several moments the only sound that could be heard were the feet of Kankuro and Misumi walking atop stone as they approached the center of the room.

It's that puppet user... Naruto reminded himself as he observed the network of chakra that belonged to bundled up puppet on Kankuro's back and the chakra thread that connected from it to the walking Kankuro.

Is that...Chakra? Neji asked himself as his Byakugan eyes squinted, never before he had seen something like this, thin strings and lines of Chakra.

Finally Kankuro and Misumi stood infront of Hayate, both of them facing each other and only separated by 5ft of distance.

Misumi was almost an exact copy of Yoroi, with the only noticeable difference being his glasses and hair, as his hair was slightly longer than Yoroi's.

However since his hair was the same color and just as spiky as Yoroi's this caused Misumi to easily be confused as Yoroi and viceversa.

His glass were actually clear, allowing Kankuro to get a good luck at his black eyes.

"Unlike Yoroi, I won't go easy on you just cause your a kid." Misumi exclaimed.

"This is the 7th time I've time this exam and I'm not going to be held back by a child like you." Misumi asserted.

"7th time? Geez what are you 23?" Kankuro scoffed out as he slid his right arm forward, allowing the single strap for the puppet on his back to fall loose.

Kankuro then abruptly gripped the hair covered top of his puppet before slamming it atop the burnt stone below him..

"Guess this will be the 7th time you fail then." Kankuro mocked.

"If you both are ready..." Hayate cut in.

"Begin." Hayate ordered as he erupted into a whirlwind of Leafs, disppearing before quickly reappearing atop the stone fingers.

"I won't let you do anything." Misumi exclaimed as he quickly bridged the 5ft gap in between him and Kankuro.

"Victory goes to the swiftest!" Misumi asserted as he swung his clenched left fist horizontally towards Kankuro, attempting to strike the Sand Shinobi in his jaw.

Instead Kankuro easily blocked the blow with his wrist, holding over Misumi's trembling hand while his remained firm.

"Heh." Kankuro scoffed confidently.

"U-" Kankuro stuttered out in shock as Misumi left hand bent and contort itself before he began to wrap around Kankuro.

As Misumi left arm wrapped around Kankuro, he swung himself behind the Sand Shinobi before wrapping each of his limbs around Kankuro's, forcing the Sand Shinobi to drop his puppet to the stone floor.

"I can pop my joints out of their hinges and use my chakra to control my loosened body." Misumi explained as he snake-like body squeeze down atop Kankuro's.

"Like a python I can strangle you until you're bones break." Misumi exclaimed.

"Unless you give up, I will do just that." Misumi asserted.

"I don't know what kind of tool you use..." Misumi stated as he notioned towards the wrapped up puppet now laying at Kankuro's feet, suggesting Misumi had never seen a puppet user before.

"But you can't use it if you can't move." Misumi pointed out.

"You idiot, you're going to die." Kankuro remarked, causing Misumi to increase the pressure he was squeezing down upon Kankuro with.

Suddenly the sound of bones snapping and breaking could be heard, as Kankuro head quickly became limp and fell forward, this sound and action shocked many of the Rookiee's present.

"H-he's dead..." Sakura exclaimed to herself as she raised her cupped hands together infront of her nonexistent chest.

"His neck is broken..." Lee murmured out in a shocked tone, he had never seen someone die before.

"No." Naruto interrupted, confusing both of the individuals that stood beside him.

"What do you mean Naruto?" Sasuke asked, he stood behind his teammates, leaning against the stone wall with his back and the hilt of his sword were pressed against it, his hands were resting in his pockets.

"Watch." Naruto suggested as he observed the battleground infront of him, his eyes concealed by his dense blond bangs.

Naruto stood barely 6in away from the railing, with both of his hands resting against his sides, the extended sleeves of his tunic rolling past his arms and concealing them from view.

"Call the match, this is over." Misumi demanded.

Suddenly several splinters and cracked pieces of wood began to hit the stone floor, falling from Kankuro's limp face.

"Hm?" Misumi hummed out in confusion.

Kankuro's head then abruptly spun around 360* showing that the left side of his face had shattered and revealing the large eye of a puppet underneath.

"Now - it's my turn." Kankuro disembodied voice could be heard eminating from the puppet.

The skin around Kankuro cracked and splintered, decorating the stone ground underneath it.

This revealed a large 3 eyed puppet with 6 arms, all 6 of which abruptly wrapped and coiled themselves around Misumi's chest and arms.

"A-A puppet?" Misumi murmured out from underneath the crushing pressure being applied to him

The bandages around the puppet laying atop the stone floor began to ruffle and move before the gloved hand of Kankuro shot out, gripping several of the bandages and pulling on them.

This action caused the bandages to unwrap and expand, pushing themselves loose and into the air as Kankuro appeared crouched down in the center of the encircling bandages.

"Th-the real one is over there." Misumi mumbled aloud in shock as his eyes twitched with fear.

"There's Chakra coming out of his hands?" Sakura stated.

"Is that what you ment Naruto?" Sakura asked, curious how Naruto had noticed it before her or even Sasuke.

"Yes, he was able to fade and dampen his Chakra while wrapped in those bandages, making it difficult for people to see." Naruto explained.

"Your eyes are just as sharp as ever Naruto!" Lee declared as he raised his clenched right fist to his jawline, unaware of how correct his statement was.

"I must exercise my eyes extensively after this!" Lee concluded.

"100 - no - 1000 eye winks." Lee asserted.

"Pathetic number Lee, I've seen Kakashi wink 1000 times in just one hour." Guy argued with a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

"W-whaaaat!" Lee exclaimed in shock as he gripped the top of his head with both hands.

Since when is that runt the center of attention? Kiba asked himself as he glared at the side of Naruto's head.

"I gi- ARHHHHHHHHHHH!" Misumi screamed out in pain as the 6 arms from Kankuro's puppet crushed and squeezed.

"What give up? If I could squeeze, maybe you can become alot more flexible?" Kankuro asked.

The Chakra around Kankuro's hand then began to fade, causing his puppet and the Shinobi it was attached with to plummet towards the floor.

The sound of wood smacking atop stone could be heard as Misumi landed atop the stone floor and Kankuro's puppet fell atop him.

"Since his opponent is unable to continue..." Hayate spoke before being interrupted as he broke into a series of harsh coughs.

"Winner by knockout, Kankuro." Hayate exclaimed as he raised his clipboard to his chest and preformed a series of scribbles and marks on the page.

Geez, everyone is remarkable at using their Chakra... Sakura thought to herself as Kankuro and his puppet cleared the floor and a team of medic's rushed Misumi away on a stretcher.

And then there is me. Sakura reminded herself as she stared at the massive screen with yellow Kanji scribbled on it.

Haku told me I was pretty good at Taijutsu and Senbon...but that's not chakra.. Sakura concluded to herself.

Kakashi-sensei has taught me some Earth Jutsu but...will that be enough? Sakura asked herself, attempting to ignore the feeling of anxiety she felt in her stomach.

"Moving on - we will now begin the selection for the 4th match." Hayate stated as the yellow Kanji on the screen began to shift and change, shifting through the available names of the candidate's.

"Geez, Bug people, boneless people and puppet people - what a bunch of weirdo's." Sakura exclaimed as her hands rested atop the railing infront of her.

"And you're not?" Kakashi asked as he leaned against the wall next to Sasuke, behind his other 2 students.

"He's right." Sasuke stated.

"Oh no - not you too Sasuke..." Sakura murmured out as she downcast her head in defeat.

"Now's not the time to thing about that though." Kakashi declared as he placed his right hand atop Sakura's right shoulder.

"Huh? What do you mean Sensei?" Sakura asked as she raised her head before directing her gaze at Kakashi.

Kakashi didn't respond with words, instead he raised his left hand and pointed towards the large screen on the wall with his index finger, forcing his Kunoichi student to direct her attention towards the screen.

'Sakura Haruno VS Ino Yamanaka' was displayed across the screen in yellow Kanji, forcing both of the Kunoichi to quickly glance at one another.

Initiately both of their expressions were one of shock and regret, before both of them quickly smirked and grinned towards the other.

There is no better chance than this... Both Sakura and Ino thought in unison.

I'll beat her down infront of Sasuke. Sakura and Ino both told themselves before they began making their way towards center of the room.

"Good, I'm glad we can keep this moving along." Hayate commented before coughing several times.

Unlike the previous 2 matches, Ino and Sakura stood 10ft away from each other, similar to Sasuke's match VS Yoroi.

"I didn't think that I would be fighting you, Sakura." Ino exclaimed, dirt and mud covering her outfit and body, evidence of the trouble it took her to get here.

"It seems like you had a much easier time get here then I did." Ino remarked as she thought back to when Sakura had told her to flee in the forest, and Sakura whose eyes were closed.

"But you've always had it easier, haven't you?" Ino asked rhetorically.

"Hmph." Sakura scoffed out as she punched the palm of her left hand with her right fist before quickly cracking her knuckles.

Of all the Kunoichi Rookiee ninja from this year, even the ones who graduated, Ino has exceeded them all. Asuma thought to himself as he took a drag from his cigarette.

She will fight with everything she has against Sakura... Asuma told himself.

"Of all the combinations - it chose these 2, this sure is unpleasant." Shikamaru exclaimed.

"Such a drag." Shikamaru sighed.

"Will Ino be okay?" Choji asked as he leaned against the railing, his chin buried atop his arms.

"I heard Naruto completed an A-rank mission, doesn't that mean Sakura did aswell?" Choji murmured.

"No, not from what I hear." Asuma responded as he threw a quick glance towards Kakashi before redirecting it back at his Kunoichi student.

Ino...what will you do? Asuma asked himself.

"Should we say something special Sensei?" Naruto asked without tearing his gaze from Sakura.

"Hmmmmm - just smile for support." Kakashi hummed out

"I think this is kind of funny actually." Sasuke stated as he leaned up from the wall before walking in between Naruto and Kakashi.

"The battle of fangirls, the battle of the useless." Sasuke exclaimed with a smirk, causing Naruto to frown.

"Well I wouldn't call her useless, she brings alot of cheer to our group." Naruto replied.

"I think you brought enough of that yourself." Sasuke scoffed out in annoyance as he leaned forward, pressing his arms atop the railing.

"I think the 3 of you together make a lovely combination." Kakashi mumbled out from underneath his mask, his arms crossed infront of his chest.

"Thanks Sensei." Naruto replied with a smile as he turned his head slightly to the right, allowing him to glance as his Sensei from underneath his bangs.

For several brief moments Hayate observed the 2 Kunoichi infront of him, the first thing he noticed was how Ino was covered head-to-toe in dirt, mud and scratches while Sakura was completely untouched.

"Begin." Hayate voice asserted, garnishing the attention of Naruto before Hayate erupted into a whirlwind of Leaf's.

Both Ino and Sakura dashed forward upon Hayate's signal, bridging the 10ft gap in between them in several seconds.

At the last moment Sakura skipped from side to side atop the burnt stone floor before firmly slamming her left foot down and swinging her right leg upwards in a horizontal fashion.

"N-" Ino gasped out in shocked as she noticed Sakura's fast approaching right foot swinging towards the left side of her face.

She's fast. Ino concluded to herself as she quickly crouched down, barely avoiding the kick Sakura had hurled at her face.

The force of Sakura's kick was so great that currents of air eroded and pressed down upon Ino.

Since Sakura missed, her kick turned into a counter clock-wise twirl, allowing her to turn around in mid-air before once again directly facing her opponent as she landed atop the burnt stone floor.

Ino then entered a Taijutsu stance, holding her left hand palm vertically infront of her face while positioning her clenched right fist horizontally beside her waist.

Ino then flung her right fist forward, only for Sakura to raise her right arm vertically before pushing Ino's fist away with the back of her hand.

Sakura then once again flung her right leg forward, attempting to kick Ino in the stomach only for the latter to grab Sakura's foot with her left hand.

However the power of this kick was so vast that Sakura's shin overwhelmed the strength of Ino's left hand, striking the blond Kunoichi in the stomach and sending her flying over 6ft back.

Ino quickly preformed a backflip as she entered the air, attempting to ignore the pain in her stomach as she reached her right hand into the Kunai pouch she kept strapped to her upper right thigh.

Ino then unsheathed 3 Kunai from the pouch before quickly throwing them towards Sakura, all before Ino even hit the ground.

The image of 3 Kunai reflected off from Sakura's emerald eyes as she observed the approaching objects.

This is nothing compared to your training, Haku. Sakura told herself as she easily side-stepped the 1st Kunai.

Sakura then used only 2 fingers of her left hand to grip the hilt of the 2nd Kunai in mid-air before throwing it at the 3rd, knocking all 3 Kunai out of the air effortlessly.

"U-" Ino gasped out in shocked as she finally landed atop the ground, awed that Sakura had countered so easily.

Sakura then instinctively reached for her Kunai pouch with her right hand, a Kunai pouch filled with Senbon.

However instead of throwing them Sakura quickly downcast her right arm before she began dashing towards Ino once again.

Once Sakura approached Ino she clenched her right hand into a fist before hurling it towards Ino's jaw.

This action caused Ino to crouch down before sliding her right leg across the burnt, wood covered floor below her, attempting to kick Sakura off of her feet.

Sakura then jumped 5ft into the air before hurling her right foot forward with such speed that it collided into Ino's left jawline, sending her flying over 10ft back as she rolled and slide across the burnt stone floor.

As Sakura's feet land atop the floor she once again dashed towards Ino, remembering how Haku told her to never waste an opening when one is spotted.

Ino shoved both palms of her hands against the burnt floor beneath her, pushing her body off the ground before preforming a front flip and standing up straight with her back directed towards Sakura.

As Sakura approached Ino, the later jumped 3ft into the air while extending her right foot horizontally and spinning in a clock-wise fashion, attempting to kick Sakura in the jaw just like she had done.

Sakura then raised both of her hands infront of her nonexistent chest, catching Ino's right foot and halting her assault entirely, suggesting Sakura had much greater physical power than Ino.

Sakura than twisted her body in a clock-wise fashion before using her grip on Ino's foot to smash the pale-blond Kunoichi into the burnt stone floor infront of her.

The force of this impact was so severe that it caused Ino's headband to fall off from her waist.

Before Ino could recover, Sakura pulled Ino closer with her left hand before arching her right leg back, then hurling it forward, slamming her foot into Ino's stomach, causing her to spit up several drops of blood as she roll for over 8ft across the burnt stone floor.

"ChaaaaaaaaAAA!" Sakura screamed as she charged at the defenseless Ino.

Suddenly a faint green aura of Chakra surrounded Sakura's right foot before she leapt 6ft into the air while raising her right leg vertically infront of her nonexistent chest, appearing as an eclipse to Ino.

Shit- Ino stuttered to herself as she rolled forward, missing Sakura's chakra-infused kick by mere inches as Sakura's foot slammed into the stone floor, creating a pillar of dust and debris.

"Oh man - what a drag." Shikamaru exclaimed.

"Hey, Naruto." Choji mumbled up.

"Yea?" Naruto mumbled out in response.

"What is Sakura doing?" Choji asked, knowing how knowledgeble his blond friend was, despite his grades.

"She's amplifying her body with Chakra." Naruto explained.

"When did she get so good?" Sasuke asked rhetorically as he still leaned against the railing.

"Condensing such a high volume of Chakra into on area..." Naruto spoke.

"And switching it from in between her feet and hands so quickly..." Naruto pointed out.

"It must require a staggering amount of Chakra control." Naruto stated.

"Think that's something Haku taught her?" Naruto asked.

"Well I know Kakashi didn't teach her anything." Sasuke scoffed out in a joking manner, causing his sensei to dramatic grabbing his heart in a painful expression, as if the years with Guy had taken their toll on Kakashi.

"Not just that but she's acting werid." Naruto exclaimed.

"Hm?" Sasuke hummed out as he turned his head slightly to the left.

"She isn't using her senbon..." Naruto pointed out.

"Oh yea, I wonder why?" Sasuke mumbled in response as he laid his head sideways across his arms.

"Maybe she just doesn't want to waste any Chakra on that loudmouth?" Sasuke suggested.

"Which loudmouth?" Kakashi asked with his arms still crossed infront of his chest.

"Heh - now that's funny." Sasuke scoffed in response.

The pillar of dust and debris then began to dissolve and dissipate, revealing the silhouette of a panting Ino as she sat crouched atop the ground.

Sakura as gone, having disappeared in the cloud of dust and gone missing.

"Tch - where did forehead go?" Ino asked herself as he head shot from side to side.

"Just great, if I wasn't dirty enough now I got more dirt in my hair." Ino complained as she began to run the fingers of her right hand through her dirt and mud covered hair.

Dust and debris settled atop the burnt, wood covered floor, revealing a small 3ft wide, 1ft deep crater several feet infront of a still crouching Ino.

Glad I avoided that... Ino thought to herself.

Geez this is so stressful... Ino concluded to herself.

What would Shikamaru call it...a drag? Ino asked herself as she continued to study the empty floor.

The ground underneath Ino suddenly ruptured and rumbled as a pair of hands shot out from underneath the stone, each of them gripping Ino's ankles.

"W-What!?" Ino screamed out in shock as she realized the hands belonged to Sakura.

Ino was then abruptly dragged down into the earth, submerging and concealing the entirety of her body, allowing only her head to remain visible.

At the same time Sakura erupted up from the ground, popping out like a pink cyclone as she spun around several times in a counter clock-wise motion before standing harmlessly on her feet.

"Too easy." Sakura declared with a smirk as she placed the dirty sole of her shoe on Ino's face and stood confidently over here.

"E-EW-NO-SAVE ME SASUKE!" Ino yelled out in retort as she tried to avoid the dirty sole of Sakura's shoe.

"Oh man, she actually won?" Sasuke asked in a surprised man.

"What a drag, no way Ino is getting out of that." Shikamaru commented.

"Agreed, they're female ninja after all..." Neji exclaimed.

"Their physical combat skills are lower than normal..." Neji pointed out.

"It's not because their female." Tenten retorted as she rolled her eyes.

"Those two are just soft against each other." Tenten pointed out.

"Even a bat could notice Sakura is holding back." Tenten concluded.

"Sex doesn't matter in battle." Tenten asserted, so focused on Sakura and Ino that she failed to notice Neji roll his eyes.

Soft...? Naruto asked himself.

"LET ME GO FOREHEAD!" Ino detested as she continued to squirm in the neck deep hole she was stuck it.

"Nah - just lick my shoe's." Sakura retorted with a giggle as she continued to rub the dirt-covered sole of her right shoe into Ino's face.

"E-Gr-Gross!" Ino muffled cries rung out.

For several moments Sakura stood over her rival and former friend, ignoring her pleads for help and cries of disgust.

As Sakura glanced down at the disgusted, mud covered-face of her rival, she began to think back, back to when that rival was her friend.

 _-Flashback-_

"Kunoichi must obtain a wide range of knowledge and education..." The Academy teacher known as Ms. Suzume exclaimed.

She had long, curly, black hair and wore oval white-lensed glasses, concealing her eyes from view.

She was fairly pale-skinned and wore red lipstick, her outfit was nothing more than a simple pink kimono with mesh armour underneath and a pair of baggy red pants with flip-flop-like sandals worn with socks.

She stood in a small clearing in the forest, one of several hundreds due to the massive size of land that the forest surrounding Konoha consumed.

Around her sat several female academy students, 26 students percisely, all of which formed a circle around their Sensei.

"If you cannot act like a normal women when you are in enemy territory..." Suzume exclaimed as she used her right hand to push up her glasses slightly.

"You will have trouble spying..." Suzume asserted.

"Today's topic is flower arrangement." Suzume explained.

"Now, everyone go pick some flowers." Suzume ordered.

"Any flowers at all, any you like." Suzume spoke.

"Yesss!" Several of the girls yelled in unison as they rose to their feet and dashed off into the nearby field, a field with many different types and colors of flowers.

"Ino, wait!" A young Sakura pleaded as she ran towards her friend, she couldn't have been any more than 6yrs old.

She wore a dark blue long sleeve shirt, the sleeves ran down 3in below her elbows and each sleeve had 3 small horizontal cuts at her upper arms.

She wore a dark crimson red bow tied around her head vertically, presenting a crimson knot atop her pink hair.

She also wore faded brown shorts that ended 3in below her knees and standard young Shinobi academy shoes, basically a brown verison of the iconic blue shoes.

Sakura's plea caught the attention of a 6yr old Ino, who quickly turned around to face her approaching friend and classmate.

Ino wore a pale-orange long sleeve sweater, it's collar was brown matching the color and tone of the pants she wore, pants the covered the entirety of her legs.

On her feet she wore the same shoes Sakura and the other Kunoichi students in the field did, brown Shinobi shoes.

Sakura then abruptly tripped while running towards Ino, forcing her to fall face first atop the grass-covered ground below, this sound and action caused several other students to stare at and mock Sakura.

For several moments Sakura laid atop the ground with her face buried in it, attempting to ignore and avoid all the mocking laughs and stares.

"Geez - you're such a klutz." Ino asserted as she crossed her arms infront of her chest while glaring down at her clumsy friend.

This act of compassion caused Sakura to raise her head, allowing her to glance up at the friend infront of her, the only girl in the clearing not laughing at her.

* * *

 _10 minutes later._

"I'm not very good at these things..." Sakura mumbled in an embarassed tone as she picked weeds that she considered to be flowers.

"What do you think, Ino?" Sakura asked as she handed Ino a bouquet of dead and dry weeds.

After asking, Sakura quickly sat down next to her friend, not wanting to stand out or have anyone laugh at her again.

"Woah." Ino scoffed as she tilted her head slightly to the left to glance at the weeds Sakura deemed a 'bouquet'.

"You may be named after a flower..." Ino pointed out.

"But you're not a very good one." Ino stated, causing her friend to sigh in defeat.

"Relax - there is a trick to these things." Ino asserted.

"In flower arrangement, once you pick your main flower, you add other flowers to accentuate it." Ino explained.

"Flowers shouldn't fight to be number 1." Ino spoke as she shrugged her right arm into the air nonchalantly.

"See, look over there." Ino stated as she extended her right hand forward, using her index finger to point at a distance tree several feet away.

"Can you see it?" Ino asked, earning a brief nod from the pink haired friend sitting to her left.

"It's a Cosmos flower." Ino exclaimed as Sakura quickly became entranced by the pink-tinted flower, a flower that matched her hair perfectly in tone and color.

"And it would make a great main flower." Ino asserted.

"There is one different between the Cosmos and regular spring flowers..." Ino pointed out.

"And that's because Cosmos flowers are known as Cherry blossoms in the fall." Ino explained.

"They are also known as the more beautiful flower during fall." Ino remarked.

"I just not good at this stuff..." Sakura mumbled out in a depressed tone as she downcast her head in shame.

She then unclenched her right hand, causing the bundle of weeds previously held there to crumble and fall atop the ground between her and Ino.

"What about this?" Ino asked rhetorically as she reached out to grab a flower beside her, intent on changing the subject.

"Its a thoroughwort flower." Ino exclaimed as she held a small petal of the flower infront of her face.

"This would work great as my main flower." Ino asserted as she raised the petal up to her hair, showing the two matched perfectly in both tone and color.

"Do I like good like this?" Ino asked as she smiled towards her depressed friend.

"Am I a cute Thoroughwort flower?" Ino questioned as she winked in a playful manner at Sakura.

"You're so confident Ino..." Sakura murmured out as she stared in a sheepish manner at her friend.

"Well look who it is." An unknown purple haired girl asserted as she and 2 of her friends walked up behind Sakura.

"Ms. Forehead." The purple hair girl declared.

"He-hey Zuki..." Sakura mumbled out in a depressed tone as she downcast her face, attempting to conceal her forehead.

"Are you trying to look cute today?" Zuki asked in a mocking tone.

"Don't fla-." Zuki attempted to mock, only for 3 thoroughwort flowers to lodge themselves into her mouth and throat, gagging her and preventing her from speaking.

This action caused Zuki to fall back, smashing her head hard into the grass-covered ground beneath her, dazing her for several seconds.

"Oh - my bad." Ino remarked as she shrugged her shoulders innocently.

"She had no curves at all..." Ino stated, talking about Zuki's figure and body.

"So I mistook her for a vase and put flowers in her." Ino exclaimed.

"INO!" Zuki screamed out as she raised her torso off the ground and glared at Ino in rage, all 3 thoroughwort flowers sticking out from gaps in her teeth as she talked.

"Ninja Flower Art: Acanite." Ino replied in a confident tone as she held up an Acanite flower infront of her chest.

"It's a weak poison, but you should spit it out since it's poisonous." Ino suggested in a innocent manner.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH" Zuki and her 2 friends squeeled out at the sametime, their cries frightening several birds in the nearby trees, forcing them to fly into the sky above.

"SENSEI!" Zuki screamed with fear in her voice as she and her 2 friends dashed towards the opposite side of the clearing, where Suzume stood.

Zuki tried to pull the flower out of her teeth but she couldn't, some how were just stuck there, this scared Zuki even further causing her running speed to increase.

"Heheheheheheh - idiots." Ino giggled out as Sakura stared at her in a confused and timid fashion.

"I didn't even throw an Acanite into her mouth, those were Thoroughworts." Ino explained.

"Talk about a terrible Kunoichi, she doesn't even know how to indentify a flower." Ino remarked with a slight giggle.

"He-hehehehhehe." Ino once again giggled out, laughing at her own antics.

I-Ino is amazing... Sakura concluded to herself.

She knows so much... Sakura told herself.

She is so stylish and cute... Sakura remarked to herself.

And if you combine that with her Shuriken throwing technique... Sakura thought.

She excels in Ninja technique's... Sakura concluded.

Compared to her... Sakura thought to herself as she downcast her head in shame.

"Sakura?" Ino asked, her tone filled with concern since she noticed the depressed state Sakura was in.

"If your the Cosmos, does that make me a thoroughwort?" Sakura asked timidly with her head still downcast.

"Hm?" Ino hummed out, confused as she clearly pointed out that she was the thoroughwort, not Sakura.

"Huuuuuuu-." Ino huffed out before glancing up at the blue sky overhead, a sky filled with several clouds.

"Well - if you ask me..." Ino spoke.

"You're not even a flower yet, just a bud." Ino exclaimed as she turned her face towards Sakura and smiled.

Sakura's mind froze at this statement, briefly considering its meaning before she once again downcast her head in depression.

"Yeah..." Sakura mumbled out, unaware of the smile that Ino was directing towards her.

At that moment Sakura didn't specifically know what Ino was talking about but in several years, she finally would.

"Ino..." Sakura mumbled out as she bent her legs and raised her knees to her chest, allowing her forearms to rest atop her knees.

"Why did you give me this ribbon?" Sakura asked, referring to the dark crimson bow she wore tied around her head.

"Hmph." Ino scoffed out with a smile bright upon her face.

Ino then tore her gaze away from Sakura before directing it up, back towards the sky above her.

"I thought it would be a waste for you to wither away as a bud." Ino remarked, her words causing Sakura's eyes to widen.

"There is no meaning to a flower unless it blooms." Ino spoke aloud, still staring up at the sky, not noticing the shocked look Sakura was directing towards her.

A gentle gust of wind then blew in from the south, causing the flowers around the 2 sitting Kunoichi to rustle and wave through the breeze.

"It might turn out to be..." Ino spoke as she lowered her face before directing her gaze towards Sakura, both of their bangs blowing gently in the breeze of wind.

The gust of wind then picked up, forcing 2 petals from a nearby Cosmos flower to twirl and float into the air, breezing in between both Sakura and Ino.

"A flower far more beautiful than a Cosmos..." Ino asserted with a wide smile as Sakura continued to look at her with a mixture of awe and inspiration.

"Could I be that flower?" Sakura asked timidly with several twinkles in her eyes.

"I think so." Ino replied as she downcast her head to glance at the friend beside her, smiling deeply.

Sakura didn't know what to say, she had always been bullied for the size of her forehead but Ino was different from other girls.

Sakura first met Ino when they were put together in Suzume's class, Suzume had the special privilege of being the Head Kunoichi Academy Instructor.

The twinkles in her eyes then began to glimmer and sparkle, indicting the positive feeling Sakura was in, she was so happy to finally have a true friend.

* * *

 _6years later, April 25th 58SSP._

"As you know..." Sakura spoke out as she stood 5ft infront of her old childhood friend Ino.

Both Sakura and Ino stood in a small clearing field with yellow, white and even pink flowers, they same clearing they sat in together all those years ago in Ms. Suzume's class.

"I'm on the same team as Sasuke." Sakura stated, earning a snort from Ino.

"Why say that again?" Ino asked rhetorically, not stopping to give her old friend time to answer.

"We were grouped into our teams almost 2 weeks ago." Ino pointed out.

"You're just trying to rub it in." Ino scoffed as she crossed her arms infront of her chest.

"This is the moment Ino." Sakura asserted, both of her arms resting against her sides.

"The moment for what, Ms. Forehead?" Ino asked rhetorically, not really caring about the answer.

"From this moment on - I will never lose to you again." Sakura stated confidently, shocking Ino and causing her eyes to widen in shock.

"Tcheh-" Ino scoffed out in a half-grunt, half-giggle manner.

"I can't say I'll win all the time..." Ino admitted with her arms still crossed infront of her chest.

"But I won't lose everytime." Ino remarked with a confident smile.

A strong gust of wind then blew in from the south, causing both Ino and Sakura's hair to wave and blow through the air while leaf's floated in the clearing all around them.

For several moments neither Kunoichi said anything as both of them stared silently at one another, measuring the years of friendship they had against the months of rivalry that they now shared.

Sakura then abruptly reached into her Kunai pouch with her right hand before retracting a crimson red bow and presenting it towards Ino.

The bow hung horizontally in Sakura's hand, causing each end to run and hang off the opposite sides of her palm.

The fabric dangled and contorted itself several times under the continous breeze coming in from the south but not once did Sakura tear her gaze away from her former friend.

"I want to give this ribbon back to you." Sakura proclaimed.

Both Sakura's words and actions greatly upset Ino, causing a scowl to grow upon her face as she glared with angry and contempt at her former friend.

"I gave that ribbon to you." Ino spoke in a kind and gentle tone with a slight grin upon her face, concealing the scowl that was previously there.

"Beside's, shouldn't you be more worried about your Headband?" Ino remarked.

"You're supposed to put that on your forehead." Ino stated as the scowl on her face resurfaced.

"Ino..." Sakura replied as she continued to hold the crimson bow out towards her former friend.

"I'm no longer the girl who had been chasing you..." Sakura exclaimed, her statement once again causing Ino's eyes to widen.

"When I put on this Headband, I made my oath as a Kunoichi." Sakura proclaimed.

"I will not lose to you as a Kunoichi Ino." Sakura asserted.

"I swear this by my right as a Kunoichi." Sakura exclaimed, causing the scowl on Ino's face to become replaced by a grin.

Once again a strong breeze of wind blew in from the south, extremely common in the Land of Fire due to the air currents traveling up from the southern sea.

"That's a good idea..." Ino replied nonchalantly as she uncrossed her arms before reaching out towards the red bow with her right hand.

However instead of grabbing the bow, she grabbed Sakura's hand, gripping it firm before another gust of wind blew in from the south.

"I'll do the same...when that time comes." Ino remarked with a grin still upon her face.

For several moments Sakura and Ino stood still, neither of them wanting to be the first to move, just like neither of them wanted to give of their past friendship.

 _-Flashback ends-_

Sakura stood hovering over Ino with the sole of her right shoe still pressed against Ino's face as the later Kunoichi pleaded for mercy.

"T-that's gross!" Ino spat out as she turned her head from side to side in an attempt to avoiding the dirty sole of Sakura's right shoe.

Ino was still squirming vigorously inside the hole Sakura had dragged her down into, the only visible part of her being her head and face, the latter of which Sakura continued to shove the sole of her right shoe against.

You were always there for me Ino... Sakura concluded to herself, the sole of her right shoe still pressing against Ino.

My first friend... Sakura reminded herself.

Is this what the hand of fate has given us? Sakura asked herself.

Were we meant to be enemies, instead of friends? Sakura asked herself rhetorically.

For several moments Sakura stood quietly over Ino, the only sound in the entire room was that of Ino's screams and retorts.

Sakura than abruptly pulled the sole of her right shoe away from Ino's face, while at the same time placing the palm of her right hand against the right side of her waist.

This action caused Ino's fit of rage to dampen and halt as she stopped squirming while glancing up at the silhouette of her old friend, the silhoutte of Sakura illuminated by the lights that adorned the ceiling of the room.

"Ino..." Sakura spoke, the tone of her voice filled with regret and shame.

"I am no longer a bud." Sakura asserted, causing a confused expression to form on Ino's face.

"Idiot!" Ino snapped out as she once again began to squirm in place.

"Don't mock me!" Ino screamed, too helpless to move or present any form of retribution.

"Such a drag man..." Shikamaru exclaimed as he watched from the catwalk.

"Ino is taking insults where none exist..." Shikamaru sighed.

At that moment, Sakura crouched down infront of her old friend, hovering only 2ft away from the helpless pale-blond Kunoichi still stuck in the ground.

Sakura then tilted her head slightly to the right while closing her eyes and smiling towards her childhood friend.

This action shocked Ino, causing her eyes to widen and tremble as she finally realized what Sakura was referring to.

"I am a Cosmos." Sakura asserted confidently, the look of shock still apparent on Ino's face.

"And..." Sakura spoke out as she opened her piercing emerald green eyes, eyes Ino always found beautiful.

"I want you to be my Thoroughwort, just like before." Sakura pleaded, the sincerity in her voice causing Ino to blush slightly.

At that same moment Sakura also picked up Ino's discarded Headband before presenting it infront of Ino's still blushing face.

"I like where this is going." Kankuro mumbled out with a slight grin on his face as he stood atop the catwalk opposite of the Rookiee 9.

"Oh shut the hell up." Temari snapped out.

"I swear, girls can't do anything sweet to eachother without guys thinking we're gay." Temari exclaimed as she placed her right plam against the right side of her waist.

"How sweet do you think their gonna get?" Kankuro asked rhetorically as the smile grin on his face evolved into an ear to ear smile, or atleast the parts of his face that were visible from his odd hat.

Temari didn't respond with words, instead she clenched her right hand into a fist before flinging it backwards, slamming it into the bridge of Kankuro's face.

This force caused Kankuro to fly 5ft back, bridging the gap of the catwalk as he slammed into the stone wall previously behind him, lucky for him he wasn't wearing his puppet.

While he flew through the air, a small stream of blood could be seen flowing and protruding out from his nose, suggesting Temari had done some serious damage.

Gaara didn't even react, his arms still remained crossed infront of his chest as he stared emotionlessly down at the 2 Kunoichi in the center of the room, people who were supposed to fighting but instead were talking.

Those 2 should know better than to act like this infront of Gaara... Baki thought to himself as he stood slightly to the left of Temari.

If he loses control here... Baki thought.

It's all over... Baki concluded to himself as both his hands clenched and tightened with fear.

Gaara was the greatest power in his village, none except the 4th Kazekage could contain him and without Lord Rasa present, if Gaara was to rampage - Baki was certain no one present could contain him.

"I don't think we need to keep this match going." Hayate coughed out as he appeared in a whirlwind of leaf's behind the still submerged and blushing Ino.

"Since Ino Yamanaka is unable to continue..." Hayate spoke.

"Winner by knockout, Sakura Haruno." Hayate proclaimed.

"YEA BOY!" Sakura screamed enthusiastically as she leaped 5ft into the air while throwing both her hands up towards the ceiling.

"SASUKE DID YOU SEE ME!?" Sakura yelled rhetorically, to excited over her victory to notice Sasuke bury his face into his forearms, clearly embarassed by Sakura's antics.

"I'M SO GREAT!" Sakura declared as she continued to jump up in down infront of a still submerged Ino.

Sakura's screams for joy were so loud that they even drowned out the constant, harsh coughs Hayate released several times.

"What should we do now Sensei?" Naruto asked without looking away from his cheering teammate, a smile wide upon his face.

He was glad Sakura had won, Naruto always enjoyed watching the happy moments that others shared, in a way it reminded him of his life with Iruka.

"Hmmmmmm." Kakashi groaned out as he abruptly placed his right hand atop Sasuke's head.

"What is it?" Sasuke scoffed out in an annoyed manner as he lifted his head up slightly, he didn't enjoy being touched.

"Aren't you going to congratulate Sakura?" Kakashi asked in a deadpan tone.

"Neither of you are." Sakura retorted, his head still resting on his forearms that were crisscrossed atop the railing he leaned against.

At that statement, Kakashi pulled his right hand off of Sasuke's head before positioning both his hands vertically infront of his chest.

Kakashi then began to quietly and rapidly clap his hand together in a muffled, impressively fast repetition.

Naruto quickly began to mimick his Sensei, as he also clapped his hands repeatedly infront of his chest in a vertical fashion.

"Huuuuuu-" Sasuke sighed out as he once again buried his face into his forearms.

"You've bloomed into a beautiful flower..." Ino exclaimed as she continued to blush, still submerged in the ground.

Upon hearing her words, Sakura stopped jumping before abruptly slamming to heel of her left foot into the ground.

This action caused Ino to protrude upward as the ground underneath her ruptured, causing her to raise out of the ground while twirling several times in a clock-wise fashion, making her quite dizzy.

While Ino stood there, dazed and confused, Sakura quickly took 2 steps foreward before wrapping both her arms around Ino and squeezing with all her might.

While Sakura squeezed down she also arched back slightly, raising Ino into the air as Sakura nuzzled her face against Ino's neck, attempting to conceal the tears building in her eyes.

The force of this hug was so great that several of Ino's joints could be heard cracking under the pressure.

"Ca-can't - breathe..." Ino panted out as her chin rested atop Sakura's head, the latter Kunoichi still nuzzling against Ino's throat in an attempt to conceal her tears.

"Thank you for believing in me...Ino." Sakura stuttered out as she wiped to tears in her eyes against Ino's dirt covered neck.

"B-b-breathe.." Ino choked out before Sakura finally released Ino from her crushing bear hug.

As Ino fell to her knees infront of Sakura, the latter Kunoichi raised her right forearm horizontally infront of her face, rubbing it against her eyes in an attempt to dry them.

"Huuuu - Huuuuuuu..." Ino panted out as Sakura continued to rub her forearm against her own face.

"But you know..." Ino spoke, her head stil downcast towards the burnt, wood covered stone floor below her.

"I have no intention of giving Sasuke to you." Ino stated as she tilted her head upward before glaring at her childhood friend.

Sakura then abruptly lowered her right forearm away from her face before positioning it vertically infront of her nonexistent chest.

She then clenched her right hand tightenly, transforming it into a fist as she began to scowl towards the crouched Ino infront of her.

"Same to you!" Sakura screamed out as she bared her teeth towards Ino.

"Please go away." Hayate asserted.

"It's time for the next match to be selected." Hayate proclaimed as the large screen behind him turned to life once again.

The yellow Kanji on the screen scribbled and morphed into several different shapes and letters, once again rotating between all remaining candidates.

During this, Ino attempted to stand up, only to fall forward into Sakura's arms since both of her legs were asleep from being underground so long.

As Ino fell forward her face buried itself into Sakura's nonexistent chest while the pink haired Kunoichi's arms wrapped around her childhood friend, preventing Ino from falling to the ground.

This action once again caused Ino to blush as she kept her face concealed against Sakura's chest for several seconds.

"I didn't know you swung for the same team pinky." Anko mocked as she stood beside the 3rd Hokage and Ibiki, all 3 of which stood directly infront of stone hands extending from the wall.

"Shut the hell up!" Sakura retorted as she pushed Ino backwards, causing the pale-blond Kunoichi to fall on the ground.

"Please go away now." Hayate proclaimed before he coughed several times.

"Help me up forehead!" Ino snapped out.

This order caused Sakura to lean forward before grabbing Ino's left forearm and drapping it around her shoulders while lifting her up.

Once they were both standing Sakura wrapped her right arm around Ino's waist as she walked along-side her limping childhood friend.

Soon both Ino and Sakura made there way towards the stairs leading to the left catwalk, the names on the screen behind them still rotating and spinning as the next match for the preliminary was fast approaching.


	24. Chapter 24

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: A rant about Kurama and how the fanfiction community writes him:** **I can't fucking stand how several stories write Kurama.**

 **You'll have some stories that make Kurama a girl and (for some fucking reason) give him an excuse to fuck Naruto or wants to fuck him.**

 **Then there are stories where the 1st fucking second Naruto and Kurama meet, they become best friends and all that buddy buddy shit, instantly talking to one another telepathically and all that jazz.**

 **I feel many fanfictions do not give Kurama justice.**

 **Instead of treating Kurama like a character who needs growth and development, they just treat him as an excuse for Naruto to win any battle - and I can't fucking stand that shit.**

 **I want this fanfiction to appear realistic, everything I've done, everything I've written I honestly consider realistic.**

 **Therefore Kurama obivously has to be handled in a realistic way, the same with all the tailed beast due to the sheer effect they have on this story.**

 **Point out my mistakes please.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 24: A Sparkle of Youth! Disgusting Cruelty.**

'Tenten VS Temari.' The yellow Kanji sprawled across the massive TV screen displayed, causing both of the Kunoichi to smile simultaneously.

Both of the Kunoichi were so pumped up for their fight, that instead of walking down the stairs they each jumped over the railing of the catwalk they stood upon.

They Kunoichi landed in the center of the room, both of them grinned confidently towards their opponent, each of them only 10ft away from the other.

I never thought I'd say this... Tenten thought.

But since watching that pink haired rookiee fight - I'm psyched. Tenten remarked to herself.

The 2nd fool to stand against the Sand. Temari concluded as she gripped the side of her waist with both hands.

"DO YOU BEST, TENTEN!" Lee screamed as he stood slightly to the right of Naruto, since Sasuke had returned to his wall to lean against it in the same manner as Kakashi.

Naruto simply smiled towards his enthusiastic friend, Naruto always enjoyed Lee's energy, his drive to never give up, Lee truly was a sibling-student to Naruto.

As he smiled towards his friend, Naruto briefly observed both the chakra networks of Tenten and Temari, quickly noting to himself that there was nothing strange or out of the oridnary about them.

"This might actually be an interesting match." Neji admitted with both of his arms crossed infront of his chest as he stood to the right of Lee.

To the left of the wall leaning Kakashi and Sasuke, sat both Sakura and Ino with their backs against the wall, the latter covered in dirt and mud from her long journey through the forest of death.

Sakura and Ino sat beside one another with no gap in between them at all as the mud covered tunic of Ino's outfit mixed with the clean and washed fabric of Sakura's outfit.

Sakura's eyes were open as she attempted to peer through the gaps in the railing that lined the catwalk to get a better view of the upcoming match.

However Ino was fast asleep against Sakura, with her pale-blond head resting against Sakura's left shoulder, Ino was exhausted from her long journey through the forest.

As Hayate quickly observed each of the Kunoichi infront of him, he quickly noticed how Tenten was covered in scratchs, scars and dirt, while Temari didn't have a sinlge mark on her, much like Sakura.

"Begin." Hayate ordered before he once again vanished in a whirlwind of leaf's before appearing atop the stone hands once again.

Temari didn't even move, ske kept her same calm attitude, both of her hands still gripping the sides of her waist.

This action greatly annoyed Tenten as she felt mocked by her opponent, causing Tenten to quickly leap back 5ft, her arms still resting against her sides.

"Fight Tenten!" Lee screamed as he waved his arms through the air in several different angles and directions.

"Believe in yourself Tenten!" Guy yelled as he stood almost directly behind Naruto and Lee, also waving his hands through the air in a fashion similar to his student.

"We're here for you Tenten!" Lee bellowed, his arms still waving through the air.

"Fight with everything you have Tenten!" Lee one again screamed as he clenched both his fists before lowering them to his jawline.

"That's it! Show your spirit Tenten!" Guy asserted.

"So them your youth!" Guy ordered as he dramatically pointed his right hand towards his Kunoichi student, causing her to briefly downcast her head in embarassment.

"Yes sir!" Lee answered rhetorically, as if we was responding for Tenten.

"We believe in you Tenten!" Lee declared as he started flexing his arms in various shapes and poses.

The actions and antic's of both Lee and Guy caused a warmed, joyful feeling to erupt inside of Naruto's stomach, one that overwhelmed the constant clawing he always felt when near Gaara.

Though over the past 5 days inside the tower Naruto had managed to ignore this sharp feeling or atleast built up a resistance to it, it felt good to not have to worry about it all.

Is this that feeling you told me about... Naruto asked himself as the fading smile of Iruka pierced into his mind.

Is this love? Naruto asked rhetorically because in his mind he already knew the answer.

These people, these friends surrounding him, they gave Naruto joy, they gave him hope.

They didn't judge or hate one another simply because of how they were born or about something they had no control over.

Lee and Guy truly believed in the people around them, their friends and family, they were determined, loyal and loving.

They were the type of person Naruto always wanted to be, the type of student and Sensei Naruto always imagined himself and Iruka growing up to become.

"Ah man - their so loud." Kiba complained as he stood several feet away from both of his hands pressed against his ears.

"YAUUUuuuuuuuh-" Shikamaru yawned out in response as he laid his head atop his crisscrossing arms that sat on the railing infront of him.

"Tenten's distance with the enemy is amazing..." Hiruzen remarked as he stood infront of the stone hands with the Ibiki and Anko, both of the procters for the past 2 exams.

"It truly is incredible.." Anko pointed out, referring to the fact that Tenten was percisely 15ft after from her opponent.

"It's not too close but not too far." Hiruzen exclaimed with both of his sleeve-covered hands behind his back.

"She can deal with both offense and defense..." Hiruzen proclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Hayate asked as he stood atop the stone fingers of the massive hands.

"Please begin." Hayate pleaded.

"No - you just don't see the problem here." Temari remarked, a grin still apparent on her face.

"She's trying to observe my moments..." Temari stated.

"But the thing is, if I start attacking she'll be finished in a second." Temari concluded with a smile wide upon her face.

After speaking Temari instinctively took one step forward with her left foot, causing Tenten to take 1 step backwards in order to maintain her same distance.

"You're not skilled enough to see my attacks." Temari spoke as she took another step forward, forcing Tenten to take one more step backwards.

"Stop trying to look cool." Temari proclaimed as she raised her right hand from her waist before positioning it infront of her nonexistent chest, a trait she shared with Tayuya and Sakura.

She then curled the fingers on her right hand closed as she used her right thumb to point at her own chest.

"I don't mind, come on." Temari scoffed, a smile still apparent on her face.

"Hmph." Tenten retorted as she also grinned.

She underestimates me - this'll be a breeze. Tenten remarked to herself.

"You sure seem confident." Tenten pointed out.

"Then I'll attack without hesitation!" Tenten screamed as she leapt over 10ft into the air while reaching both of her hands into the Shuriken satchel she kept tied on the back of her waist.

Tenten quickly retracted her hands before forming a large 'X' infront of her bulging chest with her forearms, revealing 4 Shuriken gripped in each of her hands, for a total of 8.

Tenten then flung both of her arms forward, flinging the 8 Shuriken towards Temari as they twirled, spiraled and cut through the air in several different angles and fashions.

"Hmph." Temari scoffed out as she briefly flickered in and out of existance, something that caught the eyes of both Neji and Naruto, who were obeserving her intently.

Suddenly the 8 Shuriken that were about to strike Temari glided and flew sidesways away from her, causing each of the Shuriken to strike the ground surrounding the Sand Kunoichi, instead of the Kunoichi herself.

"U-" Tenten groaned out in shocked as she landed atop the burnt stone floor in a crouched position, attempting to ignore the wooden splinters and crumbled rock that also littered the floor.

I don't miss. Tenten told herself as she stood up straight, her eyes narrowing as she observed her opponent.

Both of Temari's hands were gripping each side of her waist as she smiled confidently, it was as if she didn't even move.

"What's wrong?" Temari asked innocently.

"Was that attack just to test me?" Temari questioned in a mocking manner.

"Or did you shrink up with fear and can't aim anymore?" Temari pondered, causing Tenten to scoff.

"Looks like I can't expect much from your village." Temari remarked as she smiled.

"That can't be!" Lee exclaimed from atop the catwalk he stood upon, wrapping his hands around the railing as he spoke.

"Tenten missed?" Lee questioned, as if he didn't believe his eyes.

"Impossible." Guy replied.

"Tenten is able to single a target 100 times in 100 tries..." Guy remarked, eluding to the sheer potenial Tenten had.

"She never misses..." Guy asserted.

"She was forced to miss." Guy pointed out, causing the student infront of him to turn his head around slightly to the left, glancing at his Sensei.

"Forced to miss?" Lee asked.

I see something - but what? Neji asked himself, upset that his eyes couldn't reveal to him what just happened.

"Yes, Lee." Naruto replied in a calm tone, garnishing the attention of all the members for eam 3, except Tenten.

"It was Temari's speed." Naruto stated, a statement that angered Neji as it implied Naruto was faster than him.

"Her speed?" Lee asked.

"The object on her back, it's a fan." Naruto pointed out.

"She unlatched her fan before using the wind created by it to bypass Tenten's attack..." Naruto explained, awing Lee with his knowledge.

"The impressive thing is her speed..." Naruto proclaimed.

"To move so quickly..." Naruto exclaimed, his eyes narrowing from underneath his bangs as he spoke.

She's no Genin. Naruto concluded.

This runt... Neji told himself while he glared at Naruto with a disgusted scowl apparent upon his face.

He mocks the Byakugan. Neji thought as his hatred towards Naruto began to grow.

"She has a friendly attitude..." Kankuro muttered out, referring to his Kunoichi teammate.

"Just like usual." Kankuro spoke as Gaara stood to his right side and Baki to his left.

"This is all completely pointless." Gaara replied in an emotionless tone with both of his arms still crossed infront of his chest.

5 - 10 - 15 Tenten counted in her head, measuring the distance in feet between her and the Sand Kunoichi that was her opponent.

If she's dodging it... Tenten thought.

Then I have to make it impossible to dodge. Tenten concluded.

"Hmmmmmm." Temari hummed out in a bored manner as she continued to smile, not taking to situation infront of her serious at all.

She's measuring the distance between us... Temari noticed.

The next attack must be a big one. Temari told herself as she used her right hand to reach over her right shoulder, gripping the handle of the massive fan she kept straped to her back.

I see - so that fan is the trick. Tenten remarked, finally noticing what Naruto did minutes ago.

Tenten then broke out into a sprint, running around Temari in a circular fashion, maintaining her 15ft distance the entire time.

Tenten then abruptly reached behind her back with her left hand before leaping over 20ft into the air, twisting, flipping and twirling several times in the air over an unphased Temari.

"How about this!?" Tenten screamed rhetorically as she pulled out a scroll from the Shuriken satchel on her back, suggesting she stored scrolls in her satchel just like Naruto did in his.

As Tenten pulled out the scroll, she continued to flip and twist several times in the air, causing the scroll to unroll and revealing itself, stretching out over 20ft long as it twirled through the air around Tenten.

"A-" Naruto gasped aloud as he recognized the Kanji scribbled across the 20ft long scroll, a scroll of weaponry.

As both Tenten and her scroll twirled through the air several times, she suddenly dragged her hand across the seal, causing several puffs of smoke to erupt from the scroll, concealing Tenten from sight.

Suddenly over 3 dozen types of weaponry hurled themselves out of the smoke, plunging down towards Temari who effortlessly deflected everysingle weapon just by unsheathing her fan.

"W-what?" Tenten stammered out in awe as she landed atop the ground 15ft away from Temari, the long scroll still gripped in her right hand drapping across the burnt stone floor she stood on.

"T-there has to be a trick to that fan..." Tenten spoke aloud.

"Hmph." Temari scoffed in response, her fan was placed against the left side of her body slightly opened, revealing a large purple circle painted into the material that made-up the blade for the fan.

"This is the first star." Temari exclaimed.

"But that's a circle..." Sakura whispered to herself, as the sound of Ino snoring into her right ear was causing her to also become sleepy.

"There are 2 more, for 3 stars in total." Temari proclaimed.

"And when you see all 3 stairs, you're going to lose." Temari asserted, causing Tenten to scoff.

"TENTEN!" Lee screamed from atop the catwalk.

"Don't let the enemy make you go at her pace!" Lee exclaimed.

"STAY CALM! STAY CALM!" Lee yelled.

I know, Lee... Tenten told herself as she downcast her head sightly.

I was planning to use this in the main matches... Tenten thought as she closed her eyes in shame.

But it looks like I can't hold back... Tenten concluded as she once again used her left hand to reach into the Shuriken satchel tied to the back of her waist.

Tenten then abruptly retracted her left hand before extending it forward while at the same time opening her eyes, revealing 2 weaponry scrolls.

The parchment for the scrolls were faded and were painted in a striped manner with the edges of both scrolls a faded crimson while the center was faded brown.

"A-" Lee exclaimed from atop the catwalk, shocked at the outcome his teammate had been forced into.

"She's going to use 'it' already." Guy asserted, so focused on his Kunoichi student that he failed to notice Neji smiling, clearly proud of his girlfriend.

It? Naruto asked himself as his violet eyes once again narrowed underneath his bangs, curious to see the power Tenten had.

Tenten then abruptly crouched down, digging the hilt of each scroll into the center of her palms as she pressed the scrolls into the burnt stone floor underneath her.

"HU-." Temari scoffed out in a comical fashion as she flipped her hair slightly to the right, causing her 4 ponytails to shag and bounce in place.

"No matter what you try, its useless." Temari declared as she stood confidently, not a single expression of concern or fear on her face.

Tenten then lifted her hands away from the seals placed vertically atop the burnt floor, before she then pressed her hands together vertically infront of her chest.

At that moment, Tenten's hands weaved and danced through the Tiger, Dragon, Monkey, Hare and Snakes Seals before Tenten abruptly crossed her arms into a large 'X' infront of her chest.

"Ninja Art: Twin Rising Dragons!" Tenten screamed as the scrolls around her exploded into a massive cloud of smoke, one that bellowed out from the young Kunoichi, concealing the entire room below the catwalks in smoke.

None could see through this relentless cloud of smoke, none except Neji who had his Byakugan activated, even the Rinnegan didn't allow its user to see through smoke or walls.

"Nh-" Temari grunted out as she raised her right forearm infront of her face while closing her eyes as the funneling smoke continued to pour out from Tenten's previous location.

Suddenly 2 chinese-styled dragons erupted upward from the dense smoke, the smoke was so dense that the dragons themselves were formed from it, causing 2 pillars of smoke to form where the dragons rose.

As the dragons ascended higher, reaching 25ft into the air, they began to dance and twirl around one another several types in a counter clock-wise fashion.

The smoke dragons the abruptly dissolved, revealing them to be nothing more than the 2 scrolls Tenten had previously pressed atop the burnt stone floor.

Tenten then leapt upward, twirling hoirzontally in a counter clock-wise fashion over 6 times as she soared 25ft into the air in an impressive feat of speed.

Once Tenten hovered in the center of the twirling vortex her scrolls had created, she extended both of her arms out horiztontally, dragging her hands across the surface of the scrolls in a similar fashion to her previous attack.

The second her hands were placed against the scrolls, a small puff of smoke erupting from both of them before the smoke quickly dissolved, revealing a Kunai and 22in long scythe that Tenten now held.

Tenten then hurled both the Scythe and Kunai through the air towards Temari, but before they even made impact Tenten once again reached both of her arms out horizontally, dragging her hands across the scrolls.

This action once again caused two weapons to erupt from the scroll, this time a large Shuriken and a 20in long sword, both of which Tenten instantly threw towards Temari.

For several seconds Tenten repeated this action - drawing and throwing, drawing and throwing, until at last over 50 assorted Kunai, Swords and Scythes were flying through the air towards Temari.

"Hmph" Temari scoffed out with a grin on her face as she glanced at the approaching weapons.

"Even if you increase the number, it's still the same." Temari spoke confidently as she lifted up her massive fan horizontally infront of her bulging chest.

"Second star!" Temari screamed while she reached behind her back with her left hand, causing the Fan she held in it to scrap the burnt floor beneath her.

Temari then flung her left arm forward, propelling her massive fan forward as it opened even further, revealing the 2nd purple circle Temari labeled a 'star'.

The momentum of this action caused Temari to spin completely around in a clock-wise fashion while she crouched down half way, causing several currents and gusts of wind to erupt outward from the young Kunoichi.

The currents of wind Temari released then collided into Tenten's approaching weapons, pushing and eroding them backwards with such forced that they all fell harmlessly to the ground infront of Temari, without leaving a single scratch.

The long unrolled scrolls then fell atop the burnt stone floor, they're fabric draping across the ground as Tenten landed in a crouched position behind them.

"Tch." Tenten scoffed out as she glared at Temari with an annoyed scowl while the latter stood up straight.

Throwing weapons at her is pointless... Tenten concluded.

I was going to use the Wire Strings I attached to my weapons... Tenten explained as she quickly glanced down at the barely visible wire extending from her hands to the several dozen weapons scattered across the floor.

But If I do - she'll just use that fan to deflect them... Tenten pointed out.

Or worse - send them flying back at me. Tenten thought as her eyes narrowed.

At this rate - where my Fuinjutsu is being nullified, If I enter battle - I'll be defeated. Tenten concluded, still crouched down infront of the Sea of weapons she previously released.

She's my perfect opponent - my perfect counter... Tenten told herself as she grinded her teeth together in annoyance.

"Are you just going to sit there?" Temari asked with a grin still on her face.

Temari then swung her fan behind her back in a slanted vertical fashion while at the same time opening the fan completely, revealing 3 purple circles sprawled across the blade of the fan.

"Wind Style: Dust Wind Jutsu." Temari exclaimed calmly as she once again flung her left arm forward, this time hurling her completely opened fan towards Tenten.

But instead of spinning around, like her last attack, Temari instead raised her right palm horizontally against her fan, halting the fan mid-swing.

These combined actions summoned a cascading amount of sand-infused wind that rushed and surged towards the still crouched Tenten, sprinkling Sand across the entirety of the burnt stone floor it crossed.

Tenten instinctively reached her left hand into the Shuriken satchel tied to the back of her waist, before quickly retracting her hand and tossing the scroll in a slanted vertical fashion across her chest.

This action caused the scroll to unroll itself in mid-air infront of Tenten, sprawling out for 8ft, the scroll was almost similar to the 2 former one's she used, except the faded crimson was replaced with a faded sapphire.

As the scroll hovered infront of Tenten, she raised her right hand to her chest before slamming her flat palm against the center of the black Kanji scribbled upon the scroll infront of her.

"Ninja Art: Segmented Iron Dome!" Tenten screamed while the scroll infront of her erupted into the puff of smoke that conceal the entire area around her in a 5ft radius.

As the smoke covered Tenten's location the sound of Iron dislodging and sliding several times could be heard grinding against stone.

Finally Temari's sand-infused wind eroded against Tenten's location, pushing the smoke cloud away and revealing a larged 5ft wide Iron dome that protected the leaf Kunoichi from harm.

Temari's wind cascaded over Tenten dome, sprinkling sand atop it while continuing to surge forward before the sand-infused wind collided against the far wall opposite Temari, underneath the left catwalk.

The Iron dome then once again erupted into a puff of smoke before the sound of a second scroll being opened could be heard, with several small puffs of smoke occuring during the scrolls unraveling.

After several moments the 5ft radius of dense smoke finally dissolved and dissipated, revealing Tenten standing behind 7 black-metal ninja-swords, each was a different length and shape.

I see - she's covered the terrain with sand... Tenten noticed as her head turned slightly from side to side.

She's using my distance to her advantage... Tenten marveled.

She knows I can't touched her at a distant and now I won't be able to close the gap either... Tenten concluded as she once again grinded her teeth together.

This realization caused Tenten to lower her head in shame and defeat, as she accepted the fact there was no way she could win.

"YOU CAN DO IT TENTEN!" Both Lee and Naruto screamed out in unison, Lee's energy had quite an effect on Naruto.

"We believe in you!" Naruto exclaimed as he raised both his arms from his sides before gripping the railing infront of him.

"FIGHT WITH YOUR SPIRIT TENTEN!" Lee proclaimed as he waved his arms through the air.

"U-" Tenten groaned out in surprised as her eyes widened slightly, she had given up completely yet Lee and even Naruto still believed in her.

Tenten never thought much of Naruto, other than the bad things her parents said about him and the goods thing Lee said, and the fact that Naruto was the deadlast of his class, Tenten really didn't know anything about him.

If someone like Naruto can one-up Neji... Tenten thought as she remembered how Naruto effortlessly deflected both Sasuke's and Neji's attack in the Academy hallway earlier that morning.

Tenten then extended her right hand, gripping the hilt to 1 of the 7 black swords stabbed into the stone floor infront of her.

At the same time she also reached her left hand behind her into the Shuriken satchel tied to the back of waist.

Then I can beat her! Tenten concluded to herself as she tilted her head up before using her left hand to toss a scroll into the air, soaring over 20ft above Temari.

"Oh?" Temari hummed out in a mocking tone before she positioned her fan horiztontally over her body, resting the black metal hilt against the top of her head.

The scroll then unraveled itself in mid-air before 12 Shuriken plummeted downward from it, falling towards the fan covered temari who was only 20ft below.

Tenten then pulled the hilt to the sword in her right hand up, freeing the black-blade from the stone it was previously lodged into.

She then tossed the sword in a vertical fashion, switching her handle on the hilt from a reverse grip to a normal grip.

Tenten then extended her right arm horizontally outward from her body before quickly hurling the sword in hand towards Temari.

Tenten threw the sword with such technique that the blade spiraled in a clock-wise fashion several times as it sped towards a shocked Temari.

"Tch-to slow." Temari scoffed out in annoyance as she placed both her hands on the hilt of her fan before spinning around over 3 times, contorting the fan over her shoulders and torso in several different angles and degrees.

This action not only deflected every single weapon Tenten had thrown at her, but also hurled Tenten's sword back at her with an astonishing amount of wind reinforcment it's power.

Tenten quicky gripped 2 of the remaining 6 swords infront of her before pulling them up from the ground and twirling the blades in her hands, forming an 'X' with the blades infront of her chest.

As the sword Tenten previously threw as fast approaching, she stretched out her right arm in a horizontal fashion, striking the twirling wind-infused blade out of the air.

However the gust of Temari's attack hit Tenten full-force, sending the Kunoichi flying back over 15ft as her back slammed into the hard stone wall, causing her to drop both of her swords in the process.

In a stunning display of power, all 4 of Tenten's swords that were stabbed into the ground before Temari's attack still remained there, evidence to the strength it must have taken to pull them lose.

"TENTEN!" Lee screamed out as both he, Neji and Naruto all peered over the railing to investigate her injuries.

Temari's lasted attack also eroded all the sand previously on the ground, causing tiny sand particles to dance and float throughout the air as over an assortment of over 100 weapons laid sprawled across the ground.

G-good... Tenten thought to herself as she slowly stood up while resting her back against the wall and panting heavily.

Now I have a clear opening! Tenten concluded as she reached out and grabbed the 2 swords resting beside her before rushing towards her sand opponent.

"Wind Style: Sand Cyclone." Temari spoke with a smile as she swung her fan in a horizontal fashion across her chest with both hands on the hilt of the fan.

This action created a condensed, twirling funnel of air that surged towards Tenten, while at the same time absorbing all the sand particles in the air, causing the funnel of air to become dense and heavy.

Unable to avoid or move due to the exhaustion that was beginning to overwhelm her, Tenten was swept up into the cyclone, forcing the Kunoichi to drop her weapons in the process.

The cyclone then drifted upwards and sideways before contorting and twisting in several fashions as it expelled Tenten's swords but not her, and the sand concealed her from sight.

I can't see through the sand... Naruto noted.

Sand, Mist, walls and the ground. Naruto thought, referring to the 4 things his Rinnegan eyes couldn't see through, atleast as far as he knew.

I see... Neji remarked to himself as he squinted his Byakugan eyes, examining the body of his teammate and Girlfriend, unlike the Rinnegan or Sharingan, the Byakugan could actually see through solid surfaces, even dense mist.

As the cyclone twisted and twirled around Tenten, the grains of sand sharpened into daggers before scratching and cutting across the surface of Tenten's skin and cloths, causing several drops of blood to mix with sand.

Temari then quickly snapped her fan shut before positioning it vertically to the left side of her body, causing the sand cyclone to abruptly dissolve as the semi-conscious body of Tenten plummeted from the air.

Tenten's back then fall atop Temari's fan, causing the faint sound of bones snapping to echo across the room before the back of Tenten's head smacked the hilt of Temari's fan, causing her to spit blood and fall unconscious.

Suddenly the sound of metal creaking and bending could faintly be heard protruding from the left catwalk, due to Naruto's grip on the railing and the crushing pressure he was releasing upon it.

Cruel... Naruto thought as a disgusted scowl formed on his face, or atleast the portion that was visible, Temari made Naruto feel the same way Gato did, disgusted.

"Tenten..." Lee mumbled out as both of his hands gripped the railing with anxiety for his teammate, he was so focused on Tenten he didn't even notice the metal beside him bending due to Naruto.

During this Neji quietly bowed his head while closing his eyes and clenching both his fists by his sides, his own unique way of mourning the defeat his girlfriend and teammate just suffered.

"That was boring, very boring." Temari exclaimed as she observed the unconscious face of Tenten, her words further enraging Naruto.

"She neutralized all of Tenten's weapons..." Guy exclaimed in a shocked manner.

Guy was embarassed, so far 2 of his rival's students had passed, while 1 of his just failed and Guy knew from Lee's bragging that Naruto must be quite a worthy Shinobi.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered out, his face stilling buried into his crisscrossing arms.

"I'm hungry..." Choji mumbled.

"The Ninja of the Sand are something to be feared..." Hiruzen remarked as an Anbu appeared in a blur of leaf's before quickly giving the seasoned Hokage his smoking pipe then disappearing from view.

At this moment, Hayate arrived in a whirlwind of leaf's only 5ft away from Temari and a unconscious Tenten, trying his best to not step on the several dozen sharp weapons that littered the burnt stone floor.

"Winner by knockout, Temari." Hayate exclaimed as he raised his clipboard to his chest before preforming several scribbles and checks with his pencil.

During this, a twisted and sadistic smile blossomed on Temari's face before she suddenly tilted her fan forward, causing Tenten to fall towards the sharp Kunai and Shuriken that littered the floor.

"TENTEN!" Lee exclaimed as his right foot and Neji's left foot stomped atop the railing, each of them ready to dash forward and save their teammate.

However, by the time their feet touched the railing Naruto had already bridged the gap to Tenten, grabbing her by the waist with his left arm and holding her against his left side.

It took Temari several seconds to even register Naruto's speed, a level of speed that awed every single Genin present, even Gaara whose hands began to twitch with excitement.

That is except for Ino and Sakura who were sleeping beside one another, with Ino resting her dirt covered face atop Sakura's left shoulder and Sakura resting her head atop Ino's.

Even Jonin like Asuma and Baki were shocked at the level of speed displayed, a level of speed far beyond their own, a level of speed that caused Hiruzen to take a heavy drag from his pipe as he pulled his Hokage hat down slightly.

"Huuuuuu - Huuuuuuu." The unnamed Sound Sensei of team Dosu awed out in excitement.

"Na-Naruto." Lee exclaimed in a shocked manner as Neji's Byakugan eyes narrowed while Sasuke leaned up off the wall before walking forward.

Just like before... Sasuke remarked as he thought back to the level of speed Naruto displayed when they were first attacked by the demon brothers of the Mist, back when they were escorting Tazuna.

"Tch." Temari chuckled out as she studied the whiskered blond standing only 3ft infront of her, the same one she met last week when walking around the village with her 2 teammates.

"She is nothing but trash." Temari scoffed.

Suddenly Temari found herself overcome with a overpowering, unseen force that flung her backwards, sending her flying back over 20ft before rolling across the stone floor, only 5ft away from the stone wall below the right catwalk.

This force tore Temari's fan free from her grip as it and several of the weapons Tenten released began to slide and scrap across the burnt stone floor, some even sliding only several inches away from Temari.

"Shit!" Temari spat out after she took several seconds to recover and stand up, taking her time to dust off the dirt that now covered her outfit and hand.

Temari then directed her angry glare towards Naruto, who she suspected to be the origin of the unseen power just used against her, even if she didn't how he did it or what it was.

"Hmmmmm..." Kakashi hummed to himself as he observed the situation infront of him.

Kakashi had already explained Naruto's abilities to the 3rd Hokage or atleast the abilities he knew about but this was the perfect opportunity for Hiruzen to see for himself.

"You brat!" Temari barked out as she quickly dashed for her fan that laid atop the burnt floor only 6ft away from her.

However as Temari neared her fan, the object abruptly slide across the ground before raising into the air and flying towards Naruto, the latter catching it with his right hand before resting the fan vertically across his right shoulder.

"U-" Temari stammered out in shock, unable to comprend how Naruto accomplished the feat he just preformed, a feat she saw with her own eyes but didn't believe.

"Enough please." Hayate coughed out, taking several moments to breath afterwards.

Hayate's request caused Temari to grind her teeth while clenching her fists, clearly filled with anger towards Naruto.

"Give that back!" Temari demanded, only for Naruto to remain quiet as he stood completely still, observing the Kunoichi from underneath his bangs.

"People like you..." Naruto exclaimed as he slowly raised Temari's fan off his right shoulder before slamming the opposite end atop the burnt floor infront of him, causing the sound of metal scraping against stone to fill the room.

"Disgust me." Naruto spat out as he slung his right leg outward in a horizontal fashion, breaking Temari's fan in half with his shin, causing several pieces of wood, metal and linen fabric to sprinkle atop the burnt floor around him.

Naruto then released the broken top half of Temari's fan, allowing both it and the lower half to fall atop the stone clone simultaneously, once again filling the room with the sound of metal scraping against stone.

"U-A-Y-YOU!" Temari shrieked out as she began charging at Naruto, cocking her right arm back as she prepared the blond in his jaw.

However, as Temari approached Naruto Hayate appeared beside her before placing his right hand atop her left shoulder, stopping her mid-stride.

"You're match is over, leave." Hayate ordered towards Temari.

"Candidate, your match has not begun, return to your spot." Hayate told Naruto, who responded by vanishing in a body flicker far above Chunin level before reappearing seconds later behind Neji and Lee.

"TENTEN!" Lee exclaimed as he raised his clenched fists to his jawline while leaning over an unconscious Tenten and a crouched Naruto.

"Shhhh." Naruto hushed out as he gently laid Tenten atop the stone ground of the catwalk, his field of chakra vision still active only him to realize she was still alive and breathing.

During this, Temari picked up the broken pieces of her fan before angrily stomping towards the stairs to the right catwalk.

Truly remarkable... Hiruzen thought as he once again took a heavy drag from his pipe.

If I didn't know any better... Hiruzen thought.

He appeared as a yellow flash. Hiruzen remarked to himself as a small smile blossomed on his face, a smile almost completely hidden by his Hokage hat.

"Hmhmhmh-" Gaara groaned out as he breathed in heavily while his hands clenched his own arms, obivously effected by the actions Naruto just preformed.

Shit... Kankuro thought to himself as he took 2 steps back before examining Gaara.

That kid, Naruto - he's driving Gaara crazy... Kankuro noted.

On the bright side, looks like that punk got Temari for hurting my nose. Kankuro concluded as he used his right hand to brush the bridge of his sore nose.

"Now then..." Hayate spoke out before breaking into a series of harsh coughs.

As if on command, the yellow Kanji displayed across the large TV screen once again began to shift and rotate, shuffling between the remaining candidates.

"ME NEXT, PLEASE GUY-SENSEI!" Lee screamed, at the same time 4 medics rushed up the left catwalk before carrying Tenten away.

"Hm." Naruto sighed out while he smiled, he enjoyed Lee's presence greatly, almost as much as Sasuke's.

"I just want to see something worth seeing." Sasuke scoffed out as he finally returned to his spot against the wall, where Kakashi was also leaned against.

"I think Sakura has improved well." Kakashi hummed out in response as he tilted his head slightly to the left, notion towards the sleeping Ino and Sakura that were cradled together.

"Tch." Sasuke replied as he leaned against the wall before closing his eyes and crossing his arms infront of his chest.

"Naruto." Sasuke spoke out with his eyes still closed.

"Oh?" Naruto mumbled out as he turned his head around slightly to the right, using his violet eyes to peer through his bangs towards his close-friend and teammate.

"Give me something worth watching, would you?" Sasuke mumbled out in a depressed tone, clearly unimpressed with the competition so far.

"Sure." Naruto replied in a nonchalant tone as he smiled, he didn't intend to go all out or anything, but he definitely wasn't going to lose, Naruto was going to become a great Shinobi just like Iruka.

Although... Sasuke thought to himself with his eyes still closed.

With speed like that, no one other than me could even stand a chance. Sasuke concluded, not expecting anyone else in the room to be an actual threat.

'Shikamaru Nara VS Kin Tsuchi' The yellow Kanji displayed across the massive TV screen.

Once she noticed her name, the confident sound Kunoichi began strolling down towards the center of the room, assured of her victory.

"U-Shikamaru.." Choji mumbled out.

"What is it Choji?" Shikamaru asked with his face still buried in his crisscrossing forearms.

"It's your turn." Asuma spoke out as he placed his left hand on Shikamaru's left shoulder.

"Uuuuuuuh - what a draaaaaaaaag." Shikamaru exclaimed as he slowly raised his face from his forearms before glancing towards the TV screen in an attempt to confirm his fate, only to sigh once he did.

"Guess I should get this over with." Shikamaru sighed as he placed both of his hands into the pockets on his pants before slowly walking towards the descending staircase.

"Good luck, Shikamaru." Naruto spoke as he turned around and smiled as his friend walk by.

"Thanks Naruto, I'm just glad I didn't get put against you or the red-haired sand kid." Shikamaru replied as he continued strolling by, his blond friend still smiling towards him as he descended the stairs.

"We know nothing about his technique..." Dosu mumbled as he stood only several inches away from his Sensei.

"Kin is underestimating him - this will end badly, just like Zaku." Dosu asserted, only for his unnamed Sensei to smile in response, a reaction that greatly disturbed Dosu.

As Kin and Shikamaru stood 10ft away from each other, Hayate glancing in between, noting that both ninja were covered in dirt and scratches, suggesting both had trouble making it through the forest.

I have no idea what kind of techniques she can use... Shikamaru thought with both of his hands still inside his pockets.

I'm lucky she doesn't know about mine... Shikamaru concluded to himself.

"6th match, Shikamaru VS Kin..." Hayate coughed out before erupting into a whirlwind of leaf's and reappearing atop the stone hands.

"We will avoid cleaning up the previous matches damage..." Hayate pointed out, notioning towards the assortment of 100 weapons, splintered wood and even a small hole in that ground of the burnt stone floor.

"It better replicates a battlefield environment." Hayate exclaimed, cause Shikamaru to sigh.

The previous 5 matches had already taken a toll on the floor, especially Sasuke who burned a rather large portion of it and Sakura who created the hole in the ground, aswell as several small pebbles and rocks that littered the floor.

"Begin." Hayate exclaimed, his words being followed by 2 senbon hurled towards Shikamaru.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he quickly crouched down, causing the 2 senbon thrown to instead hurl over his head, stabbing into the stone wall 20ft behind Shikamaru.

Bells? Shikamaru thought as he noticed a jingling bell tied against the ends of each senbon.

What purpose could bells have? Naruto asked himself, not understanding the point of it.

It'll just make her attacks more easy to hear. Naruto noted as he stood calmly to the left of an energized Lee, the latter who was jumping up and down several times with excitement.

"Heah-" Shikamaru scoffed out as he slowly stood up straight.

"That sure is a classic trick." Shikamaru spoke, causing Naruto's violet eyes to narrow with interest from underneath his bangs.

"First, you throw 2 senbon with a bell on each needle..." Shikamaru exclaimed with a lazy grin on his face.

"Next, you're going to throw 2 more senbon..." Shikamaru proclaimed.

"One with a bell and another without, right?" Shikamaru asked in a carefree manner.

"If I react only by sound, I could easily dodge one of the senbon..." Shikamaru stated.

"But then your other senbon will go unnoticed and prefer a direct it." Shikamaru huff out, uncovering Kin's plan of action within mere seconds.

"Truly ingenious..." Lee exclaimed as he stood to the right of Naruto.

"Agreed." Neji replied, standing to the right of Lee.

"It's remarkable..." Naruto mumbled out, as he stood to the left of Lee.

"I didn't even notice that was her plan..." Naruto admitted, showing how much more intelligent Shikamaru was than Naruto and by default every one in their graduating class, even Sasuke.

"Yet Shikamaru unraveled it in under 10 seconds..." Naruto spoke.

"Shikamaru is prodigy..." Asuma exclaimed as he used right hand to pull his cigeratte from his mouth while strolling over towards the grouped candidates.

"Once in a generation, as my dad likes to call it..." Asuma sighed out before taking another drag from his cigeratte.

"You talk too much!" Kin exclaimed towards the smirking Shikamaru.

As she talked, Kin also rushed forward while reaching behind her back with her right hand before retacting it and revealing 3 more senbon, each 1 placed in between her fingers.

Kin then tossed the 3 senbon forward, hurling them at Shikamaru who quickly side-stepped to the left before rolling acrossing the burnt stone floor, attempting to avoid the weapons scattered there.

Shikamaru then abruptly stopped rolling before he entered a crouched stance before slamming his hands together into the Rat Seal, a rare seal that few of the Genin present had ever seen before.

"He's going to use his jutsu already?" Choji mumbled out while he rubbed his empty stomach with his left hand and walked towards Naruto and Lee.

"Hm?" Naruto hummed out in response, unaware of the technique Shikmaru was about to preform.

Naruto spent alot of time with Choji and Shikamaru growing up, however the latter didn't really care to discuss jutsu or teachings of the Academy, he was much too carefree.

"It's a special jutsu belonging to the Nara clan..." Asuma explained as he took another drag from his cigeratte, standing to the right of Guy while directly behind Choji and Lee

"An I.Q. over 200..." Asuma proclaimed, shocking the nearby candidates aswell as Guy.

"2-200?" Guy repeated.

"That's even more than Guy." Kakashi mumbled out as he and Sasuke still stood leaning against the wall, both of them with their eyes closed.

"Tu-" Guy grunted out in defeat as his jaw dropped to the floor while he pointed his trembling left hand towards Kakashi.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Possession." Shikamaru whispered out in a hushed manner from behind his hands, still pressed together in the Rat Seal infront of his face.

The once small shadow of Shikamaru then contorted and extended itself forward, stretching over the 7ft distant him and his opponent.

"Huh?" Kin mumbled out as she stared at the shadow in confusion, not knowing what to make of it.

"U-" Dosu grount out as his visible left eye bulged with shock, clearly realizing something Kin didn't.

"Kin - Move!" Dosu barked out with underneath his mummifed mask.

His statement had the opposite effect, Kin turned her head around to better hear what Dosu was saying, allowing Shikamaru's shadow to merge with her own.

This action caused Kin to take on the same posture and position as her opponent, even preforming the Rat Seal infront of her own face.

"W-what's happening!?" Kin exclaimed.

"What a waste..." The unnamed Sensei of team Dosu murmured out, causing Dosu to downcast his head in shame.

"Hmph." Shikamaru scoffed out confidently as he stood up, forcing his Kunoichi opponent to do the same.

The shadow - it's infused with his chakra. Naruto noted as his Rinnegan eyes observed the battle unfolding infront of him.

Shikamaru then instinctively raised his right hand to his face before yawning into it, forcing Kin to mimic his action.

I see... Neji concluded to himself, his Byakugan still active.

Whatever Shikamaru does, his target will also be forced to preform... Neji thought.

However, how does he expect to win like this? Neji asked.

"Okay..." Shikamaru yawned out as he used his right hand to reach behind his back.

"What is this Jutsu?" Kin asked, as he own right hand reached behind her back.

"That doesn't really matter.." Shikamaru sighed out as he placed his hand into the Shuriken satchel he kept tied to the back right side of his waist, a location where most Shinobi didn't keep there own satchels.

This action caused Shikamaru to grab 3 Shuriken in between the fingers of his right hand while Kin gripped nothing except her ass and air.

Kin's eyes began to throb as she realized her chance for victory was over, something Dosu and her Sensei had noticed almost 5 minutes ago.

"Man..." Shikamaru exclaimed as he rested his Shuriken-filled right hand against his side while scratching his head with his left hand, forcing Kin to mimic his action.

"This is like, such a drag." Shikamaru spoke as he lesiurely scratched his nose with his left hand, an action Kin also preformed.

"Yo." Shikamaru muttered out as he directed his attention towards the coughing Hayate that stood atop the stone hands.

"Do I have to throw these?" Shikamaru asked as he lazily raised his right Shuriken-filled hand to his chest before allowing it to once again fall to his side.

"That just seems so...troublesome.." Shikamaru sighed as he slowly raised his head, staring at the ceiling, something Kin was also forced to do.

"Hmmmm..." Hayate mumbled out from atop the stone hands as he raised his clipboard and began to shuffle through its pages.

"Yes, I believe I've seen enough here." Hayate exclaimed before breaking out into a series of harsh coughs.

"Winner by proctor, Shikamaru Nara." Hayate spoke, causing Shikamaru to sigh in relief as he slammed his left palm against his now downcast face.

So I'm the only one remaining... Dosu noted to himself in a depressed manner, disappointed in his teammates.

Shikamaru then released his Shadow possession before spinning in a counter clock-wise fashion as he began walking towards the stairs to the left catwalk, yawning in the process.

"Tch..." Kin scoffed out in shame as she fail to her knees atop the burnt, weapon covered floor.

Kin then downcast her hand in defeat as she began to tremble, unable to believe she had just failed her lord, unable to comprehend she failed her Sensei.

"Now..." Hayate coughed out.

"If we can just keep moving along please." Hayate exclaimed as the yellow Kanji covered TY screen on the wall began to rotate and shuffle through the remaining candidates.

"ME NEXT - ME NEXT - ME NEXT!" Lee screamed, his energy once again causing Naruto to smile.

"So lets see..." Kiba mumbled out as he raised his right hand infront of both his and Akamaru's face.

"We have that Sand guy..." Kiba spoke in a terrified tone as he began counting with his fingers.

"Me and you..." Kiba remarked, referring to his Kunoichi teammate who stood to the left of him, Hinata.

"Naruto, Choji, Neji..." Kiba counted before running out of fingers on his right hand after Choji.

"Lee and that sound mummy." Kiba counted 8 remaining candiates across both his left and right hands that were positioned infront of his face.

"Hmmmmm..." Kiba hummed aloud as his eyes shot to the right before quickly observing the back of Naruto's head, as rage and envy began to boil in his stomach.

I'll show that deadlast what I'm capable of. Kiba remarked to himself, only for Akamaru to continue trembling underneath his coat, terrified of the chakra being released from both Naruto and Gaara.

It was weird, Akamaru never had this reaction to Naruto in the past but it was as if something happened when Naruto returned to the village, as if some power awoke inside him.

"I just hope I don't get put against that sand guy..." Kiba spoke in a hushed tone, a little embarassed to attempt how terrified Kiba was of him.

Kiba had seen what Naruto did against Gaara, and how Naruto single-handled matched to save those 3 Shinobi from the Rain Village but Kiba refused to accept it as fact.

Kiba would never lose to the deadlast in his old Academy class, that would be too embarassing.

It looks like I have several chances again the Rookiee's this year... Neji noted to himself as his Byakugan eyes shifted to the left, glaring at the solid purple eyes that pulsated inside of Naruto's purple chakra network.

At this moment Kin arrived next to her Sensei and Dosu, both of which never said a world, they all knew what she was - a failure.

There was only one reason that their Sensei even remained, one thing that was the focal point of his interest and delight.

Suddenly the yellow Kanji on the TV screen froze, revealing the 2 names for the next upcoming matchs, the names causing the sound sensei to quickly lick his lips in anticipation as his interest once again became peaked.

'Naruto Uzumaki VS Kiba Inuzuka' was scribbled across the screen in yellow Kanji, signaling for the 7th match of the preliminaries to begin.


	25. Chapter 25

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: GunBlade2018 -** **In terms of backstory, I feel a lot of fanfiction just skips over that shit. Because most authors just expect the reader to already know when sometimes the reader doesn't.**

 **Thats why I try to write backstories and explain them so even people who barely watch Naruto can at least follow along.** **And those who have watched Naruto can hopefully be inspired to go rewatch it.**

 **Godshadowex - Kishimoto really dropped the ball on the female characters, especially Hinata. However,** **Hinata is solely responsible for the greatest scene in the entire Naruto series - ever.**

 **The scene during Pains invasion where she is lifted into the air before getting slammed down as Pain stabbed her with a chakra rod.** **That scene was so beautiful and I always get so happy when I watch it.**

 **Also, I wouldn't call Hinata a whore - she is annoying, shy, stupid, boring and etc - but whore is not on the list. If anything Ino or Sakura would be a whore, a** **nd even if Hinata was a whore - there's nothing inherently wrong with being a whore.**

 **On a funny note I find it amusing that you mention pathetic female characters but Tenten doesn't come up. Canon Tenten is fucking garbage, in any pathetic/useless list Tenten should be there.** **.**

 **animeficfan - I gain more everyday and for that I truly am grateful, I also see dozens of garbage stories that get tons of attention but at the end of the day. I'm no one special, I'm just happy for what I have.**

 **In regards to your last review - the Tayuya introduction will be a center theme for the next Arc.** **The Red Thread of Fate Arc - I encourage you to google the Red Thread of Fate and specifically what it stands for.**

 **In short - in the anime when Minato saves Kushina as a Genin, Kushina refers to the red hair that she used to hate, as her red thread of fate. Because her bright red hair brought her the man of her dreams.**

 **Goose - I don't have a problem with the manga,** **it skips over anime-only stuff like Kimimaro's backstory or the sound 4s backstory. But that doesn't impact me personally,** **I hate many things but I don't hate the manga** **, I just understand the anime better which is why I focus on the anime more.**

 **In regards to Naruto's bangs,** **If I just put 'Naruto glanced at Kakashi' my question as the reader would be, H** **ow is he glancing? Is his head tilted up or down and can people see his Rinnegan or etc, etc.**

 **By typing 'Naruto glanced at Sasuke while narrowing his eyes underneath his bangs' I establish that he is staring at an individual but at the same time his eyes remain hidden.**

 **Life is full of different perspectives, the things that are common and plain for you to see are sometimes confusing for others. Everyone has a different outlook on the world so what is common sense for you might confuse other people.**

 **At the end of the day I want my readers to have a vivid picture of the story they are reading, of this story. And to do that, I have to write certain actions and instances in greater detail and repetition then others.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Snake Investation! Evil Culprit Revealed.**

"NOOOOOOOO!" Lee bellowed dramatically in depression as he hung his arms and head over the railing infront of him, disappointed it wasn't his turn to fight yet.

"You'll be up soon Lee." Naruto exclaimed with a smile on his face as he gently placed his right hand atop Lee's left shoulder.

This action caused the purple right sleeve of Naruto's tunic to roll down several inches to his elbow, revealing that's where the gloves he wore ended.

"And I know you'll win." As he spoke, Naruto's tone was filled with love and joy towards his close friends.

"HA." Kiba scoffed out while he walked up behind Naruto from the young blonds left.

Kiba had his arms crossed infront of his chest, attempting to stop the constant shaking and trembling of Akamaru, the dog was clearly terrified of both Gaara and Naruto, for some odd reason.

Kiba knew something was wrong, he had been in class with Naruto for over 6 years and Akamaru never reacted like this.

He even had to wait in class the day the rookiee nine were assigned to their teams and Akamaru didn't react fearfully then.

Was it something during his mission? Kiba quickly asked himself.

Sakura said it took them 3 weeks to complete... Kiba remembered.

An A-rank mission... Kiba reminded himself in an annoyed manner as his rage fuel his next statement.

"You should be more worried about yourself instead of others." Kiba remarked confindently, causing Sasuke, Lee, Neji, Guy and even Kakashi to all look at Kiba in a confused manner.

Kiba's statement was actually the first thing that made Sasuke lean up off the wall in over 10 minutes.

They all heard what Kiba said, just none of them could believe it, Neji and Guy knew from Lee's firsthand experience of the power Naruto had.

While Sasuke and Kakashi had even greater first-hand accounts of Naruto's feats - and Kiba had nothing.

"MMMMmmmm-" Akamaru mumbled out in panic as he attempted to burrow even deeper into Kiba's jacket.

"I just hope I'm next..." Lee mumbled out as he began repeatedly slamming his forehead into the metal of the railing infront of him.

"Will the candidates mentioned please step forward." Hayate asked before breaking into a series of harsh coughs.

"I want to keep this moving." Hayate exclaimed.

"Ha - this is in the bag." Kiba proclaimed as he began leisurely walking towards the descending staircase, his arms still crossed infront of his chest to prevent Akamaru's shaking.

"Go-Goo-Good luck Kiba." Hinata mumbled out as her teammate walked behind her.

"I expected you to win..." Shino muttered, his face hidden by his raised collar and his hands in the pocket of his jacket.

"But not now." Shino remarked, he had seen the power Naruto displayed against Gaara inside the Forest of Death, power Shino was confident even he himself couldn't stand against, let alone Kiba.

"You never have my back man!" Kiba snapped out as he stopped walking while raising his clenched right fist to his jawline.

"We've talked about this Shino." Kiba exclaimed in an annoyed manner.

"You always zone me out and completely bring me down!" Kiba complained.

"I apologize." Shino replied in a dry tone, growing accustomed to Kiba's outbursts.

"Tch." Kiba scoffed out as he once again began walking towards the descending staircase.

"This is kind of lame." Sasuke spoke as he leaned forward against the railing infront of him, crisscrossing his arms atop it's surface before laying his chin on his forearms in a bored manner.

"NONSENSE!" Lee protested, standing to the right of Sasuke since the latter had walked in between him and Naruto.

"This will be a match of YOUTH!" Lee proclaimed as he dramatically raised his right fist infront of his face.

"Right, Guy-Sensei!?" Lee asked as he quickly turned around to face his Sensei.

"That a'boy Lee!" Guy responded as he dramatically extended his right hand in a thumbs up position towards his student.

"I wanted Naruto to get matched against that sand kid." Sasuke remarked as his black eyes glanced towards the red-haired Shinobi of the sand.

"Gaara." Naruto replied as he thought back to the day he first met the Shinobi, the day when the constant clawing from inside his stomach began.

As Naruto spoke he also glanced at the red-haired Shinobi across the room from underneath his bangs, only to notice that Gaara was glaring back at him with a sadistic grin on his face and his arms crossed infront of his chest.

"Next candidate please." Hayate coughed out as Kiba stood 5ft infront of him, positioned slightly to his right.

Naruto then turned to his left before he began strolling towards the descending staircase, for some reason walking instead of using the same speed he had displayed when saving Tenten.

A good Shinobi always has a hidden jutsu, right - Sensei? Naruto asked himself as the fading smile of Iruka came into view.

I feel kind of bad about earlier, ya'know. Naruto thought, as if he was talking to the image of Iruka in his mind.

Naruto felt bad for the level of speed he had displayed when saving Tenten, he felt as if he had shown too much.

I know you would probably scowl me Sensei... Naruto remarked while the smiling image of Iruka began to scratch the bridge of his nose.

But I had to save her... Naruto concluded, referring to Tenten.

There is no greater act of love, than being entrusted to protect others. Naruto thought, repeating the same words lord old man had told him the day of Iruka's funeral.

Is that true - Sensei? Naruto asked himself as the image of Iruka faded away.

Naruto then finally stood infront of Hayate and Kiba, only 5ft away from each of them.

Naruto's arms hung lazily against his sides, completely concealed by the sleeves of his tunic while the lower portion of his face was hidden from Kiba's view due to his raised collar.

"7th match, Naruto Uzumaki VS Kiba Inuzuka..." Hayate spoke while observing his clipboard.

"Be-" Hayate coughed out, only to be interrupted by a loud rumbling that originated from the stomach Naruto.

"Heheh." Naruto chuckle out sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head in an Iruka-like fashion with his right hand.

"My bad - I didn't notice it was noon already." Naruto remarked as he quickly sat down indian style before using his left hand to rummage through the satchel he kept tied to the back leftside of his waist.

The preliminaries had be underway since 9:30am while it was now 12:03pm and even though Naruto had eaten breakfast, he never liked going long without a meal, something him and Choji had in common.

"One second - one second." Naruto's downcast face mumbled as his left hand continued to search through his satchel, his action causing the veins on Kiba's face to twitch.

"Huuuuuu - classic Naruto." Sasuke sighed from the left catwalk.

"I do not blame him - I am getting quite hungry myself." Lee spoke as he nodded his head up and down several times.

"Here we are." Naruto proclaimed boldly as he retracted his left hand, revealing a blue tinted scroll with a white seal that had the Kanji for 'Sushi' on it.

Naruto abruptly jolted the scroll in mid-air, causing it to unroll itself before he quickly slammed the Kanji covered page atop the burnt stone floor infront of him.

Naruto then placed his right glove covered palm atop the scroll, causing the Kanji scribbled across it to glow a slight aura of purple, the color of his chakra.

Suddenly a small puff of smoke erupted from the scroll before it abruptly dissipated and dissolved, revealing a wooden square plate with 16 Sushi rolls placed atop it.

"No fair!" Choji grumbled on from atop the left catwalk, his stomach roaring twice as loud as Naruto's.

"Heh - here." Naruto replied in a chuckle as he once again reached into his satchel, searching for yet again another scroll.

Naruto then pulled out a red scroll before placing it atop the burnt floor in between him and the already unrolled blue Sushi scroll.

Much like before, Naruto placed his right hand atop the now unrolled red scroll, causing the once black Kanji to glow an aura of purple.

The scroll then erupted into smoke before dissipating several seconds later, revealing a large-sized bag of potato chips.

Naruto then tossed the bag of chips over his right shoulder, flinging it towards Choji who snagged it out of mid-air, ripping the bag apart in his hands before shoveling the mound of chips down his throat.

The sound of Choji's chewing and gagging filled the room, making several of the candidates uncomfortable, all except Naruto, Shikamaru and Gaara, the first 2 smiling with joy while Gaara glared emotionlessly at Naruto.

Hmmmm... Hiruzen thought as he slightly pulled down the tip of his Hokage hat.

I'm getting hungry myself... Hiruzen admitted.

As Choji's mumbled chewing continued to fill the room, Naruto downcast his head before he began throwing the Sushi rolls into his mouth with his left glove covered hand.

"I'm tired of all this waiting." Kiba complained as he pulled the whimpering Akamaru out of his jacket before placing him atop the burnt floor near his right foot.

"Akamaru, don't do anything I'll handle this kid alone." Kiba spoke as he confidently stood up straight before glaring at the still sitting Naruto only 5ft away from him.

"Arrrrrrr-" Akamaru groaned out in response as he laid down before he began to shiver.

It's finally his turn. Kakashi thought as he leaned off the wall before walking towards the railing and standing there.

Naruto, eh? Kurenai asked herself as her red eyes glanced to the right, observing the back of Kakashi's head.

I couldn't even react to Naruto's Water Clone when we tested our students at his house. Kurenai reminded herself as both she and Asuma were overwhelmed rather quickly, leaving only Guy since Kakashi was hiding.

And now Kiba stands against him... Kurenai thought as her eyes glanced towards Kiba before narrowing.

Alone... Kurenai remarked, referring to the fact that Akamaru was basically useless at this point in time, to afraid from either Gaara or Naruto, maybe even both.

Na-Nar-Naruto... Hinata stuttered out inside her mind as she held her hands together infront of her rather small chest.

I want to cheer you on, but I'm on Kiba's team, so... Hinata debated as her face began to slightly blush.

Naruto... Lee thought as his bandaged fists began to tighten around the railing infront of him, the same railing Naruto had slightly bent only 30 minutes ago.

"Kiba sure is unlucky..." Choji mumbled out from his chip filled mouth.

"Agreed." Shikamaru sighed, still happy he wasn't placed against Naruto or Gaara.

I don't know or care how much stronger he got after becoming a Genin... Kiba remarked, refusing to acknowledge the level of Water Style Naruto had displayed inside the Forest of Death.

His grades in the Academy were garbage. Kiba reminded himself as a confident smile formed on his face

"I'll beat you in one hit out of pity." Kiba stated as he raised his clenched right fist to his jawline.

"Hm?" Naruto mumbled out with an empty plate in his left hand as he chewed over 5 separate Sushi rolls inside his mouth, causing his cheeks to bulge slightly before he finally swallowed.

"Did you say something?" Naruto asked with a confused tone as he tilted his head slightly to the right.

"Quit acting tough!" Kiba ordered as he pointed at Naruto with his right hand.

"Mhmhmhmh." Hayate coughed out several times, garnishing the attention of both candidates.

"Begin." Hayate exclaimed before vanishing in a whirlwind of leaf's.

Once Hayate vanished, Kiba abruptly crouched down before pressed his hands together into the Tiger Seal as he continued to grin.

"Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry of Four Legs." Kiba spoke in a confident manner as a tanglible aura of blue chakra began to surround and protrude from the leaf Shinobi.

Kiba then leaned forward, placing both his hands atop the burnt and weapon covered floor of that testing ground, crouching down on all 4s as he entered a dog-like style.

During all of this, a steady stream of blue chakra rose into the air from Kiba's fingernails, nails that sharpened and grew as Kiba scratched them against the stone ground infront of them.

"Oh?" Naruto remarked from behind his raised collar as he remained seated.

"Lets go!" Kiba barked as he pressed off against the stone floor beneath him, attempting to dash across the 5ft gap in between him and Naruto before finishing the blond Shinobi with the clawed swipe of his left hand.

As Kiba swiped his left hand outward, Naruto slanted his head to the left before ducking it down slightly, causing Kiba's hand to bypass his head entirely.

This action caused Naruto's bangs to hang from his face, revealing his violet ripple patterned eyes, revealing the Rinnegan.

Noticing the bright purple color from the corner of his eye, Kiba glanced down towards it, only for his muscles to tense as the image of the Rinnegan pierced and seared itself into his mind.

For several moments the pair of Rinnegan eyes that clouded Kiba's mind pulsated in place, causing him to fall on all 4s infront of Naruto as his mind continued to be overwhelmed by the mere sight of Naruto's eyes.

During Kiba's meltdown, Naruto slowly straightened his head before standing up, his 4'8 tall figure overshadowing the trembling dog-like form of Kiba.

"Forgive me, I wasn't ready yet." Naruto explained as he directed his attention towards the crouched Hayate atop the stone hands.

Instead of replying with words, Hayated merely coughed several times into his clenched right hand while waving his left hand vertically, signaling for the match to continue.

"Just as I thought..." Shikamaru sighed, clearly expecting Kiba to lose.

"There is no way Kiba can beat Naruto." Choji mumbled, having finally finished the bag of chips Naruto gifted him.

"Kiba, you look so foolish." Lee spoke in a hushed tone as he shook his head side to side several times.

I knew it... Kurenai confirmed as she downcast her head in shame, once again Kakashi had bested her, even if it was through his student.

"What a pathetic dog." Kankuro exclaimed as he stood to the right of a twitching Gaara, clearly enthralled by what he was seeing.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked as he towered over Kiba, who was just now regaining focus.

Instead of responding with words, Kiba slid his right leg forward in a counter clock-wise fashion, barely missing a Kunai stabbed into the ground as he swung his leg towards Naruto's ankles in an attempt to trip the blond Shinobi.

Instead of jumping like most Shinobi would or even reacting at all, Naruto stood completely still, allowing Kiba's right foot to collide with his left ankle and displaying no effect what-so-ever, it was as if Kiba's kick was nothing to Naruto.

In response to this, Kiba slammed his right foot atop the ground while using his left foot to push himself up before launching his left fist towards Naruto's face.

Naruto merely side stepped to the right, effortlessly dodging Kiba's striking and causing the latter to fall forward.

Attempting to continue the offensive, Kiba dropped down to his knees before sliding his right leg across the burnt stone floor in a clock-wise fashion, once again trying to trip Naruto as he aimed for the blonds right ankle.

Just like before, Naruto didn't even react, allowing Kiba to slam the heel of his right foot into Naruto's right ankle but gaining nothing it response, truly his attacks were nothing to Naruto.

Realizing that to attack with his fists or feet was pointless, Kiba reached for the Kunai pouch tied to his right thigh before quickly unlatching it and throwing 2 Kunai into the air infront of his half-crouched body.

As the 2 Kunai twisted and flipped infront of Kiba's chest, he reached out towards them with both hands, holding onto the Kunai in his left hand with a standard grip while grabbing the Kunai in his right hand with a reverse grip.

Kiba then jumped 5ft into the air while spinning in a clock-wise fashion, attempting to use the reverse-gripped Kunai in his right hand to cut at Naruto's face.

In response, Naruto ducked down a few inches, causing Kiba's right Kunai to harmlessly glide over his blond head.

Realizing his right jab had missed, Kiba tilted the Kunai gripped in his left hand down before plunging it towards Naruto, intent on stabbing the blond in his right shoulder.

Naruto once again side stepped to the right, displaying just how easy it was for him to effortlessly dodge Kiba's attacks.

Kiba then slammed his right foot atop the stone floor before using it to empower his counter clock-wise twirl towards Naruto, attempting to use the reverse gripped Kunai to cut across Naruto's chest.

In response, Naruto took 1 step back with his right foot, causing Kiba's twirling slash to cut nothing but air.

Realizing his back was now positioned to Naruto, Kiba crisscrossed his arms infront of his chest before falling forward and putting all the weight of his body against his forearms.

Kiba then lunged out with his left foot in a style that resembled a horse kicking with its back legs, attempting to kick Naruto in his stomach.

Naruto then once again side stepped to the right before grabbing Kiba's left ankle with his left hand while his right continued to rest calmly against his side.

After Naruto did this, he proceeded to spin around in a counter clock-wise fashion 6 times, with each rotation his movement grew more fast, an action that caused Kiba to become seriously dizzy.

After the 6th rotation, Naruto briefly gripped Kiba's left leg with his right hand, meaning Naruto now had 2 hands wrapped around Kiba's leg.

Naruto then hurled the dog-like Shinobi over 20ft across the room, causing the later to flip, twist and turn several times in various different angles and directions.

Somehow displaying a cat-like feat instead of a dog one, Kiba managed to land on his feet before promptly hurling both his Kunai through the air towards Naruto.

Once the 2 Kunai approached Naruto, he quickly tilted his head to the right, allowing the 1st Kunai to zoom past him.

After the 1st Kunai past, Naruto abruptly tilted his head to the left, causing the 2nd Kunai to also fly past him.

Since neither of these objects made contact with Naruto, they flew past him for over 15ft before stabbing into the stone floor just 10ft infront of Hiruzen, the 3rd Hokage.

Kiba then reached out with his right hand before gripping one of the several swords that littered and stabbed out from the ground, evidence to the sheer amount of weapons Tenten summon during her previous match.

After Kiba pulled the 25in long sword free from the burnt stone floor, he held it vertically infront of his chest while gripping the hilt with both hands.

Kiba didn't know how to use a sword, he was never trained in sword-combat but that wasn't going to stop him.

I'm not going to lose here. Kiba concluded as his grip on the swords hilt tightened.

I WILL NOT LOSE THE DEADLAST! Kiba declared as he charged towards Naruto.

Even though it took several moments for Kiba to bridge the 20ft gap in between him and Naruto, once he did he struck out with a counter clock-wise horizontal slash aimed towards Naruto's stomach.

Just like before, Naruto took 1 step back with his right foot, causing Kiba to miss his cut entirely.

Noticing this, Kiba slammed his left foot atop the stone floor before contorting the sword into a different angle infront of his chest, switching his counter clock-wise slash into a thrusting jab as he thrust the sharp edge of his blade towards Naruto's chest.

Again, Naruto side stepped to the right, causing Kiba's thrust to stab nothing but air.

Instead of allowing Kiba to continue, Naruto gripped the lower portion of the swords hilt with his left gloved hand before pulling it down, forcing Kiba to lean forward slightly.

After this, Naruto raised his right knee upward before slamming it into Kiba's left ribs with such force that Kiba's breathe was knocked out of him.

This action caused Kiba's grip on the sword to severely weaken, allowing Naruto to pull the blade free from Kiba's grip before tossing it 15ft over his left shoulder, causing it to stab vertically into the burnt, weapon covered floor.

Moments later, Kiba fell on his knees as he downcast his head while both his hands were placed against his stomach, the same area Naruto had slammed his knee into.

Soon, Kiba was on all 4s as he attempted to block out the pain from his stomach, he was certain Naruto had broken a few of his ribs.

During this, Naruto leisurely took a few steps in a clock-wise fashion towards Kiba's trembling head.

Once Naruto stood over him, the blond turned slightly to the right before casting his violet gaze down upon the shaking body of Kiba.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked for the 2nd time, his mouth concealed by the raised collar of his tunic.

"Don't underestimate me." Kiba spat out as he barrel rolled 2 times to the right, having to halt abruptly due to a large Shuriken stabbing vertically into the ground.

During this, Kiba grabbed 4 smoke bombs from the satchel tied on the back left-side of his waist before slamming them atop the burnt floor.

This action caused 4 bellowing pillars of violet-colored smoke to cloud and surround Naruto, Kiba and even the shaking Akamaru, concealing all of them from view.

"Hmmm" Naruto hummed out as his Rinnegan eyes observed the mist all around him.

I can't see through it. Naruto admitted.

It's just like Zabuza's mist then. Naruto reminded himself as his head moved from side to side.

Interesting... Naruto thought as he extended both of his arms outward horizontally from his body.

Naruto then funneled a large amount of chakra into his eyes, causing them to pulsate inside his skull before a significant, unseen force erupted out in all directions from Naruto.

This unseen force hurled Kiba, Akamaru and even the smoke Kiba created back, aswell as several dozen weapons that scattered the ground around Naruto in a 15ft radius, throwing the weapons across the room with deadly force.

As Kiba rolled, skid and flipped across the burnt floor, his body became pierced and cut several times due to the large amount of weapons that littered the battleground before slamming into the wall under the right catwalk.

During this, swords, Kunai and even large Shuriken dashed over Kiba's head before stabbing into the wall on all 4 sides of the room.

At the same time, a large Shuriken spiraled through the air towards Hiruzen, slashing vertically only 5 inches away from his body before stabbing into the stone left wrist belonging one of the stone hands he stood infront of.

While this action caused alarmed in Anko and Ibiki for letting the 3rd Hokage almost get hit by such a deadly weapon, it merely caused Hiruzen to pull his Hokage hat down slightly with his left hand to conceal the grin on his face.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered as he buried his face into his forearms.

"We truly are lucky..." Choji mumbled as he rubbed his belly with both hands, referring to the fact that neither him or Shikamaru got matched against Naruto.

"Huuuuuu - Huuuuuuu - Huuuuuuu." Both Gaara and the unnamed Sensei of team Dosu groaned out in excitement as their gasps for air became heavy and condensed.

That guy is just as creepy as Gaara. Kankuro and Temari both thought in unison.

They were unable to ignore the heavy breathing that escaped from the unnamed sound Sensei, they were used to this weird stuff from Gaara but not others.

Just like before... Neji reminded himself as he thought back to when Naruto effortlessly flung both him and Sasuke back inside the hallway of the Konoha Academy.

Hmmmmmmm Dosu thought as he narrowed his left eye, the only eye visible.

Naruto - that was amazing... Hinata thought to herself as she blushed and twiddled her fingers together.

During this, Asuma took a long, heavy drag from his cigarette, burning through the remaining half of his cigarette before spitting it out on the floor as he walked towards Kakashi.

"What's your secret, Kakashi?" Asuma asked.

"It's Naruto's youth." Guy cut in, both of his hands gripping either side of his waist.

"It's sparkling." Guy concluded as he smiled from ear to ear, revealing his pearl white teeth that glimmered and gleamed like stars.

"Yea." Kakashi answered nonchalantly, for once in his life thankful that Guy interrupted when he did.

Naruto's Shinobi shoes could then be heard stepping across the cracked, burnt and damaged stone floor, walking through the smoke cloud of dust and debris his last attack had created.

"Are you alright?" Naruto repeated for the 3rd time as he lesiurely strolled towards a faceplanting Kiba.

Within several moments, Naruto stood 3ft infront of Kiba, his arms resting against his sides and his hands concealed by the sleeves of his tunic.

"Should I call for the medics?" Naruto asked, his mouth concealed by the raised collar of his tunic.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph..." A familiar voice to Naruto chuckled out from atop the catwalk only 15ft above him.

This sound caused Naruto's eyes to widen and bulge with both shock and fear as he instantly identified who the voice belong too, causing him to tilt his head upward.

That Chakra network... Naruto awed to himself as his eyes revealed the chakra flow and color of the sound Sensei above him, the same chakra as Shiore from the Forest of Death.

That's - That's... Naruto concluded as his violet ripple patterned eyes trembled slightly underneath his bangs.

Kiba then abruptly stood up before flinging his left fist outward and punching Naruto in his right cheek, using the current distraction as an attempt to strike Naruto.

However instead of the reaction Kiba expected, Naruto did nothing, he didn't move, react or even flinch under the heavy blow Kiba just released upon his face, it was as if Naruto didn't even notice it.

For several moments an awe Kiba stood precisely still with his left fist still buried into the right side of Naruto's face, unable to believe what he was seeing, it was like his punch was nothing to Naruto.

Kiba was right, Naruto didn't even notice, he didn't even process Kiba or his surroundings, the only thing he noticed was the purple chakra network of Shiore, the same man who threatened him and his Uchiha friend only 5 days ago.

Suddenly Naruto's mouth fell open slightly as his shoulders began to rise and fall several times due to the massive gasps of air he was now breathing in.

Naruto's right hand then jolted upward before gripping Kiba's left wrist and abruptly clenching down, filling the room with the sound of cracking bones and Kiba's screams.

This action caused Kiba to abruptly fall on his knees beside Naruto with his cracked left wrist still held in the blonds right grip.

During this, Kiba used his right hand in an attempt to pull himself free, only for Naruto's grasp to tighten even further, causing Kiba's screams of pain to increase in volume and frequency.

Naruto then abruptly slung his right arm outward horizontally, flinging Kiba's body sliding, flipping and skiding across the room like a ragdoll for over 20ft, causing Kiba to faceplant only 5ft away from the 3rd Hokage.

Sensing his master's pain, a still whimpering Akamaru began to limp towards the faceplanting Kiba, his own back legs hurt by the unseen force that pushed both him and Kiba back several minutes earlier.

At the same time, Naruto lifted his left arm from his side before directing his left palm up towards the man Naruto knew as Shiore, who was still smiling.

Naruto then once again funneled a stream of chakra into his eyes, over 3x times as much chakra from the attack he had used against Kiba, causing the pupils of his Rinnegan eyes to pulsate and tremble.

Shiore then realized his arms and limbs were frozen stiff and unable to move, as if some unseen force was holding him still before he was abruptly yanked through the air towards Naruto.

The force pulling on Shiore was so great that his body rammed through the railing infront of him, breaking and cutting through the metal of the railing as his body continued to float down towards Naruto.

"What is he doing?" Sasuke mumbled, shocked to see Naruto single out the sound Sensei.

"I guess it's some type of training?" Lee replied but then again, to Lee, everything was training.

Hmmm. Hiruzen thought, interested but shocked to see Naruto focus on someone from the side-lines but it gave Hiruzen a chance to see Naruto's abilities.

The sound village... Hiruzen reminded himself as his eyes narrowed slightly, observing the figure as he rapidly flew through the air towards Naruto.

This action caused Hayate to cough several times, attempting to intervene since the rules for the match had been broken.

However before Hayate could, Hiruzen stopped him with the wave of his right hand, eager to see what Naruto was doing and why, he needed to see Naruto's abilities first-hand.

Suddenly a black metal rod began to protrude from Naruto's flat left palm, the rod phasing out of Naruto's skin and glove for over 20 inches as Shiore was pulled directly into it.

This action caused Shiore to become impaled by the metal rod that phased out from Naruto's left palm.

This rod pierced through Shiore's chest before coming out of his back for several inches with drops of his blood staining the rod and dripping from it.

However this didn't effect the wide smile on Shiore's face, a smile Naruto didn't even notice since his eyes were viewing the chakra filled world, a field of view that prevented him from seeing facial expressions.

Shiore's entire body aswell as the blood that stained the rod piercing his chest then began to bubble and contort in several different angles and directions.

Shiore's clothes, skin, hair and even blood then turned snow-white before they started to boil and peel away from each other.

This action transformed Shiore's once normal body into a horde of over 30 white snakes, each of them slithering and scaling over each other, forming a mound of snakes around the rod extending from Naruto's left hand.

During this, Naruto raised his right gloved hand vertically infront of his chest as it weaved through the half Tiger, Half Ram, half Monkey, half Boar, half Horse and once again half Tiger Seals, an action that shocked everyone who saw it, except Sasuke, Kakashi and Gaara.

Not bad, kid. Both Ibiki and Anko thought in unison.

Truly, a feat your father would be proud of, Naruto. Hiruzen thought cheerfully in his mind as he grinned, he was always happy to watch Naruto exceed and grow.

On-One handed Seals? Asuma thought as his mouth fell open in shock, causing the freshly placed cigarette to fall atop the ground infront of him.

Im-Impossible! Kurenai declared.

Kakashi can't even preform one handed Seals. Kurenai remarked.

No big deal - me and Haku can do that no problem. Sasuke reminded himself, easily able to accomplish feats that several Jonin couldn't, even his Sensei.

What a drag. Shikamaru thought.

Naruto... Choji thought to himself, overwhelmed with awe and respect for his friend.

Damn, that kid is actually pretty impressive. Kankuro concluded.

Fucking runt. Temari ranted inside her mind, still upset over her prized fan being kicked in half as if it was nothing, the fan was easily able to defend against Kunai steel so Temari couldn't understand how any real human could simply kick through it.

That's Kakashi's kid - tha-that's the... Songo's thoughts ended mid-sentence before the rampaging figure of the Nine-tails erupted into his mind, a beast that stomped and crushed the houses of Konoha under its feet.

Nar-Naru-Naruto... Hinata rambled inside her mind.

Naruto...how far have you gone...how far behind you have I fallen? Lee asked himself as his bandaged fists tightened and clenched.

Impressive... Shino concluded to himself.

Tha-that's far beyond the skills of a Genin. Baki remarked.

I see - Lord Orochimaru already made contact with him - inside the forest. Dosu observed, his advanced intellect could only be rivaled by Shikamaru's.

We are just test subjects for these Exams, for you to throw away like trash afterwards... Dosu admitted.

I - am nothing but a test subject to you. Dosu concluded as he clenched his left fist with rage, happy to see the Naruto tear his 'Sensei' away from him.

As Naruto right hand danced through the Seals, he also inhaled a staggering breathe of air, he inhaled such a vast amount of air that his shoulders rose and his cheeks puffed out.

As the air swelled inside Naruto's lungs, he kneaded a significant amount of chakra inside his stomach, transforming the chakra into burning, condensed flames.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed as he leaned forward and exhaled, the chakra-infused fire spewing up from his stomach and mixing with the air releasing from his lungs.

This action produced an overwhelming spray of flames that erupted from Naruto's mouth at a point-blank range towards the swarming mound of white snakes infront of him.

The flames spewed out from Naruto like a torrent of unending fire, scorching and burning everything within its path before it eroded against the wall under the right catwalk.

As the flames made contact, they washed across the wall like a cascading wave before erupting out on both sides of the wall.

The intense heat from the flames barely 5ft below them caused Kankuro and Temari to raise their forearms infront of their faces, attempting to keep the burning embers out of their eyes.

As Kankuro and Temari blocked their faces, Baki, Songo, Kin and Dosu all took several steps back, positioning their backs against to wall to keep the flames at a safe distance.

Meanwhile, Gaara's emotionless green eyes bulged with excitement as he gazed down upon the overwhelming amount of searing flames that continued to spew out from Naruto.

As Gaara's arms were crossed infront of his chest, his hands began to tense and twitch, clearly he was enjoying the sight infront of him, the power Naruto displayed infront of him.

"OOOOOOooooooooh!" Lee squealed out in excitement as he held his right forearm with a clenched fist vertically infront of his chest, overjoyed at the power his friend and rival was displaying.

"U-" Sasuke gasped in shock, he knew Naruto was powerful but to unlease such a powerful and steady stream of condensed flames was far beyond anything Sasuke thought possible.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered with both hands dug into his pant pockets, observing the swirling flames Naruto unleased as they cascaded across the already burnt stone floor.

"I-Is he really our classmate?" Choji asked, awed at the power infront of him, the power erupting from his close friend, Naruto.

Truly impressive. Shino remarked to himself without moving a muscle.

N-Na-Naruto... Hinata stuttered inside her mind as she held both of her clenched hands infront of her rather small chest.

"T-those snakes." Hiruzen remarked as he coughed out a cloud of smoke, causing both Anko and Ibiki to tense, already knowing what the veteran 3rd Hokage was referring too.

During all of this, Ino and Sakura continued to sleep next to one another while leaning against the wall atop the left catwalk, neither of them waking up or noticing the increase in temperature.

Hiruzen and the others were so focused on Naruto's display of one-handed Seals that it took him several moments to realize what the white snakes exactly meant.

Suddenly the spewing ocean of flames erutping from Naruto began to dampen and reduce, before being halted entirely as Naruto's attack had finally come to an end.

As the flames escaping from his mouth began to fade, this revealed Naruto's burnt right glove, the tips of his index and middle finger were burnt, revealing his pale-skinned finger-tips underneath.

However his left hand was in much worst shape, the entirety of the once glove-covered hand was now burnt, aswell as the skin underneath.

This revealed that almost all of Naruto's left hand was now scorched and burnt black, the very skin on his hand was cooked to a grisp since it was held-out towards the previous location of Shiore.

Not only were his left glove and hand burnt, but his sleeve aswell, burnt all the way up to his left elbow, showing that all the skin from Naruto's left elbow and below was a deep black, suggesting he severly burned himself.

However, Naruto didn't even pay attention to his left arm, he instead focused on the blackened stone floor infront of him, the previous location of Shiore and then several dozen white snakes, all of which were burnt to a grisp.

Naruto then lowered both of his arms to his sides before he began to turn his head from side to side, attempting to study his surroundings and see if a snake had escaped.

During this, the black rod that was protruding from his now bare left hand began to phase and retract back inside of Naruto's arm, as if it was a part of him.

Naruto was so focused on his surroundings that he failed to notice the once burnt, black skin on his left arm peel and flake off before new, healthly skin bubbled to the surface in a matter of seconds.

"Naruto..." Hayate spoke out from atop the stone hands before coughing several times.

"Hayate, end the match immediately, I am leaving." Hiruzen remarked.

Hiruzen then began walking forward towards the exit of the large room, having to step over several of Tenten's weapons that littered the burnt stone floor in the process.

"What's wrong lord old man?" Naruto asked innocently as he spun around to direct his attention towards the walking 3rd Hokage.

"Please do not worry about it my boy..." Hiruzen replied as he took in a large fresh hit of fresh from the pipe held in his right hand.

"You have done enough." Hiruzen spoke, referring to that fact that Naruto had just revealed a deadly spy in the room but also the fact that Naruto was the hero who contained the fox demon.

"Please - leave the rest to me." Hiruzen asked as he walked over 10ft infront of Naruto, causing the blond to lose his view of view of the 3rd Hokages' face.

"Winner by order of the Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki." Hayate exclaimed as he coughed out several times from atop the stone hands.

Just then, Hiruzen exited the room before for 4 medics rushed into the room and dashed towards an unconscious Kiba, clearly overwhelmed and defeated by the power Naruto unleased upon him.

When the 3rd Hokage left, both Ibiki and Anko each vanished in a body-flicker, vanishing in a whirl-wind of leaf's, suggesting something was seriously wrong since usually the proctors were required to stay and observe.

"Despite the odd circumstances that just occurred..." Hayate spoke before breaking out into a series of harsh coughs.

"My job is to proctor the 3rd stage and that's what I intend to do." Hayate explained as 4 medics placed the unconscious Kiba atop a stretcher before putting Akamaru on his torso and rushing them both out of the room.

Hayate then appeared 3ft infront of Naruto, erupting out from a whirlwind of leaf's as he stood infront of the blond that he was beginning to grow a vast amount of respect and fear for.

"Naruto, please proceed back to your area." Hayate asked before coughing.

"I want to keep these matches moving along." Hayate exclaimed as the massive TV screen against the wall once again turned to life.

This action caused the yellow Kanji scribbled across the screen to rotate and shift between all the names of the remaining candidates

During this, Naruto began to nonchalantly walk towards the ascending left staircase, acting as if nothing had happened at all.

After several moments, Naruto had finally walked up the entirety of the stairs before he continued to walk alongside the left catwalk, heading towards his Uchiha teammate and friend.

As he walked, Naruto stepped directly behind a blushing Hinata, a Hinata that held an odd jar of some unknown ointment infront of her rather small chest.

What should I do? What should I do? Hinata asked herself repeatedly as Naruto walked behind her.

For several seconds Hinata's face morphed and contorted into many different expressions as she thought about what all she could do in an attempt to gain Naruto's attention.

"Na-Nar-Naru-Naruto..." Hinata stammered as she downcast her head in shame, disappointed in herself for not being more forward.

"Hm?" Naruto mumbled as he turned his head to the left, directing his attention towards the stammering, blushing and embarassed Hinata.

As Naruto's chakra-filled Rinnegan eyes glanced at the back of Hinata's head, he failed to notice the Kunochi twiddling her thumbs atop the ointment she held together in both hands.

"U-um-ummm..." Hinata stuttered out, panicking out the inside since she didn't know what to say.

Instead of replying with words, Hinata turned around before taking several steps forward towards Naruto and extending both her arms outward, presenting the jar of unknown ointment towards Naruto as a gift.

Hinata... Kurenai thought as her eyes widened in shock, she had never seen Hinata like this.

"What's this?" Naruto asked as he leaned forward before sniffing the jar.

"It's ointment." Kurenai explained as she stood several feet behind Naruto, willing to answer for her student since she knew Hinata couldn't.

"Why me?" Naruto mumbled out in reponse as he still faced Hinata.

Not many people had shown Naruto unconditional love or attention, infact Naruto could count those individuals on one hand.

This caused Naruto to become weirded out whenever someone offered to help him.

Why me? Naruto briefly thought to himself as he remembered what Mizuki told him, aswell as what Mizuki did to him.

I'm no one special... Naruto concluded as he downcast his head in shame while his arms rested against his sides.

I'm just a monster... Naruto reminded himself.

"Just take it, Naruto" Kurenai answered after several moments of silence.

As Kurenai spoke, she also grinned, suggesting she understoond something Naruto didn't .

At this moment, Naruto reached out with his gloveless, sleeveless and previously burnt left hand, causing Hinata to place the jar of oinment atop Naruto's palm while at the same time keeping her face hidden.

"Thank you, Hinata." Naruto spoke out, causing the downcast face of Hinata to blush even more intensely.

Naruto then held the jar of ointment infront of his chest as he glanced down upon it.

"You're a really good person Hinata." Naruto stated without noticing the extreme effect his words had on Hinata.

As Hinata and Naruto stood infront of her, Kurenai quickly looked over both of them as she glanced at the unconscious body of her student being escorted out of the room on a stretcher.

Kiba... Kurenai thought to herself.

There is no need to be ashamed. Kurenai concluded.

He is a strong opponent. Kurenai admitted as she glanced down at Naruto.

Hinata... Neji thought as he squinted his deactivated Byakugan eyes while observing the timid body posture Hinata was presenting.

You seem so carefree... Neji concluded as both his fists clenched against his sides.

If only I was born so fortunate... Neji remarked, referring to that fact that his destiny was to be nothing more than a slave for the head-branch of the Hyuga clan.

"Naruto, what the hell was that?" Sasuke remarked, still leaning against the railing infront of him as his blond friend walked up to his left side.

"Just some guy that was following me in the Forest." Naruto replied nonchalantly as he placed the jar of onitment atop the railing infront of him and Sasuke.

"I meant your arm." Sasuke scoffed as he glanced at the pale-skin on Naruto's left forearm, skin that was burnt black barely even 5 minutes ago.

"Oh." Naruto mumbled as he raised his left forearm horizontally infront of his chest, the entirety of the glove he once wore there aswell as the sleeve below his elbow was all completely burnt off.

The lining on Naruto's left sleeve to was singed and scorched, yet somehow all the skin underneath was perfectly healthy, almost like it was new skin that grew in a matter of seconds.

"I honestly have no idea." Naruto explained as he twisted and turned his left forearm in several different angles, studying his skin for any signs of damage or burns.

"That's horseshit." Sasuke mumbled in response.

"I thought we made a deal to teach each other everything?" Sasuke remarked, referring to that fact that each time one of them learned a special jutsu, they would always show it to the other.

"So you showed me everything Kakashi-sensei taught you then?" Naruto replied.

"Every single jutsu?" Naruto reaffirmed, causing Sasuke to scoff.

"Okay maybe not." Sasuke admitted as he rested his chin atop his crisscrossing forearms.

"What else did he show you?" Naruto asked.

"Oh you'd like to know, wouldn't you?" Sasuke replied without even looking at Naruto, attempting to hide the smirk on his face.

"You'll find out during the finals." Sasuke scoffed as he glanced towards the shuffling yellow Kanji displayed across the large TV screen on the far wall.

"Cool." Naruto replied as a warm smile bloomed upon his face, he could interrogate Sasuke but he didn't need to, Naruto was just happy to have friends that talked to him.

"That was magnificent Naruto!" Lee yelled as he shoved his face only 3 inches away from Naruto's.

"U-uu-uh." Naruto mumbled, he had never been this close to another human being before and it was making him quite uncomfortable.

"You truly are a worthy sibling-student!" Lee exclaimed as he dramatically raised both of his clenched fists infront of his jawline.

You may be the only person alive who could heal that fast, Naruto... Kakashi concluded as his thoughts muffled out the words between Lee and Naruto.

That was atleast a 4th degree burn... Kakashi thought, referring to the black, boiled and decayed skin that used to cover Naruto's left forearm entirely.

The power of the nine tails... Kakashi remarked as he stared at his blond student only 3ft infront of him.

It still amazes me. Kakashi admitted.

During this, Hinata ran down the descending left staircase before approaching the 4 medics that were carrying Kiba out of the room.

As she approached, Hinata noticed that Kiba was still conscious, but barely, he couldn't even move and his eyes would barely stay open.

Her movement caused the 4 medics to halt mid-walk, allowing Hinata to step next to her semi-conscious teammate and the whimpering dog atop his chest.

"T-th-this is ointment..." Hinata mumbled timidly as the held the jar several inches above Kiba's barely opened eyes.

For several moments the air around Hinata was filled with the heavy, harsh gasps of air that escaped from Kiba before he attempted to speak.

"It will make you and Akamaru feel better..." Hinata exclaimed as she became anxious waiting on a response.

"You should be worried about yourself..." Kiba breathed out in a raspy voice.

"There are only six of you left..." Kiba explained.

"You, Choji, Neji, Lee, the mummy guy and the sand guy..." Kiba stated, being forced to take several breathes of air to accomplish his sentence.

"Lis-listen to me Hinata..." Kiba pleaded, trying his best to remain conscious.

"If you match against the sand guy..." Kiba spoke as the sadistic smiling face of Gaara floated throughout his mind.

"Give up right away..." Kiba begged.

"The same with Neji..." Kiba proclaimed.

"Give up right awa-." Kiba attempted to plea, only to pass-out from a rather large amount of damage substained to his head, a result from being slammed against the wall and floor several times against Naruto.

Once Kiba fell into the unconscious world, the 4 medics quickly rushed him out of the room, leaving a downcast, depressed Hinata Hyuga behind them.

Hinata knew Kiba was right, she had no hope or chance of winning, in her eyes she shouldn't even be here.

Hinata never even wanted to graduate the Academy, all she wanted was Naruto.

To walk in Naruto's shadow, to walk behind him and in time beside him as his equal, and in Hinata's dreams - as his lover.

Hinata knew she had no talent, drive or willpower of her own but anytime she saw Naruto her heart flustered and her muscles strengthened, as if the very sight of him was enough to keep her going.

She always had a deep crush on the young boy, ever since both she and Naruto were 5 and he had saved her from being bullied inside the forest that surrounded Konoha.

During that moment, a moment when Hinata felt hopeless and afraid - Naruto was filled with confidence and determination, something that had stuck with Hinata for the past 7 years.

As Naruto stopped her from being bullied only to take on the brunt of the attack himself, he proclaimed that he would become Hokage one day, a statement that briefly caused Hinata to imagine his face atop the Hokage Monument.

However when Naruto was 6 and their together years at the Academy had just begun, he found himself adopted by Iruka and ever since then Naruto never even mentioned becoming Hokage.

While Naruto's drive to become Hokage may have faded, his fierce determination and resolve still burned a bright ember inside of Hinata's heart, she would never forget his kindness.


	26. Chapter 26

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **I really fucking hate Hinata but as a writer I am required to write her in a realistic and authentic narrative. No matter how happy I would be if she just fucking died.**

 **But holy shit this chapter was a bitch to write, it was so hard to actually care about such a terrible character.** **I cannot express with words how much I hate Hinata and by default this chapter since it revolves around that disgusting character.**

 **The Hyuga clan are 'the oldest noble clan from Konoha' - from what I've gathered - the Hyuga lived in the location where the 1st Hokage wanted to build the village.**

 **So while yes, the alliance between the Uchiha and Senju gave birth to the village, the fact is the Hyuga have lived there longer than any other clan and by that right earn the title of oldest.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Byakugan Unleashed! Hinata's Daring Determination.**

'Hinata Hyuga VS Neji Hyuga' The yellow Kanji displayed across the large TV screen.

Once Hinata's eyes made contact with the screen, they began to tremble and widen, overwhelmed by fear.

Hinata... Kurenai thought to herself in a concerned manner.

"Hmmmm." Guy hummed as he glanced to the right, observing the back of his Hyuga student.

This will be an interesting match. Hayate thought to himself.

At the same time, Neji glared at the large TV screen with an expressionless face, concealing what he truly felt inside.

After several moments, Neji and Hinata stood in the center of the burnt, weapon covered stone floor, only 5ft away from each other.

As they stood facing each other, Hayate stood to Neji's right and Hinata's left, only 5ft away from both of them.

Neji was facing the right catwalk, while Hinata was facing the left, giving her a direct view of Naruto.

"I didn't think I would be fighting you..." Neji admitted, his face and outfit scuffed with dirt and mud, much less then Ino but still easily noticeable to Hayate.

"Me too, big brother." Hinata replied timidly as she twiddled her index fingers together infront of her rather small chest.

"B-Big brother?" Naruto mumbled in shock, he knew the two of them were related but didn't know they were brother and sister.

"So those 2 are siblings..." Sasuke sighed, atleast he knew more about Neji now.

"They both come from Konoha's oldest noble family..." Kakashi explained as he stood against the wall behind Naruto, Sasuke and Lee.

Guy stood to the right side of Kakashi with his arms crossed infront of his chest, offering a brief nod of his head to his Hyuga student as he walked by but earning nothing in response.

"The Hyuga clan - but they aren't siblings." Kakashi proclaimed.

"Then how are they related?" Naruto asked as he turned around before directing his attention towards his Sensei.

"Hmmmmmmmmmm..." Kakashi hummed out as he narrowed his visible right eye.

"One comes from the Hyuga head family and the other from the branch family." Kakashi replied.

"Which one is the head family?" Sasuke asked as he head continued to rest atop his crisscrossing arms.

"It as to be Neji." Sasuke concluded, Hinata was way to timid to be a member of the head family.

"Actually no." Kakashi responded, causing Sasuke to bury his face into his forearms.

"Correct." Lee asserted before positioning his right bandaged forearm vertically infront of his chest while he held his index finger infront of his face, entering a teacher-like stance.

"Hinata is from the Hyuga head family." Lee confirmed after he closed his eyes.

"In other words, the founders." Lee exclaimed.

"While Neji is from the branch family, which carries the same bloodline." Lee proclaimed.

"So this will be a fight between relatives?" Naruto asked as he glanced to his left, looking over Sasuke's back towards Lee.

"I wonder if it will be difficult for them to fight each other." Sasuke mumbled out as he raised his head before glancing towards the 2 Hyuga.

"No at all..." Lee exclaimed as he gripped his chin with his right hand before opening his eyes.

"Hm?" Both Naruto and Sasuke mumbled in response, causing the latter to finally lean up off the railing before standing up straight.

"I believe several things have happened in the past 10 years between the head family and branch family." Lee explained.

"They have not been on good terms with each other since then." Lee proclaimed.

"The Hyuga affair?" Naruto mumbled, earning a brief nod from Lee in response.

"Correct, are you familiar with it?" Lee asked.

"A little, Kabuto explained it to us before the 1st stage of the Exam." Naruto replied as he turned away from Kakashi and Guy before once again facing the railing.

"Good, in short each of the 4 noble clans have a head family." Lee responded.

"Like Sasuke and Shino?" Naruto asked, causing his Uchiha friend to scoff before gripping each side of his waist with both hands while he squinted his black eyes and glared towards Neji.

"Yes, I believe Choji's dad is the clan head aswell, meaning Choji is apart of the head family." Lee concluded.

"That just leaves Hinata." Lee explained.

"As you know, each clan has a special ability that runs only in that clan..." Lee spoke.

"Like the Sharingan and the Byakugan." Lee exclaimed.

"But the head family of these clans have even more special abilities." Lee stated, his words caused Sasuke's eyes to widen as he never considered there was anything beyond the 3 tomoe Sharingan.

"And in the case of the Hyuga clan, the head family has a certain set of rules." Lee remarked.

"Rules that are much more favorable to the head family." Lee explained.

"Must be a fight for revenge then." Sasuke scoffed as he once again leaned forward before placing his crisscrossed forearms atop the railing infront of him.

As Sasuke spoke, the shadowy image of an unknown figure floated through his mind, a figure who had bright, illuminating 3 tomoe Sharingan eyes.

"Hm..." Naruto mumbled as he examined the 2 Hyuga who stood infront of each other in the center of the room.

Neji stood confidently with his arms resting against his sides, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Meanwhile Hinata's head was downcast and she was still twiddling her fingers infront of her rather small chest, clearly anxious about the upcoming match.

"8th match..." Hayate exclaimed before coughing several times.

"Please begin." Hayate spoke before breaking into a series of harsh and constant coughs.

As Hayate spoke, Neji's right foot slid across the burnt stone floor for several inches, suggesting he was about to enter a Taijutsu stance.

"Before we fight, let me warn you of one thing, Hinata." Neji stated in a mocking tone.

"Give up." Neji ordered, causing Hinata's head to tilt upward, allowing her lavender tinted eyes to stare back into Neji's.

"You're not worthy to become a Ninja." Neji proclaimed.

Neji's statement caused a depressing frown to form on Hinata's face, while at the same time a disgusted scowl formed upon Naruto's face, however it was completely concealed behind the raised collar of his tunic.

"You are too kind." Neji explained, suggesting it was a bad thing.

"You seek harmony and avoid trouble." Neji pointed out.

"And you have no ideas of your own, you only follow others." Neji exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes, Hinata knew he was referring specifically to Naruto.

At this moment, Hinata once again downcast her head while she stared down at the burnt, blackened stone floor underneath her.

"You have no self-confidence and you always feel inferior." Neji spoke.

"That is why you thought it would be fine to remain a Genin for the rest of your life." Neji exclaimed.

"But your team could not register for the Chunin Exam unless all 3 members agreed." Neji pointed out.

"Due to your weak kindness, you couldn't refuse either Kiba or Shino." Neji proclaimed, his words cutting like a dagger into Hinata's delicate heart.

"The truth is, you don't even want to be here." Neji stated, his words being absolute fact.

"I-I ju-I just..." Hinata mumbled as she placed her hands together before holding them just below her chin.

"I wanted to change myself, s-so..." Hinata stuttered as she still stared down at the floor.

A ninja doesn't give up Hinata - remember, think back to everything Iruka taught us. Naruto reaffirmed to himself as his Rinnegan eyes narrowed underneath his bangs.

Hinata... Kurenai thought as her mind began to fade back to the day when she first met Hinata, the day when she became Hinata's Jonin Instructor.

 _-Flashback-_

 _1:23pm Friday April 13th, 58SSP._

"Stand up, Hanabi." The clan head of the Hyuga clan, otherwise known as Hiashi Hyuga ordered.

He wore very traditional, loose fitting white robes with a long-sleeved brown haori worn around that while his feet were shoeless.

Infront of him rested a 20in long black Kunai metal rod with both his palms atop the edge, a rod strong enough to hold off attacks by metal.

Hiashi and his youngest daughter, Hanabi both stood inside the main Dojo of the Hyuga clan, a calm Hiashi standing over a panting, on all 4s Hanabi.

Hanabi had several bruises and cuts across her 7yr old body, suggesting Hiashi had been seriously beating her in an attempt to make her stronger.

Hanabi was a young girl with long, dark-brown hair that reaches down to the middle of her back.

As she rested on all 4s and continued to breath in a heavy fashion, this revealed her long parted bangs with a single lock of hair falling into her face.

She had large, lavender-tinted eyes, a trait shared by all members of the Hyuga clan.

She wore a sleeveless, blue v-neck shirt with blue shorts that ran down 3in below her knees, her feet were bare and shoeless, much like Hiashi.

Infront of her twitched right bruised hand, was a standard black steel Kunai, suggesting she and her father had been sparring, him with a metal stick and her with a metal Kunai.

On the right side of the room, right from Hiashi's perspective, Kurenai stood, having already opened the sliding down behind her several minutes ago before entering the room.

"Starting today, Hinata will be under my command." Kurenai spoke.

"But are you sure you want that, sir?" Kurenai asked, showing utmost respect to the head of Konoha's most noble and oldest clan.

However, instead of answering with words, Hiashi continued to stare down at the wimpering and exhausted Hanabi, still waiting on her to stand up.

"Hinata is the Hyuga family's successor afterall..." Kurenai pointed out.

"Missions that Genin undertake have a possibility of death." Kurenai exclaimed.

"Do as you like with Hinata." Hiashi spat out in a disgusted fashion, causing Kurenai's face to twitch several times with rage.

"A defect who is even weaker than Hanabi, someone fiver years her junior..." Hiashi proclaimed as Hanabi finally managed to stand up, even if it was in a crouched fashion.

"Is not needed in the Hyuga." Hiashi explained as he narrowed and squinted his lavender-tinted eyes.

His words caused Kurenai to bit her own tongue, attempting to refrain herself from criticizing the most important figure from the most important clan in her village.

Hanabi's heavy breathing then filled the room as the 7yr old raised her head up before positioning the Kunai held in her right hand horizontally infront of her chest.

This action revealed the several bruises that covered and dotted Hanabi's face, clearly the beatings from her father were quite severe.

"Are you done talking?" Hiashi asked rhetorically, refusing to give Kurenai time to answer.

"Then begone." Hiashi ordered.

"You are a bother." Hiashi exclaimed as his palms began to pressdown atop the edge of the metal rod infront of him, suggesting him and Hanabi were once again about to spar.

"Sir." Kurenai replied as she bowed her head slightly before turning around and walking out the room, promptly closing the sliding door behind her.

As Kurenai closed the sliding door, her red eyes glanced to the left, observing the depressed and sulken form of Hinata Hyuga.

Unlike Hanabi, Hinata didn't have a single scratch on her, suggesting Hiashi never gave Hinata the time of day and instead focused all his attention on Hanabi.

Hinata had been disinherited by her own father.

 _-Flashback ends-_

Hinata is trying to change herself in her own way. Kurenai concluded to herself.

"You are nothing but a spoiled child from the head clan." Neji asserted, causing Hinata's head to become further downcast.

"People can never change - a failure is a failure." Neji spat out, causing both Hinata's and Naruto's eyes to widen and bulge.

"No personality or power can change this." Neji declared, causing Naruto to raise his gloveless and sleeveless left hand before placing it atop the railing infront of him.

"And since people cannot change..." Neji remarked.

"That is why terms like 'Elites' and 'Failures' exist." Neji explained.

"Everyone judges one another by how good your face, clan, abilities, body shape and personality's are." Neji concluded.

Neji's words caused Hinata to bury her hand into the palms of her cupped hands, attempting to hide Neji from view.

"There are certain things that cannot be changed and people suffer due to these limits." Neji asserted.

"Just like how we can't change the fact that I'm from the branch family and you are from the head family." Neji remarked as an annoyed scowl formed on his face.

"My Byakugan has seen many things and that is why..." Neji trailed off.

"That is why I know you want to leave this place." Neji spoke.

"N-n-no, not at all..." Hinata replied timidly as she raised her head to glance back at Neji.

Suddenly the veins around Neji's eyes bulged and protruded as his once lavender eyes turned a shade of white, indicating his Byakugan was now active.

This action caused Hinata's eyes to quake and tremble as she became overwhelmed by the visual prowess of Neji's Byakugan.

As Hinata began to crumble under the pressure, she positioned her right forearm in a slanted vertically fashion infront of her rather small chest while wrapping her left forearm around her stomach.

At the same time, her eyes began to twitch in several different angles and directions, attempting to escape the eyesight of Neji's Byakugan.

Hinata then raised her right hand infront of her mouth while downcasting her head slightly, blocking it from Neji's view, still attempting to hide from his eyes.

"You can't fool my eyes." Neji asserted, causing both Naruto and Sasuke to narrow their eyes, with Sasuke taking this statement as a personal insult to the Sharingan.

"You moved your pupils to the top left corner of your eyes once you felt my pressure..." Neji pointed out, causing Hinata to tremble even more intensely.

"This indicates you are recalling a past event." Neji explained, suggesting Neji could see Hinata's thoughts and feelings, a feat of the power that his Byakugan granted him.

"A harsh past moments of yours." Neji stated.

"After that your pupils moved to the bottom right..." Neji continued.

"Suggesting you are imagining great physical and mental pain." Neji concluded as Hinata's mouth fell open agasp.

"You imagined your old self and predicted the outcome of this battle from past experinces" Neji pointed out.

"A prediction that says you'll lose." Neji accused, causing Hinata's legs to buckle and shiver under the weight of her torso.

During this, Naruto's left hand shifted from the railing to the jar of ointment Hinata had gifted him before he clenched down on it was such strength that the sound of his muscles stretching could be heard by Sasuke and Lee.

"The action of putting your forearm infront of you..." Neji spoke out.

"Shows that you want to put a wall between us and create some distance." Neji pointed out.

"This indicates you don't want me to look through your true feelings." Neji concluded.

"Also - you hiding your mouth behind your hand is an action that shows your mind is disturbed." Neji declared.

"It's a defensive instinct that tries to lower nervousness." Neji explained.

"If you don't give up, you will only..." Neji trailed off.

"WIN!" Naruto screamed as he threw the jar of ointment towards Neji, only for the latter to spin around in a 360* angle, allowing him to harmlessly deflect the jar in mid-air before once again facing Hinata.

"Don't label people just like that, you idiot!" Naruto yelled at Neji, giving a brief glimpse of the loud personality his years with Iruka had tamed.

"Don't you remember what Iruka-sensei taught us?" Naruto asked rhetorically as both his hands clenched the railing infront of him, not giving Neji enough time to answer.

"Never give up! And never go back on your word!" Naruto remarked.

"That's the way of the ninja and the way Iruka taught us, don't you remember!?" Naruto asked, causing Neji to turn his head slightly to the left, allowing his left eye to look upon Naruto.

"Beat his smug face in, Hinata!" Naruto pleaded, causing Hinata's arms to fall to her sides in shock.

N-N-Na-Nar-Naruto... Hinata repeated several times inside her mind.

"Tch." Sasuke scoffed out as he lazily watched the unsueing match.

"U-" Lee gasped as he blinked several times, very rarely had he seen Naruto so enthusiastic.

"Hmmmm..." Kakashi hummed while at the same time Guy was smiling from ear to ear, causing his pearl white teeth to shine and gleam.

"Don't give up Hinata! Don't back down - no matter had bad the odds are!" Naruto declared, mimicking the same words Iruka had told him for years.

During this, Hinata downcast her head slightly, hiding her lavender-tinted eyes from view.

"Why aren't you saying anything!?" Naruto screamed.

"Fight back!" Naruto pleaded.

"Stand your ground - that's what Iruka-sensei taught us!" Naruto concluded as he glared down at Hinata from underneath his bangs.

For several moments silence filled the room, only interrupted by the heavy breathing of Naruto.

At the sametime, Neji still had his active left Byakugan examining the young blond, observing the 2 swirling vortex's of violet chakra that pulsated where his eyes should be.

Naruto... Hinata thought.

Figure's the deadlast would assist deadweight. Neji remarked to himself, referring to Hinata as deadweight.

Neji then tore his left gaze from Naruto before directing both his Byakugan eyes back towards a downcast Hinata.

"A-" Neji gasped in shock as he observed Hinata's body posture.

Her trembling...it's stopped. Neji pointed out.

Neji briefly studied the downcast, now calm body of Hinata and how both her arms were resting against her sides while her hands were clenched into fists.

Hinata then slowly tilted her head up, revealing her now confident and resolute lavender-tinted eyes, as if all the doubt in her world had been erased.

Naruto...thank you. Hinata told herself as she glared at the shocked Neji infront of who.

Her eyes and posture have changed... Neji noted as his mouth fell open slightly.

There is no way Naruto's words would have such an outstanding effect on her... Neji thought.

"If you're not going to give up, then don't blame me for the result of this match." Neji declared as he narrowed his Byakugan eyes while staring at Hinata.

I never run away that's what Iruka-sensei taught me! Naruto's voice echoed inside Hinata's mind.

Until I prove to Iruka that I was worth saving - I'll never give up and I'll never back down. Naruto's confident words resonated inside Hinata.

I never go back on my word and I never back down - that's the way of the ninja and the way of Iruka! Naruto's voice reaffirmed.

I will never... Hinata told herself as she slid her left foot several inches horizontally away from her body.

Run away again! Hinata concluded to herself, her thoughts causing the veins around her eyes to bulge and protrude as the Iris of her eyes turned from lavender to solid white, indicating her Byakugan was now active.

At this moment, Hinata extended her flat left palmed hand out towards Neji while at the same time, positioned her flat right palm vertically against the right side of her stomach, entering a Taijutsu stance.

"Big brother, let us fight." Hinata spoke, the concern and imitation that once overwhelmed her was completely gone.

"A- that's..." Lee mumbled in shock.

"Hmmmmm." Guy hummed.

Neji then mimicked Hinata, entering into the exact same stance and posture, indicating it was a special stance used among the Hyuga.

"Very well." Neji spoke.

"They are using the same Hyuga style..." Lee pointed out, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen slightly as he observed the 2 Hyuga about to do battle.

Good to know... Sasuke thought, clearly he had a grudge against Neji.

"Isn't the Hyuga style Konoha's strongest hand-to-hand combat style?" Naruto asked, thinking back to the green-covered book he had gotten from that old lady Sarada Uchiha so many years ago.

"Correct." Lee nodded in response as his bandage-covered fists clenched tightly, attempting to hide the shame he felt for his own Taijutsu, Taijutsu inferior to Neji's.

"Neji is without a doubt, one of the strongest Genin in Konoha right now." Lee concluded.

"Pffft." Sasuke scoffed out in response.

During this, Guy's eyes narrowed then stared at the back of Naruto's head before glancing towards his gloveless and sleeveless left arm.

Remember, Lee... Guy thought.

You're true rival, stands right beside you. Guy concluded, eluding to an unknown conversation between Lee and Guy.

At this moment Hinata dashed forward, bridging the 5ft gap between her and Neji before thrusting her flat right hand towards him.

As Hinata attacked, Neji ducked his head down before raising his left forearm vertically, using the side of his wrist to push Hinata's flat hand to the right.

As Neji did this, a cascading amount of blue chakra erupted from Hinata's right palm, swirling around the 2 Hyuga like a vortex.

Hinata then struck out with her left palm, causing Neji to push her right hand away even further before side stepping to his left, dodging Hinata's attack.

Just like before, a large amount of blue chakra poured from Hinata's palm before swirling around the 2 Hyuga, indicating Neji was lucky to dodge her attack.

Neji then flung his right palm forward, attempting to strike Hinata in the chest, only for the Kunoichi to side step to the right before using her own right palm to push Neji's away.

Even though Hinata blocked Neji's attack, his palm still released a steady stream of blue chakra into the air around them.

It was then that Hinata and Neji both hurled their flat left hands forward, slamming their palms against one another with a loud clap.

This action caused blue chakra to flood and pour from each of their palms, swirling into the air around them and causing their hair to move slightly.

Neji then once again flung his right palm forward, causing Hinata to take one step back with her left foot before hurling her own right palm horizontally across her chest, pushing Neji's hand away from her.

Once again, a cascading amount of blue chakra erupted from Neji's right palm, swirling in the air around him and Hinata.

Sensing an opening, Neji then hurled his left palm forward, attempting to strike at Hinata's right shoulder since he considered her defenseless at this moment.

In a surprising display of speed, Hinata managed to position her left palm underneath her right bicep, holding her left hand infront of her right shoulder.

This action caused both Hinata's and Neji's left palms to once again slam together in a loud clap.

Just like before, a large amount of blue chakra poured out of each of their palms before swirling around them.

As their left palms remained connected, Hinata took 1 step back with her right foot while at the same time pulling her right arm back, allowing her to improve her stance.

For several moments Neji and Hianta stood completely still, each of their Byakugan eyes examining the other.

Hinata then took 1 step back with her left foot while pulling her left palm away from Neji's, creating a small gap between them.

"Whats the deal with their chakra?" Sasuke asked as he continued to lean against the railing with his chin atop his crisscrossing arms.

"It's the special Taijutsu combat style passed down from generation to generation of the Hyuga." Guy explained as he took 3 steps forward, standing directly behind Naruto, Sasuke and Lee.

As Guy spoke, both Hinata and Neji each to 1 step to their right, as if they were circling each other.

"The Taijutsu that Lee and I are expects in..." Guy spoke out.

"Tries to break the enemy's bones and create external wounds, external damage so to speak." Guy explained.

"This fighting style is know as Goken or the Strong Fist." Guy proclaimed.

"Then there are the Hyuga, who attempt to damage the Chakra network inside of their enemy..." Guy stated.

"This style destroys the internal organs or in other words, Internal damage..." Guy explained.

"This style is known as Juken or the Gentle Fist and it is the style that all Hyuga are trained in." Guy exclaimed.

"There is no way to train your internal organs..." Kakashi mumbled out.

"If you get hit with the Gentle Fist, no matter how tough you are, it'll be fatal." Kakashi pointed out.

Sasuke didn't expect a full lecture, he had already read much about the Hyuga in the green book Naruto gifted him several weeks ago before he returned it.

Sasuke just didn't expect the level of chakra their attacks would release, atleast know he had better incite on how Neji fought.

Next time he mocks the Uchiha - Naruto won't be there to save him. Sasuke concluded to himself as he narrowed his black eyes.

At this moment, Hinata and Neji then each took 2 steps to the right, continuing to circle each other, both in the exact same stance and with their Byakugan examining the other.

It's a small difference... Kurenai remarked to herself.

But Hinata has the advantage. Kurenai thought.

Did his words really inspire such a difference in her? Kurenai asked herself as her eyes shot to the right, staring at Naruto.

"You're doing great, Hinata!" Naruto screamed as he threw his gloveless, clenched left fist into the air while smiling, clearly eager to see Neji defeated.

Naruto, Neji and Hinata were the only ones in the room able to see the chakra network, even if Sasuke had his Sharingan active, it would not grant him the same visual prowess that the Byakugan and Rinnegan grant their users.

Suddenly, both Neji and Hinata rushed forward, each of them extending their left hands out like a protective barrier before flinging their right palms forward, attempting to strike each other in the chest.

Since each of them were so close to one another, those watching from the catwalk couldn't tell what happened before soon both Hinata and Neji stopped moving entirely.

"U-" Naruto gasped, his Rinnegan eyes having seen something no one else in the room did.

The moment before Hinata struck Neji in his chest, he used his previously defensive left hand to puncture a chakra point in Hinata's right bicep.

This action not only canceled the chakra flow in Hinata's right arm but also prevented her attack from occurring.

This allowed Neji's attack to make direct contact with the center of Hinata's chest, causing a significant amount of damage to her heart.

So much damage was done to her heart, that Hinata coughed up several drops of blood onto the collar of her jacket and her headband, a headband that she wore in the exact same fashion as Naruto, tied around her neck.

This caused several drops of blood to fall from Hinata's mouth onto the white bandages tied around Neji's right hand, staining the fabric red.

"So this is the best that the head family has to offer?" Neji mocked, knowing full well Hinata had already been disinheirited for her weakness.

I'm not done... Hinata reminded herself as she raised her left hand vertically infront of her chest, using the back of her hand to push Neji's palm to her left and away from her body.

Hinata then retracted her left arm slightly before hurling her palm towards Neji's face, causing the latter the side step to the left.

As Neji dodged Hinata's attack, he used his left hand to grip Hinata's while at the same time used his right hand to puncture several of the chakra points inside Hinata's left arm.

Much like before, this canceled the chakra flow to Hinata's left arm, aswell as her attack since she couldn't properly distribute the chakra flow inside her body.

Neji then released Hinata's wrist from his grip before slamming his right palm once again into Hinata's chest causing her to fly back for over 10ft.

Since there was no visible blue chakra like all the previous attacks Neji and Hinata preformed, this indicated the stream of chakra Neji released had been inflicted directly upon Hinata's internal organs.

The force of Neji's attacked caused Hinata to slam atop the burnt, weapon covered floor before sliding for several inches, causing a Shuriken to cut a large vertical gash on her right leg while a Kunai dug itself into the back of her left shoulder.

This action horrorified Naruto, as the girl who gifted him medicine barely 20 minutes ago now needed it more than he did, the fact that Naruto had thrown it as a weapon towards Neji made him feel twice as bad.

For several moments Hinata lay on her back trembling barely 13ft infront of a confident Neji, with blood pouring from her wounds.

However, after some time Hinata managed to dig her elbows into the ground beneath her, forcing herself into a sitting stance as she glared towards Neji.

During this, Hinata's breathing became heavy, causing her shoulders aswell as the Kunai dug into her left shoulder, to rise and fall with each gasp of air.

"This is the difference between 'elites' and 'failures'." Neji explained as he deactivated his Byakugan before allow his arms to rest against his sides.

"This is your destiny, to lose here and now." Neji pointed out.

"Now, I hope you realize just how much of a failure you truly are." Neji stated, causing Naruto to slam his left, gloveless hand atop the railing infront of him while his right rested against his side.

"I-I..." Hinata coughed out as she struggled several times to stand up, only to fail due to the pain caused by the massive cut in her right leg.

"Wi-will no-not..." Hinata stuttered as she finally managed to place the sole of her left shoe atop the ground before using it to pull herself up into a crouched stance with her right knee digging into the ground.

During this, blood ran down the back of Hinata's jacket like a stream, while at the same time pouring from the massive cut in her leg, since it was a vertical gash it caused much more damage then the Kunai in her shoulder.

"Give up..." Hinata panted out, her gasps for air become more and more heavy with each breathe.

With her determined willpower, Hinata finally managed to stand up straight, her bleeding right leg wimpering and trembling under the weight of her body.

"I had no idea Hinata was this tough..." Naruto admitted with his left hand still placed atop the railing infront of him.

Naruto had always seen Hinata in class but he never really thought of her, she was always just in the background.

"Come to think of it...she's always watching you." Sasuke remarked as he stood leaned over the railing to the right of Naruto.

Sasuke's words caused Naruto to narrow his Rinnegan eyes, Sasuke was right, there were several times when Naruto was training and would notice Hinata watching him from the distance.

However Naruto never acted on this knowledge, he knew from first-hand experince how bad it felt to be an outcast so he tried his best to never judge others, even though all Hinata did was stare at him from a distance.

"She reminds me alot of you, Naruto." Lee pointed out.

Suddenly Hinata grabbed her chest with both hands before coughing up several more drops of blood, suggesting the damage Neji had done to her heart was quite severe.

Hinata... Naruto thought as his violet eyes observed the fading blue chakra network of Hinata.

One more blow and... Naruto concluded.

At this moment, Hinata tilted her head up slightly, causing her mouth and eyes to widen when she noticed the purple, violet orbs of condensed chakra where Naruto's eyes should have been.

Naruto... Hinata thought as she panted heavily.

I've been watching you... Hinata reminded herself.

Why I wonder...? Hinata asked, wondering a question she didn't have an answer to.

I don't know why, but... Hinata told herself.

When I watch you, I can feel courage swelling up in my heart... Hinata thought.

I feel like I too, am worth something. Hinata concluded, her will and desire to be strong like Naruto was resolute.

Hinata...you put every ounce of your being into training... Kurenai thought.

I saw it with my own eyes. Kurenai reminded herself.

But even so, you continued to fail all your missions and always drag your teammates down. Kurenai remarked.

You lost your nerve when you were faced with real competition... Kurenai told herself.

And you always became easily discouraged... Kurenai thought.

But today, you're different... Kurenai concluded.

I have never seen that look in your eyes before... Kurenai reminded herself.

Hinata then began to drag her right foot forward, indicating she was attempting to rush towards Neji only for the blood-loss from her leg to halt her movement.

At this moment, Hinata once again gripped her chest before coughing out several more drops of blood, staining the collar of her jacket and headband even further.

These series of actions caused Hinata to fall on her knees while breathing heavily, before falling forward and faceplanting entirely.

This action caused Hinata's skull to smash into the stone floor with such force that her head bounced up slightly before once again colliding into the stone floor.

She fell with such force that it caused the Kunai buried in her left shoulder to fall loose and slide across the burnt stone floor for several feet before halting all movement.

Naruto's left hand tightened around the railing infront of him, trying his best to keep himself from intervening.

Hinata...that's enough... Kurenai concluded as she downcast her head slightly.

You've lost the match but you've become a new person in the process. Kurenai thought.

Just stay down. Kurenai pleaded.

"We're done here." Neji declared as he spun around and began walking towards the ascending left staircase.

After Hayate preformed a few harsh coughs, he glanced in between the faceplanting Hinata and the victorious Neji several times.

"Any further fighting is not feasible, the-" Hayate attempted to explain, only for his sentence to end as Hinata's body began to tremble and quake, indicating the Kunoichi was trying to stand up.

Hinata... Naruto thought, he never imagined Hinata was this determined.

Soon Hinata placed both of his shaking hands against the burnt floor below her before pushing up with all her remaining might, causing her to rest on all 4 limbs.

Beat his smug face in, Hinata! Naruto's voice replayed itself inside Hinata's mind, giving her the willpower to stomp the sole of her left shoe atop the ground before standing up in a half bent position.

This action caused Neji to turn around while a shocked and disgusted scowl formed upon his face as he narrowed his lavender-tinted eyes.

For several seconds, Neji studied the shaking and blood-leaking body of Hinata, an individual he always considered to be nothing but a disgrace.

Hinata and Neji were now separated by 20ft of distance but Neji could still hear the heavy breathing that escaped from Hinata, evidence of her determination to stand.

Despite all her effort, Hinata could not stand and after a few moments she once again fell on her knees before faceplanting atop the burnt stone floor.

Without allowing a moment of rest, Hinata began dragging her hand and nails across the floor infront of her, before she soon began to crawl towards Neji.

As Hinata crawled, blood spilled from her mouth before dripping atop the floor beneath her but still she continued to drag her body foward, an action that shocked everyone watching, everyone except Gaara.

"I don't understand..." Neji admitted after Hinata crawled for over 10ft, even using her hands to brush away weapons in her path.

"Why would someone as weak as you, resist?" Neji questioned as a bead of sweat slide from underneath his headband and across the bridge of his nose.

"Why must you continue to fight me?" Neji asked while Hinata continued to crawl towards him.

"Knowing...that you'll only die." Neji explained.

Hinata finally stopped crawling as she laid atop her stomach only 5ft infront of Neji, her breathing growing more and more heavy with each movement she preformed.

Naruto...do you see me now, Naruto... Hinata asked herself as face rested against the cold, burnt stone beneath her.

I will not fail...infront of the person I admire most... Hinata reminded herself as the smiling face of Naruto floated through her head.

I will not give up... Hinata concluded.

I will never give up - because - because... Hinata thought.

"Because that's...my Ninja way..." Hinata panted out in a harsh, blood-filled voice.

"Tch." Neji scoffed as the veins around his eyes bulged and pulsated before his eyes turned solid-white, indicating he had activated his Byakugan once again.

Neji then took 1 step forward with his right foot, suggesting he was about to charge towards Hinata, to finish her once and for all.

However, in a spilt second Naruto leapt over the railing before landing in a crouched position between Neji and Hinata with his left, gloveless palm resting atop the floor infront of him.

This level of speed was much slower and reduced then the level displayed when saving Tenten, something only Gaara, Lee, Kakashi, Sasuke and Guy noticed, indicating Naruto was holding back.

"What now, deadlast?" Neji mocked.

"Would you like to test your eyes against mine?" Neji asked, as he knew without a doubt that Naruto possessed a Doijutsu, just not which kind.

At this moment, Naruto stood up straight, 2ft infront of Hinata and 3ft infront of Neji, with both his arms resting against his sides, however only his left arm was visible since his right was concealed by the sleeve of his tunic.

"Do you want to know why, people like you and Hinata are such failures?" Neji questioned rhetorically, not giving Naruto time to answer.

"Because your teacher and role-model, Iruka, was a failure." Neji spat out.

Suddenly, Neji found his arms and limbs stiff and frozen, as if he was in the grip of some unseen, unknown force.

Neji then began to float towards Naruto, bridging the 3ft gap in between the 2 Shinobi in a matter of seconds.

Just like befo- Neji attempted to think, only for his train of thought to be disrupted when Naruto's left hand glasped around his face and squeezed down.

Naruto then took 1 step forward with his right foot before slamming Neji skull-first into the stone floor, causing several cracks to erupt in a 2ft radius around the 2 Shinobi.

At that same moment, Naruto raised his right gloved hand vertically into the air, causing a 30in black chakra rod to protrude and phase out from his right palm.

The rod broke off from Naruto's hand, then fell in a vertical fashion before Naruto clenched his right hand shut, grabbing the 30in long chakra rod in a reverse grip fashion.

Naruto then retracted his left hand from Neji's face before plunging his right hand downward, aiming his chakra rod towards Neji's chest.

Suddenly, Kakashi, Guy, Hayate and Kurenai all appeared in various different angles, surrounding Naruto.

Kakashi stood behind Naruto with his left hand gripping the boys left bicep, attempting to prevent the blond from using his left arm, while Kakashi's right hand was resting on Naruto's head.

Guy stood infront of Naruto with the palm of his left hand resting vertically against the knuckles of Naruto's right hand, preventing him from moving his hand any further.

Kurenai's right hand was wrapped around Naruto's right wrist while at the same time Hayate had his right hand placed against Naruto's right elbow, stopping him from bending his attacking down any further.

Even though 3 Jonin all had Naruto's right arm restrained, his arm trembled and shook under their pressure, indicating they could barely hold him back but they were only using 1 hand each.

The edge of the 30in long chakra rod rested barely 10in above Neji's chest, if the teachers did not intervene when they did, Neji would have suffered a serious blow.

For several moments Naruto's right arm and by extension the arms of the 3 jonin restraining it continued to shake and tremble.

Naruto's right arm then abruptly jolted downward, indicating even more power had been infused into his thrust.

This action forced Guy to wrap his right hand around the 30in chakra rod held in Naruto's hand, easily stopping Naruto's thrust with both hands only 5in above Neji's chest.

However, while Guy did stop the attack, once he made direct contact with the rod his senses felt odd and misplaced, as if the rod had some weird effect on people who touched it.

This action caused Guy to release Naruto's right hand and the chakra rod from his grip before falling to his knees infront of the collasped Neji and the standing Naruto.

"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled in concern as his grip on Naruto's left bicep tightened.

"Stop it!" Kakashi pleaded, causing the blond boy to abruptly shake Hayate, and Kurenai off his right arm before attempting to retract his arm to his side.

However Guy didn't release his grip on the chakra rod, causing Naruto to place his right, gloved palm against the broken edge of the rod.

This process caused the rod to phase inside Naruto's palm, pulling the rod free from Guy's powerful grip before disappearing entirely into Naruto's right arm as he rested it against his side.

"Yes - Sensei." Naruto replied nonchalantly while his mouth was concealed by his raised purple collar.

This reply caused Kakashi to release Naruto's left bicep from his grip, allowing the blond to rest his left arm against his side while Kakashi's right hand remained atop Naruto's head.

He knew exactly what he was doing... Guy thought, referring to how calm Naruto seemed to be.

Which means... Guy pondered.

Naruto knew he was about to kill Neji... Kakashi concluded, thinking the exact same thoughts as Guy.

That weapon - what was that? Hayate asked himself, referring to the odd black rod that had previously protruded from Naruto's body, an ability and object Hayate had seen Naruto display 2 times now

It - phases in and out of his body? Hayate thought, unable to believe what he saw.

So this kid - he got the lowest grades in his class? Kurenai reminded herself.

Looks like grades don't mean anything. Kurenai concluded as she narrowed her red eyes while staring at Naruto, who was only 2ft infront of her.

He is stronger than I thought... Guy remarked as he gripped each side of his waist with his palms.

I even had to use both hands... Guy thought as his eyes narrowed.

At that moment, 8 medics rushed into the room, suggesting they were monitoring the room somehow and knew it was time for medical attention.

4 of these medics dashed towards Hinata with a stretcher in hand, while the other 4 squeezed in between the group of Jonin and Naruto surrounding Neji before attempting to place him on a stretcher.

However, Neji brushed them away with the side of his right hand before pushing himself forward then using his legs to stand up.

Neji wouldn't admit it, but clearly his back and head had been injured from Naruto slamming him into the stone floor.

As the medics rushed Hinata out of the room on a stretcher to the left of Naruto, she once again coughed several drops of blood.

This action and sound caused Naruto to turn to the left before taking several steps towards Hinata's stretcher.

As Naruto walked away, Neji opened his mouth to once again mock Naruto and the pathetic failed teacher he knew as Iruka.

But before Neji could, Guy wrapped his right hand around his mouth, preventing any words from coming out.

The medics didn't stop for Naruto, Hinata's injuries were too severe, because of this she was rushed right past him, the only thing Naruto saw was a bright, cheerful, bloody smile on her face.

The same type of smile Iruka had on his face when he died right before Naruto's eyes.

However, thankfully Naruto knew Hinata was alive, his Rinnegan eyes could see the flow of her chakra network.

As Naruto stared at the fading away Hinata - Guy, Neji and Kurenai all began walking towards the ascending left staircase, each step causing Neji to limp due to the damage done on his back.

Several moments of silence past as Hayate and Kakashi both stood behind Naruto, the latter giving his student time to grief and mourn over a friend, something he knew all to well.

"Naruto, it is time for the next match." Kakashi replied as he took 2 steps towards his student before resting his right hand atop the blonds head.

"Is this what it means to be a Shinobi?" Naruto asked, his attention still directed towards the corner Hinata had disappeared behind.

"Yes..." Kakashi mumbled, thinking back to how hard and harsh the live of a Shinobi truly was.

"I hate it..." Naruto replied quietly, his statement shocking both Hayate and Kakashi.

Naruto then turned to his left before he began walking towards the same ascending staircase that Neji, Guy and Kurenai walked up only a few minutes ago.

"I hate this Shinobi world." Naruto exclaimed, to quiet for Hayate to hear but Kakashi did, causing his visible right eye to narrow as he glanced towards the back of his student.

Minato-sensei, please, give me the wisdom to look after your legacy. Kakashi pleaded as the fading image of the 4th Hokage floated through his mind.

The time had come, only 2 matches for the preliminaries remained and after that only 2 weeks until the Chunin finals.

At this moment, Kakashi began walking forward, mimicking the same steps his blond student had made on his own journey towards the left staircase.

Sensei... Kakashi thought as the smiling face of Minato Namikaze formed in his head.

Kushina... Kakashi remarked, causing an overwhelmingly beautiful women with crimson red hair to float through his mind.

Iruka... Kakashi spoke inside his mind, causing the face of Iruka to appear while he was scratching the bridge of his nose and smiling.

Naruto is ready to become a Chunin. Kakashi concluded inside his mind as he began to walk up the ascending staircase.

Kakashi didn't know it, but soon, Naruto's entire life would change, forever.


	27. Chapter 27

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Antitrashfic - I make fun of Kishimoto because he doesn't understand what a plothole is.**

 **I don't hold Kishimoto to some magic standard nor do I wank him, he is not above criticism because no one is. All I do is hold Kishimoto to the same standard I hold myself.**

 **If I had a dog-shit plothole in my story - I would expect and encourage you to point that out.**

 **In very 1st episode, canon Naruto summoned 100 Shadow Clones by himself with no chakra from the Nine tails at age 12. I should also mention that Hiruzen can barely even create two without becoming fatigued at his old age.**

 **With that being said, ho** **w are you going to tell me that a 12 year old - who could summon 100 shadow clones - isn't OP?** **Naruto was the son of the 4th Hokage, the reincarnation of the 1st Hokage, who was watched over by the 3rd Hokage and trained by the future 6th Hokage.**

 **After that he was trained by the student of the 3rd Hokage and the teacher of the 4th Hokage. Also, he wasn't just the reincarnation of the 1st Hokage, he was also the reincarnation of Asura.(not even mentioning the Kyuubi).**

 **The fact that you even suggest canon Naruto wasn't OP from the very 1st episode, shows just how little you know about the series.**

 **12 year old Minato, Itachi, Obito and Shisui would all shove their cocks down chapter 1 Naruto's throat, let alone the 3rd Hokage. There is no way chapter 1 Naruto would beat Hiruzen.**

 **I don't even think chapter 27 or chapter 35 Naruto could beat Hiruzen (maybe chapter 47 Naruto, MAYBE). But I personally feel like a large portion of the Naruto community under wanks the 3rd Hokage.**

 **Yes - Naruto has the Rinnegan because this is a Rinnegan story.** **Itachi implanted the Sharingan inside of Naruto's body because of a Plot-device, I don't want to reveal any more than I already have for spoiler reasons.**

 **If your solution to a character is giving them every Kekkai Genkai in the series, instead of writing their power and growth in a realistic way. Than I'm glad you're not a writer because your story would be dog-shit - kind of like my grammar.**

 **Why would Naruto have the Byakugan, what plot-device gives him that?**

 **How the fuck could Naruto use Wood Style, he isn't a Senju.**

 **Chakra-chains...it's an Uzumaki clan sealing jutsu so yea eventually Naruto could use it.**

 **Finally - I want to focus on your name, Antitrashfic - you're supposed to stand against bad fanfiction but literally everything you suggested I write (except for chakra chains) was utter trash.**

 **GunBlade2018 - Your 1st review points out a great failure I made.**

 **I didn't realize I was that fucking stupid and I can't believe I let that failure get past me.** **I am such a dumbass and a complete failure - by the time you are reading this, that horrible failure of mine will be fixed.**

 **You as a reader deserved better and I'm sorry I failed, thank you for pointing out my failure.**

 **In regards to your 2nd review - don't mock Iruka in front of Naruto, as Neji found out it isn't a good idea.**

 **That is indeed foreshadowing for the long and dark journey we have ahead of us, the young are always more extreme than the old. Something future Naruto deems necessary others will call drastic or extreme.**

 **Rin - I agree - waaaay to many NaruHina stories - especially Rinnegan NaruHina. Since I make it a habit of mine to read and research Rinnegan stories.**

 **In regards to TayuyaxNaruto stories, I myself also hunt for them and adore the pairing - w** **ith all of this is mind. I'm so happy that I can finally write my own Tayuya romance.**

 **Hiatagi-Satori -** **Naruto could easily be called OP in this story but so is canon Naruto.** **To be fair, Naruto has the eyes of God, by that logic it's impossible not to be OP. But he couldn't beat Orochimaru so at least he isn't insanely OP.**

 **As you mention, the writing and detail is what makes/breaks an OP character. This is why I put so much focus on the Leaf Concentration Practice in the first few chapters.**

 **In canon - Naruto had chakra reserves greater than Kakashi (Kakashi is Kage level) by the 1st episode, he just didn't have any chakra control. But Naruto does have that high level of chakra control in this story.**

 **Land of Waves Arc Kakashi is confirmed Kage level, which by default makes Zabuza Kage level. Since the Land of Waves began in Episode 6, Kakashi is basically Kage level from the very beginning of the series.**

 **anoymouse47 -** **When I say Naruto will be dark, I say that because I as the writer deem the actions he will preform very twisted. Therefore I call him dark, a dark hero, but this is a point of view.**

 **Naruto in time will murder, destroy, maim and even tear apart entire families in the future. But he will do all this for the sake of justice and the dream of peace.**

 **However Naruto will also save, purge and redeem thousands, all of which he deems worthy of a second chance. He won't be some insane murderer, I always hate it when a dark Naruto fanfiction isn't realistic.**

 **With all this in mind, Naruto could be called 'Good' - 'Neutral' - or 'Dark' - it all just depends on your perspective. F** **or example - murdering 1 man to save 10 others, is that good or bad? Evil or Just? All of this depends on your point of view.**

 **This concept has always fascinated me and by default characters like Darth Revan. People who aren't good or bad, apart of neither the light or the darkness, people who stand alone and are by their very nature different.**

 **I can see a good argument about this Naruto being 'gray' or 'neutral' but I settled on calling him dark because of his future actions. These actions will be quite brutal and twisted but they will all be for the sake of peace.**

 **Lastly, on the subject of Naruto leaving the village - There are 3 people who will leave the village with Naruto and none of them are Orochimaru.**

 **HolyShadowLord - Since you made it clear you won't be reading any further, I debated if I should respond to your review. But as a writer I am required to respond to criticism - even if you'll never see this.**

 **I'm sorry my writing-style upsets you, t** **here are 2 things that are essential to a fanfiction - the story and the writing - I openly declare the premise (and lore) of my story is quite solid and firm while my main problem is grammar and spelling.**

 **With that being said, I as a writer focus more on story elements and progression than I do grammar. While, I do improve my grammar daily it is not my strong-spot nor do I think it ever will be.**

 **I have no problem with you saying I suck - no one hates me more than I hate myself. And with that in mind, there is nothing you can call me that I haven't already called myself.**

 **The subject of "good author" is debatable so I won't be responding to this point. Someone I deem good others could hate and vice versa - someone you think is great I could call a complete retard and disagree with them entirely.**

 **In regards to the amount of times I point out when the same character is speaking.** **You're absolutely right, I will begin working to fix this error in future chapters however it will take time to fix the already established 26 chapters.**

 **I appreciate the knowledge and debate you have brought me. Which again makes me sad that you will never read or even see this response.**

 **On the last point,** **I disagree, while the evidence and suggestions you have presented are quite helpful. I do not consider my writing-style to break the story in any way, shape or form.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 27: Explosion! Bursting Youth.**

"Hey Choji, you're in trouble." Shikamaru exclaimed nonchalantly as both his hands rested inside his pant pockets.

Asuma, Choji and Shikamaru all stood in a semi-circle atop the left catwalk, barely out of earshot from the others that crowded the walkway.

As Shikamaru and Choji both stood infront of the railing that lined the catwalk, Asuma stood slightly closer to the wall with both hands in his pant pockets similar to Shikamaru.

"Only the strong people are left now and that sound guy looks like he's the strongest one from his village..." Shikamaru pointed out as he glanced to towards Dosu from across the room.

After studying Dosu's appearance for several moments, Shikamaru's eyes observed the gap between the railings beside the sound Shinobi.

Something is off...why is no one talking about what Naruto did to that sound Jonin? Shikamaru concluded as his head shot from side-to-side, studying all remaining candidates and Jonin in the room.

Couldn't that be considered an act of war on the Sound village? It's even more than that... how could Naruto pull him closer with such a large amount of force, no jutsu controls gravity. He continued to ponder.

And then...for some reason the lord 3rd Hokage left...even the 1st and 2nd Proctors - aren't they supposed to stay and observe? As his thoughts reached their conclusion he let out a loud sigh of defeat as he tilted his head upward before staring at the ceiling.

I guess it really doesn't matter at the moment, poor Choji, other than that Sound guy that leaves Lee. As he calculated Choji's odds he glanced to the left, staring towards Lee who stood in between Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto said Lee taught him everything he knew about Taijutsu and if Lee is that strong there is no way Choji can stand against him - so that just leaves the red haired guy and I get a sick vibe from him. This train of thought one grew even once twisted once he glanced across the room towards the Gaara before quickly noticing that the latter was glaring at Naruto.

Choji noticed Shikamaru glancing across the room and abruptly copied him, only for his legs to shake when he noticed the red haired Sand Shinobi.

After shaking for several moments, Choji gripped the railing infront of him with both hands before sitting down, positioning his knees against his chest.

"I don't care...I'll just give up..." Choji stuttered out, trying his best to hide the fear forming inside him, he really wasn't looking forward to his match.

"That means... you won't be enjoying the all-you-can-eat barbeque buffet" Asuma spoke out boldly, his booming voice garnishing the attention of both his students as they each glanced towards him.

"What!? But I want that..." Choji mumbled out in response as he left hand instinctively pressed against his rather large stomach.

After taking several steps forward Asuma knelt down beside his sitting student, he had a slight grin on his face while a trail of smoke ascended up from the cigarette in his mouth.

"Don't worry, if things look bad I'll stop the match... just give it a try and you can eat boiled cow tongue or even roasted pig ears..."" Asuma spoke, trying his best to comfort Choji.

Figures he would motivate Choji with food. Shikamaru thought as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

"HOOOOOOooooooooo!" Choji screamed with burning flames erupting from his eyes as he quickly stood up while raising both clenched fists to his jawline.

"BAR-B-Q! BARBEQUE HERE I COME!" Choji exclaimed as he began to punch upwards into the air several times, attempting to conceal his excitement.

During all of this, Gaara's entire body was trembling and shaking, clearly effected by the blond Shinobi he glared at, suggesting he didn't even notice Choji or his yelling.

He's in a dangerous mood... Kankuro noticed before taking several steps backwards, attempting to create distance between him and Gaara.

Kankuro stood roughly 5ft behind and to the left of Gaara with Temari to the right and Baki behind her.

He must have seen that blond rat interfere in the last match. Temari concluded as a worried expression formed upon her face.

Don't lose control of the beast inside you yet Gaara, you're critical to the plan. Baki thought, clearly concerned with the situation at hand.

First my wrist, then Temari's fan and now almost killing that Hyuga? And then what about his left arm...this Naruto kid catches my attention... Kankuro remarked, counting up the list of achievements Naruto had accomplished infront of him before his eyes glanced across the room towards the left catwalk, noticing that Neji stood alone near the staircase.

At this moment, Kankuro turned to the right before he began walking past Gaara, Baki and then Temari.

"Kankuro?" Temari asked as her teammate walked right by her.

"I'm going to do a little recon mission..." Kankuro admitted as he waved his left hand leisurely through the air before lowering it back down to his side.

Again, Gaara didn't even react as his trembling continued, it was as if the entire world other than Naruto didn't even exist.

After several moments of walking, Kankuro managed to descend the right catwalk before crossing the floor and ascending the left catwalk, closely examining the Hyuga as he walked up the stairs.

"Hey, what are you doing here, shouldn't you be with your teammates?" Kankuro asked as he came within 5ft of the Neji.

"What I do is no concern to the likes of you." Neji spat out, clearly disgusted with the events at hand.

Neji's right bandaged covered hand was gripping the railing infront of him while his left arm rested against his side as he stood with a slight limp, clearly still hurt from Naruto's attack.

I see, so he's a stuck up snob? Typical of the Hyuga I hear, guess it's true. Kankuro concluded as a small grin grew on his face.

"That blond kid, his name is Naruto Uzumaki, right?" Kankuro asked rhetorically, not giving Neji time to answer.

"From the looks of his match and that outcome with you just now, he hasn't even used his full power yet." Kankuro pointed out, causing Neji to scoff.

"It makes me wonder what kind of guy he is." Kankuro admitted as both his hands remained hidden inside the pockets of his outfit.

"A worthless one." Neji snorted out as he continued to look down at the empty battleground below him, not even giving Kankuro his direct attention.

"Then what does that make you?" Kankuro pondered as the grin on his face grew even more wide.

"Silence!" Neji snarled out as he twisted his head to the left and glared towards Kankuro.

"Now, now - I'm not trying to anger you, just curious as to what that blond kid can do, incase he is my opponent in the finals." Kankuro assured Neji as he attempted to come up with a good excuse.

"Hmph." Neji snorted out before tearing his eyes away from Kankuro and redirecting them back towards the empty battleground.

"You're an interesting guy, I like you." Kankuro spoke, obviously trying to gain Neji's favor.

"You're not interesting and I don't like you." Neji responded, clearly annoyed at Kankuro's continued presence.

This response caused both of Kankuro's concealed hands to clench inside his pockets as his face contorted into the expression of annoyance and irritation.

This stuck up Hyuga rat... sadly I don't think I'm strong enough to kill him myself... Kankuro admitted as he glared at the left side of Neji's face.

At this moment, a series of loud and harsh coughs echoed throughout the room, garnishing the attention of the remaining and awake candidates as Hayate stood in the center of the empty battleground.

"We will now resume the matches." Hayate exclaimed as the large yellow colored Kanji on the TV screen behind him began to rotate and shuffle through the 4 remaining candidates.

"Alright Lee - it's going to be your turn this time." Guy declared boldly as he stood behind Sasuke, Naruto and Lee, causing the latter to stand a attention with his arms resting against his sides.

"Now go..." Guy exclaimed enthusiastically as he extended his right hand over Lee's head and preformed a thumbs up, something his student didn't even see.

"Show everyone here the power of your bursting youth!" Guy ordered.

"No - I've come this far so now I want to be last." Lee complained as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

He must be sulking. Sasuke concluded as he leaned over the railing to the right of Lee.

"You got this Lee, I believe in you." Naruto spoke as he used his right gloved hand to grip Lee's left shoulder while at the same time grinning slightly.

Instead of responding with words, Lee closed his eyes before nodding his head in approval several times, causing the grin on Naruto's face to bloom into a smile.

Looks like I'm all alone now... Dozu thought since he was the only remaining Sound ninja in the entire room.

During this moment, the sound of Choji's heavy breathing filled the room as he glared at the yellow Kanji displayed across the large TV screen, clearly anxious for his upcoming match.

As the Kanji continued to shuffle and rotate through the 4 remaining names, Gaara finally managed to calm his breathing before he glanced towards the large TV screen.

At this moment Gaara closed his pale-green, pupiless eyes, revealing the black ink he had painted across and around his eyelids.

Gaara then raised his right hand infront of his face vertically while preforming the half Ram Seal.

This action caused Gaara to dissolve and crumble as his body transformed into countless grains of sand, sand that swirled through the surrounding air and catwalk.

After several moments the sand storm surged forward as it descended into the center of the weapon covered and burnt battleground.

As the sand swirled and contorted through the air, it began to clump and mold together before morphing into the humanoid form of Gaara.

Gaara's arms were semi-crossed infront of his chest with his right hand still preforming the half Ram Seal infront of his now opened pale-green eyes.

At the same time, the yellow Kanji scribbled across the large screen froze, revealing the names of each candidate for the next match.

'Gaara VS Rock Lee' was displayed boldly across the screen, causing Choji to scream like a boar as he sliced both his arms horizontally through the air infront of him.

"SAFE!" Choji declared with the hint of joy feeling his voice, causing Shikamaru to sigh and lower his head.

"Hurry up and come down." Gaara ordered as he glared up towards Lee.

"You fell for it!" Lee replied as he used his right foot to kick over the railing several times, no doubt he was trying to stretch.

"I knew if I wanted to be last, that wouldn't happen because..." Lee trailed off as he lowered his right foot to the ground before he began punching the air infront of him.

"A rock thrown directly at a pole will never hit but if you throw that rock without aiming, it will hit." Lee exclaimed as he continued to punch the air with his bandaged fists.

"That was the law I used!" Lee explained as he raised both of his bandaged-covered, clenched fists to his jawline.

"OOOOOOOOooooooooh - THAT'S MY STUDENT!" Guy pointed out as a wide smile formed upon his face, revealing his shiny, glimmering teeth.

Lee was so enthralled that his turn to fight had finally come, he didn't even notice the deep frown upon Naruto's face, clearly disturbed by the realization that Lee was going to fight Gaara.

"Let me give you some advice..." Guy spoke as he leaned forward slightly, causing his student to turn before raising his left hand to his forehead and saluting his Sensei.

"No one has noticed yet, but that gourd on his back is suspicious!" Guy exclaimed while both his and Lee's eyes trembled and squinted during his statement.

Guy's statement was so idiotic that it caused Sasuke's forehead to slam atop the railing infront of him while Naruto used his left, gloveless hand to faceplam.

"Right!" Lee responded as he pulled a pencil out from the Kunai pouch tied around his right thigh before he began writing notes on the bandages around his left forearm.

"Don't write that down! You have no time to look at it during battle, you fool!" Guy asserted as he gripped both sides of his waist with each hand.

Did he really just notice the gourd? Sasuke asked himself rhetorically as his forehead continued to rest against the iron railing infront of him.

You 2 really are made for each other... Naruto remarked, referring to Lee and Guy but also himself and Iruka.

"ALRIGHT! GO! LEE!" Guy ordered as he used his right hand to dramatically point towards Gaara.

"HOOOOOOOOooooooo!" Lee replied as his eyes erupted into burning flames while he leaped over the railing, soaring for over 15ft before landing 10ft infront of Gaara.

Lee landed in a crouched position before abruptly standing up and positioning his flat right palm towards Gaara while holding his left forearm behind his back.

"I'm very happy that I get to fight you." Lee exclaimed, only for Gaara to glared at him emotionlessly.

"I don't know what kind of moves that big eye-browed guy uses..." Kankuro spoke as he stood roughly 4ft to the left of Neji.

"But he can't beat Gaara." Kankuro proclaimed.

"Hmph." Neji snorted out in response, still annoyed about Kankuro bothering him.

That poor kid - looks like he won't live long enough to see his village crushed. Temari thought as a smug smile blossomed upon her face.

Suddenly, the cork to Gaara's gourd pop out before flinging through the air towards Lee, causing the latter to catch it effortlessly with his right, extended hand.

This action caused Hayate's eyes to squint as he hadn't told Gaara to start or for the match to begin.

"Don't get so hasty..." Lee exclaimed as he unclenched his bandaged right hand, allowing the cork to Gaara's gourd to plummet atop the burnt stone floor.

Again, Gaara continued to glare emotionlessly towards Lee, his pale-green eyes matching Lee's dark black eyes.

Lee... Naruto thought with a frown still apparent on his face and his arms resting against his sides, clearly he was concerned for his friend.

During this, Shino stared at Lee, his eyes concealed by his glasses, his face hidden by his raised-collar and his hands resting inside the pockets of his jacket.

Be careful, Lee. Guy pleaded as his face contorted to an expression of concern, suggesting Guy was just as worried as Naruto.

"The ninth match, Gaara vs Rock Lee..." Hayate spoke before erupting into a series of harsh coughs.

"Begin." Hayate ordered before disappearing into a whirlwind of leaves and reappearing atop the giant stone hands in the room.

As quickly as Hayate disappeared, Lee surged forward, bridging the 10ft gap in between him and Gaara in a matter of seconds before leaping 3ft infront the air and swinging his left leg forward in a clock-wise fashion.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee yelled, the same technique he had taught Naruto from all their time training together.

However, instead of Lee's leg making direct contact with Gaara, a conservative amount of sand abruptly erupted out from Gaara's gourd before absorbing the entire impact of Lee's blow.

After several seconds, Lee noticed the sand was attempting to wrap and contort around his left leg, causing him to quickly pull his leg loose before leaping 8ft backwards, his feet brushing aside several weapons that littered the ground.

During this, even more sand poured out from Gaara's gourd before combining with the already present sand and morphing into a 10ft tall hand of sand in between the 2 Shinobi.

The colossus hand then slammed forward in a vertical fashion, attempting to crush Lee and consume his entire body with sand, only for the latter to leap 3ft into the air and 9ft backwards.

As Lee soared through the air, he crunched his body up tightly like a ball before spinning backwards 6 times, causing the sand to completely miss him.

Once Lee was close to landing he unclenched his legs, allowing the soles of his shoes to slide across the burnt stone floor for over 2ft, once again brushing aside several weapons that continued to litter the floor behind and around him.

Lee then paused for several moments to observe his opponent and taking note of the now 19ft gap in between him and Gaara.

Suddenly, the massive hand of sand then crumbled and dissolved before the countless grains of sand began to float back towards the gourd on Gaara's back, refilling it.

"S-sa-sand?" Choji mumbled out, he previously didn't know what Gaara had been carrying in his gourd, but Choji certainly didn't expect it to be sand.

I see... Shikamaru thought, observing, analyzing and solving Gaara's fighting style in a matter of seconds, suggesting his intellect was far greater than those around him.

His fighting style must be the name-sake of his village, giving him control of the sand itself. Shikamaru noted.

Since he can control the sand, he carries a certain amount of it with him at all times to amplify the versatility of his technique. Shikamaru observed.

But somehow he is controlling the sand without any movement at all, he hasn't even blinked or uncrossed his arms yet. Shikamaru pointed out.

Most types of Ninjutsu, the manipulation of Nature transformation, require Hand Seals to activate, yet Gaara hasn't used any... Shikamaru thought.

There are 2 possibilities...either Gaara is using such an advanced level of Ninjutsu that Hand Seals and even movement in general aren't required - or... Shikmaru's thoughts trailed off as he squinted his eyes while staring towards the red-haired Shinobi.

The sand is willingly moving in his defense - as if it was alive... Shikamaru marveled for several moments, hardly believing his own thoughts.

What a weird technique. Kakashi thought as he leaned against the wall behind Guy, Naruto and Sasuke.

So a sand Shinobi carries sand in his gourd - makes sense. Sasuke concluded as he continued to lean against the iron railing infront of him.

Just like before... Shino remarked as he thought back to when Gaara almost murdered 3 Rain Shinobi, only for Naruto to save them.

A technique that controls sand, eh? Lee thought as his left forearm rested behind his back while his right flat palm was directed towards Gaara.

Seems like it will be very annoying - but nothing ventured, nothing gained! Lee declared as he once again dashed towards Gaara, causing a stream of sand to once again pour out from the latter's gourd.

After bridging the 19ft gap in between him and Gaara, Lee leapt 5ft into the air before extending his right leg outward while twirling in a counter clock-wise fashion.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee once again yelled out, attempting to kick Gaara only for a wall of sand to once again absorbing his blow.

After absorbing Lee's attack, the sand attempted to wrap itself around his right leg only for the latter to abruptly retract his leg before landing atop the floor and crouching down low.

As Lee crouched down, he placed his right palm against the burnt floor beneath him before contorting his body forward while swinging his left leg across the floor, attempting to knock Gaara off his feet.

Once again, a wall of sand blocked and absorbing Lee's swinging kick, causing the latter to retract his left leg entirely before stomping his left foot atop the floor, launching his body up slightly over 2ft.

As Lee rose, his raised his right knee to his chest before launching his right foot forward, unleashing his foot with the power of a gun as he attempted to kick Gaara in the chest.

As Lee's kick rushed towards Gaara, a 7ft tall wall of sand surged upward from in between the 2 Shinobi, blocking and absorbing Lee's attack.

The wall of sand was so solid and firm that Lee kicked off against it, propelling himself backwards for over 7ft as he preformed 4 backflips, leaping and jumping over several weapons that littered the floor.

Lee then stomped his right foot atop the hilt of a nearby Kunai resting against the burnt floor around him, this action caused the Kunai to twirl upward into the air while Lee reached out and grabbed it before abruptly throwing the weapon towards Gaara.

This action caused the sand wall infront of Gaara to maintain its presence and density to absorb the Kunai, blocking Lee from Gaara's direct eye sight and allowing the Leaf Shinobi to dash in a counter clock-wise fashion around the sand.

After maneuvering around the sand wall, Lee leapt 5ft into the air while raising his right leg vertically infront of his chest before abruptly hurling it down, attempting to strike Gaara's skull.

A steady stream of sand then erupted out from Gaara's gourd before absorbing Lee's attack, allowing Lee to push off of the sand and preform a backflip before landing atop his feet and hurling his now clenched left fist towards Gaara's jawline.

Just like before, another wall of sand formed in between Gaara and Lee's attacking left fist, blocking the leaf Shinobi's blow before surging forward in an attempt to wrap around Lee's torso.

Lee then struck out with both of his clenched fists, striking and breaking a few streams of sand that protruded towards him while at the same time dodging several others.

Suddenly, the sand then jolted out across the floor around Lee, blocking off his means of escape before surging up towards his back, causing the latters eyes to widen and bulge in shock.

Lee quickly unsheathed a Kunai from the pouch tied against his right thigh before twirling it around his index finger several times then slashing out towards the sand in a horizontal fashion.

This action allowed Lee to cut through the sand before contorting his body sideways in an attempt to avoid the cascading amount of sand now swirling all around him.

Again and again Lee continued to slash and strike out towards the sand with his reversed gripped Kunai held in his right hand while at the same time kicking the sand from several different angles.

After evading, dodging and cutting through the sand for several moments, Lee finally leapt towards Gaara before once again launching the heel of his right foot towards the latter's face, only for a wall of sand to once again block his attack.

Seconds after Lee retracted his right foot, he quickly noticed a wave of sand approaching his back, forcing him to drop to the ground before barrel rolling over 5 times to the left, creating a 7ft gap in between him and Gaara.

However, the wave of sand continued to surge and rush forward, forcing Lee to barrel roll twice before he was forced to leap and jump in several different angles as he attempted to dodge all of Gaara's attacks.

After turning the previous 7ft gap into a 18ft gap, Lee jumped 8ft into the air before throwing the Kunai gripped in his right hand towards Gaara, causing the weapon to rotate in a counter clock-wise fashion as it soared towards his opponent.

Just like before, a wall of sand erupted upward from in between Gaara and Lee's attack, blocking the latter's blow entirely before absorbing it into shifting sand.

As Lee landed atop the burnt floor, all of Gaara's sand also dropped against it, filling the area in between the 2 Shinobi with a terrain of sand that appeared to be normal.

Lee's attacks aren't working at all. Sasuke noted as he continued to leisurely lean against the railing infront of him.

"The sand, he's using it as a shield." Neji pointed out, suggesting Neji's level of deduction was greatly inferior to Shikamaru's.

"He's not doing it, the sands protect Gaara with its own free-will, it's almost like a living thing, it will come to Gaara's defense without him doing a thing." Kankuro explained with a confident smirk wide upon his face.

"That's why Gaara has never be injured, no one can get at him - no one has even been able to touch him." Kankuro declared as he squinted and narrowed both his eyes.

So this is it - this is the destiny of the sand. Neji concluded as he observed the red-haired sand Shinobi battling his teammate, more interested in seeing this Shinobi's abilities than his teammates well being.

How is he controlling the sand? He isn't moving a muscle. Lee thought as he stood in his iconic stance with his flat right palm directed towards Gaara and his left forearm held behind his back.

"Is that all..." Gaara mocked as he downcast his head, cascading his face with the darkness of shadows.

"I hope you haven't finished entertaining me...we haven't had enough...blood." Gaara exclaimed as he tilted his head up slightly while his pale-green eyes bulged.

As Gaara spoke, the sand resting atop the floor surged forward, dashing towards Lee with an alarming level of speed, too fast for Lee to evade as he attempted to leap into the air only for a significant amount of sand to wrap around his right foot and ankle.

Just as quickly as the sand wrapped around Lee's foot, it also swung him through the air 4 times in a counter clock-wise fashion before hurling him towards the wall underneath the right catwalk, causing Lee's back to slam against the stone wall with a hard thud.

After sliding down the wall and landing against the floor, Lee sat there for several moments as he grunted in pain before he was forced to abruptly barrel roll 3 times to the left, avoiding a condensed stream of sand and causing it to crash against the wall behind him.

At this moment Lee rushed forward, running parallel to the wall of sand before he leapt forward as he hurled his clenched, bandaged covered right fist towards the right side of Gaara's face, only for a wall of sand to once again absorb his blow.

The 4ft tall stream of sand positioned to the right of Lee then surged towards him, forcing the leaf Shinobi to once against barrel roll to the left 3 times before jumping into the air and preforming a front flip.

As Lee finished his front flip, he slammed the heel of his right foot down, attempting to strike at the back of Gaara's skull, only for a wall of sand to once again block his attack.

Lee then pushed his body off of the sand, allowing him to preform a backflip in mid-air as he flipped over a wave of sand aimed at his previous location.

Lee then once again surged forward before leaping into the air infront of Gaara while twirling his legs and body in a counter clock-wise fashion, swinging right leg towards Gaara.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee screamed for the 3rd time in his battle with Gaara, only for a wave of sand to once again absorb his kick, forcing the leaf Shinobi to pull his leg loose before continuing his assault against Gaara.

"I don't get it - he's only using Taijutsu, can't he see that is never going to work? Why doesn't he get some distance and use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." Choji questioned.

"That might be a good idea...if Lee had any, Lee has no Genjutsu or Ninjutsu at all." Naruto explained, causing Choji's mouth to fall open in shock.

"You're kidding me." Choji mumbled in response.

"Oh that's nothing - you should have seen how hopeless and terrible he was when I first met him - no talent what-so-ever." Guy joked out as he stood behind Naruto, Sasuke and Choji, causing the latter to turn his head around and stare at the individual.

"Really? That's incredible." Choji awed as he continued to observe the match, clearly impressed with the level of Taijutsu Lee was displaying, even if that was the only type of Jutsu Lee could preform.

During this, several cascading waves of sand erupted towards Lee, forcing him to preform over 9 backflips as he twisted and flipped in different angles and degrees while attempting to avoid the surrounding sand.

The sand surged towards Lee with such an alarming amount of speed that it forced to Lee Shinobi to leap over 15ft into the air, preforming 4 backflips before he landed atop the left stone middle finger, with Hayate standing atop the right stone middle finger.

This action caused a pause in the battle as Lee examined the emotionlessly eyes and face of Gaara, the only thing Gaara had done was turned to the left other than that he hadn't even moved.

As Lee observed his opponent, he quickly noticed that grains of sand were floating in the air around Gaara, a blanket of grains that surrounded him in a shallow sand-fog.

"A Ninja who can't do Ninjutsu or Genjutsu is certainly a rarity...Lee has only his Taijutsu to rely on and some might even consider that a disadvantage..." Guy muttered out as he continued to stand behind Naruto and Sasuke.

"But that is what makes him a winner!" Guy declared as he dramatically extended his left hand over Naruto's head, giving a thumbs up towards his favored student.

"Alright Lee, take em' off!" Guy ordered, causing Lee to stutter for several moments before raising his bandaged right hand to his forehead and saluting his Sensei.

"But Guy-Sensei - you said that was only as a last resort when the lives of very people were at stake." Lee protested as he continued to salute his Sensei.

"That's right I did but this is an exception!" Guy retorted as he once again dramatically flung a thumbs up towards his student.

"Re-really? Really!?" Lee asked rhetorically as he became overcome with joy before he quickly sat down Indian style while pulling down the orange sleeves that covered his legs from below the knee, revealing a series of weights tied around each leg.

The set of weights each had 10 slot-like pouches that held a 10 pound weight, meaning Lee was wearing a set of 100 pound weights on each leg, 200 in total - yet somehow he was still able to move.

"Leg weights - how old fashioned." Shikamaru complained before he let out a loud sigh.

Nothing more than basic training equipment. Kakashi noted.

Lee then abruptly stood up while he held a set of leg weights in each hand, his action causing the metal weights to bang and smash into one another as the satchels they were held in hung down, causing the sound of clashing metal against metal to be heard.

"That is better! Now I will be able to move more freely!" Lee declared as he straightened his back before dropping his weights towards the ground below him.

Come on - you really think you'll be able to get through Gaara's defenses just dropping a couple pounds of weight... Temari joked to herself as a wide grin formed upon her face.

Suddenly, the leg weights clashed against the stone floor, each of them causing a pillar of dust, crumbled stone and debris to surge upward in a 15ft tall pillar, shocking everyone present except Gaara who continued to stare emotionlessly towards Lee.

You got to be kidding me! Temari thought as her mouth fell open in shock.

I can't believe you can wear such heavy weights, have you be using those while we sparred? Neji asked himself as his face showed a faint hint of interest.

"Nh-" Sasuke gasped out in shock, he wasn't expecting Lee to wear such a heavy set of weights.

Guy, you are too much... Kakashi concluded as he slammed his right, gloved hand against his masked face, he was used to Guy's way of doing things but somehow the latter always had a way of surprising him.

"Alright - NOW GO!" Guy ordered as he dramatically flung 2 thumbs up towards his student who responded by saluting his Sensei before abruptly leaping into the air with such speed that several of the Genin present lost direct eye-sight with him, even Gaara.

Lee's level of speed was so vast that even caused the previously emotionless eyes of Gaara to widen in shock, suggesting Gaara wasn't expecting such a powerful display from his opponent.

Lee than landed in a hazy fashion barely 2ft behind Gaara before hurling his bandaged right fists towards the back of Gaara's skull with such speed that it broken through the thin wall of sand which barely had time to form.

This action caused Gaara to turn around completely as the pupils of his pale-green eyes shrunk and condensed themselves while an expression of disbelief formed on his face as for the first time all match Gaara finally uncrossed his arms.

Just as quickly as Lee appeared he then disappeared before abruptly reappearing behind Gaara while hurling his right leg towards the left side of Gaara's face with such speed and force that it almost completely crushed through the wall of sand protecting his opponent.

Again and again Lee disappeared and reappeared several times while striking, punching and kicking towards Gaara, whose sand barely had time to form and move in his defense.

He's getting pretty close. Sasuke noticed as he squinted his eyes and observed the battle taking place infront of him.

He's fast. Kakashi noted as he continued to lean against the wall behind Guy, Sasuke and Naruto.

Amazing. Neji awed as his lavender-tinted eyes widened slightly, he had never seen such a level of speed from Lee before.

"Uu-" Kankuro mumbled out as his mouth fell open, unable to form words or even think due to the situation unfolding infront of him.

Lee danced and swirled around Gaara with such a level of speed and power that only Kakashi, Guy, Naruto and Sasuke could keep up with him, suggesting each of them had a level of power greater than Gaara, even if it was visual power.

"I could see that Lee had no specialty for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu - so we skipped them while we focused all his time and energy into developing his Taijutsu." Guy proclaimed as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

"That way we turned his disadvantage into a blessing and now he doesn't need those other things to win because he has transformed himself into the worlds greatest Taijutsu specialist." Guy pointed out, causing the frown on Naruto's face to morph into a grin as he thought back to what Lee's dream is.

I will become the worlds greatest Taijutsu-user! And that is a promise! Lee's voice echoed loudly across Naruto's mind, completely erasing the young blonds fear of the match unfolding infront of him.

At this moment, Lee jumped 10ft into the air while preforming over 7 frontflips before extending his right leg out and slamming the heel of his foot against the top of Gaara's skull, staggering the individual and forcing him to downcast his head and shoulders.

After this, Lee landed atop the burnt weapon-covered stone floor before sliding back over 6ft while he held his right hand against the floor to prevent him from sliding into a large sword that was protruding out vertically from the floor behind him.

Lee then tilted his head up slightly while smiling, for the 1st time all match he had finally made direct physical contact with Gaara, to him this was all-the-more proof that he could win.

"A-aaa-au-" Baki gasped out in shock as his one visible eye trembled, Gaara was an individual even Jonin in his village feared to mess with, yet this leaf Genin was managing to accomplish something no one else in his village had.

I don't believe it - Gaara's been hit! Temari thought as his mouth fell open even further, see had never expected anyone to push hit Gaara.

Impossible! Kankuro told himself as several beads of sweat began to form upon his war-painted face, atleast the visible part of it.

He's been that fast all this time? Was he holding back when we last fought? Neji asked himself as for the first time in years he showed genuine emotion, unable to believe Lee was this strong.

"LET THE POWER OF YOUTH EXPLODE!" Guy bellowed out from atop the left catwalk as he raised both his clenched fists into the air above him.

"RIGHT!" Lee screamed in response as his eyes erupted into burning flames, the flames of youth.

At this moment, Lee surged forward with such speed that he looked like a blur racing towards Gaara, the latter then raised his emotionless face upward, revealing a small crack that began at his forehead and ran half-way down the bridge of his nose.

Gaara then positioned his right forearm against his chest before waving his clenched palm hand in a horizontal fashion out towards Lee, creating a 6ft wide and 8ft tall sand wave that surged towards Lee who merely disappeared in a blur at the last moment.

Before the sand even had time to react, Lee appeared behind Gaara forcing the latter to turn half-way around just in time for Lee to hurl his clenched right fist into his jawline, knocking the red-haired Shinobi back for over 5ft and forcing him to slam against his own sand.

"Good!" Guy exclaimed as his clapped his hands together while wrapping his fingers atop one another.

"A direct hit." Lee pointed out as he once again entered his iconic stance by extending his flat right palm towards Gaara while holding his left forearm behind his back.

"Lee is just too quick, that sand can't keep up." Sasuke spoke, avoiding the fact that he considered himself faster than Lee, even after seeing the events from the past 5 minutes.

Incredible - he is almost as fast as Naruto. Shikamaru awed.

"It makes me dizzy just trying to watch." Choji admitted.

The force of Lee's blow had knock Gaara onto his stomach, forcing him to lay atop his sand for several moments before he slowly stood up, during this process sand continued to pour out from his gourd and cover the surrounding floor and area around him.

As Gaara stood, his face was downcast while at the same time several disgusted grunts and groans protruded from him before clumps of sand began to drop and fall from his still downcast face.

"Huh?" Lee murmured out as he took 3 steps backwards, concerned about the amount of sand now surrounding Gaara while at the same time dripping from his face.

As the clumps of sand fell from Gaara's still downcast face, they dissolved and crumbled in between his feet, creating a small pile of sand that began to accumulate there.

Gaara then abruptly tilted his head up, revealing his bared teeth that were shown due to his sadistic ear to ear smile and a series of cracked sand pieces that covered the entirety of his face and neck except for his lower forehead and upper portion of his face, the area's Lee struck.

"Huuuuuuu - Huuuuuuu -Huuuuuuu" Gaara groaned out as several pieces of cracked sand fell and plummeted from his face before crumbling against the burnt stone floor infront of him.

During this process, Gaara's hair took on a sand like appearance, texture and color while at the same time his pale-green pupils shrunk and trembled, all while his teeth were bared towards Lee.

What's going on - h-his face is falling off? Neji remarked as he used his bandaged right hand to grip the railing infront of him, his back still obviously effected from his confrontation with Naruto.

It's like a shell made of sand... Kakashi noted.

"Look! There isn't a mark on the guy!" Shikamaru exclaimed in shock, one of the few times he actually expressed an emotion other than boredom.

"Hmmmm.." Sasuke mumbled as he crossed his arms infront of his chest while narrowed his eyes, clearly interest at the time of jutsu Gaara was displaying.

The actions Gaara took and the sadistic smile on his face once again caused a frown to form upon Naruto's as the latter was clearly concerned about his friend and sibling-student.

Steady streams of sand then rose up from the surrounding area's before slowly moving towards Gaara's face and merging with it, covering his face, lower forehead and even his teeth with a sand.

He's incasing himself in sand huh? Things must be bad, I haven't seen that look on his face in a long time. Kankuro admitted to himself as he became overwhelmed by the fear of Gaara breaking loose.

I knew it - I sensed him getting more and more unstable as the Chunin Exams progressed. Temari remarked, clearly concerned with the events unfolding infront of her.

It's just like I thought - his inner demon has been awakened. Baki noted as he narrowed his one visible eye.

During this, the sand that covered Gaara's face and hair concealed the entirety of his previous emotions, including his bulging eyes and the ear to ear teeth baring smile, only to be replaced with his common emotionless face as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

The sand then began to change colors, changing his hair color, aswell as the Seal scribbled against his forehead back to the bright blood red they originally were while steady streams of sand continued to dance and slide across his body.

"Is he made of sand?" Neji asked Kankuro without even turning to look at him.

"Close enough." Kankuro remarked with a smirk on his face, determined to be as much of a jackass towards Neji as possible, he didn't enjoy snobs.

Just end the match already - Gaara can't lose. Temari thought, even after seeing everything Lee had preform she didn't even entertain the notion of Gaara losing, to her it wasn't even possible.

"Is that all?" Gaara asked as the streams of sand formed a 4ft wide circle around his location while they rose and moved in several different degrees and angles, ready to act at a moments notice.

This action caused Lee to take several leaps backwards, turning the previous 7ft gap in between him and Gaara into a 20ft one.

It looks like my speed won't be enough, he is impossible to get at properly due to those sand defenses... Lee analyzed as he stood in his iconic stance barely 7ft away from Gaara and only 3ft away from his sand.

But if I can get him up off the ground and away from the sand - then hit him hard from above...with the lotus. Lee concluded as a twinkle shined in his right eye.

Lee...what are you planning? Naruto asked himself as his chakra-filled eyes observed both Lee's and Gaara's chakra network, of the 3 Genin that held Doijutsu, Naruto was the only one he had kept his active throughout all the matches, suggesting it was far easier for him to do so.

"Hmph." Guy snorted out in approval while nodding his head, as if he knew exactly what Lee was thinking.

Right, Sensei. Lee thought as he raised both of his hands to his chest before he began to untie and loosen the bandages wrapped around the entirety of his forearms.

This process caused a single bandage strip to fall and dangle from each of Lee's arms for over 10 inches before Lee then positioned both of his still bandaged-covered arms horizontally infront of his chest while crouching down slightly.

Lee then surged forward with a staggering amount of speed before he began to run in a 8ft wide circular fashion around Gaara, moving so fast that the circle he ran in was covered with a series of blur and dust, like a mini-tornado.

Again and again Lee continued to run around Gaara in a ciruclar fashion, suggesting he was attempting to build up more speed in the process.

That's right Lee - good work, that flimsy sand won't protect him from your high speed lotus. Guy concluded as a wide smile formed on his face, clearly overjoyed at the progress he student had made.

"What are you waiting for?" Gaara asked as Lee continued to dash around him.

"You asked for it!" Lee exclaimed as he appeared in a hazy, crouched positioned barely 1ft infront of Gaara with his left leg extended up towards the latter.

Lee then pushed his body upward, slammed the heel of his left foot into Gaara's chin, forcing him to uncross his arms while at the same time knocking him over 3ft into the air.

"Now watch this!" Lee spoke as he used all his upper-body strength to hurl his body upward, allowing him to slam the heels of each foot into Gaara's stomach, chest and face several times as he began kicking the latter higher and higher into the air.

For over 30ft Lee continued to kick, one foot after the other in an masterful display of Taijutsu as he was able to completely out speed Gaara's sand which was barely 10ft off the ground, over 20ft below them.

"What an incredible series of kicks." Kakashi pointed out, clearly impressed with the level of Taijutsu Lee was displaying.

At this moment, Guy once again clapped his hands together while overlapping his fingers before downcasting his head slightly and closing his eyes, entering a prayer-like stance.

Even an ordinary lotus puts an enormous strain on the body - let alone this - you've got to finish him off now! Guy prayed as a bead of sweat began to slide down the left slide of his face.

Lee then once again kicked upwards with his left foot, an action which caused so much pain that it forced the leaf Shinobi to close his eyes while at the same time Gaara's widened.

"Huh?" Naruto and Kakashi mumbled out in unison, suggesting the 2 of them had seen something no one else had.

"Naaaa - ha!" Lee declared as he extended his bandaged arms forward, caused the bandages to surge forward and wrap several times around Gaara's upper torso and arms, constricting his movement entirely.

Lee then gripped each of Gaara's shoulder with his hands before contorting himself and his opponent downward in a vertical fashion, aiming both of their heads towards the burnt, weaponed-covered stone floor below them.

"Take this!" Lee proclaimed as both he and Gaara began to rotate, spiral and turn with an astonishing amount of speed in a counter clock-wise fashion, moving with such speed that it caused funnels and gusts of wind to erupt from and protrude out of them.

"Primary Lotus!" Lee screamed as he and Gaara slammed down in a spiral fashion for over 30ft, slamming against the center of the battleground with a staggering amount of power, creating a 10ft tall pillar of dust and debris that rose out from the newly created crater.

This action caused Guy to rush forward, stepping directly in between Sasuke and Naruto as he leaned off the railing infront of him, attempting to create direct eyesight with his student once again.

"Uuu-" Shikamaru and Choji mumbled out in awed, both speechless at the level of power Lee was displaying.

Incredible... Dosu awed, clearly impressed by Lee.

Truly remarkable. Shino admitted.

Lee... Naruto thought, concerned that his eyes couldn't pierce through the dense cloud of dust and debris that covered a large portion in the center of the battleground.

The power of this technique was so vast that the sound of crumbling stone echoed throughout the room, causing Sakura and Ino to wake up for the first time in almost 2 hours as they both jolted their heads upward, neither of them noticing that they had been sleeping so close together as each of them hurried to stand up.

At this moment, Lee finally leapt out from the dust-covered crater before landing in direct eye-sight of all those watching the match, filling Naruto and Guy both with relief.

For several seconds Lee sat in a crouched position as he continued to pant and breath heavily, clearly effected by the technique he just used.

During this, the fog of dust and debris began to fade and dissolve, revealing a 5ft wide crater with several massive, jagged pieces of burnt stone erupting upwards and outwards in various different positions and angles.

In the center of this crater laid a motionless Gaara with several dozen cracks etched across his body while his eyes were froze in an expression of shock.

"It is over - I got him." Lee declared as he stood up, straightening out his back as he stood.

"What's going on?" Sakura and Ino both asked out in unison as they each stood against the stone wall 10ft to the left of Kakashi, only for their question to be drowned out by the cheerful grunts and groans of Guy.

"RIGHT ON!" Guy bellowed as he extended his right hand outward from his chest before dramatically clenching his fist.

"Amazing, Lee really did it." Neji remarked, for the 1st time in his life he was impressed with Lee.

"No way - I don't believe it..." Kankuro remarked as his eyes trembled with shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"He did it - this match is over." Sasuke asserted, he was focusing so much attention on Lee and Gaara that he failed to notice the expressions of despair upon both Naruto's and Kakashi's faces.

"Is he...that guy isn't dead is he?" Shikamaru asked as the entire room continued to examine the cracked, lifeless body of Gaara that filled the center of the crater Lee had just created.

However only Kakashi and Naruto understood what was about to happen, they knew that the battle had only just begun.


	28. Chapter 28

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 28: Lee's Hidden Strength! Forbidden Secret Jutsu.**

The lifeless and motionless body of Gaara continued to lay in the middle of the jagged crater for several moments, causing Hayate to appear in a whirlwind of Leaf's barely 3ft away from the individual before staring at him intently.

"Lee's fighting that red-haired sand guy?" Sakura asked her teammates as she walked towards their backs only for Sasuke to completely ignore her and for Naruto to miss her question entirely, suggesting the latter was in his own world - clearly concerned about Lee.

Sakura was the only member of team 7 that was sleepy, suggesting she stayed up much later than her teammates while she preformed some unknown task.

While Sasuke got a full 8 hours of sleep, Naruto was the only member of team 7 to not sleep at all - infact, since Iruka's death the only time Naruto had slept was when he passed out for a week during the Land of Waves mission.

Naruto just didn't feel like sleeping anymore, he never felt tired of being awake - he only felt tired of living in a world of Shinobi, the same world that had taken Iruka from him.

In an ordinary person this dramatic lack of sleep would be deadly and fatal but Naruto was no ordinary person and it was something he knew his entire life, he was always different.

During this, Ino briefly dashed past team 7 before sprinting for another 15ft until she stood behind her own teammates, neither of them even looking at her as they were too focused on the match.

At this moment, Gaara's face cracked even further before his entire left cheek collapsed and crumbled into sand, revealing there was nothing underneath this layer of sand at all.

"Huh?" Lee mumbled as he stood up slightly while his eyes widened in interest.

Suddenly, Gaara's hair, nose and even eyes began to crack, crumble and dissolve, revealing that the entire body of Gaara was hollow and made of sand.

"A-" Neji gasped out in shock as his lavender-tinted eyes widened while Gaara's torso, arms and legs continued to crack, crumble and dissolve.

"Uuu- what?" Lee murmured out in confusion as his right eye and eyebrow began to twitch and tremble as several beads of seat began to form and slide down his face.

"An empty shell?" Sasuke asked as he uncrossed his arms out from infront of his chest, totally surprised by the situation of events at hand.

"A sand clone? But how? When did he do it?" Guy asked, realizing that the match wasn't over.

"It was when you closed your eyes to pray..." Kakashi explained as he continued to lean against the wall behind Guy, forcing the latter to turn half-way around with a shocked expression covering his face.

"At that moment Lee closed his eyes too, because of the pain and that is when Gaara did it." Kakashi explained, causing Naruto's violet, ripple patterned eyes to narrow from underneath his bangs as he observed his friends chakra network.

As Naruto examined his sibling-student, he quickly noticed the less-than usual amount of chakra flowing through Lee's network, suggesting his last attack he severely weakened him, which is why Lee continued to sit crouched atop the burnt stone floor.

Gaara...what are you planning... Baki pondered as his visible eye widened before abruptly narrowing once again while he attempted to examine the battleground.

Lee's gasps for air only increased as he forced himself to stand up straight, using his will power to completely ignore the pain resonating across his body, the side-effect from using the Primary Lotus.

Suddenly, the sand skull, legs and waist all crumbled before dissolving into grains of sand, a sound that muffled and concealed the 4'7 tall humanoid mound that rose out from the sand sprinkled atop the ground behind Lee.

As the mound rose it parted in the middle, revealing the dark shadow covered cracked face of Gaara as he grinned in a sadistic fashion towards Lee while streams of sand rushed forward off his scalp and draped down across his face.

"Hmhmhmhm." Gaara groaned out in a twisted fashion as his pale-green eyes narrowed and focused on Lee, on his prey.

Gaara's sick laugh was loud enough to catch Lee's attention, forcing the latter to turn around before leaping back over 5ft and entering his iconic stance.

"Huhuhuhuuhuhuhuhu" Gaara chuckled out, this time in a much darker tone then the previous time.

Gaara then slowly pressed both his hands together infront of his chest before they formed the Ram Seal while Gaara smiled from ear-to-ear as he bared his teeth towards Lee.

This action caused 6 condensed streams of sand to surge towards Lee, only for the latter to preform 4 backflips as his body twirled and contorted over several weapons that still littered the ground from Tenten's match.

"It's remarkable he is even able to move." Kakashi pointed out as he continued to lean against the wall before Guy, Sasuke, Naruto and now Sakura.

"What does that mean Kakashi-Sensei? What's going on?" Sakura asked his she turned her head slightly to the right, directing her emerald green eyes towards her Sensei.

"The lotus is what you would call a 'double-edged sword'." Guy exclaimed without tearing his eyes away from his student, causing Sakura to stare at the back of Guy's head.

"The lotus isn't Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, it's Taijutsu and one that requires extreme physical effort - the pain it puts on the body is unimaginable and no one can sustain it for long..." Each of Guy's words causing Naruto's left gloveless hand to clench against his side with rage.

Naruto wasn't mad at Guy or Lee, he was upset that he was expected to just stand aside and watch his sibling-student risk his life, he was enraged by the sheer about of pain and almost death he had seen during the past 3 hours.

So this is what it means to be a Shinobi... Naruto thought, thinking back to Zabuza's cruel words and for the first time seeing just how true they were, being a Shinobi by its very nature created only war and pain.

"You forgot to mention its a forbidden technique." Kakashi pointed out, causing Sakura's eyes to widen with interest as she directed her full attention towards Lee.

As Lee continued to dodged the seemingly endless amount of sand now erupting from Gaara, he landed on both his feet before falling forward and landing on his hands, allowing him to dodge a large horizontal swipe of sand directed towards him.

Seconds after the sand hovered over his back, it abruptly slammed itself down as it attempted to break his bones only Lee to barrel roll 7 times to the right, dodging the large stream of sand at the last moment.

Without a moments rest, even more sand descended upon Lee, striking down in a vertical fashion only for Lee to roll forward, causing the sand to slam harmlessly against the burnt stone floor.

Once Lee landed sand was already surging towards him again, forcing the leaf Shinobi to jump 10ft into the air as he preformed 3 backflips in an attempt to avoid the 5ft tall sand wave that rushed across the floor towards his previous location.

As Lee landed atop the burnt floor in a crouched position, 3 streams of hardened sand were already surging towards him, the sand wasn't giving Lee a moment to rest.

Lee then attempted to stand up only for a crippling pain to throb throughout his legs, preventing him from moving before 3 streams of sand railed against his body, hurling him back for over 20ft and slamming him against the wall under the right catwalk.

"There is no way he can win this." Choji spoke.

"Win? He'll be lucky to survive." Shikamaru replied.

After the sand crushed Lee against the wall, it abruptly dissolved and crumbled atop the floor between Gaara and Lee, filling the entire area with sand, sand Lee face planted into as he fell forward from the wall.

Lee... Naruto thought while a worried expression formed upon his face or atleast the little part of it that was visible

Rock Lee...You've always been a dork who had nothing going for you other than a little lousy Taijutsu... Guy reminded himself as his eyes narrowed while he observed his still face planting student.

But you kept at it didn't you? You kept practicing your lousy Taijutsu….. you focused everything on your Taijutsu...training relentlessly, sometimes for entire days without resting at all... . As he the words echoed across his mind he began to think back to the first day Lee became a Genin.

 _-Flashback-_

 _Friday 10:39am, April 13th 57SSP_

"As of today, you are all Genin so now tell me, why have you done it? What are your goals?" Guy asked as he stood infront of his 3 brand new students, Neji, Lee and Tenten.

The newly formed team 3 were assembled in a 3rd story balcony that overlooked the city of Konoha, giving a great view of the endless trees sprinkled against the series of multi-colored roof tops that housed the many citizens of the leaf village.

The corners of the balcony were lined with stone that was cut out from the wall in a rectangular fashion, providing a spot for each Genin to sit on as their new Sensei examined them.

A large circular shaped awning hung over the balcony, cascading all of team 7 in an aura of shadows, atop this awning was a series of bright and thriving bushes that soaked in the radiating rays from the sun overhead.

"Oh! Me, me Sensei! Me!" Tenten pleaded as she raised her right hand into the air before abruptly lowering it as she continued to speak.

"I want to be a great and powerful ninja, to walk in the footsteps of the legendary Kunoichi Tsunade." Each of Tenten's words caused her Sensei to nod his head forward in approval.

"I see...and you, Neji?" Guy asked as he directed his attention towards his Hyuga student, one who clearly wasn't interested at all.

Guy's question caused Neji to downcast his head before staring down at his feet for several moments, obviously deep in thought but determined to share none of it.

"I'd rather not say..." Neji spoke, suggesting he wasn't very happy about the idea of sharing his thoughts with others, unless he was judging them of course.

"How about me Sensei!?" Lee questioned rhetorically as he raised his right hand straight into the air, holding it in a much more uptight and extensive manner than Tenten had held hers.

Lee's appearance was the exact same as when he first met Naruto on May 12th of 55SSP, suggesting the young black-haired body hadn't change much in the past 2 years.

"I want to show that I can be a splendid ninja aswell, even If I don't have Ninjutsu or Genjutsu - I am going to prove it to the whole world." As Lee spoke, his hand was still diligently raised into the air, proving just how devoted he was to his cause and dream.

There's that look in his eyes. Guy thought while a wide grin formed upon his face as he observed Lee's eyes, the young burning eyes of youth.

"Hmhmhm." Neji's downcast face chuckled out, instantly erasing the grin on Guy's face before Lee abruptly stood up while dramatically pointing his left index finger towards the still sitting Hyuga.

"What's so funny?! Do you think I am joking?! I mean it, I will become a splendid ninja just by using Taijutsu and nothing else!" Lee declared as he continued to point towards Neji, he would never give up on his dream.

 _-Flashback ends-_

"If this wasn't so funny, it would almost be to painful to watch." Temari remarked, standing beside Baki.

"He stood think about quitting. It's bad luck that he got Gaara as an opponent." Kankuro pointed out, standing mere inches away from Neji.

Lee... Neji's mind echoed as his lavender-tinted eyes became narrowed.

"Shouldn't the proctor intervene? Why doesn't Lee quit already?" Sakura asked, holding both arms against her flat chest.

"Lee doesn't know how to give up..." Naruto cut in, revealing a depressed frown.

 _-Flashback-_

 _Saturday 5:49pm, May 26th 57SSP_

"If I can not do 1200 without a mistake than it is 2000 kicks...1117...1118...1119...112-" Lee spoke as he was preforming jump rope before the toes of his left foot got caught against the rope, causing him to fall forward and faceplant against an old wooden log stabbing vertically out of the ground.

The log and location were the exact same as the place where Naruto and Lee first met, suggesting that it truly was their favorite training location.

As Lee lay on his stomach infront of the wooden log, he began to exert a large amount of force and effort in an attempt to stand up only to fall back down and faceplant once again as tears of shame began to pour from his eyes.

At this moment, the unseen figure of Guy who was hiding in the nearby treebranchs was about to jolt forward in an attempt to investigate and cheer his student up only for a blond-haired boy to rush into the clearing before him.

"Lee! Haha, taking a break already?" Naruto joked, knowing full-well that Lee never took breaks.

The sound of Naruto's voice instantly halted the stream of tears pouring from Lee's eyes as he forced himself onto his feet, accomplishing a feat that he had just previously failed.

As Lee stood he dropped the rope from his hands while rubbing his left forearm against his face in an attempt to brush away the tears before he began to kick the log infront of him with his left leg while counting mentally.

"What is it Naruto?... Did you hear about how I messed up on my last mission?" Lee asked as he continued to assault the log infront of him, clearly bothered by his failure.

"Lee...it's true you're different from Neji and the others but so am I and you're different because you have a gift that no one else has, even Neji." Naruto proclaimed as his blond bangs concealed the concerned expression in his blue eyes.

"You don't have to lie in an attempt to make me feel better..." Lee protested while continuing his barrage against the log infront of him.

"I would never lie to you, Lee, never at all...all I'm saying is you have a gift too - the gift of perseverance and that's what makes you a great Taijutsu specialist!" Naruto argued, his words causing Lee to stop kicking before he dug his nails into the log infront of him in an attempt to halt his trembling arms.

"But is that true Naruto...I wonder...I used to think so...I used to believe if I just trained harder than Neji...2 or 3 times harder...I would make myself strong enough but now I'm not so sure..." Lee admitted.

"I do not know if I will ever be able to work hard enough to beat real talent...that is why I'm always challenging Neji...I keep thinking my efforts will pay off but it's always the same..." As his words continued to flow, a stream of tears once again began to descend from his eyes.

"I am no match for him at all...every time I have a ninja mission my legs begin shaking... I do not know if I can take it, sometimes it feels like the whole thing is pointless... like I am a loser and I will always be a loser..." As he spoke several tear drops fell atop his feet and the surrounding grass.

"I do not know what to do..." He cried out while he buried his face into the beaten log infront of him.

"You're right - all the effort is pointless...if you don't believe in yourself." Naruto protested, causing both Lee's and Guy's eye to bulge and widen.

"That is what Iruka-Sensei taught me and that's what he taught you!... Remember all the good things you told me about your new Sensei, Guy? Life only goes up from here Lee!" As his words continued, they brought new strength and power to Lee, strength he didn't previously have.

Naruto then took several steps forward as he bridged the small gap in between him and Lee, the latter who still had his back directed towards Naruto.

"When we first met you told me we were sibling-students... I believed it then and I believe it now even after these past years...so I will tell you what Iruka has always told me..." As he spoke he reached out with his left, gloveless hand to grab Lee's now calm left shoulder.

"Believe in yourself as much as I believe in you!" He was able to see the physical impact his words but unable to comprehend the mental impact they would have as this moment would be something Lee would look back on for the rest of his life.

 _-Flashback ends-_

Guy-Sensei... Lee panicked, ignoring the pain that surged through his muscles and joints.

I will make you proud Sensei...and you...Naruto... I will forge ahead and follow my path to the end! As his mind continued to race, Lee became distracted by distant memories.

 _-Flashback-_

 _Sunday 11:21pm September 21st 57SSP_

"You know, Lee... We're alot-alike, you and I." Guy exclaimed as he and his student both sat Indian style atop a large boulder in the middle of a 60ft wide clearing inside the endless forest that surround Konoha.

"You mean the eye brows?" Lee asked innocently as he sat to the left of Guy.

"Uh no I don't mean our eye brows, you see... I was a loser too, once." Guy replied.

"Whaaaat!? You were a loser?" Lee questioned, unable to believe that the legendary Sensei infront of him could ever be considered a loser.

"Ooooh yes indeed but I made myself the equal of any ninja even Kakashi... and I did it through effort, you say you want to show the world you can be a splendid ninja even if you don't have all the gifts other are blessed with..." Guy replied.

"That's your ninja way right, well I think that is a fine goal - perhaps the finest goal that I've ever heard and one worth sticking too." As he continued to compliment and entrust his student he didn't even notice the latter sniffling in an attempt to hold back tears.

Guy then raised his right hand to his chest before clenching it with such pressure that the sound of muscles stretching and joints popping could be heard as he glanced up towards the late, almost midnight sky.

"Don't let anything steer you off the path you've drawn for yourself, forge ahead until the end, stick to it Lee and make me proud, be everything you can be..." As he spook he also redirected his gaze towards Lee.

Guy then reached out with his left hand before he used it to grip the top of Lee's head, the latter who was still trying to hold back his tears of joy.

"Will you do that for me, Lee?" His question causing his student to grip each of his knees with a vast amount of pressure.

"Yes sir!" Lee screamed out as tears of joy finally began to fall from his face, for the 1st time since his parents had been murdered by the 9 tails, he had what he considered to be a family.

 _-Flashback ends-_

At this moment, Lee forced himself to stand up as his feet slammed atop the countless grains of sand sprinkled atop the floor in between him and Gaara.

"He's smiling? Why is he smiling?" Sakura asked as he noticed the ear-to-ear wide smile that was radiating across Lee's face.

"He's smiling because he knows this match is already over, the lotus has already bloomed so now the time has come for the fresh green leaf of Konoha to bud anew." Guy declared confidently as a wide grin formed on his face.

No - Guy... You didn't?!" Kakashi asked in a surprised tone as he finally leaned up off the wall before walking directly behind his Genin and Guy.

"Yes Kakashi... I did." Guy replied with a grin still apparent on his face as his examined his favorite student and the amount of youth he will soon be releasing.

"So that Genin... that boy is able to open the 8 inner gates and even use the Hidden lotus?" Kakashi questioned, his words causing each of his students to narrow their eyes as they observed Lee.

8 inner gates? Sakura thought, suggesting her memory wasn't as good as Naruto and Sasuke since the 3 of them had already seen Guy use up to the 2nd gate.

Hidden lotus...? Sasuke pondered, he was already impressed with the Primary Lotus Lee had display, did he really possess an even greater technique?

8 gates... that's the thing Guy used against us back then... Naruto reminded himself as he thought back to the day when Asuma, Kurenai and Guy had attempted to ambush and test the Konoha rookiee 12.

"That's correct..." Guy mumbled underneath his breathe as he continued to observe his student, completely ignoring the look of disgust and disbelief Kakashi was directing towards him.

"That is the most... mmmmmmm-... okay, so then how many of the inner gates is he able to open?" Kakashi asked as the tone of annoyance radiated across his voice.

"5 gates." Guy responded, causing Kakashi's visible left eye to widen even further with shock.

"Okay so what are these 8 inner gate's you're talking about? And what about the Hidden lotus?" Sakura questioned as she glanced from in between Kakashi and Guy several times.

"The 8 gates are like valves or chakra limiters and for the Hidden lotus to be used atleast 1 gate must be, with each additional gate that is opened even more power is infused with the technique." Guy explained as he calmly anticipated Lee's next attack.

"They are gates that run alongside the chakra network, each of them positioned at specific points and locations inside of the network because their purpose is the limit the flow of chakra through the body." As he spoke, he was unaware that Naruto was already observing Lee's chakra network due to the visual power his eyes granted him.

"Starting at the head and working through them they are the gate of opening, the gate of rest, of life, of pain, of closing, of joy, of shock and finally - the gate of death." He continued to speak without noticing Naruto clench his left, gloveless hand together once he heard the word death.

"The process required to open these gates is beyond extensive, a process that requires such powerful physical strength that very few people can manage to open the 1st gate, yet alone the others." Kakashi spoke out, suggesting he also understood quite a lot about the 8 gates.

"If the gates are opened it releases any and all restraints on chakra and chakra flow throughout the body, the result means the users strength can be increased 10 fold or more." As Kakashi spoke, he was unable to see the look of disbelief on Sakura's face.

"The Primary lotus briefly opens the 1st gate, the gate of opening, releasing the brains restraint on the muscles and freeing the person to bring forth their bodies full capabilities... the results are what woke you up." Guy explained as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

"So if using the 1st gate is what made him defenseless for the past 5 minutes, what's going to happen if he using the 2nd gate or even the 3rd?" Sakura asked.

"That exactly the problem... by opening all 8 gates you can obtain power beyond even the Hokage's...the only draw back is..." Kakashi's reply trailed off while Sasuke's and Sakura's eyes both widened with shock as the fully understood what their Sensei was referring too.

"I don't know what this boy means to you, Guy, but I shouldn't have to tell you that we never bring our personal feelings into play when training - I never thought you were capable of this." While speaking he also used his visible right eye to glare at Guy, clearly disturbed by the actions of the latter.

"You have no right to question me, everything I have done for Lee you have done 10 times over for Naruto, just because he doesn't notice you watching him doesn't mean I don't, I know where you disappear off too." Guy replied without even tearing his attention off of Lee.

While Kakashi continued to glare towards Guy he didn't notice the looks of confusion both Sasuke and Sakura were directing towards him while Naruto continued to observe the match, too worried about Lee to care about anything else.

"You know nothing about Lee, nothing at all, that boy has something important to prove and he is determined to prove it - even at the cost of his life." As Guy spoke, he noticed Gaara licking his lips with his tongue.

I want to show that I can be a splendid ninja aswell, even If I don't have Ninjutsu or Genjutsu - I am going to prove it to the whole world. Lee's words echoed loudly throughout Guy's mind.

"And I am determined to help him reach his goal, not for his sake but because that goal is worth reaching." Guy concluded as his train of thought began to fade and ripple, thinking back to over 2 months ago.

 _-Flashback-_

 _12:23am Tuesday April 3rd, 58SSP_

"Alright Lee, I'm going to be teaching you a new technique so pay attention." Guy explained as he stood infront his iconic jumpsuit wearing student, both of which stood beside the beaten wooden log that was in the same place Naruto and Lee first met.

"YA-YA-YA-YAY-AY-AY-AY-AYAYAYYYAYYYYA!" Lee squealed out as he began flailing his arms into the air while jumping up and down several times.

"Okay, enough of that." Guy replied as each of his hands rested against either side of his waist.

"A new technique! A new technique! A new technique! A new technique!" Lee continued, overjoyed at the thought of learning a new technique.

Lee was so busy jumping up and down that he failed to notice the expression of rage and annoyance forming across Guy's face before the latter raised his clenched right fist to his jawline.

"LEE! I SAID PAY ATTENTION!" Guy remarked as he hurled his clenched right fist forward, slamming his knuckles into the bridge of Lee's nose, forcing the latter to fly back for over 6ft before faceplanting atop the forest floor.

Without a moments rest Lee then pushed off against the ground below him before twisting his body around in midair and sitting down indian style infront of his Sensei.

"Right! 'Pay attention' yes sir!" Lee replied as rested his bandaged forearms atop his knees.

"Let me just say one thing, this technique is even more forbidden than the Primary lotus, it is not without danger but it will without a doubt be your trump card." Guy exclaimed as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

"But listen... you can only use this forbidden technique on one condition, one very special moment and that is..." As Guy spoke, each of his words caused Lee's eyes to widen further and further with interest.

This forbidden technique would soon become the pinnacle of Lee's power, power that in time would surpass all those around him, just as Guy did.

 _-Flashback ends-_

Lee stood 30ft infront of Gaara with several scuffs of dirt and sand staining his outfit and face before raising his dirty bandage-wrapped forearms infront of his chest, forming an 'X' with his arms.

And that is... Lee thought as he closed his eyes and downcast his head towards his crisscrossing arms.

For several moments the room was filled with nothing but silence as Gaara stood completely stood with an annoyed and sadistic expression on his face, clearly tired of playing with the leaf Shinobi.

"Hu-" Naruto awed while the raised collar of his tunic concealed his mouth falling open as his eyes examined the 1st and 2nd gates breaking open, causing the amount of chakra flowing through Lee to triple.

As the amount of chakra flowing through Lee continued to increase a large amount of condensed air began to swirl around Lee's body, causing several grains of sand to begin clumping next to Gaara's feet.

Hmmmm? Dosu pondered as his left eye almost bulged from its socket.

"Wh-what!?" Sakura spoke as she brushed past Naruto's sleeveless left arm before gripping the railing infront of her.

What kind of Taijutsu is that? Neji asked himself as his eyes stared at Lee in shock, it was like Lee was a completely different person than the one Neji had been training with for the past year.

If Neji's Byakugan were active he would have been able to see the same events Naruto was seeing but the Hyuga saw no point in it.

This... is it. Sasuke concluded, at long last he was finally going to see just how powerful Lee was.

Guy was able to use the 2nd gate and didn't seem to have any negative effects afterwards... I just hope Lee will be the same... Naruto remarked, hoping with all faith that Lee wouldn't push himself to far.

"I don't know what you think you're planning right now but this match is over." Gaara declared as his emotionless pale-green eyes glared towards Lee whose face was still downcast and hidden.

"You are right... this match is over... one way or another!" Lee replied as several veins on the side of his head and neck began to throb and pulsate.

Naruto... Neji... and... Lee thought as the faces of each individual floated through his mind before the face of Sasuke followed.

So much power was radiating from Lee that the ground underneath him cracked in several places before pieces of crumbled stone would float upward into the air and dissolve under the weight of his power.

"U-" Gaara gasped out as his lifeless eyes bulged slightly while his red hair rustled in the breeze created from Lee's power.

"I am not going to be the only one who loses here!" Lee asserted as his bangs began to float in the air while the ground underneath him continued to crack even further causing more pieces of crumbled stone to raise into the air before dissolving into dust.

During this, Guy smiled confidently towards his student as he expected nothing but victory and the celebration that would follow.

"Guy-Sensei! Please let this work! It's now or never!" Lee pleaded as several veins on his forehead protruded and bulged while his skin began to morph into a blood red color.

At this moment, streams of blue chakra began to erupt and stream out of Lee's arms, shoulders and nose before swirling into the air around him.

Lee then uncrossed his arms before standing up straight, revealing his scarlet-colored face with several dozen veins bulging and throbbing across his exposed skin as streams of chakra poured out from his nose.

To protect and maintain ones own ninja way! Lee reminded himself as Guy's voice and his own spoke the sentence aloud inside his mind while even more pieces of crumbled stone continued to float up into the air around him before dissolving into dust.

Several heavy streams of blue chakra continued to swirl around Lee, using his body as a center of the swirling vortex as the ground underneath him cracked even further under the weight of his power.

"The 3rd gate - gate of life - OPEN!" Lee yelled as his eyes turned solid white while his hair stuck up straight due to the powerful gusts of wind erupting from him.

Sakura's emerald-green eyes trembled as she stared speechlessly towards Lee, unable to even think let alone speak.

Neji's eyes squinted as a grimace formed upon his face, he wasn't impressed with Lee's power anymore instead he was now worried about his teammate, something rare for him.

Gaara's eyes bulged as his mouth fell open while his cloths and hair rustled violently under the amount of air and pressure Lee was releasing.

Temari's eyes were shaped like saucers because she couldn't believe what she was seeing, no one had ever pushed Gaara this far before.

Lee... Naruto thought as his mind became overwhelmed with concern and fear, concern for Lee pushing himself to far and the fear of Lee pushing himself even further.

During this the smile on Guy's face grew even wider as he gaze upon the product of Lee's dream, his student would never back down.

"His whole body has changed color..." Sakura pointed out as she finally managed to speak.

"Impossible..." Neji muttered out, too shocked to active his Byakugan and unable to comprehend how Lee had become this powerful.

"Why is his skin red? What does it mean? What's happening?" Kankuro questioned as he leaned over the railing while he stood to the left of Neji only for the latter to ignore him completely.

"He's opened the 3rd gate - now he'll attack." Kakashi concluded as he stood to the right of Guy and directly behind Sasuke.

"Oh no... not yet." Guy replied with a smile still spread wide across his face, suggesting he knew something Kakashi didn't.

At this moment, Lee squatted down into a semi-Taijutsu stance while at the same time downcasting his shoulders and head as he clenched his bandaged covered red hands tightly.

"THE 4TH GATE! GATE OF PAIN! - OPEN!" Lee screamed as a tangible green aura began to radiate off his body while the veins across his neck and face pulsated and throbbed even further.

"ARRGGGGGH!" As Lee continued to scream the floor underneath him cracked and spilt into 9 separate pieces before large chunks of stone floated into the air only for them to dissolve into dust under Lee's power and pressure.

"He is forcing the gates open through sheer willpower alone? Incredible - this boy is beyond a genius." Kakashi mumbled out in awe, he couldn't even open the 1st gate yet Lee was forcing the 4th gate open at age 13.

Lee then surged forward with such speed and power that the stone under, around and infront of him all erupted and protruded upward from the floor, causing a massive cloud of dust and debris to conceal the entirety of the battleground.

As dust and debris engulfed Gaara the faint blur of Lee's right foot could be seen kicking up vertically against his chin before the sand Shinobi was completely concealed and hidden from view by dust.

The force of this shockwave resonated and echoed across the room as a cascading amount of wind and crumbled stone flung atop both catwalks, forcing several of the candidates and Jonin to raise their forearms against their faces.

Naruto was the only one who allowed his arms to rest again his sides as gusts of wind flung his bangs away from his eyes while some unseen force prevented any amount of stone or rubble from striking his face.

He's even faster than Naruto now! Shikamaru remarked as he held both his forearms in an slanted horizontal fashion infront of his face with his eyes peering from in between them.

I can't even see him! Sasuke noticed as he barely managed to keep his eyes open while even more dust and debris continue to spill atop both catwalks.

After several moments Kankuro uncrossed his arms before once again leaning over the railing as his head turned from side to side in an attempt to locate Gaara.

"Gaara! Where did you go!?" Kankuro screamed as he continued to search for his teammate, one of the few moments were he expressed concern for Gaara instead of fear.

"Up there!" Shikamaru screamed as he noticed the cracked body of Gaara float up from the cloud of dust, forcing the remaining candidates and Jonin to direct their attention towards the same person.

"There's Gaara but what happened to Lee?!" Ino questioned as she continued to search for the jumpsuit wearing leaf Shinobi.

"He's just... gone!" Choji exclaimed as he finally gave up on searching for Lee, unable to comprehend the level of speed that the latter was displaying.

During this series of events the smile on Guy's face grew even wider as he became filled with joy at the thought of Lee accomplishing his dream, the boy would someday surpass even him and Guy was eager for that day to come.

After several moments the dust and debris settled and revealed 7 streams of sand all racing through the air in an attempt to defend the helpess Gaara as even more cracks erupted across his body.

The sand can't move fast enough to protect him. Sakura noticed as her eyes still bulged with shock, she expected this Lee of power from Sasuke or even Naruto but not Lee.

Naruto always spoke very highly of Lee as he praised his determination and physical power but Sakura never really considered him to be this powerful, he was just a weird big eyebrowed kid in her eyes.

Suddenly, Lee appeared in hazy blur directly infront of the still floating Gaara, he much with such speed that the weaker candidates didn't even notice him until he flung his clenched right fist forward and struck Gaara.

As Lee punched Gaara in the stomach, the force of this attack created a shockwave that echoed out and pushed away all the surrounding sand while Gaara was now plummeting towards the burnt and crumbled stone floor with an alarming amount of speed.

However once Gaara was 10ft above the ground Lee once again appeared in a hazy blur, this time behind Gaara before he hurled his clenched right fist upward, slamming his knuckles against the sand Shinobi's gourd and shattering it completely.

After punching through the gourd, Lee's attack continued even further as his knuckles slammed into the center of Gaara's spine, causing a series of cracking sounds to resonate throughout the room as Gaara was punched up towards the ceiling.

Lee then instantly appeared standing in a crouched position atop the thin metal sheeted ceiling that overlooked the entire room as he focused his solid-white eyes towards Gaara who was only 15ft below him.

"ONE MORE AND WE ARE FINISHED!" Lee declared as he pushed off against the metal ceiling, blowing through the thin metal and creating a crater inside the room above the battleground as he dropped down towards his opponent.

As Lee hurled through the air, he strained to move his left forearm into a proper attacking position as the sound of bones cracking, muscles tearing and joints dislodging themselves could be heard.

"His muscles are tearing themselves apart!" Kakashi pointed out as the smile on Guy's face instantly shifted to a frown.

Is that really Lee? But how? When? Neji asked himself as he finally activated his Byakugan to observe his teammates chakra network, a network overflowing with too much chakra for any ordinary person to handle.

"THE 5TH GATE! GATE OF CLOSING! - OPEN!" Lee screamed as blood began to pour from his nose and the sound of muscles tearing once again echoed across the room.

No one has ever been able to move like this... it's impossible to defend myself. Gaara admitted as he held his arms crossed infront of his chest in an 'X' fashion, revealing several dozens cracks and pieces of sand skin that had already flaked and crumbled off.

Are you watching - Naruto? I was saving this Ace-in-the-hole to use against you! Now see what you have to look forward too! Lee ordered as noticed as brief violet flash erupting from Naruto's eyes but due to the pain his neck muscles felt he was unable to look at his sibling-student.

Lee then abruptly hammered both his clenched fists against Gaara's stomach, cracking his upper torso in half as several large chunks of sand broke and crumbled underneath his shirt as he was once again hurled down.

The force of this attacked created a series of shockwaves that resonated out from Gaara before Lee reached out with his left hand and gripped the long white sash that hung down from the sand Shinobi's waist.

This action caused Gaara's back to arch backwards as his entire body was hung by his waist, somehow the white sash managed to maintain his weight without breaking, suggesting it was made by a very skilled tailor.

At this moment, 5 sand streams were once again coming into distant of the still defenseless Gaara, the sand was fast but Lee was far beyond anything it could react too.

Gaara... he's in trouble... Kankuro thought as he mouth fell open in shock, he had never seen someone go toe-to-toe with Gaara and live other than the 4th Kazekage.

At the speed Lee is attacking... Gaara's sand is basically useless... Temari concluded as several beads of sweat began to form on her face.

The Hidden lotus... a Taijutsu combination of such blinding speed that no one could defend themselves against it, not even Naruto or Neji - this is your power Lee, prove to them and the whole world that your dream is reality. Guy pleaded as he observed the blood still pouring from Lee's nose.

Now to finish it! AaaaAAARRGGGG! Lee's mind raged as he used his willpower to ignore the cascading amount of pain erupting through his muscles, bones and joints by pulling Gaara towards him with his left hand before hurling his right foot and fist down at his opponent.

"HIDDEN LOTUS!" Lee screamed as his attack made direct contact with Gaara, creating several dozen shockwaves as both of the Shinobi plummeted and crashed down into the floor, creating a massive dust tornado that filled the entire room on impact.

It was so fast I couldn't see a thing! Shikamaru noticed as he was forced to closed his eyes due to the large amount of dust and dirt in the air.

Gaara! Kankuro screamed internally, clearly worried about the person who nonchalantly threatened to kill him last week.

Lee... Naruto worried, while his bangs were blown away from his eyes his face was once again protected by some unseen force, allowing his arms to continue resting against his sides.

Impossible! Temari thought as she closed her eyes while holding her right arm in a slanted horizontal fashion infront of her face.

This kid... he's even stronger than me... Sasuke admitted as he held both of his arms in a crossed 'X' like fashion infront of his face while closing his eyes.

After several moments the cloud of dust and dirt began to dissolve and dissipate before a now normal skinned Lee rolled out from the cloud in a horizontal fashion, rolling for several feet before stopping as he laid atop his back.

Lee's eyes were closed while his limbs and torso twitched and throbbed as pain erupted throughout his entire body, luckily the force of his attack had flung away many of Tenten's weapons, preventing him from getting stabbed by one.

"Lee did it! WAY TO GO LEE!" Sakura screamed as she held her clenched right fist into while smiling, to focused on Lee to notice the frown that covered both Neji's and Naruto's faces.

As the dust and debris settled, a 3ft wide 5ft deep crater rested only 10ft infront of the stone hands that Hayate stood atop of, revealing the crater to be filled with several thousand grains of sand as a gasping Gaara laid in the center.

"UUuuhh..." Sasuke marveled as his mouth fell open while his black eyes trembled with shock upon noticing Gaara was still alive, let alone awake and breathing.

Temari's expression shifted to one of sympathy for Lee, he pushed himself so far only to fail.

Unbelievable! He cushioned his fall by crushing the stone floor into sand! Guy concluded as his eyes widened.

For several moments Gaara lay completely still before his trembling body began to reach out with his right hand, creating a steady stream of sand that began to slide across the floor towards Lee who couldn't even move let alone defend himself.

Impossible... he not only withstood the Hidden lotus but he is able to go on the attack? Lee noticed as he rolled onto his left side before attempting to stand up for over several moments, only to fail every single time.

After struggling, Lee was able to place his left foot firmly atop the floor before he fell backwards and crashed into it, the side effects from opening 5 gates were too much for him to endure.

Gaara's sand continued to inch closer to Lee before it was only 10 inches away from his twitching right foot, Lee attempted to react and continue his assault but his body wouldn't move.

As the sand attempted to wrap around Lee's right foot the white-ankle high shoes of Naruto slammed into the floor, crushing the sand under his feet as he stood in a crouched position with his gloveless left palm placed against the floor between his legs.

The eyes of all those watching widened and bulged from their sockets at the speed Naruto displayed, speed much greater than when he saved Tenten suggesting he used his full speed to come too Lee's defense.

I-I am not... going to be the one that loses... Lee reminded himself as he fought a mental battle to stay conscious.

"NOW YOU DIE!" Gaara spat out as he glared towards Naruto, forcing the 1 stream of sand to erupt into 8 as the sand Shinobi became infused with rage towards the latter.

Naruto then extended his right hand out from his torso and prepared to funnel chakra into his eyes to fling the sand back, only for his palm to clap against Guy's back as he appeared infront of Naruto and deflected Gaara's attack effortlessly with the back of his right hand.

"Aaann-" Gaara groaned in annoyance as he sat up straight to get a better view of Naruto as the latter stood behind a scowling Guy, someone Gaara completely ignored as his hatred for Naruto continued to grow.

"Why... WHY! HE FAILED! HE DESERVES TO DIE!" Gaara screamed as he stood up straight while several sections of his sand skin continued to flake and crumble off before dissolve atop the floor around his feet.

"Huuuuuu - huuuuuu - huuuuuu..." Gaara groaned out as he glared at Naruto while holding his trembling hands against his skull to ignore the crushing headache he felt inside the seal on his forehead, something he felt every time he was near Naruto.

While Naruto felt a deep stabbing pain in his stomach, the pain of claws digging and stabbing into his internal organs, his desire to protect Lee was so powerful that this pain didn't even register in his mind.

Naruto then walked to the right before stepping forward and standing by Guy's right side, allowing Gaara to get a better view of him as observed the latter from underneath his blond bangs.

"Because he is my friend and also because he is precious to me." Naruto replied, causing Gaara's eyes to squint while he closed his mouth and grunted in response.

"He's precious to him? A friend?" Temari repeated, she could understand Guy stepping in because he was a Jonin but for some reason or another she noticed Naruto intervened in almost every match.

That is a feeling Gaara couldn't even begin to understand, he is nothing but a monster. Baki reminded himself, unaware that Naruto and Gaara shared that very same trait, the only difference was the path they walked.

Gaara then rested his arms against his sides before he began walking towards the staircase leading to the right catwalk as sand stuck to his body while he walked, reforming his skin and the gourd on his back.

"I quit." Gaara declared as he continued to walk away.

"He quits?" Sakura repeated in confusion.

"But it's too late for Lee, he lost the match the moment Naruto intervened." Kakashi replied.

For several seconds Hayate stood atop the stone hands as he observed the events unfolding infront of him before he disappeared in a whirlwind of leafs only to reappear 5ft infront of Naruto and Guy.

"The winner i-" Hayate's declaration became cut-off as his mouth fell open and his eyes bulged once he noticed Lee as now standing, something that caused Naruto and Guy to instantly turn around.

"Hm?" Gaara mumbled out as he turn his head to the left, allowing his left pale-green eyes to fall upon a Lee.

Lee stood in his iconic stance with his shaking left forearm pinned against his back and his trembling flat right palm directed towards Gaara while his head was downcast, preventing anyway from seeing his face.

"It can't be..." Guy marveled.

After all that... he shouldn't be able to move let alone stand up... Kakashi pointed out.

"No Lee, it's alright - the match is over and you're in no condition t-" Naruto spoke out only for his train of thought to be broken once he noticed the unconscious expression in Lee's eyes, the expression of someone who wasn't even awake.

Lee... what have I done... Guy asked himself as tears began to fall from his eyes while he broke one of the most sacred of all Shinobi rules, he cried.

"Look at you... not even conscious yet you're still determined to show the world what you can do..." Naruto mumbled as he reached out with both hands and placed them atop Lee's shoulders in an attempt to halt his trembling while at the same time downcast his own head.

He's out cold... nothing keeping him up but sheer willpower... Kakashi noticed.

"Lee... you've already proven it..." Naruto murmured as he pulled the still standing unconscious Lee close before wrapping his arms around him and resting his chin atop the latter's left shoulder.

"You are the greatest Taijutsu-user... that I have ever known... you've won, Lee." As he continued to speak his own shoulders began to shake and tremble as tears began to flow from his violet eyes.

"The winner by interference - is Gaara." Hayate spoke out as he held his clipboard infront of his chest while he began to preforming a series of writings and scribbles.

This action, the action of Naruto hugging and crying over his friend was something Gaara couldn't even comprehend as his face morphed into one of disgust and jealousy.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled out as he slammed his right foot atop the railing infront of him in an attempt to jump forward, only for his Sensei to interrupt him with words.

"Sasuke - there is nothing you can do for him right now... there are times when sympathetic words only make things worse." Kakashi explained as his Uchiha student stared at him for several seconds before directing his attention back towards Naruto as he pulled his foot off of the railing.

"Hmph - I knew he couldn't beat Gaara..." Kankuro exclaimed, causing an anger scowl to form upon Neji's still face, whose Byakugan were still active.

At this moment Gaara once again turned around before walking towards the right staircase, clearly disturbed by looking upon an action of love.

"Hurry! This boy needs medical attention!" Hayate exclaimed as 5 medics rushed into the large room with a stretcher carried in between 4 of them while the 5th carried a bag of supplies.

As the medics approached Naruto the latter released Lee from his grip and helped the medics place him atop the stretcher before 3 of them instantly began infusing chakra into Lee's body in an attempt to stabilize him.

The lead medic abruptly shook his head from side-to-side before 4 of them picked up the stretcher and began to move Lee out of the room, this was not the place for them to discuss health details nor did they have time to explain his injuries.

At this moment, Guy wrapped his right arm around Naruto's shoulder as both of them continued to cry while a student and dear friend was evacuated from the room.

During this, Naruto's eyes continued to observe the faint chakra network of Lee, reassuring him that the latter would live but he didn't know at which cost.

I'm glad the match ended without anything serious happening. Baki thought as Gaara once again stood infront of him while crossing his arms infront of his chest.

"Welcome back, Gaara" Temari spoke as she stood to the left of Gaara, causing the latter to glare at her for several seconds without saying a word.

The seconds turned into minutes as Naruto and Guy continued to stand beside one another in the center of the batteground before their crying finally began to calm and dissipate.

"You 2 are in the way for the next match... please return to your spots." Hayate asked before coughing into his right hand several times.

"Okay..." Both Naruto and Guy replied in unison as each of them began to slowly walk towards the left staircase.

"The 10th of final match requires no selection, will the 2 remaining candidates please step forward." Hayate exclaimed, causing Dosu to calmly walk down the right catwalk while Choji ran through the left one, dashing past Naruto and Guy in the process.

So it's finally my turn. Dosu cheered as stood with his arms hanging limp infront of his torso while his knees were bent slightly.

I'm going to win and eat barbeque. Choji concluded as he stood confidently 10ft infront of Dosu.

Lord Orochimaru ordered me to advance to the main matches so I can fight and test either Sasuke or Naruto... otherwise I'll end up a failure like Kin and Zaku. Dosu reminded himself.

I already have an idea of what's going on... I suspect Lord Orochimaru made direct contact with Naruto - which somehow allowed him to recognize him even in his morphed state. He continued to analyze as he thought back to when Orochimaru was revealed barely over an hour ago.

I don't know how Naruto recognized him but Lord Orochimaru must have done something significant enough to anger the boy. As his thoughts race, the whiskered face of Naruto floated through his mind.

All of us are just test subjects to see how far Naruto can push himself during the Exams... he doesn't desire Naruto's life, but Naruto himself... Orochimaru has under estimated me. His visible left eye narrowed as he solved the equation surrounding the upcoming 3rd stage of the Chunin Exams.

"Dosu Kinuta VS Choji Akimichi - begin." Hayate ordered without disappearing, this was the last match and he was hoping it would end quickly.

"Do your best!" Shikamaru encouraged.

"Fatty!" Ino screamed, causing Choji's eyes to twitch as the veins on his neck throbbed.

"Damn it, they're going to get it! I'm going to finish this match quickly then beat both of them into the ground." Choji exclaimed as he grinded his teeth together in rage.

"Then I'll finish this match without fooling around... Mr. Fatty." Dosu replied calmly, further enraging Choji.

"Are you talking to me, you bandaged imp!?" Choji barked as he raised both his clenched, bandaged fists to his jawline while glaring towards Dosu.

Choji then abruptly pressed both his hands together into the Ram seal before switching to the Akimichi Seal, the latter of which was an altered version of the Bird Seal, the index and pinkies were raised while the middle and ring fingers are each folded on top of the opposite hand and interlocked with one another.

"Expansion Jutsu!" Choji declared as his previously obese body tripled in width and girth before his arms, legs and head retracted inside his cloths while his body began spinning rapidly in place without moving forward at all.

"Human Boulder!" Choji screamed as his large, perfectly circular shaped body surged forward, bridging the gap in between him and Dosu in a matter of seconds.

Instead of dodging, Dosu raised his metal-covered right forearm vertically infront of his chest before flicking it with his left index finger, causing the object to ring out across a 20ft radius and effecting Choji's sense of reality.

This action forced Choji's body to revert back to normal size before his rolled across the ground towards Dosu, who placed his right foot atop the latter's chest to preventing him from moving any further, revealing he was barely conscious.

"I attack with the sound itself so I have no need to make direct contact, these holes on my arms allow me to release sonic sound waves that I have infused with my chakra, allowing my to target anyone I wish." Dosu explained, saving people the trouble of uncovering his powers except Shikamaru who was already solving them in his head.

"More than 70% of the human body is made of water and water transmits sound... so in other words you don't just have 2 ears - your entire body is an ear." As he continued to speak, a pool of drool began dripping out from Choji's mouth.

"Winner by knockout, Dosu." Hayate exclaimed as the sound Shinobi turned and began walking away, both of them happy to see the 10th and final match end quickly.

Lord Orochi - no... Orochimaru, I will show you that I am not some pawn to be used... Dosu declared as in his mind he broke away from the man who had used him.

At this moment, 2 medics rushed into the room as they dashed past Dosu with a stretcher carried between them before they crouched down next to Choji who was laying on his back.

"Are you okay?" One of the medics asked as he placed his hand atop Choji's chest.

"I want to eat salted pork..." Choji mumbled out in response.

"The opponent went easy on him and the match still ended in seconds..." Shikamaru sighed as he slapped his left palm against his face.

"He may have lost... but I still think he deserves to eat barbeque." Asuma exclaimed as a slight grin formed on his face while a burning cigarette hung out from his mouth.

"This concludes the Preliminary Exams, I would like all the candidates to please come stand infront of me." Hayate asked, since the 3rd Hokage, Ibiki and Anko had already left he was going to have to address the crowd by himself.

Dosu groaned in complaint since he had already made it halfway back to his spot on the right catwalk before turning around to reenter the center of the room while every other conscious candidate followed.

After allowing several minutes for the candidates to move, a group of 12 Genin stood lined up 5ft infront of Hayate as all of them stood atop the burnt, crumbled and barely remaining floor that had been through so much in the past 4 hours.

"Kin Tsuchi and Ino Yamanaka - you 2 must leave at once." Hayate ordered, almost causing the blond-haired Kunoichi to burst into a fit of rage before Asuma stopped her at the last moment as he appeared behind her using the Body Flicker technique.

"Shikamaru, we'll be waiting outside - I'm taking you all out for barbeque when we get back to the village." Asuma reminded his student as he escorted a still protesting Ino out of the room, causing Shikamaru to once again slam his left palm against his face.

"Whatever." Kin mumbled as he followed the protesting blond Kunoichi and her Sensei, eager to hide her face from the embarrassment she felt.

"Now...to those who have made it this far, you are have officially entered the 3rd stage of the Chunin Exams - congratulations." Hayate explained before breaking out into a series of harsh coughs.

Starting from the left and moving to the right, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, Neji, Dosu, Kankuro, Temari and Gaara we're all standing infront of the proctor known as Hayate.

"I will known explain the 3rd stage of the Exams, a series of matches that will be fought infront of the villages... we encourage you to display your full power to better represent your country and nation." Hayate spoke

Infront of the entire village... geez... that sounds scary... Sakura panicked internally.

County and nation? What about my friends and loved ones... Naruto thought as he downcast his head while the unconscious face of Lee floated throughout his mind.

"Therefore, the main matches will begin in 2 weeks to better allow all of you time to rest, train and prepare." Hayate proclaimed, causing Shikamaru to sigh loudly.

"We're not gonna do it right here and now?" Sakura asked.

"2 weeks will give us the needed time to prepare and conduct appropriate preparations - the past series of matches have been fought without either party knowing the abilities of their opponent, this time should be used to research their weaknesses." Hayate replied.

"This means there are those who have revealed everything and have no secret technique to rely on while others have restrained the bulwark of their abilities." As he continued to speak his eyes briefly shot to Sasuke and Naruto.

"Now I want each of you to pull a piece of paper out of this box and don't unfold the paper until I say so." As he spoke he walked along the path of Genin infront of him, starting with Sasuke and ending with Gaara as each of them held a piece of paper in their hands.

"Now I want each of you to read your number aloud starting from to left and moving to the right, I will then write your names on my clipboard." While explaining the situation he used his left hand to reach behind his back before grabbing his clipboard and positioning it infront of his chest.

"One - of course." Sasuke spoke with a grin on his face as his arms rested against his sides.

"Five." Sakura squealed in a high-pitched tone as she attempted to be cute into of Sasuke.

"Nine." Naruto exclaimed, unaware his words caused Hayate to see a series of 9 orange-haired tails swirl behind the blond's back.

"Eight..." Shikamaru mumbled quietly as he began to panic at the thought of being matched against Naruto.

"Four." Shino hummed, his raised collar concealing the movement of his mouth.

"Two." Neji stated.

"Seven." Dosu whispered.

"Three." Kankuro spoke as his arms rested in the pockets of his outfit.

"Six." Temari proclaimed in an annoyed fashion, still upset over Naruto breaking her fan.

"Ten." Gaara declared in an emotionless tone as his arms were crossed infront of his chest.

During all of this, Hayate's right hand preformed a series of scribbles and writings against the clipboard he held infront of his chest as he wrote the final matchs for the 3rd stage of the Chunin Exams.

"Here are the matchs." Hayate proclaimed as he extended his left hand out before showing his clipboard to the group of Genin assembled infront of him.

Sasuke Uchiha VS Neji Hyuga? And I get to go first? This is the best news yet. Sasuke marveled as a wide smile bloomed upon his face once he noticed he and Neji were going to fight each other in the very 1st match.

Looks like I'm matched against Shino I go 2nd... atleast I'm not matched against Gaara... Kankuro thought.

Looks like I can beat that sand-bitch down for flirting with Sasuke. Sakura remarked as her eyes began twinkling like stars, referring to the fact that she was matched against Temari for the 3rd match.

Looks like I'm avenging Choji... Shikamaru sighed out once he noticed he was matched against Dosu for the 4th match.

T-that means... Sasuke and Sakura both thought in unison as they glanced to the right towards Naruto once they realized he was matched against Gaara for the 5th and final match of the Chunin Exam.

Lee... I swear I will win - for you. Naruto declared as his left, gloveless hand clenched with rage while he ignored the stabbing pain in his stomach from being so close to Gaara.

"If this is a tournament that means there is only 1 winner, does that mean only one person will become a Chunin?" Shikamaru asked, being the only one other than Dosu to think that hard about it.

"No - the 3rd stage of the Exams will be judged by future clients, clients who will rate you and the price your abilities are worth for future missions, you can even fail a match but still be promoted to Chunin if you display enough promise." Hayate responded.

"So there's a possibility that everyone here could become a Chunin?" Temari asked.

"Yes, just like it is possible for no one here to become a Chunin, winning the matchs and become promoted depends on just how much you show off, the more skills and power the better." Hayate replied.

"That is all, each of your teachers are waiting outside to escort you out of the Forest of Death, a large section of the Forest had to be hosed with water due to a large fire that cut through it during the 2nd stage." As he continued to speak, he failed to notice Naruto downcast his head in embarrassment because the latter knew who caused the fire.

2 weeks to prepare? I wonder if Jiraiya will give me a few days off from training to go visit Lee... Naruto pondered.

As a child Naruto always knew the life of a Shinobi was rough but he never expected them to see some much pain, so much unnecessary and unwanted pain.

A wound to the heart... sometimes they never heal. Kakashi's voice echoed loudly inside Naruto's mind, filling the latter with a sense of depression as he began to worry about Lee.

The 2nd stage of the Chunin Exams were over, leaving a 2 week gap to be filled in between now and then as a series of adventures around Konoha were destined to occur.


	29. Chapter 29

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 29: Wisdom Of The Toad Sage! Knowledge Of The Rinnegan.**

 _4:27pm Wednesday, June 1st 58SSP_

"Excuse me, which room is Rock Lee in?" Naruto questioned as he stood infront of the front desk to the Konoha Hospital, his left arm and hand were still gloveless and sleeveless suggesting he ran straight to the hospital after the Preliminaries ended at 3:30pm.

"I'm sorry but Rock Lee is in critical condition, no visitors are allowed." A black-haired female nurse seated behind the counter replied, she wore the standard medic-ninja outfit for Konoha with a name tag resting over her heart that had the name 'Fujin Asumara'.

Standing to the left behind the unnamed nurse was a male doctor with his iconic doctor mask covering his face, concealing the disgusted scowl that formed there as he glared at Naruto.

"Do you know when he can accept visitors? I really want to see him." Naruto asked, determined to check up on his friend and sibling-student.

"I'm sorry but he is suffering from severe muscle failure while his joints and bones are cracked in several locations, in will take atleast 3-5 days before any guests will be allowed." Fujin replied with a smile, she couldn't have be any older than 19 suggesting she just began working as a nurse.

As Fujin spoke, each of her words caused the frown on Naruto's face to grow more wide and deep, something that delighted the unnamed doctor standing being the counter, a doctor who was atleast 40-50 years old.

He wore a surgeon outfit with the standard surgeon hat and doctors mask, something that concealed his entire face except for his eyes, on his outfit he wore a name tag fashioned over his heart, a tag that read 'Hasui Bonko'.

"Yea can go around and leave now - boy." Hasui spat out as he pale-green eyes narrowed while he continued to glare at Naruto.

Hasui's words caused great confusion in Fujin who didn't understand the unwarranted amount of hostility towards a child let alone a customer but Naruto understood all-to-well, almost everyone in the village treated him like that.

"Yea... okay." Naruto whispered out in response before he turned to the left and began walking towards the front entrance of the hospital before quickly exiting the building and standing outside.

The hospital was 6 stories tall with a wide awning extending out over the front entrance that read 'Konoha Hospital' in bright yellow Kanji, paving this awning and the roof were a series of teal blue shingles that sparkled in the evening sun, a sun that would begin to set soon.

Guess I'll go eat... Naruto concluded as he positioned his left gloveless hand over his stomach while he walked past the 8ft tall fence that lined the hospital grounds.

"KID! HELP ME OUT!" The voice of Jiraiya pleaded as he ran down the street towards Naruto with a horde of over 30 women wearing nothing but towels chasing after him.

This cry for help caused Naruto to drop his left hand from his stomach as he glanced to the right in confusion while the white-haired Shinobi continued to dash towards him.

Once Jiraiya approached Naruto, he was so terrified of the women behind him that instead of side-stepping in an attempt to run past the latter he continued to run expecting Naruto to step out of the way, only for him to run face first into a unseen wall that was protecting the latter.

The force of this impact was so great that it crushed Jiraiya's nose before forcing him to fall onto his back with such a heavy thud that he bounced up before rolling slightly in midair and crashing face first into dirt road that made up the pathway and streets of Konoha.

While Jiraiya laid atop his stomach infront of Naruto, the large horde of women continued to run towards them, causing the blond Shinobi to panic since he didn't expect or understand the situation of events unfolding infront of him.

These events caused Naruto to reach down with his right hand to grip Jiraiya's left ankle before turning to the left and dashing down the road, causing the latter's face to drag and bounce across the dirt road several times as Naruto dragged him away from the horde of women.

While Naruto continued to drag Jiraiya across the road, he began to run around corners and leap across several other pathways in an attempt to lose the chasing women, something he managed to do successfully before standing beside a tree and dropping the still groaning Shinobi atop the grass that lined the side of the road.

As seconds turned into minutes Jiraiya continued to lay on his stomach as he face-planted the grass underneath him while panting heavily in an attempt to catch his breathe and groaning from the pain inflicted upon his nose and face.

" 'Don't make a sound' I told myself, I knew they would hear me sneeze but I couldn't hold it in anymore... the least they could have done was bless me with some more inspiration..." Jiraiya muttered as his face continued to press against the grass he was laying on.

"Inspiration?" Naruto asked, still confused about the situation of events that caused a crowd of women to chase after Jiraiya, women who wore nothing be towels, some even had shampoo still in their hair suggesting they all rushed out of the hot springs before instantly chasing after the latter.

"Yes... YES - beautiful inspiration." Jiraiya replied as he leapt onto his feet before he began rubbing his hands together as he stood infront of Naruto, the streams of blood that fell from his nose ran around the corners of his mouth before running down his neck, giving him 4 red-lines on his face instead of his standard 2.

Spots of dirt stained Jiraiya's face and his once solid-white hair but he was so focused on the inspiration he garnished from spying on the hot springs that he didn't even notice while he dreamed of showing his inspiration to Naruto.

"This is actually a great way to begin your training - this is the most important thing I will ever tell you, this can and will save your life on countless occasions so listen closely." As he spoke, he raised his armor-plated right hand vertically infront of his face before extending his index finger out while closing the rest.

"Yea?!" Naruto exclaimed in anticipation as he grinned while raising both his clenched fists to his jawline in excitement.

"Never get caught, the only reason all those women were chasing me is because I got caught." Jiraiya explained, causing Naruto to tilt his head to the right in confusion.

"Got caught doing what?" Naruto questioned, causing a seductively innocent smile to form across Jiraiya's face as he giggled several times.

"I would love showing you but sadly the hot springs close at 5 so by the time we got there they would be closing, so lets go get some training done before the sun sets." Jiraiya spoke as he wrapped his left arm around Naruto's shoulders while using his right index finger to poke the latter's chest several times.

"Oh well... I was planning to go get some ramen but I guess we can just eat when I have in my scrolls." Naruto replied without noticing Jiraiya's eyes examine his left sleeveless and gloveless arm.

"Oh ho ho - already sealing food in scrolls? That'll help you alot down the road Naruto!" Jiraiya proclaimed as he used his left hand to pat Naruto's back several times.

"Now then, we need a training ground - got any ideas?" As he spoke, Naruto raised his left hand to his face before scratching his nose and allowing his arm to fall back against his side.

"Well there is this place that me and my friend having been training at for the past 3 years, it's in the woods." Naruto explained, referring to the training ground that him and Lee first met in.

"The place where Guy trains at? That won't work, we need a location with a steady stream of water." Jiraiya responded as he crossed his arms infront of his chest, suggesting that he knew much more about Naruto's life than the latter expected.

"What about the training grounds for my team? It has 3 logs and a small stream of water." Naruto suggested only for Jiraiya to shake his head in disapproval.

"No that won't work either, we need a large body of water and I got just the place kid, walk with me and I'll show you even greater ways to avoid a woman's wrath." Jiraiya replied as he turned to the right before he began walking down the street, pushing Naruto as he walked to encourage the blond Shinobi to walk beside him.

Naruto didn't really understand the concept of a 'woman's wrath' because other than Sakura he wasn't near girls all that much, the closest he got to hanging out with a girl was when Hinata would spy on him from behind a corner or a tree.

Naruto was so overjoyed at the thought of learning new jutsu that he eagerly walked beside Jiraiya whose left arm was now once again wrapped around the formers shoulders in an endearing fashion as the 2 of them began to journey through the streets of Konoha together.

* * *

 _20 minutes later, 4:58pm on the northern outskirts of Konoha_

"I've never see this before..." Naruto whispered timidly as he and Jiraiya stood infront of a 10ft wide and 7ft deep river of that stretched out infront of both Shinobi, the river was so long that neither the end or beginning of it could be seen.

Jiraiya and Naruto stood atop a white rocky shore line that rested on the east bank of the river while on the opposite side sat a shore line of grass and dirt before morphing back into a forest the further away from the river it when.

"It's a pretty alright place, I used to come here all the time to fish." Jiraiya explained as he approached the edge of the river and crouched down while shoving his armor-plated hands into the water before splashing it on his face to wash away the dried blood and dirt that stained there.

"Now, why don't you go ahead and walk out onto the river." As he continued to speak he removed the scroll from his back before siting down and resting against a large white rock.

"Onto the river? But I can already do that, how is that training?" Naruto questioned, he had already spent years perfecting his chakra control so he saw no point in attempting to increase that any further.

"Now now, don't talk back against your master." Jiraiya exclaimed, causing Naruto to leisurely walk on across the river, a river that had an almost nonexistent current, something that made it even easier for the latter to stand atop it.

As Naruto stood effortlessly atop the water with his back directed towards Jiraiya, the latter couldn't help but smile with joy at the amount of potential the blond infront of him was displaying, the same type of potential Nagato had showed so many years ago.

"So, what kind of food where you planning to eat?" Jiraiya asked as the grin on his face grew even wider.

"Well I got tons of food in my scrolls, chicken on a stick, Sushi, potato chips and even Dango but I'm having trouble sealing liquids so the best I can do is just seal cups and then get something to drink from nearby." Naruto replied as turned around to face Jiraiya while using his left fingers to count out the list of food he mentioned.

He doesn't even need to focus his attention on his feet, his level of chakra control is truly incredible... just like you, Nagato. Jiraiya thought as the grin on his face evolved into a smile.

"Okay then, next step, take off your tunic and release the highest amount of chakra you can, I need to see what I'm working with here." Jiraiya ordered, creating an even greater look of confusion on Naruto's face.

"Why do I have to take my tunic off?" Naruto questioned.

"It'll allow me to get a better view of your chakra, just do it." Jiraiya sighed as he waved his right hand vertically through the air several times in encouragement.

After several moments of hesitation Naruto unbuckled the light-purple belt tied around his waist, loosening the white sash he kept under his belt before grabbing the opening on the lower section of his tunic and pulling the piece of fabric off his head and body.

After removing his tunic, satchel and 1 remaining glove, Naruto then tossed the bundled up ball of cloths towards Jiraiya who caught it with his left hand before placing the cloths atop the rock that his back was leaned against.

This action revealed Naruto's pale-skinned torso and arms aswell as a large black inked seal that was scribbled and sprawled across the blonds stomach, a seal that instantly caused Jiraiya's expression to grow more stern while his eyes narrowed.

So this is the sealing system that was used to seal the Nine-tails... 2 double Tetragram Seals placed atop one another, forming an Eight Trigram Seal - truly a legendary display of Fūinjutsu, Minato. Jiraiya thought as the smiling face of the 4th Hokage floated throughout his mind.

You managed to perfectly place the seals in a manner which allows to Nine-tails chakra to leak out before being converted into Naruto's own chakra, remarkable. As his train of thought continued to form, he noticed Naruto clap his hands together while overlapping his fingers atop one another.

This action caused the previously still river underneath Naruto to ripple and rupture as a massive aura of purple chakra erupted out from and surrounded the blond Shinobi, causing the white bangs that lined the side of Jiraiya's face to wave and brush in the breeze.

Something is wrong... the seal should only reveal itself when the chakra of the Nine-tails is used and manipulated or even when Naruto allows the chakra to seep out... but it appears to be streaming out on it's own accord. As he continued to observe the seal on Naruto's stomach, he noticed as the aura of chakra surrounding the latter doubled in size.

Is Naruto allowing the chakra to pour out?... No - he doesn't appear to have made direct contact with the demon and such a small amount of Nine-tails chakra is pouring out that I doubt he even notice. As his train of thought progressed, the aura of chakra Naruto was releasing caused the latter's bangs to float up, revealing his ripple patterned violet eyes.

I didn't notice this 5 days ago.. it's as if Naruto's chakra is completely overwhelming the Nine-tails... His train of thought halted entirely once he stared into Naruto's Rinnegan eyes, eyes that pulsated and throbbed throughout his mind once direct eye contact was made before he managed to mentally block the hypnosis from going any further.

Too a normal person staring directly into the Rinnegan was an act of suicide but Jiraiya had spent so many months training Nagato that he grew a slight resistance to the Doijutsu, atleast when it came to direct eye contact.

Suddenly, Naruto's chakra morphed and contorted into a massive fox head that hovered over the Genin, It's fur, teeth, snout and eyes were all violet, the same color of Naruto's eyes and chakra.

This action caused Jiraiya's eyes to widened with interest while he sat up straight , determined to see what happened next but also ready to react at a moments notice.

The fox manifestation then grinded and gnashed its teeth together as its snout pressed down against its lower jawline while its violet eyes glared towards Jiraiya.

So this is what happens when their chakra is merged together... still... I don- Jiraiya's thoughts cut off mid-sentence as the fox's teeth began to chip and crack under the pressure of it's jawline while several streams of chakra erupted out from Naruto, causing the nearby trees to wave in the breeze.

Jiraiya then shot up onto his feet, an action that garnished Naruto's attention before causing the large chakra fox hovering over him to dissolve and fade, after several moments the nearby trees and river he stood atop once again were completely still.

"Something wrong?" Naruto mumbled with his hands still pressed together while his fingers overlapped one another.

"You tell me." Jiraiya replied as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

"I mean, I'm a little hungry." Naruto exclaimed as he lowered the palm of his right hand before resting it against his stomach and partially covering the 8 Trigram Seal that was scribbled there.

"That seal on your stomach, how long has it be visible?" Jiraiya questioned with a stern expression upon his face.

"The past week or 2, ever since I got back in the village from the Land of Waves." Naruto responded as he raised his right hand from his stomach before using it to scratch 1 of the 3 whiskers on his right check.

"My stomach has actually been in alot of pain the past 2 weeks." He continued to speak before allowing both his arms to rest against his side.

"What kind of pain?" Jiraiya asked.

"Sharp pain, really sharp - like stabbing into my stomach, ya'know?" Naruto explained in a nonchalant manner, as if he didn't even consider it a big deal.

"And you didn't tell anyone or go to the doctor?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Most people don't like talking to me, or being near me, or helping me... so I try to stay away from them... doctors tend to hate me even more than others anyway." Naruto spoke as he stared up into the cloudless blue sky, causing his bangs to part from his face before allowing Jiraiya to once again directly view his Rinnegan.

As Naruto stared up into the sky, he failed to noticed the look of disgust and annoyance that formed across Jiraiya's face, disgust towards the villagers and how they treated the 'Hero' of their village.

After everything you've done, Minato... they still do not see it... they do not understand that your legacy, your dream, lives right infront of me - infront of all of us. Jiraiya thought as the smiling face of the 4th Hokage once again floated throughout his mind.

I guess it's about time to teach him how to control the chakra of the Nine-tails... hopefully I learn more about the Rinnegan in the process. As his thoughts progressed, he uncrossed his arms from his chest before allowing them to once again rest against his sides.

"Okay kid, come here, I'm going to teach you a new technique." Jiraiya proclaimed, creating a wide smile on Naruto's face before the latter began to skip across the water towards Jiraiya.

"What!? Really!? A new technique!?" Naruto cheered as he continued to skip towards his brand new Sensei, unaware that the man infront of him had been watching over him even longer than Iruka.

 _5 minutes later, 5:20pm._

"Before I teach you this new technique, there are several things I need you to understand, have you ever noticed that you have 2 different types of chakra?" Jiraiya asked as he sat indian style infront of a still half-naked Naruto who was also seated in the same fashion.

"N-no... I mean, all of my chakra feels the same to me." Naruto mumbled out in response.

Just as I thought... he doesn't even notice the Nine-tails chakra... usually the Kyuubi's chakra is powerful enough to overwhelm its host, which is why the Seal required to restrain it is such a high rank and technique... Jiraiya deducted only for his train of thought to continue.

First the seal has opened enough to where a steady stream of Nine-tails chakra can pour out... but at the same time its chakra is then merged with Naruto's before being overwhelmed and converted into his own... this is an unheard of ability... could this be the power of the Rinnegan? His eyes narrowed while his mind continued to study the fresh information.

"I mean - I can even see my chakra network and its all purple, except for this seal on my stomach, it's solid black and for some reason looks like its apart of my network." Naruto explained, his words causing Jiraiya's eyes to widen once again.

"You can see and even observe the chakra network?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Yea, I'm looking at yours right now, I can turn it off and on too." Naruto replied while using his left index finger to scratch the top whisker on his left cheek.

"How much chakra does it require to maintain?" Jiraiya asked while crossing his arms infront of his chest.

"None I think, it barely requires any to activate and I haven't noticed any requirement to keep it on, I've been looking through the chakra world since earlier this morning and it hasn't cost me any thing." Naruto answered.

"What else can your eyes do?" Jiraiya questioned, causing Naruto to tilt his head slightly to the right.

"I feel like Kakashi could explain it better but I can basically push and pull stuff away or towards me." Naruto mumbled.

Could that be what I ran into earlier? Jiraiya thought as his mind wondered back to when some unseen force around Naruto caused him to hurt his nose and face, a face he needed to impress the ladies.

"Show me." Jiraiya ordered, causing Naruto to hold his right hand horizontally infront of his chest before funneling a small amount of chakra into his eyes, forcing a small white pebble infront of him to float up through the air into his hand.

Naruto then turned his hand upside down before opening it and revealing the pebble to Jiraiya while once again funneling chakra into his eyes, forcing the pebble to fling itself through the air past the latter's face before cracking into the distant treeline behind him.

"Good, good - anything else?" Jiraiya asked while wrapping his right hand around his chin.

Jiraiya's question caused several moments of silence to fill the air between the 2 Shinobi before Naruto abruptly shook his head from side-to-side, denying any further knowledge of the power he possessed.

This hesitation was something Jiraiya noticed but decided not to press, he had already learned more about the Rinnegan in 5 minutes with Naruto than he did in 3 years while training Nagato.

A good Shinobi always has a hidden technique. The voice of Iruka resonated across Naruto's mind.

"Okay, listen up boy." Jiraiya declared in a fatherly tone while he stood up before using his hands to dust off his knees, knees that weren't even dirty.

Jiraya then took 1 step forward before shoving his left index finger down towards Naruto, causing his fingertip to poke the latter's nose.

After a few moments Jiraiya then pulled his left finger back slightly before thrusting his right index finger down and using it to poke 1 of Naruto's whiskers, soon he was poking the latter's face and nose several times in various different angles and degrees.

"The move I'm about to teach you requires a vast amount of chakra and chakra control, I'm only showing you this technique because I just feel like it'll cover all the bases." Jiraiya explained while he continued to poke Naruto's face.

"Cover all the bases?" Naruto repeated in a hushed tone, not even reacting to the countless amount of times Jiraiya was poking his face.

"Yes, what I am going to show you... is the Summoning Jutsu." Jiraiya exclaimed as he finally stopped poking Naruto's face just in time to notice the frown that abruptly formed there.

"Well uh... I kind of already know how to summon..." Naruto mumbled while using his right index finger to scratch the bridge of his nose.

"Before the Summoning Jutsu can be used, the summoner must first form a special contract with one of the viable species, usually a species that the summoner has a natural affinity for... so tell me... what species have you contracted." Jiraiya asked as he crossed his arms infront of his chest while a stern expression formed across his face.

"A dog and a crab, I think." Naruto replied, causing Jiraiya's head to tilt to the left in confusion.

Without allowing Jiraiya to speak any further, Naruto abruptly slammed his right palm in between his crisscrossing Indian style legs, causing his palm to press down against the white pebbles underneath him.

"Summoning Jutsu." Naruto spoke calmly before he was suddenly engulfed by a 20ft wide and 10ft tall pillar of smoke.

Despite the speed of Naruto's action, Jiraiya still managed to effortlessly evacuate the area before landing harmlessly atop a nearby treebranch, allowing him to get a better view of his students summoning once the smoke began to dissolve.

Jiraiya's eyes widened and bulged once the smoke fully dissipated, revealing a massive 15ft wide and 8ft tall crab-like creature that had the same Rinnegan eyes as Naruto while the latter sat Indian style atop the summoning.

It's no Gamabunta... but for his age he is clearly in a league of his own. Jiraiya thought as he stared intently at the large Rinnegan eyes the crab possessed.

"I can see out of it's eyes too." Naruto explained before placing left hand atop his stomach in an attempt to settle the rising hunger he felt.

"Hmph - well I think that's enough training for today then." Jiraiya chuckled out in response, causing a deep frown to form on Naruto's face.

"But we haven't even done any training and you said you were going to teach me a new technique..." Naruto complained.

"Well honestly I didn't expect you to know so much already, since you know the Summoning Jutsu well call it quits for today and get a brand new start earlier tomorrow." Jiraiya replied as he stared up into the cloudless blue sky while the image of a far-off and distant place sparkled in his eyes.

"That doesn't seem fair..." Naruto once again complained.

"I'm surprised, I thought you were hungry." Jiraiya remarked as a small grin formed on his face.

"You're right!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped up onto his feet, causing the soles of his Shinobi shoes to clap against the harden shell of the crab he had summoned.

"I do have 1 last question for today though." Jiraiya proclaimed.

"What kind of question? The answer is Ramen." Naruto replied while his stomach rumbled with hunger.

"It's about your cloths, I noticed you don't wear a shirt, why?" Jiraiya asked, curious as to why Naruto would wear a heavy tunic with a long mantle and elbow length gloves but at the same time not wear a shirt.

"I get hot very easily, I used to wear jackets all the time as a kid but I would always got really hot, I never get cold so honestly I don't even need to wear the tunic to stay warm, I just really like the color." Naruto admitted, he really liked the color purple.

He never gets cold... no doubt an influence of the Nine-tails... now I know why Minato's house was always freezing... Jiraiya thought as he tried to bury the horrifying and painful memories of the beat downs he suffered from Kushina.

"Anyway... lets go eat so Ramen." Jiraiya suggested after he leapt off the treebranch before landing 5ft infront of Naruto and the crab he had summoned.

"YES!" Naruto screamed, causing the crab he stood upon to instantly erupt into a puff of smoke before the blond boy dashed out of the smoke cloud and became running towards the village in an alarming amount of speed, eager to eat some food.

This action caused Jiraiya to sigh as he downcast his head while using his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in disbelief, unable to believe Naruto forgot his tunic.

After several moments of sulking, Jiraiya walked towards the bundled up ball of Naruto's cloths before picking the fabric up with his left hand and trailing after his new student, eager to fulfill a promise he made over 10 years ago.

* * *

 _6 days laters, Tuesday 10:19am, June 7th 58SSP inside the market of Konoha_

"What are we doing here, Sensei?" Naruto asked as he trailed behind his new white-haired teacher while both of them walked in between the stalls and displays of the thriving Konoha market.

"Since we spent the past 6 days training I figure we can spend today on learning the Shinobi rules." Jiraiya proclaimed as his eyes glanced at several fine women in the crowd, causing him to build up and create several ideas of inspiration.

"The 6 Shinobi rules? They teach us about them in the Academy, I already know all 6 of them." Naruto replied as he stared at the long spikey white haired pony-tail that trailed down Jiraiya's back.

"Oh really? Then recite all 6 for me." Jiraiya ordered as drool began to drip out his mouth once his eyes focused upon a rather large breasted woman.

"A Shinobi must always put the mission first... a Shinobi must never show their tears.. a Shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meaning... a Shinobi must follow their commander's instructions... a Shinobi must prepare before it is too late to... and a Shinobi must never show any weakness." Naruto counted off by using his fingers.

"Wrong!" Jiraiya declared as he instantly stopped walking, causing his student to walk face first into his long spikey pony-tail.

"You've forgotten 3 rules kid, and they are the most important rules for any Shinobi! I can't believe a student of the greatest toad sage from Mount Myōboku would forget them!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he turned around before pinching Naruto's cheeks and moving them in several different angles.

"Whuatu arue thuey?" Naruto asked while Jiraya continued to push and pull on his cheeks, causing his speech to become muffled.

"Women, Alcohol, and Money." Jiraiya declared as he released Naruto's cheeks from his grasp before crossing his arms infront of his chest while a mischievous smile bloomed across his face.

"How do those things make me a great Shinobi?" Naruto asked while using his hands to rub his now sore cheeks.

"Just stick with me kid and I'll show you, by the time I'm done you'll be swimming with ladies." Jiraiya proclaimed as his head twisted to the right while his jaw fell atop the dirt road underneath him once he noticed an extremely beautiful woman on the side of the street.

The woman was roughly 20 years old and had shoulder-length spikey black hair with 3 distinct bangs that protruded down the bridge of her nose and the front of her face, partially concealing her pale-skin and the grass green eyes she possessed.

She wore a skin-tight black sleeveless tunic that was cut short enough to reveal a large portion of her midriff and barely concealed her D-sized breasts, breasts that almost popped out of her clothing, something Jiraiya was overjoyed to see but he still knew Tsunade's were bigger.

On her lower torso she wore a pair of tight black shorts that ended 5 inches below her petite waist, on her arms and legs she wore elbow-length fishnet gloves and a matching set of fistnet knee-high socks, both of which covered the majority of her visible skin.

Instead of standard Shinobi shoes, she wore a pair of solid black high-heel shoes which focused more attention on her beautiful legs, something that clearly had an effect on Jiraiya.

For several moments a confused Naruto glanced in between this unknown woman and his now drooling Sensei as he attempted to understand what was happening.

Naruto then came to the conclusion that this was a test set up by Jiraiya to see if he could indeed 'Swim with the ladies', this train of thought convinced Naruto to walk towards the unknown women before standing behind her.

"Excuse me." Naruto mumbled sheepishly, causing the black-haired woman to turn around and stare at him.

"My Sensei said I need to 'Swim with the ladies', can you help me?" Naruto asked innocently, not understanding what he was actually asking for.

"Awwwww, look at your cute little whiskers." The unnamed woman teased in a seductive tone as she used his right fistnet covered hand to gently grip Naruto's face while pushing his cheeks together, causing his lips to puff out.

"I'm new here, just visiting from the Land of Rivers to watch the Chunin exams and I get a good vibe from you, do you get a good vibe from me?" As she continued to speak her words made an obvious impact on Naruto as his face turned a shade of red, something that delighted the woman even further.

"I mean... I don't feel bad." Naruto admitted as he made a mental note about the weird feeling he was getting in his stomach, a good feeling, something that was rare for him.

"That's lovely, my name is Anzu, Anzu Mazaki, what's your name, cutie." Anzu asked as she crouched down infront of Naruto while shoving her face against his, causing them to rub their noses together.

This action caused Jiraiya's eyes to turn solid white as a stream of blood shot out from his left nostril while his dropped jaw continued to rest atop the dirt road.

"Na-Naruto Uzumaki." The blond boy muttered out sheepishly while Anzu continued to rub her nose against his.

"An Uzumaki!? That means you're a rare little thing aren't you? Do all Uzumaki have such adorable whiskers?" Anzu teased as she used her left hand to twirl Naruto's hair with her index finger.

"I-I don't know..." Naruto spoke in an embarrassed tone as he attempted to lower his head in shame, he had never seen another Uzumaki for his entire life, to his knowledge he was the last living one and since no photos of Mito or Kushina Uzumaki were ever available for him to look it he never knew what members of his clan should look like other than having red hair.

However Anzu's right hand prevented Naruto from lowering his head and instead pulled him even closer as she brushed against the right side of his face before whispering into his ear.

"Don't be sad dear... I've never had an Uzumaki before." Anzu pointed out as she breathed into Naruto's right ear.

"What does that mean? Is that how I swim with the ladies?" Naruto questioned innocently, causing Anzu to abruptly stand up while wrapping her arms around the former and shoving his face into her breasts as she shook him through the air repeatedly.

Once Jiraiya noticed that Naruto's face made direct contact with boobs 2 streams of blood instantly shot out from his nose as his dropped jawline began to twitch and shake while Anzu continued to shake Naruto through the air.

"You're just such a cute little innocent baby! How old are you?" Anzu asked as she finally released Naruto from her grip only for him to stumble in several different directions and angles, suggesting he was dizzy from being shook through the air for so long.

"12..." Naruto choked out as he barely managed to stand, he was so focused on keeping his balance he failed to notice Anzu's eyes widen and bulge before she abruptly walked away from Naruto and disappeared into the crowd.

Naruto was still too dizzy to function as he continued to stumble about before walking blindly in one direction and tripping over his shoes, an action that caused him to fall face first into the dirt road before he allowed several moments to pass in an attempt to regain his senses.

Once Naruto tilted his head up he noticed Jiraiya holding 2 hand-held signs extended out towards him, each of them had a white background with the number '10' painted on them in black ink.

"GOOOOOD! GOOOD! It looks like you're a natural!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he used his red sleeves to wipe the blood off his face.

"Natural at what?" Naruto asked as he continued to lay on his stomach in the middle of the road, still completely confused with the events surrounding him.

"Don't be modest, you're form was great, you even made direct contact with those lovely balloons, did you get any inspiration?" Jiraiya asked as he held his fingers vertically infront of his mischievous grin.

"What kind of inspiration?" Naruto questioned as he slowly stood up, causing him to not notice Jiraiya shaking his head from side-to-side in disappointment.

"So much natural talent but you're still blind to the amount of babes you could be getting... so sad." Jiraiya exclaimed as he wrapped his left arm around Naruto's shoulder before both of them continued walking down the road that lined the Konoha market.

"I feel like that more than counts for the 'women' category, now lets move on to Alcohol." As he spoke both he and his student disappeared entirely into the crowd, atleast the members of the crowd that didn't run from Naruto.

* * *

 _1 hour later, 11:32am at Naruto's new training ground._

"Were lucky it's the middle of summer, they had quiet a large supply of water balloons for us to buy." Jiraiya exclaimed as he sat with his back against his familiar large white rock while Naruto unrolled a series of 10 scrolls he had managed to seal 20 balloons in each, giving a total of 200.

"Sensei, why do we need water balloons? I thought you said we were moving on to Alcohol?" Naruto asked without fully understanding what he was suggesting.

"Well for the past 6 days you've done pretty good with your training, you've managed to successfully preform quiet a bit of my jutsu but while you were getting smothered by that lovely ladies balloons I realized one last technique slip my mind." Jiraiya explained.

"Did you get her name? I'll tell you this, there are several girls I've been with whose names I never even knew, those are the best ones." As he continued to speak he failed to notice how confusing his words were to Naruto.

"Anzu was her name, and what's the difference between her balloons and this one, Sensei?" Naruto questioned as he held a red water ballon in his left hand, causing Jiraiya to giggle like a school boy while a mischievous smile formed upon his face.

"Didn't you notice how soft and warm Anzu's melons were?" Jiraiya asked.

"Melons? I thought we were talking about balloons." Naruto mumbled.

"Melons are balloons and balloons are melons, weren't they soft?" Jiraiya exclaimed while at the same time questioning his student.

"They were soft." Naruto admitted in a hushed tone as he rubbed the glove-covered palm of his right hand against his face in the same fashion Anzu had done with her breasts.

"And when you're a great Shinobi, you get to have those all the time." Jiraiya explained as he crossed his arms infront of his chest while a wide smile formed across his face.

"So since I've gotten some balloons, now I need to have some Alcohol and then I can learn that last technique?" Naruto spoke as he attempted to understand what he needed to do next.

Most people would understand the terms Jiraiya used and especially would know about Alcohol but Naruto wasn't very street smart, his years with Iruka left him as a devoted reader to historical and martial scrolls but as a result his social skills plummeted and fell.

"Last technique now and then Alcohol later." Jiraiya explained while picking up a grass-green water balloon with his right hand before holding the balloon infront of his chest.

"So, first thing we need to go over is rotation." While he spoke, the balloon in his hand began to ripple and rupture in several different angles before exploding entirely, covering his palm and armor-plated wrist with water.

He rotated and turned the water inside the balloon without even moving his hands... was it... chakra? Naruto pondered while he used his right gloved hand to wipe away the drops of water that had splashed upon his face.

"Go ahead and infuse some chakra into the water and remember, rotation..." Jiraiya exclaimed as he dried his right hand against his pants before leaning back against the large rock behind him.

"Rotation..." Naruto mumbled quietly while the balloon in his left hand began to bulge and swirl as the water inside rotated in one constant direction to the left, unlike Jiraiya's whose twisted and turned in several different directions at once.

At this moment Jiraiya reached out and placed his right hand atop Naruto's hair, an action that caused him to stop infusing chakra into his balloon.

"I see what's wrong, the problem is you're a right rotation type and since your rotating the water to the left, you've got your chakra working against yourself... a good way to build up chakra in the body is to spin it into a tight spiral like a spring and whether the chakra spins to the left or right depends on the person." Jiraiya explained.

"But how are you able to tell that I'm a right rotation type?" Naruto questioned.

"By the way your hair grows, if it grows to the right you're a right rotation type and if it grows to the left you're a leftie, it's actually quiet simple" Jiraiya replied as he ungripped Naruto's hair before allowing his right arm to rest against his side.

"Huh... I might've known that if I ever brushed my hair..." Naruto spoke while he brushed his right hand through his hair several times.

"So... like this?" As he spoke he once again infused a significant amount of chakra into the balloon gripped in his left hand, forcing the water to spiral to the right.

As Naruto continued to pour more and more chakra into the balloon it began to rupture and protrude out in several different angles before exploding entirely in a similar fashion to Jiraiya's, something that caused the latter's eyes to bulge and widen.

Remarkable... it took me 9 hours to perfect the rotation when I was first learning this technique and yet he preforms it during his 2nd try... he truly is your son, Minato. Jiraiya concluded as a wide smile bloomed across his face.

"That was the rotation, right? What's next?" Naruto questioned as he attempted to dry his soaking wet left glove.

"Here ya go." Jiraiya declared as he reached into his red robe before pulling out a white rubber ball and tossing it towards his student who caught it with both hands.

"Lets see if you can pop this one." As he continued to speak he once again reached into his red robe before pulling out yet another rubber ball and holding it vertically beside his right shoulder.

Suddenly the ball began to rotate inside Jiraiya's palm while the force released from such an action created a shockwave of air that rippled out from the object before it began to bubble and rupture in several places until it exploded entirely, creating 2 more shockwaves in the process.

"That looks like it'll be alot harder to pop than a water balloon..." Naruto mumbled.

"Oh it is but don't let that scare you, this is the perfect lead-in to stage 2: Power, and since this object is solid it's far more difficult to exert your chakra rotation on it." Jiraiya explained as he held his right index and middle finger into the air between him and his student.

Naruto then used his left hand to hold the rubber ball gifted to him infront of his chest before once again infusing his chakra into the object, forcing it to bulge and protrude in several different angles before halting any movement entirely as it returned to normal.

"Now that you got the basic's down, I'll leave the rest for you to figure out, I saw a waterfall on the way here and I want to go see if I can find any research while you get this stage down." Jiraiya exclaimed as he turned around and began walking away.

"Re-research?" Naruto mumbled out in response.

"Focus on one thing at a time kid." Jiraiya replied before disappearing entirely from view leaving Naruto alone by the river side, he had no problem teaching the latter but he didn't want to just explain everything outright.

 _3 hours later, 3:13pm_

Naruto sat Indian style as he panted and breathed heavily from exhaustion while his gloved hands trembled and shook with pain as the rubber ball rested in between his crossed legs.

Just like Sensei said... this is way more difficult than the water balloon... my hands are killing me... this pain, the more I try to increase the flow, the more it hurts... Naruto admitted as the chakra points in his hand throbbed with pain, evidence to the power of the technique he was attempting to master.

I just have to give it everything I got - I have to pour every last drop of chakra into it! As his thoughts progressed, Naruto picked up the ball with both hands before releasing such a dense amount of chakra that his entire body became engulfed and surrounded in an aura of purple.

If I can work through the pain and generate more chakra, and then push it right to the limit of what I can endure!... not enough yet... not yet... NOW! During this process the ball began to rupture and ripple several times before exploding with such force that over a dozen pebbles were flung back from the still sitting blond.

These action burned several holes into Naruto's gloves while strands of broken rubber littered his lap as he continued to pant heavily due to the amount of chakra he had used in the past 3 hours.

"You seem to have made some progress, lets stop for a break." Jiraiya declared as he appeared in a flashed barely 6ft behind Naruto, forcing the latter to stand up abruptly before turning around to face his Sensei.

This kid is something else... his chakra was so dense that it burned his palms... one surprise after another. Jiraiya marveled.

Upon inspection, Naruto noticed his teacher held a pair of purple popsicle sticks in his left hand before he used both hands the break the object in 2 and extend one of the popsicles towards his student with his right hand.

Naruto sheepishly reached out with his left hand before gripping down on his gift from Jiraiya and abruptly placing the frozen grape-flavored treat halfway in his mouth while biting down, something that would paralyze most living mortals but somehow left Naruto completely unaffected.

At the rate he's eating it, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten a brain freeze...… could it be because of warmth from the Kyuubi? Jiraiya wondered as he took several small conservative bites from his frozen treat.

While he continued to enjoy his treat, Jiraiya abruptly sat down Indian style atop the white rocky shoreline before he used his left hand to reach inside his red robe and pull out a sealed ink jar along-side a plain maple brush.

"Go ahead and take off your right glove kid." Jiraiya ordered in a muffled tone as a half-eaten popsicle stick protruded out from the left corner of his mouth.

Jiraiya's words caused Naruto to place his own popsicle into his mouth while using his left hand to pull off his right glove before extending his bare palm out towards his teacher.

Jiraiya then finished devouring his treat before stabbing the now empty stick into the rocks infront of him while unsealing the jar of ink and dipping his brush into the substance.

After several moments Jiraiya then extended the brush towards Naruto before using it to paint a small black swirl onto the center of the latter's right palm.

Naruto then retracted his hand back towards his body before positioning it infront of his face for several seconds as he observed the symbol his Sensei had painted on him.

"Uh... what is it?" Naruto asked in a mumbled tone, causing Jiraiya to unstrap the armor that was adorning his right hand before revealing his own right palm towards his student.

"It's the same mark but I don't get it, how is this supposed to help?" As he continued to speak, Jiraiya once again used his left hand to reach and shuffle through his red robe.

"You got yelled at alot in the Academy for lack of concentration, didn't you?" Jiraiya asked rhetorically since he already knew the answer.

"I don't see how that has anything to do with this." Naruto replied, not wanting to admit just how right his Sensei was.

Jiraiya then pulled out a small, rectangular shaped blank piece of paper before flashing the object directly infront of Naruto's face so he could get a good view.

"Look at this piece of paper." Jiraiya ordered, causing several seconds of silence to fill the air around them.

"I've looked at it..." Naruto declared.

"Alright now give it a 2nd look." Jiraiya spoke as he turned the paper around, revealing an same swirl as his and Naruto's painted in the center of the page.

"I've looked at it..." Naruto repeated out once again, causing his Sensei to sigh.

"Let me guess... the 1st time you looked at this paper, your eyes just glanced at the whole thing, right?" Jiraiya asked.

"Probably..." Naruto stuttered out, suggesting he didn't take the exercise that seriously, after all it was just a piece of paper.

"And what about the 2nd time you looked?" Jiraiya questioned.

"I noticed the swirl." Naruto responded.

"Exactly... anytime that a persons eyes gaze upon a blank piece of paper, they don't focus on where to look their eyes just wonder the page but if you put even a dot or swirl on it then the mind is drawn there as you are then focused on one-point and with that focus comes spiritual stability." Jiraiya explained.

"Cool..." Naruto mumbled out as he chewed up the last of his grape flavored popsicle stick before stabbing the empty object into the rocks below him in a fashion similar to Jiraiya.

"So listen Naruto, from now out when your building up chakra in your right hand make sure that you concentrate and focus only on that mark." Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Concentrate... sure no problem! I used to do that for Iruka-Sensei all the time..." Naruto spoke at first in a cheerful tone before quickly becoming depressed and timid once he began thinking about his fallen Sensei.

 _30 minutes later_

"I supposed we should get started on step 3." Jiraiya sighed as his mind went dry of any and all inspiration, blocking him from achieving any mental progress for writing.

"What's step 3?" Naruto questioned, causing Jiraiya to once again reach into his red robe before pulling out a green balloon with yellow Polka dots, just as quickly as he revealed the balloon he then raised it to his mouth before blowing into the object several times, filling it with air and enlarging its frame.

"U-Uuu-ummmm... a regular balloon?" Naruto mumbled.

"Here." Jiraiya exclaimed as he released the balloon, only for the object to instantly float up into the air once it was caught of one of the ever-so-constant gusts of wind that were common in the Land of Fire.

The balloon then found itself gripped by an unseen force as it was abruptly pulled down through the air towards Naruto who gently grabbed it with both hands, an action Jiraiya observed intently.

"O-okay... so... what's the deal? An ordinary balloon." Naruto exclaimed as he lightly squeezed down on the balloon several times, creating a stretching rubber sound, during which Jiraiya managed to successfully fill his own balloon, a solid red one.

"The 1st step you learned was rotation... the 2nd step was power... while the 3rd and final step to master... is Containment." Jiraiya proclaimed as he held the balloon with his right hand vertically beside his shoulder.

Jiraiya's words created a void of silence for several seconds until Naruto's hidden violet eyes suddenly bulged and widened once he noticed the amount of chakra swirling inside the balloon, chakra that didn't even affect the object as it remained completely still.

No doubt about it... he can definitely see the chakra world... a trait that will come in handy more than he knows, especially given the lack of a chakra cost. Jiraiya concluded as he read the signals his student was giving off.

"The chakra itself spirals at an alarming rate of speed while at the same time remaining perfectly circular, like a small typhon." Jiraiya explained while his student continued to awe and marvel at he level of jutsu being displayed infront of him.

Awesome... he's got all of that chakra spinning around and the balloon isn't even moving... there's more power than when the rubber ball popped and way more rotation than the water balloon had. Naruto remarked.

"Now listen, you need to draw up 100% of what you learned so far and then, maintain it... in other words, keep the power and rotation of your chakra at it's maximum by visualizing a thin membrane at the center of the balloon, then compress the chakra inside it." Jiraiya proclaimed.

"So... this step is about keeping the same amount of power and rotation I've used so far, but this time the goal is not to pop the balloon?" Naruto questioned.

"There you go kid you're a natural learner, so go ahead and give it a try." Jiraiya ordered, causing Naruto to hold his Polka dotted green balloon infront of his chest before clasping down on the object while funneling chakra into it.

This action caused the balloon to instantly explode, creating several streams of purple chakra that streamed out and covered the surrounding area.

"There are no short cuts in this step, get your power and rotation to 100% without letting the balloon explode." Jiraiya ordered.

This is crazy... the more power I put into the technique, the more control and rotation I'll need, all without even letting the balloon explode... I see now, this 3rd step... it's on a whole other level than the other 2... Naruto concluded.

"Oh... I might've forgotten to tell you... this is an A-rank jutsu handed down to us and created by the 4th Hokage himself... in terms of difficulty it's the 2nd hardest jutsu to master." Jiraiya mentioned, causing Naruto's concealed eyes to once again bulge with shock.

"Handed down to... to me.. by the 4th Hokage?" Naruto mumbled as he stared down at the numerous holes that covered the palm-section of his gloves.

"That's right, so it's time to get started on mastering it, wouldn't you say?" Jiraiya asked rhetorically as he pushed his red balloon towards Naruto, causing it to float through the air towards his student who gently grabbed it with both hands.

"This isn't just some jutsu, this is the legacy of the 4th Hokage and I'm entrusting it with you, are you worthy of his legacy, Naruto?" As he continued to speak Naruto held his red balloon infront of chest while he glanced down at it from in between his bangs, obviously deep in thought.

"If you're entrusting me with this jutsu... then I promise I will be worthy Sensei, after all - I can't turn down a request from my master, can I?" Naruto exclaimed, repeating the same line of dialogue he had used so often when talking to Iruka.

At this moment Jiraiya took several steps forward before reaching out with his right hand and gripping Naruto's left shoulder while smiling with approval and admiration towards the latter.

"Lets go ahead and get this over with, the sooner you're done, the sooner you can try some Alcohol." Jiraiya expressed in an encouraging tone, he wasn't really one who liked rules that much anyway.

 _7 hours later, 11:24pm_

Naruto rested on his back while his chest rose and fell several times due to his constant heavy breathing, his gloves or atleast all the fabric above his below wrist was completely torn off, revealing his bruised and dirt covered hands.

Surrounding the blond were a series of 8 craters that littered the white rocky shoreline while 4 trees in the distance were snapped in half by some unknown power, leaving 4 stumps jagging up out of the ground.

While Naruto continued to catch his breath he glanced up at the later night sky, staring at the moon and stars, an action that caused his bangs to part from his face, revealing his ripple patterned violet eyes directly to Jiraiya's field of view.

As Jiraiya sat beside his iconic rock he used his left hand to reach inside his red robe before pulling out a scroll with the Kanji for "Muffin" on it, no doubt a scroll he stole from Naruto when the latter wasn't looking.

Jiraiya then unsprawled the scroll through the air before placing the object atop the rocky ground infront of him and planting his left palm atop the page, forcing the object open with mental power as a cloud of smoke instantly erupted into existence around the scroll, catching Naruto's attention.

After several moments the smoke dissolved entirely, revealing a metal tray with 18 Muffins placed neatly on the tray, Muffins that Jiraiya quickly tossed in his mouth.

While Jiraiya had expected the snack to be decent, he had no idea or knowledge of the amount of flavor he had just tasted, it was a flavor beyond his comprehension, a flavor that was overwhelming his body, the flavor of a Banana Muffin.

This 1st taste caused Jiraiya to fall on his right side and lay there in a paralyzed state for several moments before springing back to life and hurling Muffins by the handful into his mouth, an action that sent him into a state of Euphoria.

"S-Sensei... are you alright?" Naruto asked as he sat up straight only to be drowned out by the grunts and groans of Jiraiya as the latter continued to stuff his face with Muffins.

Finally, after several seconds of devouring defenseless Muffins, Jiraiya managed to lean back against his rock while using both his hands to grip his now fattened and enlarged belly.

"Ahhhhhh - that's the spot kid, those Muffins were amazing." Jiraiya exclaimed while rubbing his belly, out of the 18 Muffins Jiraiya had eaten 12, leaving only 6 for his student.

"Th-thanks... Iruka-Sensei was always teaching me how to cook, said it's an essential skill or something." Naruto mumbled while he glanced back up at the moon.

"Hey, kid, come seat by me." Jiraiya ordered while he patted the loose rocks on his right side, an action that caused his student to stand up before walking over to him and sitting down Indian style in that very spot.

"Like this, Sensei?" Naruto questioned.

"Are you gonna have some of these Muffins?" Jiraiya asked.

"No thanks, my mind is just some where else right now, ya' know?" Naruto replied, after which he noticed a shift in the air as the aura surrounding his Sensei instantly changed from a joyful one to a stern and rigid one.

"My son..." Jiraiya spoke as he wrapped his right arm around Naruto's shoulder while he glanced up at the moon, an action that caused his student to stare at his face, allowing him to notice the distance and far-off expression in his teachers eyes.

Son... Naruto quickly thought, in his entire life, for his entire existence no one had ever called him that word.

"On the day you born... the very forest of Konoha whispered the name... Naruto." Jiraiya declared as a heavy gust of wind blew in from the south, filling the clearing with leaf's that danced and floated around the 2 seated Shinobi.

This moment stretched out for what seemed like minutes to Naruto as the leaf's around him appeared to freeze in midair but at the same time continued to float.

"My child... I have watched over you since the beginning, and I have watched with pride as you grew into a weapon... of righteousness." Jiraiya declared, suggesting he had some unspoken bond with Naruto.

"Remember... you're line has always ruled with Wisdom... and Strength... and I know that you will show restraint when exercising your great power." As he spoke he continued to gaze up at the moon.

"M-my line?" Naruto mumbled out, he knew he was an Uzumaki but he didn't know anything else about his 'line', so he wondered why Jiraiya would talk about it as if he did.

"But at the same time... the truest victory, is winning the hearts of your people." Jiraiya remarked while turning his gaze directly upon his student, causing Naruto to awe with wonder at his heroic words.

"I tell you this... because when my days come to an end... you, shall be the next Sage." Jiraiya declared as he stared at Naruto's face, catching a few brief glimpses of purple as his student stared back him from underneath his bangs.

After 40 years of searching, training and dreaming for the day when his destined student would arrive, Jiraiya had, for the 1st time since Nagato, once again found his purpose in life, the purpose of training Naruto to take up his mantle and lead the world into glorious peace.


	30. Chapter 30

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 30: The Red Thread Of Fate! First Encounter.**

 _Thursday 9:43am, June 8th 58SSP_

"Stuck in this dump for twelve days... Bullshit." Tayuya mumbled to herself.

Adorned with a pair of blue civilian shoes, Tayuya wore skin-tight black shorts, contrasting her pale purple shirt. Freshly stolen from a misfortune citizen, Tayuya used these clothes to blend it.

Defined by her waist-length crimson hair, these sparkling strands clung to Tayuya's static-filled outfit. Drawing attention to her pale-skinned face, Tayuya rolled her brown eyes with boredom.

Tayuya's most prominent feature was her fluffy black beanie, held in place by linen bandages around her skull. A secret fetish for Tayuya, she had a deep addiction for cute hats.

Walking through the outskirts of Konoha, Tayuya eventually strolled down a narrow dirt road. Approaching an abandoned street, partially littered with trash and rustic debris.

Distracted by her own thoughts, Tayuya accidently sat in front of the only populated house. A two-story lodge that was encompassed by trees, Tayuya slouched down on the side walk.

Filled with a sudden train of thought, Tayuya glanced over her should before smiling with a mischievous grin. Leaping onto both feet, Tayuya quietly walked towards the front door.

I'll just break-in and sleep here. Tayuya concluded.

Reaching for the front-door, Tayuya second guessed her decision at the last moment, biting her own lip. Turning around, Tayuya crossed both arms against her flat chest.

I'm supposed to be getting stronger... Not wasting my time here. Torn from these thoughts, Tayuya was startled by the nearby door.

"Hey, I'm gonna go grab some Ramen, wanna come with?" Naruto cut in, closing his front-door behind him.

Startled by the strange offer of food, Tayuya's stomach abruptly growled in response. Scratching the bridge of her nose, Tayuya squinted both eyes, glaring at Naruto's whiskers.

"Uh-... Yea, sure." Tayuya muttered, eager for some free food.

Pinning both hands against the back of her hat, Tayuya leisurely trailed behind Naruto, wrinkling her pale nose. Walking beside Naruto, Tayuya struggled to ignore her loud stomach.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later_

"Well look who it is, hey there Naru-..." Teuchi spoke as a greeting to Naruto only for his train of thought to halt entirely once he noticed the bright red-haired girl behind his favorite customer.

"Morning Naruto! What will you and your lovely friend have today?" Ayame asked as she shoot out from the kitchen before standing behind the counter and smiling towards the boy she considered her little brother.

Ayame had never seen the girl who was with Naruto but she didn't care, in her mind Naruto deserved a sweetheart years ago and she personally thought the 2 of them looked quiet adorable together.

Since Ayame was 17, Teuchi was the only one to notice what the other 3 people in his shop didn't, he was the only one old another to remember Kushina and Minato walking around the village together.

"Could I get 2 Iruka Ramen's please." Naruto asked while placing the appropriate amount of Ryo on the counter, causing Ayame to reach out in an attempt to grab it only for Teuchi to stop her.

"You'll get both of them for free, infact everything you order for today is on the house!" Teuchi declared as he raised his arms into the air while a wide smile bloomed across his face.

"Fo-for free?" Tayuya mumbled as she repeated words she had never before heard in her entire life.

"Of course little girl, Naruto is my best customer and by default, that makes you my best customer so go ahead and have a seat while I head into the back and get started on your meal." Teuchi ordered before instantly turning around and disappeared into the kitchen door.

Without wasting any more time Naruto sat down on the far right stool while Ayame took several moments to observe Tayuya who was still staring at the doorway Teuchi disappeared into.

"So Naruto, whose your lovely friend?" Ayame asked, having finally found of moment to gossip.

"Tayuya..." The red-haired girl murmured out without thinking, still confused over the extreme act of kindness Teuchi had directed towards her and Naruto, something she wasn't used to.

Fuck. Tayuya screamed loudly in her mind once she realized what she had just done, she was originally planning to hide her identity and use a fake name if it ever came up, but instead she managed to be a complete moron and give her real name.

After several moments of mentally screaming at herself, Tayuya decided to sit on the stool directly to the left of Naruto as she tried her best to act like a normal citizen, or atleast how she thought they acted.

Tayuya would never admit it, but she loved Naruto's outfit, purple was her favorite color and because of this she regretted not being able to wear her purple inverted bow, a bow standard for all sound Shinobi to wear but as a spy she couldn't.

Ayame then mimicked her father by also turning around and disappearing into the kitchen, leaving Naruto and Tayuya alone as the latter began to stare around the room and study several objects.

This allowed Tayuya to get a better view of Naruto's face, noticing that his whiskers weren't painted on but that they were real whiskers, a fact that completely dumbfounded her.

"How the hell do you have whiskers?" Tayuya blurted out while she continued to stared at Naruto's face.

"That's a good question." Naruto replied as he smiled towards Tayuya, an action she wasn't used to seeing unless it was Orochimaru's twisted and sadistic smile.

Before their conversation could continue any further Ayame rushed back into the room while carrying a steaming bowl of Ramen in each hand as she placed the food infront of her 2 customers.

"Thank you!" Naruto sung as he picked up a pair of chopsticks before he began hurling chunks of pork, eggs and noodles into his mouth, during this Tayuya stared down at the meal presented infront of her, she had never before seen such a beautiful combination of food.

Tayuya then reached out with her left hand and picked up a piece of sautéed pork before placing it next to her mouth and biting down, an action that caused her body to become overwhelmed with flavor and delight.

Tayuya then picked up 1 chopstick before stabbing it through a series of eggs and pork while at the same time wrapped noodles around the stick before shoving it all in her mouth and biting down as she began to devour the food, food she considered to be the best she ever had.

For several moments the sounds of muffled chewing and food being mashed by teeth could be heard as Naruto and Tayuya consumed the defenseless meal presented before them, an act that caused Ayame to smile from ear-to-ear.

They were so focused on enjoying their food that they failed to notice Jiraiya walk into the room as he brushed away the fabric that lined the top of the entryway, only for him to freeze in his tracks once he noticed Naruto sitting beside a red-haired girl.

"Well well, you're girlfriend is pretty hot, Naruto." Jiraiya declared as a mischievous formed across his face.

The stool underneath Tayuya then creaked and cracked as she abruptly jumped off it before lunging back towards Jiraiya and slamming her right fist into the bridge of his nose, forcing him to fly out of the store before crashing into the distant road and rolling for several feet, barely missing a crowd of citizens.

"Shut the fuck up!" Tayuya screamed as she used her left hand to pop her right knuckles before she began to mentally scream at herself once she noticed the amount of attention she gathered.

Is that... is that the 'Woman's wrath' that Sensei was telling me about? Naruto wondered.

Jiraiya then slowly stood up from the dirt road while dusting his cloths off before rubbing his nose with his right hand, happy that he didn't suffer another nose bleed.

She is no civilian... Jiraiya concluded with a stern expression, while he made no intent to prevent Tayuya from striking him the fact that she was able to move so fast was proof enough that she wasn't a normal citizen.

After allowing a few moments to pass for his nose to heal, Jiraiya took several steps forward before once again entering the Ramen stand only to be directly confronted by Tayuya.

"Who the fuck are you?" Tayuya questioned, only for a joyful grin to form on Jiraiya's face before he instantly erupted into a large cloud of smoke.

"Listen carefully... some call me the 'frog hermit' but that title is merely a disguise... I shall tell you my true Identity! I am a man who the ladies faint and fawn over, a man who is renown for his beauty throughout the heavens themselves..." Jiraiya declared before the smoke cloud around him began to partially dissolve, revealing sections of his body and a 4ft tall toad he stood on.

"I am one of the Sannin... the white-haired frog tamer of legend... gaze upon me for even a crying baby would stare with awe... I am, MASTER JIRAIYA!" As he continued to speak the smoke around him dissipated, revealing Jiraiya as he stood in a half-crouched position with his left hand extended out towards Tayuya and his student.

"You're standing on that toads eye..." Tayuya pointed out as she crossed her arms infront of her nonexistent chest.

"It's okay, he's used to it." Jiraiya replied while the sole of his left sandal was digging into the eyelid of the toad he stood atop.

Before the conversation continued any further, Tayuya's eyes instantly bulged and widened once she realized who she was talking to, the old teammate of her Lord, Lord Orochimaru.

"What are you doing here, Sensei, I thought we were taking the week off?" Naruto question.

Figures, once I saw his satchel I thought he was a Shinobi, but where is his headband? Tayuya thought as she once again examined Naruto in an attempt to locate his headband only to fail.

"We are, but I thought we'd go to the hot springs today, my treat." Jiraiya replied.

"The... hot springs? For your inspiration?" Naruto asked, causing Jiraiya to smile from ear-to-ear.

"Don't worry kid, the hot springs are great, you'll love it." Jiraiya asserted as he wrapped his right arm around Naruto's shoulder before forcing him to stand up in an attempt to lead him to the hot springs.

"Do you... do you want to come with?" Naruto asked while he glanced towards Tayuya from underneath his bangs, causing the latter to stare back at him for several moments.

If there is anyone in this village I can learn from... it's this white-haired loser... I'll just stick close to this kid and I should be able to find something worth learning. Tayuya concluded as she became determined to travel along side Naruto for the chance to observe Jiraiya.

"Yea, sure." Tayuya exclaimed in the same fashion she did when Naruto offered to take her out for food.

After speaking, Tayuya walked out past Jiraiya and Naruto before the latter took a few steps forward to catch up while the white-haired Shinobi watched both of them walk down the road together, seeing an Image he hadn't seen in over a decade.

* * *

 _1 hour later_

"So, your vacation is over in 1 week, huh kid?" Jiraiya asked while he sat chest deep in the bubbling hot springs, he held a small cup in his right hand and behind him rested 13 empty cups, suggesting he had been drinking.

"Sure is, so I'm going to need all the energy I can get and this is wonderful." Naruto replied as he slurred his words slightly while his mouth was barely above the water, he had a rectangular folded washcloth placed atop his hair while tiny drops of water dripped off his facial whiskers.

Since Naruto's hair was wet and soaked, his bangs were parted and stuck in several different directions, revealing his Rinnegan eyes to anyone who stared at his face.

In a 10ft wide radius around the spring was flat stone before changed into knee hair grass that lined the 4 walls of the area, giving off a lovely aesthetic that Naruto enjoyed quite well.

"So kid be honest with me, where did you get that babe from?" Jiraiya asked before down another cup of his drink.

"She was just sitting on my frontporch when I opened the door this morning." Naruto mumbled before preforming a series of hiccups, causing him to sink down ear deep into the water only for his hiccups to continue by creating bubbles underwater.

"Mmmmmm, getting hot girls delivered at your front door, now that's the life." Jiraiya exclaimed before picking up another pre-poured cup and quickly downing it like the last.

"Sensei, what if someone comes in and they see my eyes? Aren't these public hot springs?" Naruto questioned after he poked his head out of the water slightly.

"Naaaaah, I reserved the men's section for 2 hours so we can do whatever we like, do you want another cup of Saké?" Jiraiya replied, having no problem at all with supplying Alcohol to a 12 year old.

"But Sensei, if the men's section is reserved than is the women's section also reserved?" Naruto asked while he reached out with both hands to grab his 3rd cup of Saké before halfway submerging the cup and his face.

"Hmmmmmmm - no, I didn't know about your girlfriend when I made the reservations yesterday... and besides... I NEED THE INSPIRATION!" Jiraiya declared as he raised his right clenched fists confidently into the air.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Tayuya screamed in response, they weren't in the same room but since the hot springs were public and outside with only a 20ft tall wooden wall that separated the men's and women's section, if someone was loud enough the others could hear.

I was hoping to learn something useful but instead he's just a total jackass, I can't even relax because that moron is within spitting distance. Tayuya thought as her annoyance with Jiraiya grew more and more with each moment.

Tayuya sat shoulder deep in the center of the main spring for the women's section, lucky enough to be alone but still close enough to others that she didn't feel comfortable, she wasn't one for crowds.

In a 20ft wide radius around the spring sat a series of flat stone and carved rocks that paved the way to a bamboo sliding door, a door that abruptly slid open before 4 females wearing nothing but towels entered the room, an act that caused Tayuya to submerge her mouth under the water before she began screaming and cursing into it.

"I told you someone was already here." Ino remarked as she stood infront of Sakura, Hinata and Tenten.

"It's fine, there is more than enough room for 5 people." Sakura pointed out.

"Man this is going to feel great on my back." Tenten exclaimed as she dashed past her 3 friends before dropping her towel and jumping into the hot spring, creating a small 2ft tall pillar of water to erupt where she landed before rippling out and disturbing Tayuya.

"You're back can't hurt that bad if you can move like that..." Sakura mumbled.

"I'm surprised you came here without Neji, I thought you 2 went everywhere together." Ino spoke, suggesting she knew quite alot of information about Tenten.

"For some reason the men's section is reserved, can you believe that? I mean, who has the power to do that?" Tenten remarked after she popped her head out of the water, each of her words enraged Tayuya who became overwhelmed with jealousy, she wanted a reserved spring.

As Ino, Sakura and Hinata all took off their towels and sat down in the spring, Hinata instinctively crossed her arms infront of her chest as she made great effort to conceal herself.

While Hinata was covering her chest, Ino, Sakura and Tenten all caught a glimpse of it before sinking nose deep into the water as they became overwhelmed with shame once they compared her chest to their own.

Now I know why she always wears that jacket... Sakura thought.

No fair... I could get any guy if I had those... Ino remarked, she was the most perverted of the girls after all.

Man... this is so unfair... Tenten complained.

So what, they're just tits, nobody cares... Tayuya declared as she began walking into the 5ft deep section of the springs in an attempt to escape the group of talking girls.

"Hey, where are you going? We didn't scare you off did we?" Ino asked, forcing Tayuya to stand on her tippy-toes so she could get her mouth out of the water in order to speak.

"There is nothing you could do that would scare me." Tayuya declared before abruptly sinking ear-deep back into the water, muffling the insults she hurled towards Ino from underwater.

"That's alittle... too confident, for a civilian I mean." Tenten spoke, suggesting she noticed Tayuya's bundled up citizen cloths outside the hot spring entrance.

"Why don't we try introducing ourselves?" Sakura suggested.

"Go fuck yourself" Tayuya spoke underwater as she glanced in between Tenten and Sakura several times, both of which didn't even hear the insult.

"H-hey-u-um-girls... lets be nice..." Hinata mumbled timidly, only for Tayuya to notice how annoying her voice was.

"That cocky red-haired witch started it!" Ino declared as she dramatically pointed towards Tayuya, only for the latter to slice her left hand atop the waters surface, splashing water towards Ino who was clearly trying to keep her hair dry.

"Do that again! Do that again!" Ino screamed so loudly that both Naruto and Jiraiya could hear them, causing the latter's face to turn a pale shade of red has he debated what was happening.

"So I guess Tayuya has company?" Naruto mumbled as he pulled the washcloth off his head before rubbing it against his face and whiskers.

"I forgot there was a bit of fun to be had..." Jiraiya remarked in a playful tone while a mischievous smile formed across his face before his expression suddenly shifted to a stern and rigid one.

"Sure enough, getting naked together like this is a great way to bond, isn't it?!" Jiraiya asked, causing Naruto to halt all kinds of movement as he became overwhelmed by the sheer awkwardness of the situation infront of him.

For several moments Naruto's violet eyes glanced and shot around the room in various different locations in an attempt to avoid direct eye contact with Jiraiya, only to fail everytime.

"Don't you think so?" As he spoke, his eyes were bulging from they're sockets while he didn't blink once.

"Ye-yea... that's right.." Naruto replied as he slowly stood up before taking 1 step backwards in an attempt to get out of the hot spring.

"Oh... so you do have some "equipment" after all." Jiraiya declared, causing Naruto's entire body to turn blood red before he leapt back into the hot springs and submerged himself shoulder deep into the water.

"Shut up! Don't be looking! Stop talking about my "equipment"!" Naruto screamed, causing the nearby Kunoichi to hear him.

"Naruto...?" Sakura mumbled, not expecting her teammate to be at the hot springs.

Upon hearing and recognizing Naruto's voice, Hinata's face instantly blushed before she sunk down nose deep into the water with embarrassment.

Instead of responding with words, Ino was the only female that laughed at Naruto's comment.

"What? No way, if Naruto can be here why can't Neji? There's no way he could reserve this place." Tenten stated in disbelief.

I feel like Naruto is having way more fun than I am... Tayuya thought as she sunk eye deep into the hot spring, allowing the water to fill her ears so she could block out the noise from the 4 Kunoichi infront of her.

"Don't worry kid, that equipment will come in handy some day, just ask Tayuya, I'm sure she would be pleased." Jiraiya teased.

"Tayuya..." Naruto mumbled timidly before sinking ear deep into the water, he really loved the color of her hair but he could never tell her that, even if he wanted too most people in the village never wanted to hear what he had to say.

"This reminds me of a story when I was your age... back when I almost died." Jiraiya spoke in a cheerfully manner before downing his 10th cup and placing it beside the now stacked pile of 16 cups, suggesting 10 were his and 6 were Naruto's.

"I broke 6 ribs and both of my arms before several of my internal organs ruptured... I vomited blood for hours and took over 6 months to recover... but the inspiration I gathered was well worth it." As he continued to speak he glanced up towards the bright blue cloudless sky.

"It seems Tsunade didn't like me peeking on her in the bath... so she beat me to an inch of death before sparing me, and yet I would do it all again." A confident smile formed across his face after speaking.

Naruto then grabbed a nearby towel that was resting beside the spring before rubbing it against his hair in an attempt to dry it but also concealing his uncomfortable face.

"Could you shut the fuck up!" Tayuya yelled while she began strolling through the water past Tenten, Ino, Hinata and even Sakura before she walked out of the water and left, not even bothered by the fact that she wasn't wearing a towel.

"And where the hell are you going? Did we scare you off again?" Ino mocked, forcing Tayuya to use every ounce of her restraint to keep herself from beating the blond-haired Kunoichi.

"Fuck every single one of you, I'm going to go hang out with Naruto, atleast he can shut up." Tayuya declared, her words had a resonating impact on each of the leaf Kunoichi as none of them had expected her to know him.

"Na-Naruto..." Hinata mumbled out as she felt jealous over this unknown girl who seemed so comfortable talking about Naruto.

"NARUTO! I'M LEAVING! GET YOUR SHIT AND MEET ME OUTSIDE!" Tayuya ordered, causing the blond Shinobi to quickly finish drying his air before wrapping a towel around his waist and rushing out of the room, only to trip and face-plant due to the amount of Alcohol he had drunk.

"HAHAHAHAHAH!" Jiraiya mocked loudly, a voice Tayuya recognized but the 4 leaf Kunoichi didn't, adding further confusion to each of them.

After stacking the last of his empty cups Jiraiya stood up before wrapping a towel around his own waist and stumbling off towards his student who had already managed to stand up and disappear behind the sliding door.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 11:46am out the southeastern outskirts of Konoha_

"My planning here is complete, with only 1 week left the time has come to leave this village and pay a visit to the Kazekage." Orochimaru spoke as his back was leaning against a large red pillar that held up an awning of the bridge he and Kabuto stood on.

The bridge was roughly 30ft wide and 20ft tall and ran across a large river, even though the wood was clearly maple it had be painted to give it this bright red color, however parts of the paint began to chip and crack with decay over the years, evidence of its age.

"This country has become soft, too used to peace while the rest of the great nations are busy increasing their military influence... soon this village will be a shadow of it's former power." As he continued to speak, his snake-like eyes narrowed and focused upon a family of birds that landed on the distant shoreline of the river.

At this moment, Kabuto stood up from his respectful kneeling position while using his left hand to push up his glasses before addressing his Lord.

"Are you able to kill him? The 3rd Hokage." Kabuto asked, curious to know what his Lord truly thought.

"Hmph... yes." Orochimaru replied while crossing his arms infront his chest before staring at a ripple that echoed across the waters surface, a ripple that was created by some unseen snake.

"Perfect timing too... the 5 great nations are preparing for a violent clash... war is on the horizon, that conflict will no doubt be fierce and stretch on for years, it'll be fun to see how the Hidden Leaf Village functions without their precious 3rd Hokage." As he spoke, a twisted snake-like smile formed across his face.

"And by the end of that war... the Hidden Sound Village shall stand above all... isn't that right, Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto asked as rays of the sun reflected off his glasses, concealing his eyes from view.

"Your speculation is so good, it creeps me out." Orochimaru joked.

"That's not all, I didn't even know about Dosu, Zaku and Kin, when I was gathering information about Naruto I had to purposely get hit by them in order to find out about their abilities" Kabuto asserted before using his left hand to push up on his glasses.

"So while you do think highly of me, it seems I have not yet gained your full trust" As he continued to speak, a snake head popped out from the surface of the water near the distant shoreline where the birds rested.

"Was there a need to tell you, my right arm, about those mere children that will be tossed away like trash?" Orochimaru replied, indicating just how highly he regarded Kabuto.

"Infact... I trust you so much... that I'm leaving Naruto to you, kidnap him and bring him to me... he has seen much pain and loss during the last stage of the Exams, pain that will hopefully bring him to our side." As he spoke, a snake dashed out from the water before attacking and constricting a bird, forcing the other 4 to fly away.

"Don't we need to visit the Kazekage? There is no way we can smuggle Naruto out of the leaf Village unnoticed, you seem to be in a hurry, that's unusual for you." Kabuto proclaimed.

"When someone catches my attention, I aim to keep them... Naruto is an avatar of a god long since past, the holder of eyes beyond our understanding, he is destined to become the next Sage." Orochimaru declared, unaware that Jiraiya said the exact same thing.

"When he last fought me, he felt my overwhelming power, power far greater than his and yet he continued to fight me without fear, his resolve is absolute." As he spoke, the distant snake squeezed down for the final time on it's prey as it finally managed to crush the bird to death.

"I need to dye him with _my_ color..." After speaking his tongue protruded out over 6 inches before draping across his lips and quickly retracting back inside his mouth.

"Of course... excuse me then." Kabuto spoke in a hesitant tone while he turned around in an attempt to hide the sweat that was forming on his face.

"Kabuto, if... you want to stop me... you have to kill Naruto. " Orochimaru declared, causing Kabuto's eyes to bulge in they're shocks as he began overwhelmed with fear.

"You cannot kill me, Kabuto, you may be strong but you are no stronger than Kakashi." After speaking, a heavy gust of wind blew in from the south, surrounding the 2 Shinobi with Leaf's as a brief period of silence filled the air around them.

After several moments of hesitation Kabuto turned his head slightly to the right, allowing him to glance directly towards his Lord with his right eye, revealing beads of sweat that ran down his face as the gust of wind grew in density before abruptly halting.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph, I'm kidding, you can go now, I trust you." Orochimaru chuckled out, causing a twisted and snake-like smile to form across Kabuto's face before he disappeared by using a textbook perfect body flicker.

Hmph... that face on him... it looked just like my own... I wonder what he was thinking. Orochimaru thought while dissolving into a bundle of white snakes that slithered off the bridge before diving into the river below, an act that prevented even the most skilled Jonin from detecting him.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office_

"Lord Hokage..." Anko spoke as she stepped into the room before noticing that Hiruzen stood infront of the large window that lined the back of his office, allowing him to stare out across the village.

"Anko." Hiruzen spoke before taking several long moments to light his pipe and inhale a large amount of smoke.

"I am sorry... I.." Anko exclaimed as she downcast her head in shame.

"Let me guess, you regret coming back alive from the Forest of Death, correct?" Hiruzen questioned while blowing a significant amount of smoke out of his nose as he spoke.

Hiruzen's words caused Anko to downcast her head even further as a brief period of silence echoed throughout the room.

"Don't no concern yourself with it, you and Orochimaru are not related anymore... as a Shinobi, you must learn to detach your emotions from the decisions of your life, I of all people should know this." Hiruzen remarked.

"My only fear... is that no ninja of Konoha can fight him equally, I fear for the future of our village... none can stand again him... even I..." Hiruzen admitted as he stared down at village of Konoha.

"If... if the 4th was alive right now..." Anko muttered.

"Don't say that, he has already paid the ultimate price and given his life for the defense of this village... it is time that I do the same, by finding the will he had, the Will of Fire." Hiruzen remarked.

"Forgive me, Lord Hokage, I am going to go continue the patrol for Orochimaru." Anko replied before bowing slightly and exiting the room, leaving the seasoned Hokage alone with his thoughts as for the 1st time in 10 years he noticed that war was on the horizon.

* * *

 _5 hours later, 5:36pm inside the streets of Konoha_

"Where the fuck did you get that flower? Isn't that gay?" Tayuya asked as she observed the white lotus Naruto held in his left hand, the 2 of them had been hanging out together all day and she never noticed him pick it up.

"That's odd, I thought you would keep your eyes on your boyfriend at all times." Jiraiya mocked only for the heel of Tayuya's right foot to instantly dig itself into his jawline, forcing him to fly back and crash into a nearby fence.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Tayuya screamed at the top of her lungs, causing her statement to echo through the surrounding streets and houses, an action that caused Naruto to grin.

"Hurry up Sensei or we'll leave you behind." Naruto remarked as he and Tayuya walked down the road together while Jiraiya stared them from underneath a pair of broken fenceboards.

"Kids these days... they are so disrespectful when it comes to great writers, poets and warriors like myself." Jiraiya mumbled before standing up from the pile of broken boards and trailing after the 2 children he was watching over.

"LEE! LEE! LEE!" The repeated screams from several different people echoed loudly from the nearby hospital, causing Naruto to run past Tayuya as fear entered his heart.

After running for several feet Naruto entered the front courtyard of the hospital before instantly noticing a prone-style Lee hovering atop the distance ground, an act that delighted him but horrified a group of approaching nurses and doctors that ran out from the hospital.

As Naruto continued to mover closer to his sibling-student, he noticed a pool of sweat had drenched the dirt underneath Lee while several bandages covered the latter's feet, hands and face.

Lee wore a pale-green long sleeve loose fitting button-up shirt with matching pants, the standard outfit for all patients admitted into the Konoha hospital.

"1189...1190...1191...1192...1193...1194...1195... if I can not do 1200 push-ups, than it is 1500 sit-ups." Lee declared as his arms and legs tremble with every ounce of movement he released.

"Lee! You must stop this at once!" One of the unnamed doctors ordered before taking several steps towards his patient and reaching out with his let hand.

"PLEASE DON'T TOUCH ME! Please... don't interrupt my training..." Lee pleaded while he struggled to finish the amount of push-ups needed for his work-out goal.

At this moment, Jiraiya and Tayuya entered the courtyard before walking towards Naruto and standing behind him, who stood several feet to the left of a prone Lee.

"1196...1197...1198...1199." As Lee counted, the images of Sasuke, Neji, Gaara and Naruto floated throughout his mind.

Suddenly Lee's arms stiffened and froze while he found it almost impossible to hold himself up any further, only for the smiling face of Naruto to once again pierce his mind.

You're right, everything is pointless... if you don't believe in yourself. The voice of Naruto echoed loudly inside Lee's mind, reinvigorating the latter as his bandaged fingertips buried into the dirt underneath him while he strained every muscle in his body to preform one last push-up.

"1200!" Lee screamed out before his train of thought instantly went blank once he became overwhelmed by the smell of a white lotus flower, a flower that was now resting against his nose.

After taking several moments to regain his senses, Lee finally noticed that Naruto was crouched down infront of him with his favorite flower presented as a gift.

"Nar-Naruto..." Lee mumbled in awe as he continued to breath in the beautiful aroma of smell of the white lotus, a smell that appeared to heal his very muscle, or atleast that's what he told himself.

"NARUTO!" Lee screamed, giving himself the physical strength to stand up straight, a feat that awed and stupefied several of the doctors present.

"My friend and sibling-student, I thank you kindly for this beautiful gift of the lotus, I promise you, every lotus blooms twice." As he continued to speak he dramatic hurled a right thumbs up towards Naruto, who merely grinned in response.

"Lee, please, you need to get some rest." A nearby nurse argued, only for Lee to surprise everyone present once he agreed.

"Yes, I have met my goal and I become stronger everyday, I set my goal at 1200 because I wanted to do 100 push-ups for everyday I wasted in this hospital and I shall continue to do so, for you, Naruto." Lee proclaimed as he extended his right, bandaged wrapped trembling hand out towards Naruto.

In response Naruto reached out with his own right hand before gripping Lee's hand and shaking it firmly, an action the 2nd of them had never done before but Naruto didn't mind.

"I look forward to seeing you in the finals of the Chunin exam, and to you defeating the enemy I failed too, I have no doubt you will achieve this, Naruto." Lee asserted, causing Tayuya's eyes to widen with shock.

Wh-what? That kid is in the Chunin exams? Tayuya thought, while she had no problem hanging out with Naruto so far, she didn't notice any trait that would justify the boy as a strong Shinobi.

At this moment, Lee turned around before being escorting inside the hospital by a group of over 10 doctors and nurses while Naruto, Tayuya and Jiraiya stared at the group before they disappeared entirely.

"Say, this reminds me of something very important about your training." Jiraiya spoke out, garnishing his students attention while Tayuya also paid attention incase there was anything for her to learn.

"Do you have a girl that you like?" As he spoke, his tone shifted to a mischievous and childish one.

"U-ummm... what?" Naruto mumbled timidly, hoping he misheard his Sensei.

"I'm asking if there is a woman you love." Jiraiya replied, causing Naruto's entire face to turn bright red before he began mumbling and stumbling through a series of words Tayuya and Jiraiya couldn't even understand.

"Well I mean... I kind of just keep that stuff to myself, most people in this village hate me anyway..." Naruto spoke sheepishly as he used his right hand to rub the back on his head.

I actually wouldn't mind it, you get the kingly treatment. Tayuya remarked as she thought back to when she saw 1st hand as several large and crowded streets all parted ways in seconds while some citizens even ran from Naruto, something she personally considered a blessing.

"Good, you have one, so go hug that girl right now." Jiraiya ordered as he nonchalantly poked Naruto's nose with his right index finger.

"Whaaaaaat!?" Naruto stuttered in disbelief as his mouth feel open before his face once again turned bright red while Jiraiya's right finger continued to jabbed into his nose, something Tayuya thought was quite funny.

"I-is this part of my training..." As he spoke, the red on his face spread out and consumed his entire body.

"Something like that." Jiraiya replied nonchalantly as he crossed his arms infront of his chest, suggesting he didn't take the situation that seriously but his student did.

"Bu-I-the-and you-what if-wh-..." Naruto mumbled through a series of words as he attempted to form some time of argument only to fail, an action that caused him to downcast his head in shame.

"I don't have time for this pansy-shit, just go find your bitch and wrap those arms around her, can't be too hard." Tayuya exclaimed as she crossed her arms infront of her nonexistent chest, causing her to not notice that her worlds forced the blush on Naruto's face to grow even more red.

"But if I do that... what if try to hit me?" Naruto asked as he began to timidly poke his index fingers together while downcasting his still red face.

"Then I'll beat their face in." Tayuya sighed out, she wasn't really protective or friendly or kind, or even nice but somehow the blond had done a remarkably good job at staying on her nice side, especially given all the free food she enjoyed today.

"See? You even have Tayuya's sworn protection and after all, my face can speak for the amount of damage she deals." Jiraiya declared in a comical fashion, causing a slight grin to appear on Tayuya's face.

"If I do this... will I become stronger?" Naruto asked as he glanced towards his Sensei.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm." Jiraiya sighed out in a long and dramatic fashion before poking Naruto's head.

"Here, no... but here, you will grow stronger than you've ever been." After jabbing Naruto's forehead for several seconds Jiraiya then redirected his finger before poking Naruto's heart.

"But what if they stop talking to me? I like being around them." Naruto questioned.

"Quit being such a pansy and just go hug them already, walk right up to them like a badass before you wrap your arms around their waist and pull them close, go hug them right fucking now." Tayuya ordered, causing Jiraiya to direct 2 thumbs up towards his student .

"Wel-well it's just I'm no-" Naruto mumbled before his sentence became interrupted once Tayuya gripped the raised collar of his tunic and pulled him closed, an action that both intimidated and excited him.

"Just get this training off with so you can more on to the next shit, this stuff isn't hard just wrap your arms around them." Tayuya explained while she continued to hold Naruto by the tip of his collar with both hands, since she was 4'6 and he was 4'7 she had to use this to her advantage in order to hold him.

Tayuya's only interest was progressing Naruto's training to see if there was anything she could learn from just being a fly on the wall and if he couldn't hug this girl than she could never learn anything.

At this moment, Naruto abruptly reached out with both arms before wrapping them around Tayuya's waist and pulling her close while squeezing slightly, preforming the same action she had ordered him to preform mere seconds ago.

This action left Tayuya dazed and confused as her mind went completely blank, the only thought that could register was how warm Naruto was.

After several moments of silence Tayuya finally regained her train of thought, causing her to abruptly push Naruto back with both hands before crossing her arms infront of her chest and stomping her right foot upon the ground.

"Not me you fucking jackass!" Tayuya proclaimed.

"I think he did a wonderful job, after all... you did look quite star-struck." Jiraiya mocked, suggesting he noticed the amount of time it took Tayuya to regain her senses after Naruto hugged her.

This action forced Tayuya to redirect her rage towards Jiraiya, causing her to lung towards him before slamming her clenched right fist into the bridge of his nose, an action that hurled him back into the 8ft tall fence that lined the hospital.

Instead of breaking, the fence managed to hold and fling Jiraiya back, causing him to slide face-first across the grass and dirt covered courtyard only for Tayuya to run forward and kick him in the head.

A woman's wrath... yea, I'm not getting anywhere near that. Naruto concluded as he took 2 steps back.

"How come Naruto doesn't get hit..." Jiraiya mumbled out as his face rested atop a mound of dirt.

"Naruto is just a jackass, but you're a dumbass." Tayuya declared as a small grin bloomed on her face.

Tayuya would never admit it but the past 8 hours of her life with Naruto and Jiraiya was quite enjoyable, she never knew how different Jiraiya was from Orochimaru and she also decided to never mention her Lords name infront of him.

* * *

 _2 hours later, 7:42pm outside Naruto's house during the early night sky_

"That was a lovely day together kiddo's, I'm going to go swing by a bar and see if I can draw out some last minute inspiration before the day is over." Jiraiya exclaimed as he rested against 1 of the 2 large bush's that lined the entryway to Naruto's house.

"Yea, I'm out of here too then I guess." Tayuya declared as she began walking off towards her apartment only to remember that Jirobo was there, a thought that caused her to abruptly turn around and walk back towards Naruto.

"Hey, I'm sleeping here tonight." Tayuya asserted before she crossed her arms infront of her chest and glanced at Naruto, since his bangs covered his eyes and his raised collar concealed his mouth, all of his expressions were hidden from her.

"Sure, I mean, if you want to." Naruto mumbled, trying his best to ignore the thumbs up Jiraiya was directing towards him.

"Hey Naruto... could you run inside and grab me a few empty scrolls for the trip?" Jiraiya asked innocently.

"Of course, Sensei." Naruto replied as he turned around and quickly walked off towards his frontdoor before unlocking and opening the object only to disappear into the house.

"He is a sweet kid, isn't he." Jiraiya proclaimed, causing Tayuya to sigh loudly in response.

"Yea... so how did he manage to get you as a trainer?" Tayuya asked, unaware that her words caused Jiraiya's eyes to squint and narrow.

"Just a bit of good fortune, sometimes good things happen to random people." Jiraiya replied.

"I don't believe in that shit." Tayuya retorted.

"Oooooh, this reminds me... I have a question for you." Jiraiya remarked in a cheerful tone.

"Yea, sure, what is it." Tayuya asked nonchalantly.

"Do you think I'm blind?" Jiraiya questioned, causing Tayuya to notice an instant shift in his aura and tone.

"The skill and speed you've displayed today, several times I might add, more than confirm that you're no citizen." As he spoke, Tayuya's muscles tensed and stiffened as she became overwhelmed with a sense of dread.

"I don't know what you're planning with Naruto, but I want you to know this." As he continued to speak, he managed to make direct eye contact with Tayuya, an action that sent fear throughout the latter's spine as she realized the Shinobi infront of her was completely different from the dumbass she spent all day with.

"If you hurt him - I'll kill you." For the 1st time since meeting him, Jiraiya's eyes gave off the same feeling Orochimaru's did, a feeling of fear of despair.

At this moment, a strong gust of wind blew in from the south, cascading the street with a blanket of leaf's that slowly floated and shifted through the air while several beads of sweat formed on Tayuya's face.

"Hmhmhm, I hope you 2 have a lovely night together, tell Naruto that I don't need those scrolls." Jiraiya spoke as he turned around and began walking down the street before waving the back of his left hand through air the several times until he soon disappeared under the night sky.

This action left Tayuya crippled and panicked as the seconds stretched out for what seem like minutes, she had been totally uncovered by the very same guy she called a dumbass barely 2 hours ago.

After taking several moments to regain her senses, Tayuya then turned to the left before walking towards Naruto's frontdoor and disappearing into his house, eager to leave the dark experience with Jiraiya behind her.


	31. Chapter 31

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: biginferno - Your feeling is correct and will contribute a lot to her development as a character.**

 **Christopher - I do see your point and** **I will keep your reviews in mind for future chapters but certain fights will still be focused upon.** **For example, Dosu is going to be Zabuza level later on in the story, so I have to develop him now, like Tayuya, Gaara and Naruto.**

 **iShyboy - I'm glad you liked her and thank** **you for pointing out that mistake, by the time you are reading this that mistake will be fixed.**

 **Hiatagi-Satori - I'm happy you enjoyed the chapters so much, here's 2 more.**

 **It's hard for me to accurately explain and express my hatred for Hinata, I just don't like her personality or her aesthetic design. At least with Sakura I like her design. (Green eyes and pink hair)**

 **FatherOfAllProtgenoi - You bring up the theory of Rinnegan Reincarnation (just my nickname for it) which is the concept of a Chakra-user who possesses all 6 chakra natures that can recreate or reverse engineer other jutsu, even bloodline limits and Kekkai Genkai.**

 **I don't hate this theory, infact I have no problem with it but I strongly believe that Bloodline powers and Kekkai Genkai are more than just fancy jutsu. they are a symbolic way to identify a certain character.**

 **For example, if you think about Ice Style your mind instantly shifts to Haku while if you think about Wood Style it morphs to Hashirama. A bloodline limit is a plot device to make your character permanently different and unique.**

 **This is nothing I would love more than for Naruto to be some badass Ice-user/wizard but I don't consider it realistic.** **With all the being said, I do love the concept of a future (16-20ish year old) Naruto using Lava/Ice Style, so I will definitely hold this theory close to heart.**

 **In regards to how I write 'Indian style' instead of Lotus position, I apologize its just a personal thing I have. I've never really been into meditation so I was never familiar with the terms.**

 **tenellis - Thank you kindly for all your reviews, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far.**

 **Ishimaru Taiki - Here's 2 more chapters for you, enjoy.**

 **LtFuzzleButt - I'm glad you enjoyed the way Tayuya is written and do you have any suggestions on how to improve the weird and out of place feeling?**

 **GunBlade2018 - Jiraiya being a good Godfather could be a Fanfiction by itself. In canon, Jiraiya is never in the village because he is needed abroad to maintain the spy network for Konoha, he was a very valuable Shinobi for the leaf.**

 **The idea of Jiraiya jumping in between certain locations and Konoha to visit Naruto could easily be done. But in terms of canon I feel Kishimoto just didn't think that far ahead.**

 **jtcookie96 - I agree, Jiraiya doesn't get enough love, he is a traumatic character but that doesn't give people an excuse to write him as a failure or a loser.**

 **It really makes me happy that you felt the chemistry between the 3 of them, that makes me feel like I'm improving as a writer.**

 **My hatred for Hinata is purely personal, in terms of a Waifu she is great but I don't like hey timid personality or her design. When in comes to anime I choose the girls with colorful hair since I myself look like a tumblr commercial.**

 **ShadowDeathSkull - I always liked that scene where Minato just begins blushing after meeting Kushina for the 1st time. And while I won't have any hard-core flirty moments like that for awhile, I feel Naruto letting anyone inside his life is realistic. (almost anyone)**

 **I see it kind of like Choji and Shikamaru. If someone wants to come over, spend the night, eat his food or spend time with him, then Naruto would of course say yes, because he wants friends.**

 **Guest - I'm glad you've become so invested in my story and I truly appreciate you taking the time to review it.**

 **Rest assured Jiraiya's words will have an impact on Naruto - atleast for now.**

 **Anon E. Moose - I do see your point, when I make a chapter 10-20k long, it becomes difficult to follow and locate certain paragraphs. Because of that I apologize and promise that from now own, I will limit myself to 7-9k each.**

 **I feel Sakura's desire to become stronger in order to impress Sasuke is completely realistic. With that being said I've basically merged Sakura with her inner dialogue that was very promient in the first half of Part 1 Naruto.**

 **Sasuke is Sakura's Tsunade (the comparison here being Sakura is Jiraiya) which by default means every single thing she does is to impress Sasuke. Which lead to the "Sasuke will like me if I'm a strong Ninja!" Line, because that's the same thing Jiraiya said when started training seriously.**

 **While you are correct that pairings will play a important role in this story, Sakura is very weird in the fact that she has no pairing. There is no SakuraXblank - at this moment in time Sakura is planned to be a female version of Jiraiya, which means no permanent love interest.**

 **If you are here for KarinXHaku - Karin will either be introduced next chapter or chapter 33 because my research tells me Orochimaru first met her on his way back to Konoha after killing the 4th Kazekage.**

 **With that being said, Haku and Karin will meet during the Return to the Land of Waves Arc**

 **Narutoreader750 - It looks like it will be awesome then because he is going full Arthas.**

 **This chapter takes place during Naruto episode 53 and onward.**

 **Point out my mistakes, I am a failure and make a lot of them.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 31: Attempted Abduction! The Plan To Destroy Konoha.**

 _8:02pm, Thursday June 8th, 58SSP_

"This shit is pretty fucking fancy." Tayuya remarked after slamming Naruto's frontdoor shut before turning to the right and kicking her shoes off, causing them to bounce into the wooden wall before reflecting off and landing in a crooked fashion atop the shoemat beside her.

After several moments Tayuya's eyes glanced to the left, examining 2 pairs of Shinobi shoes, 1 that belonged to Naruto and another that was easily an adult sized pair, suggesting it didn't belong to the latter.

She then tore her gaze away from the shoes only to get hypnotized by a series of paintings that hung from the walls around her, several of which were iconic scenes from popular locations in Konoha like Hashirama Street, The Ninja Academy, The Hokage Monument and even Ichiraku's Ramen Stand.

"His parents must be fucking loaded..." As she spoke, she crossed her arms infront of her nonexistent chest while walking past the black-spiral metal staircase to her left before observing the 3 separate doorways around her.

Tayuya then began to tap her right foot repeatedly atop the wooden floor while she huffed several gusts of wind out of her nose as she grew tired of waiting for Naruto to appear.

"HEY JACKASS!" The moment she spoke, a loud thud was heard from upstairs followed by the sound of running feet before they tripped, causing Naruto and over 2 dozen scrolls to tumble and roll down the spiral staircase before landing face-first on the wooden floor.

"HAHAHAH! How the fuck are you in the Chunin Exams if you trip while running down the stairs?" As she mocked Naruto, she pointed towards him with her right hand while resting her left hand against her stomach.

"I dropped a scroll and accidently tripped on it..." Naruto mumbled out in embarrassment while rubbing the top of his head with his right hand before taking several moments to stand up straight.

"How many scrolls did Sensei need?" After speaking, Naruto began picking up and stacking the scrolls atop his left forearm.

"He left to go stare at some tits, he didn't need any scrolls, so where the hell can I sit down?" Tayuya replied, trying to move the conversation forward so she didn't have to dwell on the dark feeling she had previously gotten from Jiraiya.

"Oh, um, over there." Naruto mumbled while he used his right hand to point at the door directly behind Tayuya, causing her to turn around before walking towards the door and swinging it open.

The first thing Tayuya noticed was a long forest green couch with a matching sofa-chair beside it while both rested atop a green 48in x 48in carpet, placed infront of the furniture was a small 30in x 30in maple coffee table with a TV remote on top.

On the opposite side of the room was a long forest green curtain that ran alongside the entirety of the wall, concealing a long glass sliding door that lead outside to the backyard patio.

As Tayuya stepped into the room she quickly noticed that the wall to her right side was completely covered by numerous pictures of Naruto and some figure see didn't know, images of them eating together, watching the sunset together and even several birthday's.

Family friend maybe? There is no way their related, they looked completely different from one another. Tayuya concluded before she turned around and glanced towards a large 32in TV placed atop a dresser on the wall opposite from the couch.

After one last glance around the room, Tayuya noticed a set of 4 miniature green maple trees sprouting up from plant buckets in each of the corners to the room.

Tayuya then abruptly dashed forward before jumping in the air and sliding into Naruto's couch, allowing her head to rest atop one arm-rest while her feet laid against the other.

"Oh fuck yes... " Tayuya exclaimed with delight as she began to wiggle like a worm atop the couch while she rubbed the soles of her feet against the soft arm-rest.

"Comfortable?" Naruto asked with a smile on his face while he walked into the room with a bundle of scrolls held neatly in between both his hands.

"Hell yea, I've been sleeping on a floormat for the past 12 days so this is fucking fantastic." Tayuya replied as she continued to wiggle like a worm, the present joy erasing the memories of sleeping in swamps, treebranches and even graveyards during her journey with Orochimaru.

"Why a floormat?" Naruto questioned while he placed his bundle of scrolls atop the maple coffee table.

"Don't worry about that, but whose that dude with the scar across his nose in all those pictures?" Tayuya responded before using her left foot to point at the seemingly endless amount of photos that decorated the wall behind the couch.

"T-that's my father." Naruto stuttered out.

"Bullshit, you two look nothing alike, are those his shoes by the frontdoor?" Tayuya asked while staying up at ceiling, using the light from the front room of the house to illuminate her current environment.

"Y-yea..." Naruto mumbled timidly while he downcast his head, something Tayuya failed to notice.

"Is he here right now? And since he isn't your dad, who is? Where is your mom at? I don't have to deal with your parents do I?" Tayuya questioned.

"N-no... he isn't here anymore... so don't worry, you won't have to deal with my parents." Naruto muttered in a depressed manner.

"Geez, don't be such a downer, do you wanna watch some TV?" Tayuya asked as she glanced towards Naruto, finally noticed his downcast face.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto was interrupted by a loud rumbling that erupted from his stomach, a sound that echoed across the room.

"I'm actually quite hungry myself, feed me." Tayuya ordered as she hopped up off the couch.

Using Tayuya's words to focus on something other than his fallen father figure, Naruto abruptly turned around and walked out of the living room before turning to the left and opening the door while reaching inside and flicking on the light-switch.

This action illuminated Naruto's kitchen, revealing maple-colored walls, floors and ceiling with a small wooden table in the center of the room that had 4 forest-green linen chairs placed against and a hanging lightbulb that hung right above it.

Once Tayuya brushed past Naruto she noticed a series of cabinets, a stove-top, an oven, a sink and even another small maple tree were positioned to the right of the room with a closed-curtain window looking out from atop the sink, if opened it would give a great view to the road infront of the house.

Tayuya then turned to the left, allowing her to notice that the entire left side of the room was covered and decorated with a series of All-you-can-eat victory ribbons before it trailed to an open doorway that lead into a small room, revealing a washing machine and dryer.

After several moments of observing the room, Tayuya opened her mouth to joke about how someone as small as Naruto could win so many eating contest only for her train of thought to shift at the last moment once she noticed he didn't have a refrigerator.

"What the fuck!? Where the hell is your refrigerator? How do you keep your food fresh? How will you feed me?" Tayuya complained, causing Naruto to walk towards the cabinets above the sink before opening them, revealing an almost endless amount of scrolls which were stashed vertically, preventing them from rolling out.

"What would you like to eat?" Naruto asked, causing Tayuya to tilt her head to the side in confusion.

"Feed me some Ginger Pork with fried rice." Tayuya ordered, causing Naruto to pulled 2 scrolls loose from the cabinet before closing it shut and walking towards the table.

"Ginger Pork happens to be Choji's favorite so I actually have alot of that." Naruto explained as he unrolled 1 of the scrolls across the table before slamming his right palm into the center of the fabric, infusing his chakra into the object before it erupted into a puff of smoke.

After several seconds, the smoke dissipated and dissolved, revealing a circular wooden plate with half it's surface covered by sautéed Ginger Pork while the other half was topped with fried rice.

For what felt like minutes Tayuya stared down at the plate of food in astonishment and awe, she sucked at Sealing Jutsu yet the blond infront of her used the Jutsu in such a nonchalant fashion that he stored his food with it.

While Tayuya continued to stare at her plate, Naruto unrolled the 2nd scroll before once again placing his right palm against the center of the fabric and infusing chakra into the object, forcing it to explode into a puff of smoke before it quickly dissolved and parted, revealing a wooden plate filled with 16 Sushi rolls.

"Hey, jackass, how old are you?" Tayuya asked as Naruto placed a fork atop her plate.

"12." Naruto replied while pulling 1 of the 4 chairs back and sitting down in it before tossing 2 Sushi rolls into his mouth with his right hand.

"How the hell can you preform the Sealing Jutsu already? I'm 14 and I can't even use that shit." Tayuya questioned, curious to learn more about the Seal on the back of her neck, the Seal Orochimaru gave her.

"It's just something my old friend helped me with so I just happened to get good at it, ya' know?" Naruto replied, causing Tayuya to narrow both of her brown eyes once she noticed his odd manner of speaking, a manner she briefly thought about making fun of but instead realized she liked it.

"After we get done eating you should show me some Sealing technique's, are you good at it or complete trash?" Tayuya questioned as she pulled back the chair opposite from Naruto before sitting down across from him while she began eating her meal.

"U-ummm... aren't you a civilian?" Naruto mumbled after shallowing a mouth-full of sticky rice and raw fish.

Awh fuck... I didn't think this jackass was that sharp... Tayuya remarked as she tried her best to conceal any revealing expressions on her face.

"Just incase I ever get the chance to use it, it could help me later down the line." Tayuya proclaimed, underable to notice as Naruto's concealed black pupils shrunk and condensed while he began infusing chakra into his eyes, allowing him to view the chakra world.

This action allowed Naruto to clearly view and see Tayuya's chakra network, a network he instantly noticed was bright red with 3 odd hooks spiraling out from one another atop the back of her neck.

The hooks resembled a triskelion and after several moments of observation Naruto identified the objects as a Seal, since they gave off the same colorless aura and appearance as his stomach.

"But... you have a chakra network... shouldn't you like, be a Shinobi?" Naruto asked, creating a sour-look on Tayuya's face as she stopped eating.

"What the fuck makes you think I have a chakra network?" Tayuya questioned, acting as if she had no idea what Naruto was talking about.

"Your chakra network... you have one... and I can see it." Naruto replied timidly as he used his right index finger to scratch the bridge of his nose.

"Bullshit, you can't see shit with all that hair in your face, jackass." Tayuya argued.

"My bad..." Naruto sighed before tossing a handful of Sushi rolls into his mouth with his left hand.

"Besides, how could you see the chakra network? Doesn't that shit require some fancy Doijutsu to see?" Tayuya asked, trying to play dumb on the subject of Shinobi but finding it very hard to restrain herself.

"Oh hey look at that, I already finished my food - hah - guess I'll go wait for you upstairs." Naruto exclaimed as he used his left hand to point at the empty plate before jumping out of his chair and attempting to exit the room in a hurry.

"Wait the fuck up, I'm not even halfway done with mine and you haven't even gotten me something to drink yet." Tayuya complained before taking several bites of her meal.

Instead of replying with words Naruto quickly dashed towards the cabinets before opening the top left door, revealing a series of neatly stacked 6in long wooden cups as he reached in and pulled one out before closing the door behind him.

Afterwards, he took several steps to the right before placing the cup in the sink and turning on the faucet, filling the object will clean drinking water until he abruptly turned the faucet off.

After examining the water for a brief second Naruto turned around before walking towards Tayuya and placing the water-filled cup infront of her.

"Okay so, I got 2 more questions and don't turn into a sad pansy when I ask them, Okay?" Tayuya ordered, barely giving Naruto enough time to answer as he nodded in response before picking up his empty plate and pushing his chair in and walking towards the sink.

"If your 'father' isn't here anymore, then why the fuck are his shoes by the frontdoor?" After she spoke, she used her fork to stab into the food infront of her before raising it to her mouth and chewing.

"It just makes me feel like he's still here, ya' know?" Naruto replied as he began washing his plate in the sink.

"Does he have 2 pairs of shoes? He's just at work or doing something around town right? It isn't like he's fucking dead or some shit." Tayuya asked before she continued to eat her meal, since her back was directed towards Naruto she failed to notice that he stopped moving entirely.

"Is he the one who cooked this food? It's pretty badass, besides, it's not like you live here all by yourself." After she spoke, she continued to shove Pork and Rice into her mouth before chewing slowly, suggesting she enjoyed the taste of her meal.

"Ye-yea... he has 2 pairs of shoes." Naruto mumbled in response as he once again began washing his plate, he didn't feel comfortable lying but he also didn't want to continue the conversation.

"Lame but okay, so my next question is, how could someone like you get one of the legendary Sannin as a teacher? I've never even heard of you yet you're important enough for him to train?" Tayuya asked, curious to know why Jiraiya held the blond infront of her at such a high and endearing standard.

Tayuya had no idea who she was talking too or what Naruto was capable of, suggesting Orochimaru told her nothing about his plan other than the assassinate of the 3rd Hokage.

At this moment, before either of them could speak any further an unknown individual knocked on Naruto's frontdoor, a sound that echoed out across the entirety of the house before filling it with a brief moment of silence.

"Who the fuck is that? I hate people." Tayuya spat out before taking another bite from her meal and chewing.

"I honestly don't know... not many people come out this far from the center of the village but I'll go check." Naruto replied while he placed his freshly washed plate atop the counter before turning around and exiting the kitchen, leaving Tayuya alone for several seconds.

These seconds felt like minutes to Tayuya as she struggled to contain her boredom before she finally managed to finish her food, causing her to wait for Naruto's return since he promised to teach her some Sealing techniques.

"Hey, Tayuya." Kabuto spoke in a sadistic manner as he entered the kitchen with Naruto walking a few feet behind him, an action that caused Tayuya to stand up with such speed that the chair underneath her fell to the floor.

"Why the fuck do you have to follow me everywhere I go? Just leave me alone for once, you 4-eyed freak." Tayuya declared as she pressed the knuckles of her right hand against her waist.

"Kabuto is just a friend I met during the 1st stage of the Chunin Exams, I didn't know you 2 were friends." Naruto explained.

"Me and him are not friends, he is just an annoying loser that never leaves me alone." Tayuya complained.

"I simply enjoy our time together... like how you enjoy spending time with Naruto." Kabuto exclaimed while using his right hand to push up on his glasses slightly.

"Yes, I enjoy time away from all you retards, now leave me alone, unless its important." Tayuya ordered while she crossed her arms infront of her nonexistent chest.

"How long have you known eachother?" Naruto cut-in.

"We go way back, what is it, 2 years now?" Kabuto replied with a smile on his face.

"Yea, 2 whole years that I've wanted to kill myself, now go the fuck away." Tayuya ordered, clearly annoyed at the events unfolding infront of her.

"That's quite rude, I just came by to visit Naruto, I had no idea you were even here." Kabuto replied as he once again used his right hand to push up his glasses.

"Came by to visit Naruto, Huh? What are you, a faggot?" Tayuya asked rhetorically, not even giving Kabuto enough time to respond.

"I finally managed to get away from that disgusting fatass, only for you to show up and annoy me, go away." As she spoke, she failed to notice Naruto tilt his head slightly to the right in confusion.

"Don't say that, I'm sure Jirobo misses you." Kabuto joked.

"That fatass can go die for all I care, I don't like him at all and I don't like you." Tayuya replied.

"Whose Jirobo?" Naruto asked, curious to know more about Tayuya and the people she hung out with.

"He is a disgusting, worthless, overweight, obese fatass - there isn't even a reason to talk about that waste of space, lets focus on 4-eyes here." Tayuya replied as she glared at Kabuto.

"I'm surprised Tayuya, I thought you enjoyed our time together, or do you enjoy your time with Naruto more?" Kabuto questioned as he turned his back to Tayuya and Naruto, concealing his sadistic smile from both of them.

"Yes, I enjoy my time away from you and those retards, now buzz off." Tayuya huffed out in annoyance.

"So Naruto... tell me, what all do you know about Tayuya?" Kabuto questioned with his sadistic smile still concealed from view.

"I'm just a badass civilian, nothing more or less - now leave me alone 4-eyes." Tayuya retorted, even when she was undercover she still loved to stroke her ego.

"That reminds me... Songo is leaving tonight to preform a special errand, so I came by to ask if Naruto wanted to tag along for some B-ranked mission experience, would you like to escort us out of the village, Tayuya?" Kabuto asked as his smile grew from ear-to-ear while the dark shadow from the corner he stood in concealed half his face.

"Whatever makes you shut up, I can't stand the sound of your forked tongue." Tayuya spat out as she once again crossed her arms infront of her chest.

"B-ranked mission? During the Chunin Exams? Who is Songo? Can I tag along with another teams mission?" Naruto asked innocently.

"It wouldn't be a B-ranked mission if I could reveal the details, since my team failed the Exams we've been reassigned to mission-duty, Songo is my Sensei and of course you can tag along with us... believe me when I say, there is nothing my Sensei wants more." Kabuto explained before once again using his right hand to push his glasses up.

"The finals are in 1 week, are you sure we could get back by then?" Naruto questioned as he scratched the bridge of his nose with his left hand, unable to see the twisted smile on Kabuto's face.

"It won't take long... 3 days there and 3 days back, you'll have a day to spare." Kabuto replied.

"Just shut the fuck up and lets go already, I can't stand your voice." Tayuya declared as she jumped up from her chair before exiting the kitchen and approaching the shoemat by the frontdoor, an action that forced the 2 Shinobi behind her to follow.

"I'm not even going to ask how you found me, probably slithering around this village like the snake you are." As she spoke, she fashioned her shoes around her feet while also throwing Naruto his shoes.

While Naruto began to put on his own shoes, he also noticed how odd it was that Kabuto knew where he lived, he never informed the latter Shinobi of his address.

What Naruto found even more bizarre was the way in which Tayuya treated Kabuto, it was as if she genuinely hated him but at the sametime tolerated his presence, reluctantly.

"So while we walk, I'm the only person who is allowed to ta-" Tayuya's words cut-off midsentence once she opened the door and immediately noticed a leaning figure who stood atop Naruto's frontporch.

Tayuya examined the figure for several moments only for her eyes to hone in on the bright orange 'Make-out Tatics' book he held in his left hand, something she knew was a porn-book.

"Who the fuck are you and why are your reading porn? You might as well be stroking your cock." Tayuya questioned, causing Naruto to smile once he noticed she was talking to Kakashi.

"Hmmmmmm - oh, me? I was just out for a walk in the area." Kakashi sighed as he snapped his book shut before leisurely glancing past Tayuya and Naruto, only to glare at Kabuto.

"Hey Sensei, I was gonna go help Kabuto out on a mission, he said I should be back before the finals." Naruto explained as he poked his head out from behind Tayuya's left shoulder.

"Hmmm... but you and Tayuya have to meet me and Anko for lunch tomorrow, you don't have time to waste on a mission." Kakashi proclaimed, confusing everyone except Kabuto, who knew exactly what the former was planning.

"How the fuck do you know my name, what the fuck is your name and who the fuck is Anko?" Tayuya demanded while she used her left hand to push Naruto's head back from her shoulder.

"Just a guess." Kakashi mumbled out while brushing past the blond and red-haired teenagers before stepping inside the Naruto's house, allowing him to stand directly in between the latter and Kabuto.

Kakashi would never attempt it, but he had been stalking and following Naruto throughout the entire day, an action that had become very common for the silver-haired Jonin, an action that only he and Jiraiya noticed.

"Kabuto... I believe this is the 1st time I've met you in person, of course, my students speak quite highly of you and the knowledge you gave them during the 1st stage of the Exams." Kakashi proclaimed while he concealed his orange book inside the Shuriken satchel on the back of his waist.

"It has been nothing but my pleasure to help, my Sensei speaks quite highly of you... the Copy Ninja - Kakashi Hatake... I truly am honored to meet you." Kabuto spoke as he downcast his face while using his left hand to push his glasses up slightly, concealing his twisted smile from view.

"Songo and I get along quite well, he is Anko's old Genin teammate after-all, but I am curious, I don't believe he mentioned a mission at this time of night." Kakashi stated while concealing both hands into his pockets.

"It just came up at the last moment, I'm told it's rather important." Kabuto replied as he downplayed his smile before revealing it to Kakashi, showing a now gentle and innocent face.

"Then you should go ahead and leave now, don't want to be late for such an important mission." Kakashi declared in a carefree tone.

"Hmph - I guess well have to hang out some other time, Naruto." Kabuto spoke while he slowly walked past Kakashi and the 2 teenagers he was apparently guarding.

"I hope you enjoy your time here, Tayuya." As he spoke, he gripped the doorknob with his right hand before closing the frontdoor behind him, filling the house with a brief moment of silence.

"Nice job on getting rid of that 4-eyed freak, 1 eye." Tayuya remarked before once again kicking off her shoes, causing them to reflect off against the wall before bouncing atop the shoemat.

"Looks like you're comfortable." Kakashi mumbled as he brushed his right hand through his silver hair several times.

"Hey jackass, he's your Genin Sensei, isn't he?" Tayuya questioned as she used the illumination from the lightbulb above to get a better view of Kakashi, she had heard of the Copy Ninja but compared to Orochimaru he was nothing and by default he was nothing to her.

"Sure am, and it looks like both of us have been blessed with your lovely nicknames." Kakashi spoke while preforming his iconic eyewink towards Tayuya, an action that caused her eyes to squint and narrow.

"How long are you going to stay and bother us?" Tayuya questioned, eager to be alone with the blond once again to see what types of Sealing Jutsu he could teach her since she couldn't ask Jiraiya any further questions.

"I kind of enjoy his company..." Naruto mumbled out.

"Apparently, you also enjoy hanging out with snakes." Tayuya replied, causing the distinct image of Shiore to float throughout Naruto's mind.

"Why do you hate Kabuto so much?" Naruto asked his female companion, only for Kakashi to answer.

"I'm going to leave now children, I'll swing by tomorrow morning." Kakashi mumbled as he brushed past Naruto and Tayuya while waving his right hand through the air horizontally.

"Fuck you! I'm not a child." Tayuya spat out as she crossed her arms infront of her chest, causing Kakashi to sigh before opening the door and leaving with his intent and purpose completely concealed.

As Naruto and Tayuya were once again left alone together, they were unaware of the events unfolding around the village, events concealed by the midnight sky and sparkling full-moon above.

* * *

 _20 minutes later, 9:07pm on the distant and lonely rooftops of Konoha_

A heavy foreboding wind constantly streamed in from the south, disturbing and disrupting several nearby trees as a pair of black Shinobi shoes quietly yet boldly stomped atop the leaf-green roof shingles.

As the shadowy-figure walked forward a ray of moonlight struck his face, revealing his identity as Dosu, his arms hung limp infront of his torso with his sleeves concealing them entirely as both them and the mane on his back blew and rustled in the breeze.

"Looks like my intel was correct, you never sleep." Dosu spoke in a calm tone as he analyzed and studied the sitting form of Gaara who sat atop the head of a large 15ft tall hawk statue, 1 of 2 that adorned the roof of the building.

This noise caused Gaara to glanced down at Dosu with a distant and far-off expression on his face, suggesting he had been deep in thought before being interrupted.

"What do you want?" Gaara questioned as the stream of air blowing in from the south doubled in strength, causing his short hair to rustle and blow in the breeze.

"I was planning to kill you in your sleep, but it looks like I'll have to defeat you instead, then... I'll be matched against Naruto in the semi-finals." Dosu pointed out, already assuming he would defeat Shikamaru in his own match.

"I've seen everything that your sand could possibly offer in combat, so tell me - which do you think is faster, your Sand or my Sound?" As he spoke he extended his right arm out from his sleeve, revealing the large chunk of hole-filled metal that clung to his right forearm.

For several moments Gaara's emotionless eyes stared at and studied Dosu without once blinking or even moving his body at all.

"Your blood is not worthy, go away." Gaara declared before staring back up at the full-moon as the heavy breeze of wind finally died down and halted.

"Don't worry, the only blood you'll taste will be your own." Dosu replied while positioning his right forearm vertically infront of his chest before flicking the metal object with his left index finger, an action that created a series of sound waves that rippled and echoed out from the Shinobi.

At this moment, the cork on Gaara's gourd abruptly popped off before a heavy stream of sand poured out and swarmed around the Shinobi, cascading his entire body in a cocoon of sand, completely protecting him from the harmful sound waves.

"As I expected, you can even create sand so dense that it blocks out Sound itself, impressive for someone from a lesser village." As he spoke, the sand around Gaara began to crumble and dissolve revealing that he was still sitting down with an emotionless look in his eyes.

Dosu then positioned his right forearm infront of his chest before hurling it outward in a horizontal fashion, causing several bullets of condensed air and sound to shoot out from the metal gauntlet on his arm, bullets that dashed towards Gaara at an impressive rate of speed.

As the bullets soared towards Gaara he remained undisturbed and didn't even blink when 3 streams of sand erupted out infront of his eyes, torso and legs, once again completely protecting him from harm.

Suddenly even more sand poured out of Gaara's gourd before it surged towards Dosu, forcing the hunched individual to barrel roll 3 times to the right, causing the sound of metal scaping against roof shingles to be heard as the sand dashed past him.

Once Dosu made direct contact with the roof, streams of sand once again surged towards him forcing him to preform 3 backflips before twirling upside down in midair as he slung his right arm out horizontally, an action that once again sent dozens of condensed Sound bullets towards Gaara.

Just like before, multiple streams of sand shot out infront of Gaara, protecting him from harm while at the same time lunging out towards Dosu, forcing him to flip, twirl, leap and roll in several different directions as he attempted to avoid the endless amount of sand.

"You can't do anything without sand!" Dosu declared as he clapped his bare left hand against his armor-plated right hand, an action that forced a strong wave of sound to ripple out before smashing into the approaching sand, nullifying the sands magnetism with his sound waves.

At this moment, Dosu reached inside the Kunai pouch tied around his upper left thigh before pulling a 8in long steel kunai loose in a reserve grip fashion and scratching the blades edge across his gauntlet, creating several dozen sound waves that echoed across the roof.

Once again heavy amounts of sand poured out from Gaara's gourd, forming a dense sand cocoon around him and protecting his ears from harm while several streams also surged towards Dosu at the same time.

Unlike before, Dosu was unable to dodge and avoid Gaara's attack, allowing his left leg to become wrapped knee-deep with sand while even more sand clung to his right fingertips, preventing any further movement.

Suddenly, Dosu raised his left hand horizontally infront of his chest before dropping his reverse gripped kunai atop his metal right gauntlet, causing the steel-bladed edge to scrap against it, creating several ripples of sound that echoed out and nullified the surrounding sand.

As the sound continued to echo out, the large amounts of sand around Dosu began to crumble and dissolve due to the sound waves once again effecting their magnetism, rendering it useless and immovable.

"I already told you, I've seen everything that sand of yours has to offer, there is nothing you can do to defeat me, I am Sound itself." Dosu declared in a calm manner as he bent down while using his left hand to grip the dropped kunai infront of him before standing up in his iconic hunched posture.

"You are beginning to annoy me." Gaara asserted as he slowly stood up while sand continued to stream and pour out from his gourd before floating into the air around him.

"Wonderful, please put everything you've got into this next attack, the stronger you are when you fall than the higher I raise when I defeat you." Dosu spoke as he held his right metal gauntlet vertically infront of his chest while pointing the tip of his reverse gripped Kunai at it.

At this moment, the roof shingles underneath Dosu abruptly crumbled and dissolved into a swirling vortex of sand, sand that clung to and wrapped around his feet and legs, an action that caused him to sink down slightly.

Dosu then stabbed his Kunai towards the metal gauntlet on his right hand only for a stream of sand to wrap around the object, completely protecting it from harm and preventing any sound from being produced.

Suddenly, even more sand surged towards Dosu, gripping, wrapping and contorting itself around the sound Shinobi while he attempted to struggle and pull himself loose, only to fail time-and-time again.

"So, this is the best that your village has to offer? Your blood is trash, just like you." Gaara mocked while his crisscrossing arms rested infront of his chest.

"No Shinobi has this level of power... wh- what are you." Dosu mumbled while his visible left eye bulged in it's socket, unable to believe that to power displayed before him was truly Gaara's.

"I am the demon that this world created, I am the nightmare that my village wished me to be." Gaara explained while uncrossing his arms before extending his right, flat palm out towards Dosu.

As Gaara spoke, the sand around Dosu began to harden and firm while it clung to and concealed the entirety of his body, revealing his bandaged-covered face and his panicking left eye.

For what seemed like minutes, Gaara held his right hand aloft in the air without even moving a muscle while sand continued to swirl and rotate around his feet, ready to dispose of the trash infront of him but at the same time not wanting to waste energy on such a person.

"Your blood disgusts me, it isn't the kind I seek." As he spoke, he lowered his right arm against his side before turning around and walking across the hawk statue that he had been sitting on for the past hour.

This action caused the sand around Dosu to crumble and dissolve before sprinkling harmlessly atop the roof around him, an action that greatly confused the sound Shinobi since he had already accepted death.

At this moment, a heavy gust of wind once again blew in from the south, cascading the roof top with several leaf's as they floated and danced around both the Sand and Sound Shinobi while the latters mind was filled with confusion.

"Go away." After Gaara spoke, he once again sat down before staring up at the full-moon while his mind began to wonder, eager to be done with Dosu already.

After several moments of silence while the gusts of wind continued to blow-in from the south, Dosu abruptly downcast his face before turning around and walking away, finally accepting that he couldn't defeat Gaara.

* * *

 _30 feet away, atop the roof of a nearby building_

"Impossible... was that... mercy? Never in my life have I seen Gaara display such a trait." Baki spoke as he and Kabuto stood underneath a roofs awning, an awning that concealed and obscured both Shinobi with an aura of shadows.

"That was disappointing, I was hoping to see the demon inside, his true self." Kabuto spoke while he stood to the left of Baki, causing the latter to turn slightly in-order to face the Leaf Shinobi.

"But was that okay? He is a Sound Shinobi afterall, violence between them could spread and effect our own villages..." Baki replied as he squinted and narrowed his right, visible eye.

"Its okay, Lord Orochimaru has no use for him anymore." Kabuto explained while using his left hand to push his glasses up slightly.

"I thought he was supposed to be a Guinea Pig to see how strong that Naruto kid was?" Baki questioned, unaware that a 3rd shadowy figure was watching him from behind a nearby corner.

Why is that Sand Shinobi talking to Kabuto... Songo didn't authorize this. Hayate's train of thought progressed as he quietly observe the events unfolding around camouflaged and invisible figure.

"No, there's no need for that anymore since Gaara is matched against Naruto during the finals, a jinchūriki testing another jinchūriki... how delightful, as my Lord would say." Kabuto proclaimed while a innocent smile bloomed across his face.

"Besides, I should probably hurry up anyway, I can't let myself get caught again, can I?" After he spoke, an innocent chuckle of laughter erupted out from his throat.

"Again? What are you talking about?!" Baki questioned with the hint of concern filling his voice.

"I was ordered to kidnap Naruto, but I may have failed and let the Leaf Village know that I'm a spy, atleast those that are smart enough to notice." Kabuto explained as the innocent smile on his face twisted to a sadistic and maleficent one.

"What!? If someone finds out that you're secretly meeting me here, and if they find out about our plan... the plan to destroy Konoha will be ruined." Baki replied, causing the concealed eyes of Hayate to widen and bulge.

"I thought you were supposed to be Orochimaru's right hand man, yet you still came to see me like this, after they've seen your face?" As he criticized Kabuto, the latter once again had an innocent smile form across his face.

At this moment, a gust of wind once again blew in from the south, disturbing and disrupting their conversation while Kabuto slowly downcast his head, concealing his face from view and forcing the moonlight to reflect off his glasses.

"Well... even if I failed, it's nice to see what Konoha would do... it's not too late to take Naruto, especially after seeing they're reaction." Kabuto explained while staring up towards the full-moon.

"If it even looks like your people are going to fail, the Sand will withdraw, this plan was brought to us by the Sound and we will not allow your village to drag us down, we will not come into the open until the very last moment, that is the will of the 4th Kazekage." Baki asserted as his 1 visible eye narrowed.

Oh my god...…. Hayate thought while his mouth fell open with shock, causing the camouflaged jawline of his face to bend and contort.

"That is fine, this scroll contains all the plans detailed by the Sound village, make sure you tell those 3 kids the plan, especially Gaara." Kabuto proclaimed as he pulled a scroll out from his Shuriken satchel before extending it towards Baki with his right hand.

"Yes... understood." Baki replied as he gripped the scroll with his left hand before staring towards Gaara who sat several rooftops away.

Our ally, the hidden Village of Sand, is connected with the Sound?... I must inform lord 3rd Hokage about this... Hayate concluded while he used every ounce of his restraint to prevent himself from coughing.

"I will be going now, Lord Orochimaru has an important task planned before the finals, but one last thing..." Kabuto declared as he turned his back to Baki before downcasting and concealing his face from view.

"I will clean up the mess." As he spoke, he abruptly raised his head, revealing his oddly snake-like eyes while his statement caused Hayate to panic once he realized he was uncovered.

"No, I will do it, as a solider from the Village Hidden in the Sand I must lend aid to my comrade... besides, there's only 1 mouse, it will be easy." Baki pointed out, causing Hayate to abruptly disappear into a whirlwind of Leaf's while the former erupted into a cloud of Sand.

This action caused the 2 elite Jonin to speed across several rooftops with such an extreme amount of velocity that they appeared as barely visible blurs, only tangible to one another due to they're high-level training and power.

At this moment the blurred image of Baki appeared infront of Hayate before swinging the reversed gripped Kunai in his left hand towards the latter horizontally, attempting to cut his throat only for him to leap back at the last moment.

"Hchhh hcch hcch." Hayate coughed as he held his clenched right fist infront of his mouth while his left hand wrapped around the hilt of the 3 foot long sword tied against his back.

"My, my, looks like the mouse is the Examiner himself, what are you doing out here alone?" Baki mocked, causing Hayate's grip on his sword to tighten while contorting his clenched right hand into the Seal of Confrontation.

"Hmph - there's no need for such formalities, you'll be dead in a ditch by morning." After he spoke, Hayate released the grip on his sword before abruptly pressing his hands together into the Clone Seal.

"Looks like we must fight, so be it, Shadow Clone Jutsu." Hayate declared before a puff of smoke erupted on either side of him, smoke that quickly dissolved and dissipated, revealing 2 more Hayate's.

Suddenly, all 3 Hayate's unsheathed they're swords before holding the blades vertically infront of they're chests as they coughed in unison, an action that caused Baki to crouch down with anticipation.

For what seemed like minutes the pair of Jonin stood completely still, each of them waiting for the other to move only for a heavy breeze to blow in from the south, forcing the battle to begin as all 3 Hayate's charged at Baki.

"Leaf Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon!" All 3 Hayate's proclaimed as 1 jumped in the air, 1 to the left and the final to the right, completely surrounding Dosu on 3 fronts.

As the 3 swords sliced through the air, the formed an orbital pattern with numerous elegant swings, all of which were directed towards Baki who clapped his hands together infront of his chest before dancing through the Tiger, Ox, Dog, Rabbit and finally Snake Seals.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Baki screamed, causing a dense chakra-filled gust of air to erupt out in all directions from his body, air with such strength that it dispersed each of Hayate's clones on impact while sending the real one soaring over 20ft across the rooftops.

After Hayate flipped and twisted over 5 times he once again found his footing before charging towards Baki yet again with his sword now held in a lateral angle.

"Leaf Style: Secret Sword: Moonlight!" Hayated screamed as he speared the tip of his sword towards Baki, causing his voice to echo out across the night time village in the process.

This action and technique caused him to surge with such speed that several faint and transparent afterimages were left behind him, giving off an illusion of over 7 images of Hayate charging towards Baki.

Instead of dodging or even reacting with fear at all Baki merely raised his left hand before clenching down on Hayate's sword, stopping his attack entirely while also showing the vast difference of power between the 2 Shinobi.

W-wi-with his barehand!? Hayate stuttered aloud inside his mind, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"2 A-rank technique's back-to-back, and you can use them at such a young age, even your sword stance itself is remarkable, this village truly has talented people." Baki proclaimed as his visible right eye narrowed.

"It is natural for material blades to be stopped, but a Blade of Wnd cannot be stopped by anything." As he spoke, he held his right index and middle finger against his thumb for several seconds before a rotating, nearly invisible blade of air began to swirl in his hand.

Baki then gripped down so tightly upon Hayate's sword that his hand began to bleed before hurling the rotating blade of air towards the leaf Shinobi, intent to get rid of the one man who had heard everything.

However instead of making direct contact with Hayate, several dense and chakra-filled strands of solid-white hair wrapped around the leaf Shinobi, first only partially but soon his entire body and torso was covered, even his face, protecting him from harm.

The hair then abruptly pulled on Hayate, dragging him for over 20 feet through the air until he landed atop a distant rooftop and began merging with the shadowy figure whom all the hair originated from.

This action greatly alarmed Baki while at the same time causing him to leap back over 10 feet before entering a defensive Taijutsu stance, surprised that he didn't notice his new opponent earlier.

No doubt about it, that's hair, which means that technique is... Art of the Raging Lion's Mane... and there's only one person I know of who can use that Jutsu. As Baki's thoughts progressed his fists clenched and tightened with unease once he realized who he was about to fight.

"Cannot be stopped by anything, Huh? Well, it appears that fancy blade of yours has never met the Legendary novel-writer from the East, West, South and North, the renowned Sannin of both techniques and ladies, the one-and-only Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, MASTER JIRAIYA!" As the white-haired Sannin introduced himself, his hair shrunk and receded in several locations, revealing both his and Hayate's face.

This processed displayed Hayate sitting infront of Jiraiya while both he and his sword were wrapped up in the latters hair, an action that caused the former to glance up before instantly noticing a large red handprint across the Sannin's face.

"Lo-lord Jiraiya... thank you, but what's that on your face?" Hayate questioned before breaking into a series of harsh coughs.

"It's certainly not because I got slapped while peeping through a beautiful and sexy woman's bathroom window, no way that happened." Jiraiya explained with a smile wide upon his face while his hair continued to shrink and recede back to its normal length.

"Now tell me, why are you fighting this Sand Shinobi." As he spoke, his tone instantly shifted to a stern and serious one while the smile on his face contorted into a frown.

"His entire village is planning to betray us, they're working with Orochimaru to destroy the leaf village and even the Kazekage knows." Hayate coughed out, causing Baki to grit and grind his teeth together.

"In that case... stand aside young buck, I'll show you how a legendary Sannin battles." Jiraiya spoke as he slowly walked infront of a still sitting Hayate.

"I must say, I am honored to meet you, even if you didn't introduce yourself then your reputation would have, If I remember correctly you hold the world record for completed Shinobi missions, 1,839 in total, right?" Baki questioned as his right eye narrowed slightly.

"58 D-rank, 345 C-rank, 684 B-rank, 614 A-rank and 138 S-rank, so I take it you're familiar with my legendary life? As you should be, my talents and deeds are well-known but just because you've taken the time to flatter me don't think I'll forgive anyone who threatens this village." Jiraiya proclaimed in a calm and sturdy tone, one that had obviously seen dozens if not hundreds of battles.

A high-ranking Jonin is of no concern to me, but 1 of the 3 Sannin... I'll have to stay focused. Baki concluded while his muscles and joints tensed with anticipation.

At this moment, Jiraiya abruptly crouched down while slamming his right palm atop the shingles underneath him before leaning his head forward, an action that caused his long white-hair to wave in the midnight breeze.

"Ninja Art: Needle Senbon!" Jiraiya yelled, causing the ends of his hair to sharpen and hone before they began to shoot out from his scalp at an insane degree of speed, speed that Baki could barely even react against.

"Wind Style: Swift Wind Wall!" Baki responded after slamming his hand together before weaving through the Ox, Dog and Rat Seals, an action that caused several currents of air to swirling into existence before engulf the Sand Shinobi entirely.

This jutsu managed to catch Jiraiya's hair Senbon in its breeze as it continued to rotate and swirl around the Sand Shinobi for several seconds before dissolving entirely, causing over 300 Senbon to fall around his feet.

"U-" Baki gasped while his visible eye bulged from its socket once he realized Jiraiya had disappeared from view only for the latter to flawlessly appear behind the former with a text-book perfect Body Flicker technique.

In response to this presence, Baki abruptly hurled the back of his clenched right fist towards Jiraiya while he swung his body in a clock-wise fashion, attempting to strike the latter in his face.

Jiraiya then positioned his armor-plated right forearm vertically infront of his face, blocking the attack while at the same time hurling his clenched left fist towards Baki, forcing him to leap back over 5 feet.

I can't let him get ahold of the scroll, if he does, the plan to destroy Konoha will be revealed! Baki panicked as Jiraiya once again appeared infront of him as a blur before launching his right knee towards the former, forcing him to divert both hands in an attempt to block the powerful attack.

Baki's right eye then once again bulged from its socket once he noticed a slick tongue launch out from a hidden alley, dashing for over 20 feet before wrapping around the Sand Shinobi's waist.

The tongue then squeezed down before pulling the helpless Baki across a series of rooftops and into the mouth of a small 3 foot tall dark red toad, causing his body to swirl and shrink before the toad popped a cork into it's mouth, completely sealing the threat away.

This action caused a brief silence to fill the rooftops before a heavy breeze blew in from the south, followed by a series of leaf's that began to float and dance around Jiraiya and the still sitting Hayate.

"Th-that was remarkable, Lord Jiraiya... that barely took you anytime at all." Hayate spoke before coughing several times as he began to stand up and sheathe his sword.

"Yes, well... we don't have time to waste, let us deliver this man to lord Hokage... so I can get back to my inspiration." Jiraiya replied before staring up at the full-moon and observing it for several moments.

Jiraiya had never been one for politics or national policies, it was one of the many reasons he refused to take up the mantle of 5th Hokage when offered it in the past, but even he could sense the upcoming danger, the tension in the air was so dense that a Kunai could cut it.

War... is coming. The twisted shadowy form of Kabuto thought from several rooftops away before disappearing entirely, knowing full well that the Sounds plan was now revealed.


	32. Chapter 32

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Dosu doesn't get enough love, I realize I've basically been saying that about every single side-character in the series but to be fair Kishimoto did a rather dog-shit job on handling side-characters, especially post part 1.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 32: Honorable Grandson! Moment of Truth.**

 _7:12am, Friday June 9th, 58SSP_

"Last night, I ordered Hayate Gekko to spy on the suspected spy, Kabuto Yakushi…" Hiruzen explained while sitting behind his desk.

The elite 3rd Hokage sat in the same room where he summoned the majority of all Jounin before the Exams. This was a room that was located at the bottom of the Hokage building, much less prestigious than the iconic Hokage office.

"His investigation lead to the capture and imprisonment of a Sand shinobi." After speaking, a brief period of silence fill the air as Hiruzen inhaled a fresh hit of leaf from his pipe

"This shinobi was given a scroll by Kabuto, a scroll that details the plans for an attack on Konoha." As Hiruzen spoke, streams of smoke poured from his nose.

However, unlike the group of 20ish Jounin he had summoned before, now that room was packed with over 40 Jonin. Some of these Jounin even wore Anbu gear with they're masks removed while they all sat on the floor, staring up to the 3rd Hokage for leadership.

"What?... Hayate... Oh, no... It can't be!... That would mean the Sand is working with the Sound..." A series of different voices and Jonin all spoke out, each of them clearly concerned and worried about the implications of this scroll.

"What about Songo? Has he heard about this? He should be here for this meeting." Anko spoke.

"I decided to purposely exclude Songo from this meeting until we better understand the circumstances surrounding Kabuto, we can't take any risks." Hiruzen replied.

"It has to be because of Orochimaru, I have no doubt that he is involved." Anko declared loudly as a look of disgust formed on her face.

"What happened to Kabuto?... I tried to trail him after leaving Naruto's house last night... but the kid was just too good at hiding his tracks." Kakashi sighed while he sat to the right of Anko.

"I regret to admit that Kabuto escaped... if Lord Jiraiya didn't arrive when he did, Baki would have escaped too." Hayate coughed out, alerting several of the Jonin in the room once they realized Jiraiya was involved.

"So, Baki... that's his name, isn't he the Sensei for those 3 Sand Genin? Each of them are going to be in the finals." Kakashi remarked while scratching the back of his head with his right hand.

"Tch... does that mean we're going to cancel the Chunin Exams?" A bandanna wearing Jonin with a toothpick in his mouth asked.

"No Genma, if we cancel the Exams it could be seen as a sign of weakness, the other great nations will see a chance to strike, we must project strength, right Hiruzen?" An elder, green glass wearing old man asked as he sat to the right of Hiruzen, as if he was his right-hand man.

He was roughly 66-69 years old with grey hair and a matching thick beard, on his face was a constant and persistent frown that he's always worn while on his torso he wore the traditional official dress that all councilmembers wore, a white robe with a long slanted vertical leaf green sash draped across his left shoulder to his right waist.

"You are correct, Homura, if Orochimaru was confident enough to reveal himself to Anko than we must be confident in our resolve, the Chunin Exams will continue as planned." Hiruzen replied before taking his Hokage hat off and placing it atop his desk.

"In truth, I expected this, Orochimaru has enough power to easily conquer a small nation, after he left this village I am certain that several other villages made attempts to locate him, hoping to combine they're strength and goals." As he spoke, he raised his left hand to his face before rubbing his forehead.

"Then we don't even need to read the contents of the scroll, we're already certain that our 'allies' have conspired with Orochimaru to betray Konoha." Anko snorted while crossing her arms infront of her chest.

"We have already dispatched over 12 Anbu teams, each of them to different nations and countries in an attempt to better locate information and hidden news... it is not wise to make any careless moves, I fear that is what the enemy wants us to do." An elder women who sat to the left of Hiruzen spoke.

She had her grey hair pulled back into a twin bun which was held in place by 2 traditional hair pins that each had 2 pearls dangling off the side.

She was pale-skinned and had a considerable amount of wrinkles sprawled across her aged face, similar to Homura, she wore a white robe with a leaf green sash worn in a slanted vertical fashion from her left shoulder to her right waist.

"If the worst does happen, we will assemble the full might of Konoha and crush those that threaten our home." Hiruzen asserted in a stern and serious fashion before instantly shifting to a kind and gentle one.

"Also... I trust each and everyone of you." As he spoke, he took the time to examine and stare at each of the individual faces in the room, sometimes staring for what felt like minutes.

"Hmph." Asuma snorted out while nodding his head in approval, unwilling to open his mouth due to the cigarette there.

At the same time, Anko, Kurenai, Genma and Guy all smiled, each of them clearly happy to have the faith of trust of they're beloved Hokage.

"Now... return to your patrols." Hiruzen ordered, causing several of the elite Jonin to abruptly jump up before dashing out the office doors and speeding out of the Hokage building, each of them carrying the faint Will of Fire that the 3rd Hokage was so great at spreading.

* * *

 _30 minutes later, 8:00am, inside Naruto's living room._

The blurry and bright images of a bright yellow dog were the first images Tayuya saw when she slowly opened her eyes before instantly extending her arms into the air and yawning loudly, breaking the previous silence in the room.

After lowering her arms back own to her chest, Tayuya turned to the right, twisting atop the couch she used as bed to get a better view of the TV.

Once her eyes narrowed and focused upon the screen, she noticed the bright yellow dog walking on 2 legs beside a young boy, both of which just exited one of several dozen buildings inside the city they were in.

The boy wore a light blue shirt with sleeves that ended 6 inches above his elbows, on his lower torso he wore dark blue knee-length shorts with black shoes that had the clearly visible lining of ankles socks poking out of the top.

On his back he wore a bright lime green circular backpack and finally, but something Tayuya thought was the weirdest of all, was the white hat that he wore, a hat with bear ears on the sides and a oval cut into the front to show the boys face.

"Jake... I suck at being nonviolent." The unnamed boy spoke as he held his right hand against his stomach while walking beside his yellow dog.

"Dude, sucking at something is the 1st step to being sorta of' good at something, so don't sweat it, Finn." The yellow dog known as Jake spoke, an action that caused Tayuya's eyes to widen before she violently shook her head atop the pillow she slept on, attempting to fully wake-up.

"So not only can that dog walk on 2 legs, but it can talk too? This show must be so fucking stupid." Tayuya asserted as she threw her blanket off before attempting to roll out of the couch, only for her knees to slam against the back of Naruto's head, causing him to faceplant against the coffee table.

"Well, goodmorning." Naruto mumbled out with his face still pressed against the coffee table.

"Why in the fuck are you sitting by me while I sleep?!" Tayuya interrogated Naruto as she jumped off the couch before picking the blond up by his collar and shaking him through the air violently.

"It... its th-...the on-... only TV in the house..." Naruto panted out as he closed his eyes in an attempt to better preserve his senses while at the same time preventing Tayuya from seeing them.

Tayuya then abruptly threw Naruto on the couch before walking past him and strolling towards the remote in order to change the channel, clearly annoyed with the gay-shit Naruto watched.

However, before either of the 2 teenagers could progress any further 3 loud knocks banged against Naruto's frontdoor, alerting them that someone was outside.

"I'll get it." Naruto proclaimed before standing up standing and attempting to leaving the room, only for a TV remote to slam against his face with such force that he fell back down on the couch.

"No, I didn't say you could move, sit there." Tayuya ordered as she walked towards the frontdoor while completely ignoring Naruto's painful groans.

Once Tayuya reached the entrance to Naruto's house she extended her right hand out before gripping the doorknob and pulling it open, revealing a purple-haired Kunoichi with a trenchcoat who stood to the left of Kakashi, who was reading his iconic orange book.

"NO!" Tayuya screamed, tired of having to deal with people she didn't like, causing her to abruptly slam the door shut only for Anko's right hand to shove it all the way open, easily overpowering the redhead.

"What a lovely little girl, she reminds me of myself." Anko explained before gripped Tayuya's chin with her right hand, an action that caused the former to slap her forearm away.

"Let go of me you grape-haired bitch." Tayuya ordered, causing a sadistic smile to blossom upon Anko's face, only for Kakashi to instantly appear behind him.

"Now now dear, if we waste time here it'll take longer for you to have your Dango." Kakashi pointed out, causing Anko's eyes to transform into stars while she raised both of her hands infront of her mouth.

"Oh fuck yea, I haven't had Dango since I was a kid." Tayuya exclaimed as a brief moment of joy overwhelmed her, one of very few she had in the past 2 years with Orochimaru.

"Lets go then!" Anko exclaimed as she charged on the door, eager to consume her favorite food once again.

"Come on jackass, we're leaving." Tayuya proclaimed, causing Naruto to leap out of the couch before dashing into the front room and putting on his shoes, causing the redhead to mimic his action.

After the 2 teenagers put they're shoes on, Tayuya stood up and quickly approached the frontdoor before waiting for the blond behind her to follow, once he did they both closed the door behind them before once again walking into the streets of Konoha together.

* * *

 _30 minutes later, 8:40am inside Anko's favorite Dango Restaurant._

"The sensual and delicious nectar on these dumplings is just too much for me to handle! I can't resist them." Anko groaned as she slide a stick of Dango horizontally through her mouth, causing her to eat 4 dumplings in 1 bite.

"Where the fuck are you putting all that shit?" Tayuya asked as she used her left hand to point at the pile of over 12 empty Dango sticks, all eaten by Anko.

The group of 4 all sat in a booth in the far right corner of the Restaurant, both Naruto and Kakashi sat on the inside of they're seats while Tayuya and Anko dominated the out sides.

But the confusion she felt towards Anko was nothing compared to her rage towards Kakashi who had managed to eat 6 Dango sticks all without revealing his face, something she really wanted to see even if she didn't know why.

"Do you like them? You said you haven't had them since you were a kid, right?" Naruto asked after chewing a mouthful of dumplings before throwing the 8th empty stick atop his plate.

"Yea, this sweet beat paste isn't bad, but' Botchan Dango is better." Tayuya declared, causing Anko to throw her 13th empty Dango stick down before grinning from ear-to-ear towards the red-haired girl sitting across from her.

"So you consider yourself a Dango expert, do you?" Anko questioned, causing Tayuya to scoff with annoyance.

"I consider myself bored with this conversation, I'm just here for the free food." Tayuya replied before throwing her 5th Dango stick atop her plate.

"If nothing else, I appreciate your honesty, kid." Anko remarked before biting into her 14th Dango stick.

"Fuck you, Hag! I'm not a kid!" Tayuya retorted as she jolted upward, causing the table to rustle due to her movement.

"Sure you aren't, you're such a mature and grown adult." Anko teased after swallowing a mouthful of dumplings, causing Tayuya to abruptly sit down before crossing her arms infront of her nonexistent chest while tilting her head to the left.

"I hope you choke on a dick." Tayuya snorted out, unable to see the look of seduction that bloomed on Anko's face as she glanced to the left towards Kakashi.

This action caused Kakashi to raise his book directly over his face, concealing it entirely from view in an attempt to ignore Anko's alluring stare.

"Where is he!? Where is he!?" The voice of Konohamaru screamed as he dramatically entered the Restaurant while shaking his head from side-to-side.

"Lord Honorable Grandson! Welcome to our store my Lord!" The roughly 32 year old lady behind the counter exclaimed, the same woman Anko had become so accustomed to harassing.

"Not now Yuki, I'm looking fo-" Konohamaru's voice trailed off midsentence once he noticed Naruto sitting in the far right corner before he began charging towards him.

This action caused Yuki to follow his gaze, leading her eyes to Naruto only for a sick and disgusted look to grow upon her face before she abruptly turned around and walked into the kitchen.

"Boss! Boss! Bos-!" As Konohamaru spoke, his left shoe accidently stepped on the long end of the scarf tied around his neck, causing him to trip and fall forward before faceplanting and slamming his nose atop the hard wooden floor.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Tayuya bellowed as he used her left hand to point towards Konohamaru while holding her stomach with her right hand.

This laughter garnished the attention of all the other customers in the Restaurant, roughly 30 other people, all of which glanced in between Tayuya and the Honorable Grandson several times.

"What kind of entrance was that, you little midget." After she spoke, she chuckled several times before finally managing to calm her laughter while Konohamaru slowly stood up and rubbed his nose.

"Watch your tongue! I am Konohamaru Sarutobi, student of Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna be Hokage someday! Believe it!" Konohamaru proclaimed.

"You? As Hokage? Oh I believe it, I believe that scarf will get you killed." Tayuya retorted before reaching to the right and stealing a Dango stick from Naruto's plate, having already ran out of her own.

"HEY! You can't eat the bosses food! What do you think you're doing you ha-" Konohamaru protested, only for Naruto's bare left hand to instantly cover his mouth once the latter appeared behind the former in the blink of an eye.

"U-" Tayuya gasped out as her brown eyes glanced in between the now empty seat to her right and the standing Naruto who stood behind Konohamaru to her left.

This jackass is pretty fast, still nothing compared to Lord Orochimaru though. Tayuya concluded before she finished eating the food she stole from Naruto.

"I see you got your scarf back, Konohamaru." Naruto pointed out as he released his student from his grasp, causing the latter to abruptly turn around so he could face his teacher.

"Sure did boss! So you're gonna teach me a new fancy Jutsu today, right, right!?" Konohamaru pleaded as he held his clenched fists infront of his jawline while jumping up and down several times.

"Oh this should be great, I got to see this." Tayuya declared before throwing her now empty Dango stick down atop her plate, curious to see what the student of Jiraiya had to offer.

Naruto didn't know it, but both he and Tayuya were each students of separate Sannin and this was a subject of interest to the latter, she was curious to see how powerful Jiraiya was compared to Orochimaru.

"Just gonna eat and leave I see." Anko mocked as a joyful smile grew upon her face, causing Tayuya to abruptly scoff with annoyance before crossing her arms infront of her chest.

"Does she have to come with us boss? I thought this was supposed to be a student-teacher bonding time." Konohamaru spoke.

"I get to tag along because I say so, end of story, now lead the way jackass." Tayuya ordered as she used her right hand to point at Naruto, causing him to smile briefly before wrapping his left arm around Konohamaru and slowly escort him out of the Restaurant.

As Tayuya walked behind them, she noticed several hateful and disgusted glares that she first thought were directed towards her only to notice that they all stared at Naruto, something she consider odd.

Once they approached the entrance, Tayuya glanced to the right just in time to notice Yuki pop her head out from the Kitchen curtain, revealing that her face was shaped into a disgusted and angry scowl as she glared towards Naruto.

After several moments, Yuki shifted her gaze off the blond before directing it towards Tayuya, causing her previous hateful face to contort and transform into one of love and kindness while she smiled at the red-haired girl.

Two-faced bitch. Tayuya concluded as she, Naruto and Konohamaru all left the Restaurant before they began walking the streets of Konoha together.

"So Kakashi, whose the girl?" Anko asked before shoving another Dango stick down her throat, the 15th one so far.

"I'll give you a detailed report once I know, dear." Kakashi sighed before disappearing from the inside of the booth and reappearing slightly to the right of Anko.

"Are you really going to walk away from so Dango just to go spy on some kids?" Anko questioned as she waved her hand through the air, signaling for more Dango to be delivered.

"Don't worry dear, I don't eat much, I'll see you at home." Kakashi replied as he used his right hand to raise his book to his face before leisurely strolling out of the Restaurant.

"I can't believe Lord Hokage is letting his Grandson travel around with that... thing." An unknown elderly lady who sat at the table next to the entrance mumbled.

"I agree, I still can't believe he let it become a Ninja, it's nothing but a disgrace." The old man seated across from the lady spoke, he was sitting at the table with her, suggesting they were husband and wife.

"Kakashi Hatake, you're the Sensei for that... that thing, what excuse do you have for teaching a demon." An unnamed mid-aged man questioned as he shot up from his chair, causing it to fall atop the hard wooden floor, a sound that echoed across the Restaurant.

Instead of responding with words, Kakashi merely walked out of the Restaurant while he continued to read his book only too hear the sound of wood piercing flesh once he left, suggesting Anko had thrown her empty Dango sticks at the person who mocked her boytoy.

* * *

 _20 minutes later, far off into the deep northwestern outskirts of Konoha._

"Where are we going boss? I've never been out this far before." Konohamaru commented as he walked behind Tayuya and Naruto while shaking his head from side-to-side in an attempt to study his surroundings.

"There's this stream that begins in the northeastern part of the village, but it's so long that it runs all the way over here, to a waterfall." Naruto explained.

"Stream? But boss, how can a stream turn into a waterfall?" Konohamaru asked.

"When it starts off the stream is kind of gentle and slow, but the further along it goes the rougher the current and it eventually turns into a river." Naruto replied while brushing aside a thick treebranch before holding it open for Konohamaru, only for Tayuya to snap it in half and throw it on the ground.

"So that wasn't a joke earlier, you're actually gonna be Hokage, and you're even in the Shinobi Academy?" Tayuya questioned as she waited for Naruto to walk ahead of her before following behind him.

"Being the Hokage is no joke! And I'm gonna be the greatest of all the Hokage, maybe even the Kage as a whole!" Konohamaru declared confidently as he crossed his arms infront of his chest.

"So, kid, how old are you?" Tayuya asked, causing the Honorable Grandson to scoff loudly.

"I am no kid, I am a seasoned Ninja destined for great glory." Konohamaru protested, causing Tayuya to roll her eyes while she and Naruto walked ahead of him.

"He's 6." Naruto cut-in while the raised collar on his tunic concealed his smile.

"6?! What the fuck are you doing, wasting your time teaching a 6 year old." Tayuya questioned.

"Don't worry, Konohamaru is special, I'm sure he can handle it." Naruto replied with his smile still hidden from view.

"Do you really think I'm special, boss!?" Konohamaru asked as he clapped his hands together infront of his chest while his eyes turned into hearts.

"Of course I do... ah, here we are." Naruto proclaimed after brushing aside a dense bush before stepping into a small 12ft wide clearing placed directly next to a harsh and rapid river.

The clearing had rough spots of grass in several areas but the majority was dirt with a large ash covered firepit in the center of grove, suggesting it was quite well known.

Once stepping inside, Naruto was quickly followed by Tayuya and Konohamaru before the latter abruptly dashed towards the rushing river only to step on the edge of his scarf, causing him to trip and fall forward.

However, instead of faceplanting, Tayuya gripped the end of his scarf at the last moment before pulling on it, preventing him from hitting the ground but at the sametime choking him slightly.

"Than-thank - you..." Konohamaru weezed out before Tayuya released the scarf, causing the former to fall into Naruto's arms who directly picked him up before pointing him towards the river.

"Today, we're gonna work on your chakra control." Naruto declared as both he and Konohamaru approached the rushing current.

"Bu... bu-... but boss, that water is moving really fast." Konohamaru mumbled timidly.

"There is no shortcut to becoming Hokage, Konohamaru." Naruto encouraged, causing his student to charge head strong into the rushing current only to instantly sink into the harsh water.

But instead of being swept away, Konohamaru felt himself suddenly gripped by some unseen and unknown force, a force that pulled him out of the water and caused him to hover slowly towards his Sensei, whose right hand was extended towards him.

This action left Tayuya utterly stupefied as she watched it with both interest and shock, debating if this was Naruto's natural power or if it was something Jiraiya had taught him.

This thought process caused Tayuya to wonder just how powerful she would be if she choose Jiraiya over Orochimaru, only for her to violently shake her head from side-to-side in an attempt to erase the thought from her mind.

"I chose this place because the water here is extremely harsh and rough, if you can master walking on this then you can stand on anything." Naruto pointed out after Konohamaru landed on his feet gently, revealing all his cloths were soaking wet.

"Hey, jackass - how long have you been Jiraiya's student?" Tayuya questioned as she walked up to one of the trees closest to the river before sitting down next to and leaning against it.

"A little over a week." Naruto mumbled out with his back directed towards Tayuya, causing her eyes to bulge and widen with shock once she realized most of Naruto's skills were his own, even his knowledge on Sealing.

"Hey boss, why do you let her call you names?" Konohamaru questioned as he turned around before glancing in between Naruto and the still saucer-eyed Tayuya several times.

"That's just one of her traits, Konohamaru, we all have little things that make us special and unique, like your scarf, ya' know." Naruto replied as he placed his right hand atop his student's head while smiling down at him.

"Like your whiskers, boss?" Konohamaru mumbled out.

"Yes." Naruto responded as the smile as his face grew even wider.

At this moment, Konohamaru raised his glance in an attempt to look at Naruto's eyes only for his bangs to completely obscure and conceal this from few.

After several seconds of observation, Konohamaru briefly noticed a series of bright violet flashes rippling out from underneath Naruto's bangs only for the latter to abruptly turn around, ending his chance.

"Right, Tayuya?" Naruto asked with his right hand still atop Konohamaru's head.

"What are you, some fucking philosopher child?" Tayuya spat out before crossing her arms infront of her nonexistent chest and glancing to the right, towards the rushing river.

"Everyone has something special in they're life, everyone has something they love, what do you love?" Naruto asked as Tayuya continued to stare into the rushing current of the river.

Suddenly a dense and heavy breeze blew in from the south, cascading the entire clearing and river side with a blanket of leaf's that floated and swirled around the 3 individuals for what felt like minutes.

"I love music." Tayuya mumbled while raising her knees to her chest before resting her forearms atop them.

"Hey boss, this reminds me of a project I had to do last week during class, Ebisu gave us all a letter and told us 'If the end of the world came, who would you spend your last day with?'... I didn't even have to think about it, I instantly wrote your name down boss!" Konohamaru explained as traces of joy and love filled his voice.

"Heh... you're lucky, Konohamaru... when I was your age, I couldn't write anyone's name down, I never knew my parents, and I didn't have any friends... But now, I know exactly whose name I would write." Naruto replied as he gently patted the top of his students head several times.

Couldn't write anyone's name down, never knew your parents, and didn't have any friends... story of my life, kid. Tayuya thought while she sighed before burying her face into her forearms and listening to the rushing water.

"Now Konohamaru, to unseal that scarf you had to focus chakra into your hands before channeling it into the seal and unbinding it, all you need to do here is channel that chakra to your feet." Naruto explained before nudging his student towards the river.

"But... but... my cloths are wet." Konohamaru mumbled in embarrassment.

"So? Take your shirt and scarf off." Naruto suggested, thinking back to how uncomfortable he was when he had to take his tunic off while training with Jiraiya.

"But... theres a girl here." Konohamaru whispered quietly while downcasting his head, causing Tayuya to scoff loudly.

"Fuck you, just walk on the water kid, it isn't that hard." Tayuya proclaimed as she used every ounce of her restraint to stop herself from standing up and showing off her Shinobi skill.

"Can... can I get a demonstration, boss?" Konohamaru pleaded as he glanced up towards his Sensei.

"Sure thing." Naruto replied as he attempted to walk towards the river, only to get distracted by Tayuya's extended left hand, a hand he reached out to grab, thinking she needed help up.

Once Tayuya had a firm grip on his hand, she abruptly stood up while using her right hand to grip his right wrist before turning around and using her momentum to hurl him through the dense tree-line, clearly annoyed over something he said or did.

"BOSS!" Konohamaru pleaded as he dashed past Tayuya before charging into the dense brush in an attempt to find where his Sensei was thrown too.

"Huh... he maybe a jackass, but atleast he's better than Jirobo." Tayuya mumbled while she crossed her arms infront of her chest.

"AHHH!" Konohamaru screamed in a panic-filled voice, alerting Tayuya and causing her to dash off in the direction she had thrown Naruto only to stop after 10 feet once she realized she stood on the edge of a massive and seemingly bottomless ravine.

The ravine extended vertically from north to south for several miles, it was so long Tayuya couldn't see either end but at the sametime it was so deep that she couldn't see the bottom, causing her to realize where she had just thrown Naruto.

The realization caused Tayuya to lean off the deep ravine, noticing that the rapid river dropped off into the bottomless pit, suggesting there was either a large lake or pool at the bottom.

The sides of the ravine were lined were a numerous series of spikes and wedges that pushed out like jagged pieces of sharp rock, a sight that greatly confused Tayuya as she didn't understand how such a thing could be a natural formation, and she had no idea who built it.

Suddenly, a large bird with multiple black-rod body piercings and a massive yellow beak soared upward from the ravine, an action that caused dense gusts of wind to erupt out on both sides, causing Tayuya to raise her crisscrossing arms infront of her face in an attempt to protect her eyes.

After several moments, Tayuya was able to narrow and focused her eyes upon the bird, noticing he had 3 legs and 3 wings while its feathers like pale gray and deathly, as if the bird itself was already dead.

At this moment, Tayuya caught a brief glimpse of several purple flashes erupting from the beasts eyes only for it to abruptly erupt into a puff of smoke, causing Naruto to plummet through the air for over 20 feet before landing harmlessly with Konohamaru held in his arms.

"You're amazing, boss! Konohamaru exclaimed with stars replacing his eyes.

"Whatever... I wanna go home, give me the keys." Tayuya ordered as she walked up next to Naruto, causing the latter to lower Konohamaru to the ground before reaching into his Shuriken satchel and pulling out his house keys.

"Thanks." As she spoke, she turned around before slowly walking away and disappearing into the forest line, causing Naruto to notice just how visibly depressed she had gotten in the past 5 minutes.

"Lets get back to training boss!" Konohamaru encouraged as he charged off towards the river, eager to become a Shinobi worth of being Hokage.

* * *

 _25 minutes later, inside Naruto's house._

"Hmph." Tayuya sighed out after slamming Naruto frontdoor shut behind her before closing her eyes and breathing quietly for several seconds.

She then abruptly kicked her shoes off, causing them to fly through the air before bouncing against the wall and landing atop the shoemat, one of Tayuya's favorite things to do.

Can't believe that jackass gave me his house keys... he's only known me for a day. Tayuya thought as her eyes glanced in between the spiral-staircase to her left and the closed door that was behind it.

Guess I'll poke around. After she concluded her mind, she walked past the staircase before approaching the closed door on the far leftside of the room, a door Tayuya abruptly opened, revealing a small 20ft x 20ft room with a King's size bad on the opposite side of the room.

Lining both sides of the door were a series of dressers, each decorated with a series of odd childish drawings, creations or even toys.

On the far right side of the room was an open door, revealing a bathroom inside, once she quickly investigated only to sigh once she realized it didn't have a shower.

After being overwhelmed with disappointment, Tayuya closed the bathroom door before turning around and staring across the room at a series of awards and trophies.

In an attempt to get a better view of the trophies, Tayuya walked back towards the door before flipping the lightswitch up, igniting the lightbulb and illuminating the room with light.

Once Tayuya turned around she quickly noticed that every single one of the trophies had the name 'Iruka Umino' carved onto them, some for 'Sensei of the Year' and others for 'Teacher of the month'.

"Iruka... like the Ramen?" Tayuya spoke aloud, referring to the 1st meal Naruto had given her, Iruka Ramen.

"Whatever." After she spoke, she abruptly slammed the door shut before turning around and rushing up the spiral staircase.

The moment Tayuya entered the 2nd floor of the house, she tripped over a 10ft long unroll scroll, causing her to fall forward and faceplant against the hard, maple wooden floor.

"BITCH!" As she screamed, she stood up before kicking the scroll into the air and tearing it into several pieces, an action that caused dozens of shredded pages to fall atop the floor.

After several seconds of huffing and puffing Tayuya turned around, an action which caused her eyes to bulge and widen once she noticed dozens, if not hundred of unrolled scrolls that littered the 2nd floor.

"Holy tits..." Tayuya mumbled out as she slowly turned around in an 360* angle, attempting to count the seemingly endless amount of scrolls that filled the 2nd floor living room.

In the center of the room were 2 large sectional couches in the shape of an 'L', both of which were pushed together, forming a large square in the center of the room with an opening in the center of it.

Just like downstairs, Tayuya was surrounded by 3 doors, 1 on her left, 1 on her right and 1 directly infront of her on the far side of the room.

Once she focused on the door infront of her she noticed it was cracked slightly, allowing her to catch a brief glimpse of a shower, an action which caused her to surge forward before pushing the door open and smiling from ear-to-ear once she confirmed her suspicion.

The bathroom was roughly 16ft x 16ft with a 3ft wide counter running along the left side of the room and a toilet placed directly against the center of the right wall, the shower was just a bathtub with a 6ft tall sliding glass door.

The bathtub, counter, toilet, floor-tiles and even the wall itself were all solid white, an image which made the shower appear even more seductive, especially since it didn't have Jirobo's stink on it.

After several quiet moments of observing the shower Tayuya slowly breathed in through her nose, causing her to realize that the room was filled with the scent of Pork Ramen and Soap, a smell she rather enjoyed.

At this moment, Tayuya reached down to the bottom end of her shirt with both hands before pulling up, pulling her shirt off before bundling it up and throwing it on the counter, an action which revealed she wore no bra.

She then took several steps forward and poked her head through the still opened glass sliding-door while at the sametime lowering her hands to waist before unbuttoning and unzipping her shorts.

"This is going to feel so good, even better than the hot springs since no one will bother me." As she spoke, she squatted down slightly while pulling her shorts down and lifting her legs up before throwing her black shorts atop the counter.

Tayuya then used her right hand to grip the edge of the sliding-door before she leaning halfway into the shower while using her left hand to turn on the hot water.

She then leaned back before standing up straight, an action which caused a faint glimmer of movement to erupt from the mirror to her left, causing her to turn to the left before staring directly back at herself in the mirror.

This process caused Tayuya's eyes to wonder and focus upon her underwear, dark gray boxers roughly twice the size of her petite frame, no doubt another piece of clothing she had stolen.

Tayuya then abruptly tore her gaze away from the mirror while squatting down and taking her boxers off before throwing them at the mirror and hopping in the shower, eager to become embraced by the warm rays of water.

Once she entered the shower, she quickly slammed the glass door shut before pulling her hat off, allowing her long red-hair to flow loose in the shower, causing several strands of her hair to instantly become soaking wet.

She then positioned her face directly below the jet of water while at the sametime using her left hand to place her hat atop the glass sliding door.

Tayuya didn't even care about the Soap or Shampoo that lined the corners of the shower, she was too focused and overwhelmed by the terrific warm water gushing across her body.

What felt likes seconds extended into minutes before morphing into what appeared to be hours for Tayuya, hours of warm and delight as she scrubbed her hair and rubbed her face several times under the water.

Time-and-time again Tayuya would allow warm water to run across various different parts of her body before vigorously scrubbing it and repeating the process.

Since she felt like hours had past, Tayuya turned the hot water off before abruptly swinging the glass door open, an action which filled her mind with anger once gusts of cold air hit her naked form, causing her to realize she had no towel.

Tayuya she leapt out of the shower before picking up 'her' shirt and rubbing it across her face and hair in an attempt to use it as a towel.

Once she was satisfied with the amount of warmth Tayuya placed her shirt atop the counter before walking out of the bathroom and glancing from left to right, staring in between 2 unknown doors, one of which she thought could contain towels.

She then followed her instinct and turned to the left before walking towards the door and pushing it open while drops of water continued to slide down her legs and lower torso.

This action revealed a dimly-lit room which was filled to the peak with historical posters, pictures of famous Shinobi and Kage, and even several autographs from a handful of seasoned Konoha Shinobi, some of which even Tayuya heard of.

On the right side of the room was a closed sliding door, suggesting it was a closet, causing Tayuya to dash towards it before abruptly throwing it open.

After Tayuya opened the closet she quickly noticed a series of over 12 matching purple tunic's, all of which were the exact same outfit that Naruto wore.

Below Naruto tunics were a line of his black and white Shinobi shoes, over 10 of them positioned neatly in a row, a type of shoe Tayuya rather enjoyed.

"Either he stole all this shit or he used jutsu to clone them..." Tayuya mumbled out.

These cloths caused Tayuya mouth to fall open slightly once she realized whose room she was in, a realization which caused her to abruptly turn around and smile from ear-to-ear once she noticed Naruto's cleanly made bed.

He had a twin size bed with 3 large leaf-green pillows lining the end closest to the wall, his sheets and covers were also a matching shade of leaf-green, something Tayuya didn't really care for.

All this green is fucking disgusting, green is by far my least favorite color, right up there with blue. Tayuya concluded before she once again turned around and walked into Naruto's closet, determined to use his cloths as a towel.

Naruto didn't know it yet, but this was going to be one of the most enjoyable days Tayuya will ever have for her entire life, a day she will look back on for several years to come, the day when she began to wonder about her true purpose.

* * *

 _9 hours later, 6:43pm inside Naruto's room._

The blurred and distorted image of Hashirama, the 1st Hokage, was the thing Tayuya saw as she slowly began to wake up from underneath Naruto's covers, slightly amused by the idea of fucking with his bed, room and cloths.

"Why the fuck does he sleep with all these dudes watching him, so fucking gay." Tayuya complained as she threw the covers of her before twisting to the left and hoping out of bed.

She then raised her right hand to her face before rubbing it against her right eye while yawning loudly, causing the sound to echo throughout the house since she didn't close the bedroom door before her nap.

Once she lowered her arms back to her sides, she glanced around the room at the scattered pieces of purple fabric that littered the room, fabric from one of Naruto's tunic that she had cut up with a Kunai to better personalize it for herself, she loved the color purple.

Tayuya wore loose-fitting black shorts, shorts that were originally Naruto's pants but once she found his Kunai stash, she used them to shorten the fabric.

Around her torso she wore the exact same tunic as Naruto except she wore it as a shirt with the lower half below her waist completely cut-off, at the sametime her sleeves had been cut-off several inches above her elbows.

Even the raised collar had been cut-off and replaced with a more standard fit while on her head she wore her iconic hat, Tayuya didn't understand how Naruto could walk around in that tunic all day.

Tayuya even had a pair of black and white shoes positioned next to the door of Naruto's room, suggesting she was going to start wearing those now instead.

At this moment, Tayuya became to leisurely walk out from the room while picking up her new shoes at the last moment and turning around to take one final look at the mess she had left.

Naruto's bed was a mess but to Tayuya the nap was well worth it, oddly enough it took her almost 5 minutes to pull the sheets loose, as if Naruto hadn't slept in the bed for a mouth.

Instead of organizing his bed or even cleaning the floor Tayuya decided to leave it that way just for the laugh she would certainly release once Naruto saw the mess.

"Hey, jackass!" Tayuya screamed as she tossed her new shoes over the railing before dashing down the spiral-staircase, expecting to see Naruto on the couch only to realize that she was the only person home.

"What the fuck." After she spoke, she abruptly bit down on her lower lip while walking into the empty living room to grab Naruto's key only to instantly trail back to the front room of the house.

Tayuya's stomach then rumbled and roared, causing her to dash into the kitchen only for her face to abruptly downcast itself once she remembered all of Naruto's food was sealed inside scrolls.

While Tayuya had Naruto teach her the basics about Sealing last night, she found him too young, too innocent, and too 'pure' to be her teacher she so just phased out of everything he said, something she really regretted now.

With no food and no blond boy to feed her, Tayuya charged towards the frontdoor before placing her new shoes on and stepping outside, determined and focused to bring Naruto back home.

Guess I'll go find the jackass, so I can eat... Tayuya concluded before she locked the frontdoor behind her and rushed out into the streets of Konoha while ignoring the setting sun atop the distant horizon.

* * *

 _20 minutes later, 7:09pm inside Ichiraku's Ramen Shop._

"Hey, where the fuck is Naruto." Tayuya questioned as she popped her head through the curtain of the shop, causing Ayame, Shino, Hinata and Kiba to all stare at her while noodles hung out from the latters mouth.

"Sorry hun, I haven't seen him all day." Ayame explained as Kiba quickly swallowed his mouthful of Ramen.

"Naruto? Naruto doesn't deserve a babe like you, girl." Kiba spoke as he spun around on his stool before leaning his back against the counter, trying his best to look cool.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." Tayuya ordered before she abruptly turned around in an attempt to leave the shop, only to be interrupted at the last moment by Teuchi.

"Well well, if it isn't my 2nd favorite customer." Teuchi exclaimed, causing Tayuya to turned around before sheepishly smiling towards the man.

Tayuya didn't respect many people infact she didn't even respect Orochimaru, she feared him, but she respected Teuchi, he had shown her something very few people in this world had, genuine kindness.

"Hey, um... how's it going?" Tayuya mumbled, not really understanding what to say.

"You're looking for Naruto right, my number 1 favorite customer?" Teuchi questioned, causing Tayuya to slowly nod her head in approval, an action which forced a wide smile to bloom upon the formers face.

"I haven't seen him all day, but if you find Naruto bring him here and the 2 of you can eat together for free." As he spoke, the smile on his face grew wider with each word.

"Deal!" Tayuya replied as she quickly turned around and dashed out into the street before disappearing into the earlier night sky.

"When did Naruto get that babe?" Kiba asked.

"She was wearing his cut-up cloths..." Shino mumbled out.

"I don't want to talk about it..." Hinata spoke before abruptly downcast her face.

"Dad, why do you keep giving Naruto and her free food, that's no way to run a Restaurant." Ayame protested.

"You just haven't seen what I have, Naruto has done alot for this village and alot for me... the least I can do is feed him and his new friend." Teuchi explained before he turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.

Ayame never understood what her dad was talking about when he got this way, ever since Naruto and Tayuya 1st came to the shop together he started talking in a weird, riddle-type of speech, something she personally couldn't stand.

However, the one thing no one noticed was a shadowy, silver-haired Jonin leaping across the rooftops towards Tayuya, clearly following her.

* * *

 _15 minutes later, atop the Hokage Monument._

"Hey jackass! I'm going to beat your ass for making me run this far!" Tayuya declared as she ran across the heads of the 4th, 3rd and 2nd Hokage towards Naruto who stood atop the 1st.

Tayuya had first seen Naruto over 10 minutes ago but it took her ages to get to him, atleast without displaying her abilities as a Shinobi.

"What the fuck are you doing?" As she spoke, she stopped walking after she stood barely 3 feet to the left of Naruto who was staring out across the village of Konoha.

Suddenly a heavy breeze blew in from the south, causing several leaf's to break off before swirling into the air while Tayuya continued to waited for a response.

"Jackass, every moment you waste here is a moment we could be eating Ramen, free Ramen." While she spoke, she crossed her arms infront of her chest as she used all her willpower to restrain herself from strangling Naruto.

"Sometimes... you never learn the value of a moment until it becomes a memory, and I have many memories here." Naruto spoke, forcing Tayuya to tilt her head to the right in confusion.

"What the fuck are you doing, Mr. Philosopher child?" Tayuya mocked.

"Do you ever think about it, Tayuya? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life?... I've been thinking about that alot lately and only now do I realize the truth, finding our purpose _is_ the meaning - that's why we're here, and the ones who find their purpose... they're the only ones who are truly tree." Naruto replied, causing Tayuya's eyes to widen once she realized to truth of his words.

"Sometimes... we have no other choice but to walk the wrong path because it's the only thing that numbs the crazy pain in our hearts, the pain of this obscure world." Tayuya explained as she glanced up towards the cloudy and moonless sky.

"To gain something... you must also give something up, I learned that along time ago and that is my purpose, what's yours? You gonna live in this village with your friends?" While she spoke, she lowered her gaze before glancing out across Konoha, causing her to become impressed with the sheer size of the village.

"We hurt the ones that love us, ignore the ones that need us and adore the ones that use us, life sucks kid and the quicker you realize that, the quicker you grow up." As she spoke, she tried to forget that she was only 2 years older than Naruto.

"Grow up... my father once talked to me about growing up, about how my perception of the world would change and how there were certain things he couldn't teach me, back then I thought he was joking but only now do I see what he meant, it truly is time for me to grow up." Naruto proclaimed before another heavy breeze blew in from the south.

"freak... demon... monster, no one should be treated like they don't need to exist...everyone deserves life to its best...I once believed that I deserved they're hatred, that I was just born with it... but I'm not what they say I am." At this moment the clouds overhead began to part and dissolve, revealing a waning Moon.

As the clouds continued to swirl overhead, the opened section in the sky illuminated both Naruto and Tayuya with several rays of direct moonlight

"Being a freak means I'm unique, being a demon makes me special, being a monster gives me a purpose because without monsters there can be no Heroes." After Naruto spoke, Tayuya gripped his left shoulder with her right hand while glancing up towards the barely visible moon.

"Then show the world what you can do by being the best monster possible, But seriously there is free food waiting for us, lets go." Tayuya ordered as began to stomp her left food atop the ground several times, clearly annoyed with the situation at hand, since she was so bored with the conversation she failed to notice the bright smile that bloomed across Naruto face once he noticed she was wearing his cut-up cloths.

This realization snapped Naruto out of his thoughts before he began to walk towards the village, forcing Tayuya to travel alongside with him, eager to get free food once again.

At this moment, the sound of a book snapping shut erupted from the distant tree-line, too far away for either Tayuya or Naruto to notice that Kakashi was watching them.

Sensei... everytime they're together, I see you and Kushina... even her temper reminds me of the Hot Red-Blooded Habanero... Kakashi thought while he leaned his back against a large treebranch.

I wonder... what role will she play in this? As his train of thought progressed, he glanced up just in time to see a wave of clouds instantly engulf and conceal the moon from sight once again.

Tayuya and Naruto then disappeared into the distant treeline as they began they're long journey towards Ichiraku's Ramen with each of them already planning out the meal they were about to have.


	33. Chapter 33

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **naes151 - She would indeed curse my name.**

 **Guest -** **There are 3 man things Iruka gave/taught Naruto: Chakra control, the basics for the Shinobi Academy and a fathers love. With all that in mind I don't see him being some badass at chapter 1, just a innocent kid - which is why he trusted Mizuki.**

 **In regards to Naruto being an idiot, he is much smarter than he was in cannon but to be fair that's not saying much.**

 **Guest)#2 -** **The motivations I've been writing for Tayuya are basically just power and free food. With that in mind, she doesn't have a canon backstory I can take great liberty with it to mold her backstory.**

 **In regards to why Gaara didn't kill Dosu, I see it like a food comparison. Why kill/eat Dosu, some rotten fry when Gaara could have a juicy steak like Naruto.**

 **A Reader - Rest assured I treat all reviews as honest feedback and as such have taken your review seriously, but with that it mind I must ask - what specifically do you consider unrealistic?**

 **Was when Naruto asked Tayuya what she valued in life? He wasn't doing that because of her, he was asking because of Konohamaru. He was trying to be a thoughtful and wise teacher to Konohamaru, just like how Iruka was to him.**

 **The reason Naruto is so emotional/open/philosophical is because of Konohamaru. When Naruto was six, Iruka took him in and now he wants to do the same for Konohamaru.**

 **In regards to the conversation atop the Hokage Monument, Naruto was already deep in thought about his life long before Tayuya found him. I could have replaced her with Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru or even Shino and he would have asked them the same questions.**

 **Naruto realizes it's time to grow up, we have had 30 chapters of a young childish Naruto and now he needs to change.** **The conversation between Konohamaru that encouraged this train of thought (him thinking about his purpose) will be revealed in a future flashback.**

 **In regards to Tayuya, I see her as a very brash and straight to the point girl. For example, the scene where she went through Naruto's closet, with any other girl that would have been a romantic/emotional scene, but it was Tayuya.**

 **She is a spy, she had no cloths, her old cloths were dirty, she had no towel and purple is her favorite color. So I think her stealing Naruto's cloths makes perfect sense.**

 **In terms of her asking what his purpose is or being straight to the point, I saw that as her trying to speed him up because she was hungry. Needless to say, Naruto took the conversation much more seriously than she did.**

 **T** **he one thing I consider slightly unrealistic is the scene where Naruto hugs Tayuya. But in the anime, Jiraiya orders Naruto to hug a girl he likes.**

 **I didn't see that hug as "Tayuya I want to put my dick in you" I saw it as "My Sensei has been telling me a lot about girls lately, and since you're a girl and you've never called me a freak or said you hate me - I kind of like you." I didn't see the scene as romantic at all.**

I **f you still consider me a disappointment then leave another review pointing out the exact line of dialogue you believe to be the problem. Since you have taken the time to read this story, I will gladly take the time to reply.**

 **I should note that at the time of writing this, I have already fixed 2 errors/mistakes pointed out by Narutofan.**

 **GunBlade2018 -** **I saw it as Tayuya just trying to comfort him so he would hurry up and get done sulking, she wanted to go eat. He has been thinking about his ideals all day, but his ideal life is a life where he knows his purpose - he doesn't know that yet.**

 **He was asking Tayuya about her purpose and the reason to be alive because he wanted to hear someone else's thoughts on the matter. I didn't see Tayuya challenging or disrespecting Naruto's ideals, I just saw it as her not giving a fuck and wanting him to hurry up.**

 **With that in mind, that dialogue you bring up was typed because I find it to be quite poetic, Tayuya had no idea she was saying something so profound or resonating, she just said it to hurry Naruto up.**

 **In regards to her opinion, Tayuya couldn't give a shit, she just does not care (except for free food, girls love free food).**

 **Narutofan - I would like to thank you kindly for your review, I truly believe your suggestions have improved the reading experience of chapter 32 for future readers, and because of that I thank you.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 33: Pride Of The Sand Village! A New Apprentice Found.**

 _11:32am Sunday June 11th, 58SSP, On the border between Tanigakure and Sunagakure_

"Lord Kazekage, please forgive me my Lord... but is this wise? Meeting him here?" An unnamed Shinobi asked, hesitant to question his Lord.

He was a stout and bulky man with tan sun-baked skin while he wore the iconic attire and flak jacket of all Sunaga-ninja, complete with the headband for the Village Hidden by Sand.

His legs, arms and face were all covered by a series of dense sand-stained fabric that was wrapped around him several times, showing that the only visible part of him were his brown eyes since the rest of his head was covered by turban-like head gear.

Strapped to his back in a slanted fashion was a 6ft long sword with a sand-colored hilt and sheathe that allowed both it and the wearer to blend in perfectly among the environment.

"How dare you question our Lord! You were lucky enough to be chosen as his escort yet you defy him? Have you no shame, Gando?!" A fellow Sand Shinobi reprimanded the former while he stood to his left.

This Shinobi had short sand-brown hair with tan skin while he wore the iconic flat jacket and outfit for all Sunaga-ninja as a large gourd was strapped vertically to his back, a gourd that was completely wrapped and concealed by sand-soaked fabric.

Both his forearms were bundled with even more sand-stained fabric while on his lower face he wore a mask that protected his mouth and nose from the constant gusts of Sand, something very common in the Land of Wind.

"Why not just have him meet us at the Village? I don't have a good feeling about this, Suko." Gando complained while he glanced to the left towards his teammate.

"Silence, both of you, you're not here to talk." The 4th Kazekage ordered as he stood infront of both his escorts, his words instantly causing them to kneel before stopping they're conversation entirely.

The 4th Kazekage, Rasa, was adorned with his iconic robe and hat while the top of it was painted a grass-green color with the Kanji for 'Wind' etched into the front, all of which rustled in the gentle sand-filled breeze.

He had spiky auburn hair which was partial concealed by his hat while his dark-brown eyes gave a very stern look to his face, around his waist was a small canister strapped to his left hip, a canister that contained some unknown material.

The group of 3 Sand Shinobi stood atop a 80ft tall rocky cliff, a cliff that overlooked the nearly endless streams belonging to the Land of Rivers, the land that ran in between Sunagakure and Konohagakure.

"He's late." After he complained, his 2 escorts instantly stood up before shaking they're heads from side-to-side in an attempt to scout and better study the surrounding area while ignoring the numerous sand mountains that dotted the horizon behind them.

At this moment, all 3 Shinobi glanced to the left just in time to notice a blurry figure slowly approaching them from the distant horizon, something that caused the 2 escorts to tense while Rasa relaxed and softened.

"So, Orochimaru sends his favored pet to greet the Lord of a nation? He dares to insult my honor yet beg for my aid?" Rasa mocked once he noticed the approaching figure was Kabuto.

"My Lord will be here soon, but until then I am authorized to negotiate further terms for the invasion." Kabuto replied as he smiled innocently while standing only 10ft infront of the 4th Kazekage.

"How dare you! You are nothing but a child, you have no right to treat our Kage in such a manner!" Suko reprimanded before instantly falling to his knees and bowing behind his Lord, expecting punishment for speaking out.

"Calm yourself and stand for your words are correct, I will not make terms for war with a child." Rasa declared while crossing his sleeved arms infront of his chest, an action that caused Suko to stand at attention.

"Forgive me, oh wise Kazekage, shall we gaze out and examine the beautiful streams of your neighboring country? The Land of Rivers sparkles like a pearl in the sunlight" Kabuto asserted as he turned to the left before taking several steps forward and standing atop the edge of the cliffside.

"This is how the Sound asks for aid? Where do you come from, the Land of Children?" Rasa mocked, causing Kabuto to downcast his face slightly before pushing his glasses up with his left hand.

"How long may I hope for the blessing of your presence?" Kabuto asked with a tone that enraged the 4th Kazekage.

"Not long." Rasa spat out in response.

"Oh I am desolated... if you, my most glorious Lord, would grace me with your desired conversation then I, as a servant of the mighty snake, would lovingly accept." Kabuto replied, further enraging the trio of Sand Shinobi before 2 more blurry figures appeared atop the horizon far behind him.

"So it appears the 'mighty snake' has finally showed himself, who is he?" Rasa questioned as his eyes glanced towards the white-haired figure walking beside Orochimaru's right hand.

"This is my dear, sweet Kimimaro... we we're both allowed to bring 2 escorts, correct?" Orochimaru asked rhetorically before his tongue slithered out and draped across his lips several times until it retracted back inside his mouth.

"Keep your forked tongue behind your wicked teeth, I have not traveled 200 miles to have words with some child, I came to speak with one of the Sannin and I expect you to remember that next time." Rasa remarked, causing Kimimaro to abruptly jolt forward only to be stopped by his Lord at the last moment.

This action greatly tensed Suko and Gando, causing the latter to unsheathe his sword while the former clapped his hands together, forcing the cork on his gourd to pop off before 2 miniature baby-sized puppets leapt out.

For several moments these baby puppets ran and dashed around the trio of Sand Shinobi, forming a thin circle in the sand around them before each of the puppets instantly halted all forms of movement and faceplanted into the ground.

During this process, Suko's arms were extended outward while his fingers contorted and snapped in several different angles, revealing thin blue chakra strings running from his finger tips to the puppets.

"A little tense, aren't we?" Kabuto asked with his back directed towards both groups of Shinobi as he continued to stare out across the nearby Land of Rivers, an action which concealed his sadistic smile.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph….. 200 miles, my that is quite the journey, all to get rid of that annoying little peace treaty with Konoha, right?" Orochimaru chuckled out as he began to toy with his prey.

"Do not play dumb, you already know the details, after the treaty was signed 14 years ago the idiotic feudal lord of my country forced the Hidden Sand Village to reduce our armaments, he became a client of Konoha when he should have been giving missions to our Village." Rasa declared.

"He then even went further than that, and began to greatly cut and reduce funding to our military and Shinobi Academy, allowing us to become weak and brittle, he then proceeded to even reduce the number of our Shinobi by forcing some to retire or take up other professions." After he spoke, a light gust of Sand blew in from the east.

"When the head is stupid, the arms and legs have a hard time to see reason, lucky for us that head is blind." While Rasa spoke, his words suggested that the current feudal Lord for the Land of Wind had no intention or plan to invade Konoha.

"This reminds me, that skilled Shinobi of yours... Baki, he let the invasion plans slip right into the hands of the enemy, Konoha knows everything." Orochimaru proclaimed, avoiding the part that Jiraya and Kabuto had to play.

"WHAT!?" Rasa screamed out in response while he uncrossed his arms, clearly angered by the information.

If that's true... then war with Konoha is close, so why waste time coming to meet us at the last moment - I got a bad feeling about this. Gando panicked, each of his thoughts causing the grip on his sword to tighten even further.

"It's almost like the Sand dragged the Sound down." Kabuto spoke before glancing up towards the cloudless, blue sky, allowing him to ignore the tension that his words caused.

"Do not mock the Sand!" Sugo ordered as his fingers snapped and moved, causing the heads of his 2 baby-puppets to abruptly twist before they're mouths fell open and closed several times in a repetitive manner.

"Calm yourselves, both of you, only together can we defeat Konoha." Rasa proclaimed before he once again crossed his sleeved arms infront of his chest.

"But I am surprised, Orochimaru... I thought that, whatever their nature, you had strong feelings towards secrecy and preservation - so tell me, did you allow Baki to get captured?" After he spoke, a dense gust of Sand blew in from the east. This gust of Sand created a tense period of silence between both groups of Shinobi, silence that appeared to stretch on for several minutes, something that further erupted the situation.

"Feelings - huh? I have no need for things such as that but this does remind me of what I told you when we 1st met, do you remember?" Orochimaru asked as a twisted smile bloomed upon his face, causing Rasa's eyes to squint and narrow in response.

"I'm a Snake... My skin is cold and I have no heart, I hunt my prey with my tongue and once they are found I wrap myself around them... before I devour them whole." After he spoke, his tongue escaped from his mouth before draping across his chin and cheeks until it retracted back inside.

"That's the kind of animal I am... Remember when I told you that?" While he spoke, Rasa's eyes narrowed even further before glancing between Kabuto, Kimimaro and Orochimaru multiple times.

"Is it time already? My, my... I was starting to grow bored with watching the little mice flail around in their trap." Kabuto remarked while he continued to glare up towards the solid-blue sky.

"What do you wish to do with they're bodies, my Lord?" Kimimaro asked as he strolled directly infront of his Lord and teacher, the man he considered a God.

At this moment, a foot-long spear of solid white bone shot out from Kimimaro's right palm before he gripped down on it with such force that the sound of his muscles tightening and contorting echoed throughout the area.

This process caused several drops of blood to drip from Kimimaro's palm while both Suko and Gando prepared for battle as Rasa uncrossed his arms before another gust of Sand blew in from the east.

"What are you doing, Orochimaru?" Rasa spat out while a snarl formed on his face once he finally realized what was going on.

"I'm going to hide your body so it will be hard to find, you came here without telling anything, right?" Orochimaru asked before his tongue once again slithered out of his mouth, causing Kimimaro to surge forward, determined to punish those that offended his Lord.

This action caused Gando to rush past Rasa and Suko before leaping off the formers puppets and swinging his sword down vertically towards Kimimaro's right shoulder, only for a series of short bones to jolt out from his shoulder before interlocking with one another, blocking the attack.

These bones tore and stabbed through the fabric on Kimimaro's right shoulder and upper sleeve, causing several streams of blood to drip down his arm while Gando's eyes bulged from their sockets, unable to believe that the child infront of him was manipulating bones.

The bones then shot out even further while their tips sharpened and rushed towards Gando's face only for a baby-puppet to appear atop each of his shoulders, puppets that were yanked through the air by chakra strings, pulling the Sand Shinobi with them.

This process pulled Gando backwards over 10ft, saving him from Kimimaro's attack before the latter quickly hurled the sharpened spear-like bone in his right hand towards Rasa, the man who had insulted his Lord.

The baby-puppet atop Gando's right shoulder than jumped into the air before while using it's wooden hands to wrap around the bone-spear before redirecting it towards the rocky ground, completely protecting the 4th Kazekage from harm.

As the puppet hovered in the air it's jaw lowered before unhinging itself entirely, revealing a black-metal tube that abruptly shot out several dozen Senbon, objects that pierced and soared downward through the air at an alarming rate of speed.

Kimimaro then raised both his hands into the air before directing his fingertips up at the baby-puppet, an action that caused several dozen chunks of bones to launch out from his fingers, bones to smashed into and absorbed a vast amount of approaching Senbon.

Once the Senbon stabbed through the layer of bones, Kimimaro surged forward while a 3ft long sharpened bone shot out from his left shoulder before falling into his right hand

"Enough!" Rasa declared with the clap of his hands, causing Golden Dust to instantly form in the air before descending down upon Kimimaro and burying his body, concealing him from view.

"You want my blood? Come, Snake." After he spoke, a heavy gust of Sand blew in from the east, lifting his Kage hat up slightly and revealing thick dark circles arounds his eyes, circles very similar to Gaara's.

"LORD OROCHIMARU!" Kimimaro screamed while anger and love consumed him, anger towards Rasa and love for his Lord, love that fueled his body and allowed him to emerge from the dense Golden Dust, Dust that was much heavier than Sand.

This action revealed that the entire top fabric of his torso was torn and tattered with a series of bones stabbing out and protruding from his body and arms in several different directions.

"DON'T INSULT MY LORD!" As he screamed, he surged forward while extending his right hand out and directing his fingertips towards the surprised face of Rasa, who couldn't believe that a mere child had crawled out from his Gold Dust.

At this moment, several foot long spears of bone shot out from his right fingers and hands before jolting forward, only to reveal that every single one of them had stabbed into Gando who intercepted this attack at the last moment.

"Please, forgive me my Lord." Gando pleaded as several streams of bloods dripped out from his mouth before Kimimaro abruptly hurled him to the left, causing the blades of bone to snap off the latters fingers before the former flew 10ft through the air until he fell over the cliffside.

"GANDO!" Suko screamed out in panick only to be interrupted once Rasa loudly clapped his hands together as Kimimaro stood barely 3ft infront of him.

This action caused Kimimaro to once again become buried by Golden Dust, only for the Dust to build and pile up atop his body several times over, crushing his bones against rock and stone.

Before the battle could precede any further, Rasa's still pressed together hands weaved through the Bird, Snake and finally Dog Seals until he abruptly crouched down and slammed his palms atop the stone ground.

"Water Style: Water Blade!" Rasa screamed, causing a 20ft geyser of water to erupt up before funneling, contorting and rising in several different angles and degrees until it dissolved entirely, revealing a swirling solid 6ft Water blade that was stabbing out vertically from the ground.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph... by pouring your chakra through the stone you're able to raise columns of underground water from beneath your feet, a technique perfect for surviving in such a harsh Land, I believe that's a technique you created yourself?" Orochimaru spoke, suggesting he knew more than Rasa expected.

"I will not explain myself to a traitor." Rasa replied as he confidently stood up before using his right hand to pull the blade free from the ground until he twirled it through his hand, allowing him to hold it in a proper fashion.

"BLEHHHHHhhh-" Orochimaru gargled out after his jawline suddenly fell open while his tongue draped out halfway down his torso before the bandaged wrapped hilt of a sword jolted out from his throat.

Orochimaru then reached up with his right hand before gripping down on the hilt and pulling out a 6ft long sword from his throat, revealing the 'V' shaped golden cross guard of the blade as saliva dripped across the blade in several areas.

"Allow me! My Kage!" Suko requested as he flung his arms through the arm, causing his 2 baby-puppets to dash across the rocky ground in a disturbingly fast crawl only for multiple spears of bone to abruptly stab out from the nearby Golden Dust, piercing both the puppets.

This action was followed by Kimimaro forcing his body up through the Golden Dust before standing up straight, revealing over 13 bones that were protruding out from his right arm and shoulder in multiple directions.

Kimimaro then once again surged towards Rasa while the bones on his right shoulder shot out before logging themselves into Suko's skull, throat and torso, causing several pools of blood to scatter across the ground as he fell.

Rasa then swung his water sword horizontally towards Kimimaro, filled with anticipation towards the approaching bones that the latter could manipulate and control.

At this moment, Orochimaru joined the battle with his own sword, forcing Rasa to fight on 2 fronts as he used his Golden Dust to absorb Kimimaro's bones while parrying the Snake Sannin multiple times, truly a feat worthy of the 'Kage' title.

Although Rasa's use of Golden Dust was masterful and his skill at the Water Blade was extreme, his style of combat was much more stationary instead of combative, athletic or Taijutsu-related, forcing him to fight a defensive battle.

Suddenly both Orochimaru and Kimimaro swung they're weapons towards Rasa's head, only for the latter to crouch at the last moment before slamming his left palm atop the ground below him, the Kazekage was moving with such speed that his hat fell off before wavering in a gentle breeze of Sand until it landed on the ground.

This action caused several cascading waves of Golden Dust to erupt out from Rasa on all angles, burying Kimimaro once again while Orochimaru instantly dissolved and distorted into a bundle of white snakes that attempted to hide.

Rasa then leapt into the air before a floating cloud of Dust began to form underneath him, allowing the 4th Kazekage to land atop the cloud while he proceeded to hover over the now Golden battlefield.

After the Kazekage rose approximately 30ft into the air, he halted all forms of movement before narrowing his black-ringed eyes as he continued to observe and study the area below him.

"U-" Rasa gasped out in shock once Orochimaru's blade extended up from the ground for over 30ft until nearly stabbing the Kazekage only for the latter to block the attack at the last moment with his water blade.

The attack itself wasn't what shocked Rasa, it was the speed at which the blade managed to extending itself, suggesting the blade to extend and retract at a moments notice, something the 4th Kazekage found hard to counter.

Ordinarily, my Kusanagi sword would pierce any object or material... but it appears that blade of his is made of something special. Orochimaru concluded as his head slithered out from the Golden dunes, revealing that the hilt of his sword was held in his mouth with his tongue wrapped tightly around it as the blade extended for over 30ft into the air.

At this moment, Orochimaru slammed his white hands together into the Snake Seal, causing his Kusanagi sword to distort and dissolve into several dozen white snakes, causing 5 snakes to land atop Rasa's cloud and forcing him to leap off.

Once Rasa left the cloud it abruptly crumbled before he soared downward for over 10ft until he landed atop another of his Golden Dust clouds that had just appeared underneath him, saving him from falling.

During this process, Kimimaro managed to free himself from the dense Golden Dust for the 3rd time before raising his now sleeveless arms up towards Rasa before shooting dozens of bone fragments out his fingertips towards the Kazekage.

This caused Rasa to raise his flat left palm into the air, causing his entire body to be consumed and engulfed by a ball of dense, chakra-filled Dust that completely absorbed and and blocked the approaching bones.

Several dozen streams of Dust then drilled out from the ball at all directions before funneling and contorting themselves down directly towards Kimimaro and Orochimaru, determined to bury them and end the battle.

Orochimaru then twirled his sword around in his right hand until allowing it to fall and stab into the ground before clapping his palm hands together and dancing through the Tiger, Ox, Dog, Rabbit and Snake Seals.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough." Orochimaru spoke before once again slamming his palms together after he weaved the proper Seals, causing such a powerful and overwhelming gust of wind to erupt from his hands that he slid back for over 5ft under its pressure.

The chakra-filled wind of Orochimaru then collided against Rasa's descending Dust, forcing it to disperse and dissolve into millions of Dust particles that gently rained down through the air.

"Is that all you've got then? Some crumbled Earth turned to Dust and a little Water? Even with the title of 'Kage' is this truly the best you can do?" Orochimaru teased while using his right hand to pull the sword of Kusanagi free from the ground.

This statement caused several geysers of Golden Dust to surge up over 20ft into the air while the already floating particles began to mold with them, creating a massive semi-hollow Dust dome that completely engulfed and contained both Kimimaro and Orochimaru.

Rasa then leapt off his cloud as he released his Water Blade, allowing it to dissolve in the air as the plummeted towards the ground while flinging both his flat palms down towards the approaching Dust, rock and stone.

The 4th Kazekage then landed palm-first atop the ground, an action which caused the 20ft tall Dust dome to abruptly slam down with such force and magnitude that the surrounding rock was cracked and split with several fissures being created from the pressure.

"Feel the fury of the Sand." Rasa spat out before he confidently stood up and glanced across the flat terrain littered with Golden Dust, causing his eyes to focus upon the distant figure of Kabuto who still stood atop the cliffside looking out across the Land of Rivers.

"My my, what an impressive battle." Kabuto spoke with his back still directed towards the 4th Kazekage, concealing his twisted smile from view as a heavy gust of Sand blew in from the east.

"I grow tired of your voice." Rasa declared as he extended his left hand out, causing several streams of Dust to surge towards the calm Kabuto.

At this moment, several dozen bone spears protruded and stabbed out of the ground in multiple different angles and directions, obscuring Kabuto from view while forcing the 4th Kazekage to jump back into the air.

As Rasa descended through the air he waved his right hand in a counter-clockwise motion in an attempt to gather more Golden Dust only for the Kusanagi blade to instantly extend out from the bone-filled sea of Dust, causing to 4th Kazekage to jump too the right at the last moment before falling into one of the newly created fissures.

The moment Rasa landed atop the ground a stream of Gold Dust formed and harden in the palm of his right hand before creating a sword of solid Dust just in time to parry Orochimaru's vertical sword swing once he jumped into the same fissure.

Rasa then slashed upward in a horizontal fashion, forcing Orochimaru's sword to be deflected high into the air while the 4th Kazekage hurled his left palm forward, creating a stream of Dust that rushed towards his opponent.

Orochimaru and his sword then dissolved into several dozen white snakes that slithered out and surrounded Rasa before reforming and merging into 5 versions of the Sannin with his sword, all of which began attacking the 4th Kazekage.

Using his Golden Dust as a floating shield, Rasa managed to preform an impressive series of blocks and counter-attacks in order to maintain his footing while attempting to strike what he assumed to be the real Orochimaru.

Rasa then parried 3 different thrusts by separate Orochimaru's while a dense 5ft tall wall of Dust form behind him before surging forward and washing over 2 versions of the Sannin, causing the 4th Kazekage's flank to be momentarily secured.

One of the Sannin then dissolved into snakes before slithering out across the ground towards Rasa's feet, forcing him to preform several 1 handed backflips while using the Dust sword in his right hand to deflect multiple strikes from the 2 remaining Orochimaru's.

Time and time again Rasa managed to block, parry and deflect several strikes from both versions of the Sannin, using the 'Fury of the Sand' to fuel his rage and focus.

Suddenly Orochimaru lunged forward with the tip of his Kusanagi sword directed towards Rasa's heart, causing Golden Dust to mold around the latters left palm before he gripped down on the blade, stopping its movement entirely.

At the same time, Rasa managed to deflect and parry several attacks directed towards him from the Orochimaru to his right, an action that prevented him from moving backwards or jumping to the side.

"AAUUuuah-" Rasa grunted out as the blade gripped in his left hand extended and pierced through his heart, being too distracted by the countless strikes from his right to prepare himself.

The 2nd Orochimaru then appeared behind the 4th Kazekage before running his sword through the back of his Abdomen, causing his Dust Blade to abruptly dissolve as Rasa use his hands to grip the blades piercing his body.

Both Orochimaru's then pulled both their swords loose, forcing the 4th Kazekage to fall to the left before slamming lifelessly atop the stone ground until the Sannin behind him dissolved into several dozen white snakes that quickly swarmed and concealed his corpse.

"There is no one who can stop us now, even the Kazekage of the Sand village falls before us." Kabuto declared as both he and Kimimaro stood atop the 15ft cliffside that lined the fissure Orochimaru and the now lifeless Rasa fought in.

The only cloths Kimimaro still had on were his shoes, pants and the purple inverted rope-like belt he wore on his waist, his shirt, except for the lower portion of it that clung to his belt, was completely torn off and removed due to the sheer amount of bones he released in battle.

"Of course, the 'Kazekage' title is cursed afterall, like lambs to the slaughter... I have you to thank for this victory, my sweet Kimimaro." Orochimaru explained in a kind and gentle tone as he glanced up towards his apprentice.

"HCH - HCCH - hch... Un-" Kimimaro coughed out in response as he fell forward while raising his hands to his mouth in an attempt to catch the blood shooting out before falling into the fissure and landing face-first with a heavy thud.

"KIMIMARO!" Kabuto panicked as he instantly appeared in a kneeling position beside the still coughing and bleeding Kimimaro.

"What is it, boy? Are you unable to go on?" Orochimaru asked with the hint of disgust and annoyance filling his tone, erasing his previous joy and kindness as the Sannin became disappointed that Kimimaro had fulfilled his usefulness so soon.

"Pl-Please forgive me my Lord... Please, forgive me Lord Orochimaru." Kimimaro pleaded as he struggled to look up while each cough he released shot out several handfuls of blood, painting his fingers, mouth and the ground underneath his red.

As Kimimaro continued to struggle for multiple minutes in an attempt to glance up towards his Lord, he eventually became overwhelmed by the amount of pain shooting through his body with each cough, causing him to faceplant once again and preventing him from seeing the disgusted look on Orochimaru's face.

At this moment, another heavy gust of Sand blew in from the east, the 1st gust of Sand to blow since the death of the 4th Kazekage, Sand that sprinkled over the edge of the fissure before falling atop his snake-covered and lifeless corpse, signaling the end to a great Kage.

* * *

 _1 day later, Monday June 12th, 58SSP inside the Land of Grass._

A panting, spiky red haired girl stood in between 2 massive roots belonging to one of the many towering trees that made up the Forest of Death. Her short bangs revealed t brief glimpse at her headband, showing that she was a Shinobi from the Land of Grass.

She wore a fishnet mesh-armor undershirt with matching fishnet leggings that lead to her standard Shinobi shoes. Over her undershirt she wore a short sleeved tan jacket that was opened in the middle and ran down 3in below her waist.

Around her waist she wore a short dark grey skirt that ran down until 3in above her knees. Her eyes were blood red, the same color as her hair, and they were covered by a pair of thick oval-shaped black glasses.

Held in between both her hands and clenched against her small chest was a White Scroll with the Kanji for 'Heaven' on it. Her skin, cloths, hair and even the scroll itself were covered in dirt and mud while several bite marks littered her forearms.

With each moment that passed, the girls panting and gasps for air intensified while her right fingernails grinded against the tree bark behind her. At this moment a large, 15ft tall and 20ft wide brown bear strolled forth from the distant treeline, finally revealing the object of the girls fear.

It's teeth were jagged and bared while it grunted and snorted as it slowly walked towards the panicking girl. It's fur was coarse and rough with several sections missing, revealing sections of bare flesh that were covered with multiple wounds. It's eyes were covered by lifeless black circles while it's left eye was closed entirely due to a large scar inflicted across it.

With each step that the beast took, the surround land and trees shook under its weight and power. Barely 15ft away from the girl now, the beast began to drool with anticipation towards it's next meal.

"Hey! Where did everyone go!?" The unnamed girl screamed in terror as her nails grinding against the tree pressed in further, causing her fingertips to bleed. She knew where her teammates were but at the same time they had been gone for over 20 minutes while searching for a Hell scroll, leaving her completely alone.

"NHHHHHHHHHHaa!" The bear roared as it's front claw dug into the Forest floor underneath, preparing itself to attack. This action caused the girls eyes to widen and bulge from underneath her glasses, terrified of the beast infront of her and knowing full well that no one would save her, that no one wanted her.

Overwhelmed by fear and dread, the girl turned to the left before running for her life, allowing her to dodge the bear's massive jawline as it lunged towards her and attempted to bite down. After she ran 9ft she tripped over a barely noticeable tree root, causing her to fall forward before landing with a heavy thud, knocking her glasses off and sending them 4ft across the ground.

"RAAAAA-" The bear once again roared only to be abruptly cut-off by a brief silence until it feel down atop the forest floor, shaking the nearby trees in the process. The bear then began to snore loudly, causing it's disgusting breathe to breeze out towards the red haired girl, allowing her to realize she wasn't dead yet.

For several moments the girl laid atop her stomach with her eyes closed and the Hell scroll gripped tightly in her left hand while her right covered her head. After hesistating she finally opened her red eyes before glance to the right, towards the massive blurry bear with a fuzzy purple and blond figure standing atop its snout.

"So, you have a Heaven scroll too." The figure spoke out as his voice caused the girls heart to skip a beat while she stared at him in a dazed fashion. For what felt like minutes she attempted to examine his face, only for his entire image and appearance to come off as fuzzy and blurred.

M-My glasses... Her thoughts raced while she released the scroll from her left hand before she began pushing and reaching across the forest floor around her, determined to find her glasses. Her right fingers than pressed against a warm fabric-covered palm, causing her to blush as she looked up.

Once she glanced up, she noticed the fuzzy blond and purple figure crouched down directly infront of her before he used his right hand to put her glasses on, allowing her to get a clear view of his face and features. She quickly noticed the whiskers on his cheeks before her eyes rose and focused upon the faint glimmers of purple erupting from underneath his bangs.

"See you around." The boy spoke cheerfully before disappearing in a blur, once again leaving the girl alone as she slowly sat up before glancing around the clearing in an attempt to locate the blond. She wanted to know his name and who he was, she wanted to know his life story and what village he belonged to, but above all she wanted to know why he saved her.

This moment would replay itself inside her mind day-after-day, each time it occurred she wanted to speak out, to ask him his name and to learn about his life but each time she lost her courage, filling her with regret. The only thing she didn't know is that he regretted the very same time.

You're just an outsider, you have no loyalty to our village, you are as worthless as your mother, the pride of the Grass village has been weakened because of your failure at the Chunin Exams. A disappointed and angry voice boomed aloud inside her mind.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" The girl screamed before she abruptly rolled over, forcing her to fall off the wooden bench before landing facefirst atop grass-covered ground, causing her to realize the Chunin Exams were over and that it was just another dream.

For what felt like minutes she laid there with her face buried into the ground, wanting nothing more than to just go back asleep so she could relive the Forest of Death once again inside her mind. After a sharp pain erupted in her stomach she finally stood up, only to remember she had no money.

The girl then crossed her arms infront of her stomach before looking side-to-side, examining the surrounding buildings, stores and people, several of which stared at her. Since she had no family, no friends and no one who cared about her, she was homeless and slept on a bench while all the money she did make went towards food.

Overwhelmed by grief, the girl turned around before dashing off and disappearing into the nearby roads and alleyways of the town, eager to hide her face and even her entire existence away. After passing several corners, an adult hand shot out before gripping her hair with such strength that she fell down.

"Let go!" The girl pleaded as the roughly 30yr old man pulled on her hair with even greater strength while using his right foot to kick her back, forcing her to fall on her knees. This action caused the girl to cry and screamed while using her hands in an attempt to pull herself loose. During this process, the adult and several other witnessed all laughed and chuckled.

"You're nothing but a disgusting outsider! Your red hair is disgusting!" The adult man declared as he jerked her hair and face through the air, knocking her glasses off before he raised his right foot, preparing to kick her once again.

Suddenly, the entire mans body was consumed by a 10ft tall and 30ft long purple scaled snake, leaving only his right arm visible before he finally released the girls hair, allowing the snake to shallow him whole. The snake then coiled around the panicking girl several times as it began eating and consuming all those who watched but did nothing.

"A Shinobi without a homeland is quite a tragic thing, but if you come with me, no one will ever touch you again." The voice of Orochimaru declared as the purple snake uncoiled itself before allowing it's Lord to approached the girl. This statement caused even more tears to form in her eyes while she struggled to find her glasses before putting them on.

Her wet eyes sparkled with love and trust as for the 2nd time during her entire life, someone offered her a home. She was so dazed at the prospect of a new home that she didn't even fear the massive snake that surrounded her.

"There is only one thing you must tell me, what is your name?" As the Sannin spoke, he took several steps forward before standing directly infront of the girl, towering over her as his snake-like eyes examined her for any hints of fear or dread, but he could find none.

At this moment, a dense breeze blew in from the north, filling the road with the scent of fresh grass. During this process, the snake's head and tongue twisted in multiple different directions as it observed its surroundings.

"K-Karin... Karin Uzumaki." The red haired girl mumbled out as she slowly stood up without tearing her astonished gaze away from Orochimaru. Not since her mother died had someone made Karin feel this way, she felt safe.

"Come, my child, we have work to do." Orochimaru ordered as he turned around and walked off into the distant streets, an action that caused his snake to erupt into a puff of smoke before disappearing entirely.

Filled with hope and joy for the first time in 2 years, Karin quickly began running after the snake Sannin, happy to once again have someone in her life that valued and needed her.


	34. Chapter 34

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 34: Hospital Besieged! The Return To Isolation.**

 _Wednesday 10:23am, June 14th 58SSP._

"Welcome!" The shopkeeper for an all-you-can-eat BBQ Restaurant declared after Choji stomped through the entrance .

After several moments, Asuma and Shikamaru close behind him as they escape the streets of Konoha. These streets were filled with children, mothers and fathers, all of which carried deep love for their nation and people.

"TIME TO EAT! First, let me get some Galbi, Sirloin and..." Choji's voice trailed off once he, his teammate and Sensei all disappeared into the Restaurant.

This process caused Kankuro to scoff and snort loudly as he watched from atop a distance balcony, the balcony of the hotel room he and his team were sleeping in. After scoffing, he briefly glanced at a pair of cute girls that were walking down the street.

"They're having Barbeque again, it must be a reward for training like they're told." Kankuro sighed while he leaned against the railing to his balcony. His words suggested this wasn't the 1st time he had seen team 10 eating which was believable considering how often Choji ate.

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about Baki? He's been missing for 6 days now." Temari replied from within the apartment, she sat with her back to the wall while her left knee was pressed against her chest. Behind her set several broken pieces and chunks of her fan, still determined to repair it.

"Besides, before he disappeared you were ordered to keep an eye on Gaara." After she spoke, she directed a fierce glare towards Kankuro, forcing him to roll his eyes before sighing loudly. In an attempt to annoy his teammate even further, Kankuro took great time to stretch and yawn before replying.

"Don't worry, even _he_ won't do anything weird during the day, so hey, aren't you matched against that pink haired girl from Naruto's team? What's your plan for dealing with her." Kankuro asked, eager to change the conversation away from Gaara.

"There is no way I will lose to some emotional wreck like her, my level is far beyond hers." Temari snapped out, causing a mischievous grin to bloom across Kankuro's face.

"What do you think her and that bandaged blond girl are doing? Think they are making ou-" Kankuro's question became cut-off midsentence once a large chunk of metal from Temari's fan collided into his face, causing him to rollback and fall across the railing before holding on with his left hand.

"Temari! Help me! Help me up! Help me up! Help me up!" As he pleaded, his teammate slowly stood before approaching him. During this process he struggled and strained to reach out with his right hand and secure a good grip, only to fail everytime.

"Thank you! Than-" His speech once again became cut-off after Temari raised her right foot and stomped down atop his left hand, causing him to lose his grip before falling over 5 floors down.

"TEMARI!" Mere seconds after he screamed, he landed atop the roadway with a heavy thud, an action which turned his eyes solid white while attracting the attention of several nearby citizens.

"Good riddance." Temari sighed out before abruptly sitting down and leaning against the railing in the exact same fashion Kankuro had done.

The security for the Land of Wind is extremely low right now, but still the feudal Lord and his attendants do not understand that! The voice of her missing Sensei, Baki, screamed aloud inside her mind.

Lord 4th Kazekage alone sensed the danger from our village become weak and stagnant, he has concluded that we need to cooperate and work with the Hidden Sound Village, together we can destroy Konoha. As Baki's words continued to progress, Temari turned around before placing her forearms atop the railing while staring out across the Leaf Village.

This mission, the Konoha Crush, will regain the dignity and honor of the Sand village, we will show that idiotic feudal Lord the important of crisis management for his country! Once Baki's booming voice trailed off, Temari abruptly stood up before turning around and entering the apartment.

If we waste anymore time, the Sand will become too weak to challenge Konoha, the time to strike is now, before we lose too much of our power - that mission... depends on you, Gaara. After Baki's voice trailed off, Temari quickly slide open the door to Gaara's room, only to become horrified once she noticed he wasn't there.

"Did Gaara...?! Where did he go!?" Temari panicked, she didn't know it but Gaara was hunting for prey.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Inside the Hospital of Konoha._

A mysterious and shadowy figure stalked the halls of Konoha Hospital, giving brief glimpses of a gourd wearing shadow that groaned and grunted, but at the same time it remained completely unseen by the remaining staff members.

"Huh? No one's here." Naruto mumbled out after entering through the front entrance to the hospital before glancing from side-to-side. The blond then took several foot steps forward and approached the empty front desk, allowing him to read the 'Away for Lunch' sign.

Naruto then placed his package of bundled up white lotus flowers atop the counter while reaching down and picking up the visitor log before scribbling his name into it. During this process, a spiky haired, gourd wearing shadow appeared directly behind him, until it began slowly and quietly approaching him.

The air in the room became more and more tense with each moment that the shadow closed in distance, all while Naruto continued to observe and stare at the entry log, too preoccupied with it to notice the shadow.

"Hm?" Naruto mumbled out after he finished scribbling his name atop the notepad before turning around only to notice no shadow or origin for a shadow and that he was still completely alone inside the room.

For several moments Naruto examined and stared around the surrounding room, trying to ease the rampant and sharp claws dragging across the inside of his stomach. At the same time, Naruto felt like he wasn't alone but neither could he find anyone, an aspect that greatly uneased him.

After hesitating, Naruto then turned around before picking up the bundled up package of white lotus flowers and walking off into the distance halfway, heading towards Lee's room. The moment after Naruto left the room, the spiky haired, gourd wearing shadow appeared once again in the corner.

After multiple minutes of Naruto walking through hallways and climbing up stairs, he finally managed to approach Lee's room before quietly sliding the door open and walking inside, revealing that Lee was still asleep.

Throughout the entire journey inside the hospital, Naruto could swear an odd shadow was stalking him from behind, only to disappear at the last moment every time he turned around, causing his muscles to tense each time this action occurred.

This feeling caused Naruto to leave the door to Lee's room opened while he placed the flowers inside the vase to the right of Lee's bed. Naruto then glanced to the left before sliding the window open, allowing a gentle breeze to rush in while he observed the distant roof tops.

Time and time again, Naruto would feel a distant, uneasy feel rushing up his spine, as if some time of entity inside the hospital was stalking him. Although Naruto could feel someone watching him, the best he could notice were brief glimpses towards certain shadows that would quickly disappear anytime he turned around.

At this moment, a series of loud and heavy foot steps became to ring out from the hallway, each step caused Naruto to become more-and-more tense as the steps became approaching Lee's open door.

The foot steps then became even more loud as they began to echo inside Naruto's mind while his fists clenched and tightened due to his increased heart rate. Suddenly, a pale white hand gripped to far left side of the doorway, relieving Naruto since he finally made direct eye contact with a person.

"Hey jackass, I've been looking for you, wanna buy me some food?" Tayuya questioned as she leisurely strolled into the room while crossing her arms infront of her chest as she briefly glanced towards Lee.

"Sure thing, I'll feed you after we leave but... have you been following me?" Naruto mumbled out in response.

"What kind of a question is that? You said you wanted to get flowers for your fag-friend so I after I got done with my nap I came here and found your lame-ass name scribbled on the visitors log." Tayuya explained nonchalantly.

"Well... I mean... I just feel like someone's been following me..." Naruto mumbled out sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head with his right hand.

"I don't give a' fuck - I just want you to feed me." Tayuya exclaimed before she sighed loudly, causing Naruto to smile in response.

"Sure, well lets go then, I'll gladly feed you." Naruto replied before both he and Tayuya disappeared into the hospital hallway after the blond closed the door behind them.

For what felt like minutes the sound of a ticking clock filled the room while Lee slept in complete silence with the occasion gentle breeze of wind blowing in from his opened window.

Suddenly, his hospital sliding door slammed opened at the same time that a heavy current of wind blew in from the south, causing Lee's window curtains to raise and waver in the breeze. During this process, Naruto and Tayuya walked down a distance hallway together before the former realized he forgot to water Lee's new flowers.

At this moment, the heavy footstep of Gaara stomped inside Lee's room before approaching the sleeping Shinobi as he glared at him in an emotionless fasion. Gaara then examined and observed Lee's sleeping face for several moments as he attempted to understand why the latter was still alive.

"Nhhhhh!-" Gaara groaned out in pain as he abruptly raised both his hands to his forehead before gripping down fiercely, forcing his back to arch forward as he attempted to endure the vast amount of pain.

Because he is my friend and also because he is precious to me. The words of Naruto ringed and echoed loudly inside Gaara's mind, causing his pain to grow and double with each repetition.

"Why... Why did you help him..." As he grunted with pain, the pressure in his forehead increased tenfold, causing his legs and arms to tremble under the pain. This process caused Gaara's fingers to dig and drag across his skull as he was unable to comprehend this feeling, the feeling of love.

Suddenly, the cork atop Gaara's gourd popped off before several streams of Sand began to surge and wrap around Lee's bed. As the Sand surged from his Gourd, Gaara could barely stand while his eyes throbbed and bulged from the pain he felt.

"Huuuuu... huuuuuuu... huuuuuuu... Nh-" Gaara's words became cut-off mid sentence once Naruto appeared directly infront of him with his right hand wrapped around the formers left wrist, appearing with a blinding amount of speed.

"WHAT. THE. FUCK. ARE. YOU. DOING!" Tayuya screamed, more at Naruto instead of Gaara since the former had dragged her back through the hallways of the hospital.

"What the hell are you doing here." Naruto demanded to know as his grip on Gaara began to tighten and constrict, his language was evidence that Tayuya was beginning to have quite the effect on him.

Once Naruto and Gaara were face-to-face, the pain erupting from each of them grew, forcing the former to ignore it while the latter grunted in response as he continued to glare at the blond who had managed to out maneuver his Sand. As Gaara stood beside Lee with several streams of his Sand covering the latters face, Naruto briefly noticed his shadow, the same shadow that had been stalking and following him throughout the hospital.

"You dare threaten someone I hold close to my heart?" Naruto asked as his grip upon Gaara released so much pressure that the latters skin began to crack and splinter.

"I was trying to kill him." Gaara explained after regaining his calm mindset, allowing him to ignore the pain erupting from his forehead.

"That's was pretty fucking calm." Tayuya muttered out in response as she stood next to the doorway, unable to believe someone could murder with such a calm mindset, even when she killed people she always had hatred at the forefront of her mind.

"Why? You already won the match, do you have some sort of personal grudge against him?" Naruto questioned as his tight grip on Gaara filled to room with sounds of muscles stretching and pulling.

"No - I'm going to kill him because I want him to die, just like I want you to die." Gaara replied calmly, causing Tayuya's eyes to widen once she realized they weren't dealing with an average Shinobi.

"He's blood is worthless compared to yours, but I get a sick feeling from him, he has to die before I move on to you." After each word was spoken, Naruto's grip on his left wrist tightened even further, causing the previous 3 cracks to erupt into 7.

"If you make any move against Lee - I'll kill you." Naruto spat out, causing the nearby vase to shatter under the amount of Chakra he was now releasing, an action that caught Tayuya's interest.

"I'm only going to say this once, if you get in my way - I will kill you." Gaara replied as if the crushing pressure on his left wrist was nothing. This statement caused a visible shift in the tension of the air, a shift Tayuya noticed.

What followed was a brief period of silence as the only sound in the room was Naruto's right hand constricting around Gaara's left wrist. During this process Tayuya glanced in between both of the Shinobi infront of her several times, usually she didn't give a shit but she got a twisted vibe from the Sand Shinobi.

"Because he is your friend and he is precious to you, that is what you said, isn't it? Tell me, what does that word mean, precious?" After Gaara spoke, the room was once again filled with silence as Naruto glared at him from underneath his bangs.

"At birth, I took the life of the woman who was called my mother, in order to become the ultimate Shinobi my father than sealed a demonic incarnation of Sand inside me, I was born a monster - so I ask again, what does this 'precious' word mean." As he spook, Naruto's grip on his wrist became loose and weak once he realized what exactly Gaara was saying.

He has... something sealed inside of him, too? Naruto questioned inside his mind as he began to realize he found someone just like him.

"That's not what a parent should do, what a twisted way to show love." Tayuya proclaimed, she didn't know anything about parents or love, but she knew she was bored with the conversation and ready to have free food.

"Love? Don't measure me by your pathetic values... Parents? Let me tell you what kind of link I have with them... They are just lumps of meat connected by hatred and murderous intent." Gaara replied, causing Naruto's grip on his wrist to loosen entirely.

"I stole my mother's life and was created to become the masterpiece for the Sand Village, my father, the 4th Kazekage, taught me the secrets of Shinobi... allowing me to grow up overprotected, spoiled and left alone - is that love?" While he spoke, Naruto's violet eyes began to bulge and widen from under his bangs.

"For the past 6 years, my father has ordered numerous assassination attempts on me, is that love?" After he spoke, Naruto released Gaara's left wrist from his grip before taking several steps back, overwhelmed by the shock of hearing such a statement.

"You fucking moron, you already said that your dad spoiled you, so why the fuck would he try to kill you?" Tayuya spoke out as she tried to play along but internally she was just ready to go eat already.

"A being that is too strong eventually becomes an embodiment of fear, since I was born from the usage of a technique, my mind was unstable... finally, after several years, the idiots of my village noticed that my emotions were unpredictable." Gaara replied, causing Naruto's concealed eyes to widen with each word.

"To the 4th Kazekage, my father, I was the village's trump card but at the same time I was a threat, and ever since I turned 6, it appears my village has classified me as a dangerous being, I am nothing be a tool directed towards the enemies of my village." While he spoke, Tayuya rolled her eyes before sighing loudly, clearly bored.

"Why do I exist? Why am I alive? What is my purpose in life?... After years of asking myself I still can't find the answer but I desperately need that reason, I need a reason to stay alive, if not, I might aswell be dead." As he spoke, Naruto froze completely while he mind drifted off into a far-off place.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Tayuya replied in a carefree manner, unaware of the internal crisis Naruto was having.

I...I understand...y-yo-you're... you're the exact same as me... Naruto's racing thoughts finally noticed.

"But after years of thinking - this is what I concluded... I exist to kill everyone other than me, once I realized that, I finally found relief inside the fear of being assassinated by my father - by killing those assassins I was able to recognize my reason to live, I was able to prove I exist." Gaara explained.

"Look dude - this is all fine and dandy but I feel like you're much more into this conversation than I am, I just want to go eat." Tayuya complained as she sighed loudly before rolling her eyes.

"I fight only for myself and love only myself... along as others exist to make me feel this way then I kill them, this allows me to realize how wonderful this world as they die, as long as there are people to kill in this world, people that make my experience of life joyful... My existence will remain." Gaara replied, causing Naruto to tremble while Tayuya sighed loudly.

I was alone too, Gaara... I didn't know the reason to my existence and suffering, but... then... Naruto's mind trailed off midsentence as the loud laughter of Iruka began echoing inside his thoughts.

Because of him, I was finally able to feel like I was alive, like I was real... but, you... you've always been alone, haven't you?... In that deep, dark place... all alone... is this - are you... are you what I would have become? Naruto questioned as his mind raced a mile a minute.

At this moment, several condensed streams of Sand surged out from Gaara's gourd and Lee's bed before rushing towards Naruto and Tayuya, an action that alerted the latter much more than the former.

"STOP RIGHT THERE! The final matches are tomorrow, there is no need to get hasty." Guy proclaimed as he nonchalantly strolled into the room, causing Gaara's Sand to instantly fall limb atop the floor.

"N-" Gaara grunted out in response while he fell to his knees before gripping either side of his skull with his hands.

Don't leave me alone... I'm not bleeding, but it really hurts here... what-what am I!? The voice of a younger Gaara echoed inside his mind while the surrounding Sand funneled itself inside of his gourd.

Without speaking or talking any further, Gaara stood up before turning to the left and limping out of the room with his right hand pressed against his forehead, causing him to walk past Naruto, Tayuya and Guy before finally approaching the door only to turn around at the last minute.

"I will kill you for sure, just wait." Gaara declared as he stared at Naruto before disappearing into the hallway, an action that genuinely disturbed Tayuya once she began comparing Gaara to Kimimaro.

At this moment, a heavy gust of wind blew in from the south, blowing through the window and filling the room with a fresh breathe of air as Tayuya began debating what food she wanted Naruto to buy her while the latter once again began thinking about his purpose in life.

* * *

 _30 minutes later, 11:57am, inside Ichiraku's Ramen Stand._

"I am so looking forward to this." Tayuya exclaimed as she sat to the left of a quiet and downcast Naruto, both of which were seated atop one of the 6 stools inside Ichiraku's Ramen shop.

"So, Naruto and Tayuya - it's wonderful you see both of you again, how are you?" Ayame asked as she popped out from the kitchen, since her father had already told her they're favorite customer was here, she was determined to say a quick hello.

"I'm so and so, just fucking off with jackass here, he's been all doom and gloomy since we left the hospital though - like a depressed sad-sack." Tayuya replied with a loud sigh as she complained about the blond to her right.

"Oh don't worry I'm sure you'll fix that up in no time, you do have a special effect on Naruto after all." Ayame responded with a slightly giggled.

"I'm just here for the free food." Tayuya sighed while rolling her eyes, causing Ayame to giggled once again as she glanced in between her fathers 2 favorite customers, customers who were now her favorites.

"Is that so? Well have a taste of this." Teuchi ordered with a smile wide upon his face as he walked into the room from the kitchen before placing 2 freshly made bowls of Ramen atop the counter. The Ramen was topped with Crab legs, boiled eggs, Pork, Chicken, Crawfish and a assorted amount of vegetables with the iconic 2 peppermints placed on top.

"Wait just one fucking minute, this isn't what we ordered?" Tayuya exclaimed as her sparkling eyes examined and observed the steaming meal infront of her, never before in her entire life had she seen such a meal.

After staring at the food for several moments, Tayuya glanced up only to notice the smiling face of Ayame and Teuchi's back while he nonchalantly washed a pair of dishes in the sink behind the counter.

"Just eat up, the finals are tomorrow and I can't have my 2 favorite customers starving." Teuchi proclaimed as the sound of glass bowls being washed and stacked filled the room. This statement caused Tayuya to stare at Teuchi for what felt like minutes as she mentally counted the number of gifts and gestures the man have given her over the past 6 days.

"Thank yoooooou." Tayuya screamed out before picking up one of the Crab legs and attempting to open it, not since her childhood had she said that word, a word of appreciation and respect, evidence to the strong feelings she had developed for Teuchi.

After devouring and consuming her Crab legs, she moved on to the Crawfish, then tossed both eggs into her mouth until she picked up one of the peppermints with her left hand. While chewing Tayuya glanced to the right, allowing her to notice that Naruto's face was still downcast and that he wasn't even touching his food.

Feeling happy about her delicious free food, Tayuya tossed the peppermint into her mouth before reaching out with her right hand and grabbing one of the large Crab claws in Naruto's food. After turning the claw around in her hand, she began dragging the pincer across the blonds face and hair in an attempt to annoy and tease him.

This action caused Naruto's face to turn too the left just in time for Tayuya to squeeze the pincer down upon his nose, causing Ayame and Teuchi both to laugh. For several moments Tayuya loosened and tightened the pincer against Naruto's nose, clearly enjoying herself.

Again and again Tayuya continued to pinch and drag the Crab claw across Naruto's face, having to much fun with the process to stop. This action caused the previous frown on Naruto's face to slowly bloom into a grin, happy to have someone who was there for him.

* * *

 _7 hours later, 6:12pm, inside one of the many Sake Restaurants of Konoha._

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Choza busted out with laughter as he and his 2 former Genin squad mates sat at a table littered with empty plates and square-shaped Sake cups.

"Atleast you have a daughter, Inoichi, half of my paycheck goes just to food." While he spoke, he glanced to the right as he observed the blond man sitting next to him. He had long ash blond hair reaching into his lower back, which he wore spiky on top and ending in a long ponytail.

His eyes were blueish-green several strong facial features like a study jawline and firm chin, He wore the standard Konoha flak jacket over a black outfit, complete with hand-guards, forehead protector and a sleeveless red haori.

"Man... We're so lucky we both have boys." The black-haired man to the right of Inoichi mumbled out with a Sake cup held in his right hand while waving his left hand vertically through the air, suggesting he was quite drunk.

He had two scars on the right side of his face, his hair was jet-black and tied up into a spiky ponytail while his eyes were dark brown with a goatee lining the bottom of his face. His ears were pierced and he wore a fistnet mesh-armor shirt underneath his flak jacket, with a deer skin coat over that and hand guards protecting his forearms.

"Girls are so troublesome to raise, aren't they?" As he spoke, he gripped Inoichi's right shoulder gently while glancing at him in a drunk manner.

"Yea... you're right, Shikaku, there are times when I don't know what to do." Inoichi sighed out in response while raising his Sake cup to his mouth and drinking. During this process, Choza had already lost interest as he held a menu infront of his face while pondering what to order next.

"Being a father is tough, huh?... It's such a drag." Shikaku mumbled before finishing his cup of Sake and waving his left hand through the air, signaling to the waiter for another drink.

"Hmph - only 1 more drink? HEY, OLD MAN! Give us any additional order of every item on these 2 pages, all of them." Choza declared as he turned his menu around before waving it through the air towards the main chef in the distance.

At this moment, the nearby sliding door to the Restaurant abruptly slide out before a yawning Shikamaru lazily walked into the room. After observing the table his father sat at, Shikamaru sighed upon noticing the massive amount of empty Sake cups.

"OH! A new challenger enters the ring! Come over here and order something too!" Choza encouraged while waving his menu through the air, an action that caused Shikamaru to once again sigh before he leisurely began walking towards his dad.

"Hey, pops - lets go home already..." Shikamaru mumbled out while he buried both his hands into his pant pockets.

"HmmmmmmMMMMMmm?... What did you say...? Don't tell me what to do, it's a festival, you're supposed to be having fun..." Shikaku replied as he waved his half empty sake cup through the air before holding it to his mouth and drinking it all.

"Festival?... Geez, you're so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed while rubbing the back of his head with his right hand.

"You're just too young and stupid to know any better, ever since the old times-" Shikaku's words became cut-off mid sentence while he pressed his left palm against his face in an attempt to soothe the vast amounts of Alcohol inside him.

"The main matches for the Chunin Exams are basically festivals..." While he spoke, he slowly slid his hand away from his face just in time to notice Choza's order being delivered, refilling the table with vast amounts of food and fresh Sake.

"I have to participate in those matches tomorrow... I don't have time to party, don't make me come back here to get you, you know how mom gets when you stay out all night." Shikamaru complained while he slapped his right palm against his face.

What followed was a brief period of silence as Shikaku picked up his fresh cup of Sake before glancing at and observing his son in a confused manner, as if he had no idea what Shikamaru was talking about.

"H-huh?... You're... You're going to participate?" Shikaku mumbled out before pressing his cup against his mouth and closing his eyes, preventing him from noticing the shocked and annoyed expression on his son's face.

"Huuuuuuuuu... Please, pops - just don't stay out too late." Shikamaru mumbled before turning around and exiting the Restaurant entirely, eager to get this festival and even the Exam itself over with so he could go back to staring at the clouds.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside one of the many decorated streets of Konoha._

A lone Uchiha walked down the street with his arms crossed infront of his chest while ignoring the countless glares and whispers he heard from the citizens around him, whispers of the last living Uchiha inside Konoha.

"That's Sasuke Uchiha... the #1 rookiee for this year, I hear he's matched up against Neji Hyuga tomorrow, the #1 rookie from last year, and that's just the very first match." A roughly 25 year old man whispered inside his group of friends, all of which wore foreign Land of Grass outfits, suggesting they were visiting for the Exams.

"No kidding, Zuke? That match alone is gonna be worth half my salary, we got a good crop this year, I can't wait to see what happens, who do you think will win?" A man standing to the left of the former asked.

"I'm going to put money down on the Uchiha once the bidding opens up tomorrow, I heard that Hyuga almost got killed during the Preliminaries, by some Uzumaki kid, can you believe that, Maki?" Zuke questioned.

"An Uzumaki? Here? He must be alot better than the worthless one we have back home if he can threaten a Hyuga." Maki declared, causing Zuke to snort out a laugh.

"Yea, don't even get me started on that, Karin was such a disappointment, she had a chance to prove herself to our nation and she failed - what a pathetic outsider." Zuke proclaimed.

After several moments, Sasuke finally matched to walk out from ear-shot of the group, only for the conversation from a walking group of 4 leaf Chunin to reach his ears.

"Whose match are you looking forward to the most? Besides Uchiha VS Hyuga, everyone is looking forward to that." An unnamed Chunin who lead the group asked, his attire was the standard Konoha Shinobi outfit, complete with a flak jacket and a forehead protector which he wore like a bandanna, his most noticeable feature was the eye-patch over his left eye.

"That's a tough question, Iwana, but I'll have to go with Shino VS Kankuro, that kid is the next clan heir for the Aburame clan, I wouldn't want to fight him." A rather large Chunin walking beside the former replied. He had brown hair with a small goatee that adorned his chin while his outfit was the exact same as Iwana's, except for it's size and the lack of an eye-patch.

"That's a good choice but not the best, Daikoku, the obvious 2nd choice is Shikamaru VS Dosu, he's Shikaku's son and heir to the Nara clan, I hear his IQ is over 200." A spiky brown haired Chunin walking between the other 2 cut in.

His eyes were black eyes while his nose was flat and broad. He wore the standard attire for all Konoha Shinobi along with a pair of bandages around his wrists.

"I hear he's kind of lazy though, I don't think he'll put up that good of a fight but nice guess, Bekkō." Daikoku replied, causing the 1 Kunoichi among the group to giggle in response.

"You're all wrong, Sakura Haruno was one of my best students at the Academy and she even since she beat Ino in the Preliminaries, I have nothing but faith that she will win, or my name isn't Suzume." A long, curly, black haired Kunoichi declared, causing all 3 men in her group to sigh.

"She's a first generation Ninja, what does she have to offer? I honestly think her match will be the worst." Bekkō sighed out in response.

"Not the worst match, that honor belongs to that fox thing." Iwana spat out in disgust, causing the tense in his group of friends to instantly grow heated and hostile.

"I can't believe that _kid_ made it this fair, I refuse to watch that thing fight, once his match begins I'll leave the arena and just come back after it loses." Bekkō replied, causing his friends to nod in agreement.

"Lord Hokage let that thing get off too easy after stealing the Forbidden Scroll, I don't care what anyone says - I know he's the reason Iruka is dead." Suzume spoke while using her right hand to push her glasses up slightly.

"Iruka was a good man, I never understood why he let that thing move in with him but I told him - 'Iruka, that kid will be the death of you.' and now look, he's dead." Daikoku declared while shaking his head from side-to-side with disappointment.

At this moment, Sasuke walked around a distant corner, allowing the group of Chunin's to fade away from ear-shot only for Sakura to run face-first into him, knocking him down in the process before she fell on him.

"Oh noooooooo... That was such an accident." Sakura proclaimed mischievously as she began to rub her torso against Sasuke's, only for the latter to quickly push her off while swatting her away.

"You're always like this and it's so annoying." Sasuke replied while he stood up before dusting the back of his cloths and sheathed sword.

"Don't say that Sasuke, I'm getting stronger everyday, pretty soon I'll be a legendary Kunoichi!" Sakura exclaimed joyfully as she jumped up before clapping her hands together infront of her nonexistent chest.

"He doesn't like you, so just shut the fuck up already." Tayuya spat out as she and Naruto slowly approached the 2 Genin from a distance road. This statement created a small grin on Sasuke's face, happy to have Sakura put in her place while the latter grew an a annoyed frown.

"Pipe down! I'm going to be the greatest Kunoichi that ever lived!" Sakura proclaimed, causing Tayuya to burst out in a prolonged series of laughter, laughter that stretched on for several moments until she found it difficult to breathe.

Tayuya then fell on her left knee as her laughter grew in volume while her gasps for air increased, laughing almost too much to breathe. During this entire process, Naruto smiled due to her laughter, he found it to be quite soothing.

"Hey, jackass, come here." Tayuya ordered with the wave of her right hand, causing Naruto to stand next to her before she propped her right elbow atop his shoulder while pointing at Sakura with her left hand.

"It's like she's mentally retarded, instead of sweatglands she has retardglands and she's just dripping with Autism, it's spewing out of everywhere - who the fuck knows where all this Autism is coming from? The Autism is spraying out of her ears and it's embarrassing to hear." After she spoke, a loud snort of laughter escaped from Sasuke, something very rare for him.

"Is this who you've been spending time with Naruto? I like her." Sasuke proclaimed, causing Sakura's eyes to erupt into flames as she held her clenched right fist infront of her face.

"Do you want to go!? You red haired hag!" Sakura taunted.

"I will physically shove my foot down your throat, I think you have a Spectrum Disorder." Tayuya declared in a confident fashion.

"Hmph - the 2 of you are filled with such passion, I am glad to see your generation becoming so enthralled with the spirit of the finals." The veteran 3rd Hokage spoke as he walked up to the group with his iconic pipe held in his left hand while the right was positioned behind his back.

"Lord Gramps!" Naruto exclaimed before breaking away from Tayuya to give the 3rd Hokage a loving hug. Hiruzen then wrapped his right arm around the blond before resting his hand atop the boys head in an endearing fashion.

"Hello to you aswell, Naruto, are you enjoying the festival?" Hiruzen asked.

"Sure am! Me and Tayuya have been walking around for over 2 hours now." Naruto replied, causing Hiruzen's gaze to focus upon the red haired girl, a fact she didn't like at all. Tayuya was hoping Naruto wouldn't bring any attention to her, she noticed that most people wanted nothing to do with him and she used that to her advantage, but now her plan was falling apart.

"Tayuya... May I ask what your last name is?" Hiruzen questioned as he raised his wooden pipe to his mouth before inhaling a fresh hit of leaf.

"I don't have one." Tayuya replied nonchalantly as she crossed her arms infront of her chest.

"Nonsense... Everyone has a family, so tell me, where is yours." Hiruzen proclaimed as clouds of smoke poured from his nose.

"I don't have a family, and I don't need one." Tayuya declared, causing Sasuke to briefly think of himself before he realized that he atleast had Naruto.

"HAH! That's cause no one likes you, Hag!" Sakura mocked as she dramatically pointed towards Tayuya.

"I don't need anyone to like me, I'm not some petty bitch that begs for dick all day like you." Tayuya spat out, causing Hiruzen the rub the bridge of his nose with his right hand.

I hope Konohamaru doesn't grow up talking like this. Hiruzen briefly noted.

"Lies! You've been hanging out with Naruto all week! And now your wearing his cloths!" Sakura argued, causing Tayuya to roll her eyes in response.

"Because I don't hate him - but I fucking hate you, Naruto, walk me home right fucking now, and buy me some food on the way." Tayuya ordered, causing Naruto to abruptly turn around before he began leading to way to Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, leaving Hiruzen, Sakura and Sasuke alone on the road.

"Sasuke! Walk me home right fucking now." Sakura proclaimed, mimicking Tayuya in an attempt to receive the same treat she did, only for Sasuke to roll his eyes in response before walking past the 3rd Hokage and disappearing into the crowd.

"They have a lovely chemistry together, don't you think? Reminds me of friends long since past." Hirzuen proclaimed as the image of Minato and Kushina floated through his mind.

"I can't stand her, I first met at the hotsprings a couple of days ago and ever since then she's been so annoying, Lord Hokage." Sakura complained, causing Hiruzen to rest his right hand atop her head.

"Life is full of people you disagree with, like Sasuke, only by becoming a wise and confident Kunoichi could you hope to impress him." Hiruzen exclaimed, always willing to help one of his citizens, to him, the people of Konoha were all his family.

"But how can I become more wise, Lord Hokage? I had a great teacher back in the Land of Waves but now all Kakashi can show me is Earth Style Jutsu." Sakura explained.

"You remind me of a certain Kunoichi student I used to teach back in the day, perhaps after the Chunin Exams, you could be dispatched on a mission to locate her." Hiruzen remarked, causing a smile to bloom across Sakura's face.

"You would really do that for me, Lord Hokage? Just for me?!" Sakura asked while raising her clenched fists infront of her jawline.

"Of course, you are all my family - I would do anything for you." Hiruzen explained with a light chuckle, causing the smile on Sakura's face to grow from ear-to-ear.

"Thanks Lord Hokage! I'm going to go track down Sasuke now, bye!" Sakura proclaimed as she turned around before running off in the same direction Sasuke disappeared, eager to find him.

I will do anything for all of you, and this village - even if I must lay down my life. Hiruzen thought as his gaze examined the passing citizens and Shinobi, many of whom waved and smiled at him, each of them filled with love and respect towards the 3rd Hokage.

At this moment, Hiruzen once again began walking down the busy streets of Kononha in an attempt to see as many faces and friends as possible, knowing full well that tomorrow might be his last day.

* * *

 _2 hours later, 8:56pm, inside Naruto's house._

Naruto opened the door to his upstairs bathroom before stepping out fully cloth while rubbing a green towel vigorously against his hair, suggesting he just got out of the shower.

"Hey, Tayuya, did you want to come to the matches tomorrow? I could buy you a ticket?" Naruto asked as he walked down the spiral staircase while peering through his half-wet bangs and the towel used to dry them.

Naruto had expected to hear the word 'jackass', only for the entire house to be filled with silence, suggesting Tayuya turned off the TV while he was in the shower. He then walked in between the living room and kitchen multiple times in an attempt to locate his red haired friend.

After noticing she was no where to be found, Naruto tossed his towel to the ground, revealing his still half-wet bangs and the violet ripple patterned eyes behind them. At this moment, he noticed a sticky note placed against his frontdoor, a note he quickly investigated,

Got to go - thanks for the food, jackass. PS: Who the fuck has sticky notes laying around their house? You're such a loser! Naruto read the message aloud inside his mind, allowing him to notice just how bad Tayuya's hand writing was.

"Hmph." Naruto chuckled out as a brief grin bloomed upon his face before instantly shifting to a frown once he realized Tayuya wasn't going to watch his match tomorrow. He was upset that his friend left but at the same time glad that he met her in the first place, it was rare to find someone who didn't hate him and he always appreciated when he did.

Tomorrow... Tomorrow. Naruto thought as he glanced to the right, staring at the calendar with Thursday, June 15th circled several times in a purple marker.

Tomorrow, I shall prove myself to you - father. As his thoughts progressed, Naruto's violet eyes focused upon the picture frame hanging over the doorway leading to the living room, the picture frame of a smiling Iruka, greeting everyone who enters the home.

Iruka had given so much up for Naruto, his home, his food, his social standing with friends and co-workers and even his neighborhood. Iruka did nothing but give to Naruto, never asking for anything in response or expecting it, he only gave, until the very end - and Naruto was determined to give something back.


	35. Chapter 35

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **ShadowDeathSkull - I like to imagine Karin and Tayuya having a sister-like vibe, what with the matching hair and all. Until she meets Haku, I plan for Karin to be a plot device that flirts with Naruto and makes Tayuya mad.**

 **I should note that Karin is permanent and main character level.**

 **iShyboy -** **My main problem with Pedomaru is his power scaling, it's broken as fuck. There isn't a single fight in the canon Naruto series where he went all out, the best we can say is he dicked around with 4-tail Naruto.**

 **Considering how easily Orochimaru handled the 4-tails (with no hands or jutsu) but he lost to Pain. I feel comfortable stating that Orochimaru is 5-tail Kurama level.**

 **I should note that this Kurama is twice as powerful as canon. Since I threw away that retarded plotpoint of Minato sealing half of the 9-tails inside himself.**

 **With all that said, I feel comfortable saying that Orochimaru would foot stomp Rasa if he actually tried, he just never tries.**

 **GunBlade2018 -** **Sadly, Karin's background is not canon (that I can establish at least). She was sent to the Chunin Exam so her teammates could bite her, nothing more.**

 **During the Forest of Death, a bear almost kills Karin but Sasuke saves her at the last moment. I didn't introduce Karin back then because I saw no need, that's why I had Naruto created a bunch of clones.**

 **In regards to your 2nd review, only Kabuto knows the true details of Orochimaru's plan. In canon, the 4th Kazekage had nothing to do with the Konoha crush, Orochimaru murdered him and took his place for weeks before the invasion.**

 **Narutoreader750 - Yes, I will eventually be doing a continuation of this story into Boruto. If you or anyone else are ever curious to see my future projects just click on my author page and you will see a list in no specific order.**

 **I should note that I will be doing a Boruto remake for every single Naruto story that I write.**

 **A Reader - Apology accepted, I understand the desire to think of Naruto as his iconic derpy self. In this story I've tried my best to convey that Naruto is basically the 2nd coming of Nagato. I love Nagato-like Naruto and that is why I've written him in such a manner.**

 **With that being said, while this story is Nagato-like my future stories will focus on canon-Naruto, Jiraiya-like Naruto and even Kakashi-like Naruto, if you are curious for those stories check on my author page.**

 **AkashimaUchiha - I understand the argument that learning the Flying Thunder God Technique is basically impossible, even the most elite of elite failed time and time again to accomplish it.**

 **Beside Minato and Tobirama, the only other canon people that could preform it were the group of 3 elite Jonin assigned to be Hokage-guards.**

 **With all that being said, Naruto is the son of the 4th Hokage and the last living Uzumaki inside Konoha. Naruto spent 6 years with Iruka, perfecting his chakra control (which is confirmed Kage-level in canon) and he also mastered the basics of his clan due to Shisui.**

 **I do not consider Naruto learning Flying Thunder God at age 12 to be unrealistic. It's because of that very reason that I left Naruto alone in the forest training for over 7 hours with 40+ clones, increasing his rate of learning 40 times over.**

 **This could of course be an example of my terrible writing or this could be an excuse I'm making up to cover for my writing. However, while I do consider your review valid - I firmly disagree.**

 **I do not consider your review bashing and I hope you have a nice day.**

 **Important Chapter Notice: I will not be using the Chunin Exam Arena from Part 1, I will instead be replacing it with the arena from Boruto (One of the few things that series did right), with my own changes of course.**

 **I should note that I do not consider this unrealistic, the time during Part 1 Naruto was filled with an era of peace for over a decade and from my research, the only reason the 4th Mizukage (and the majority of his village) wasn't present is because he was recently assassinated and his village was in mourning.**

 **I am aware of the whole Blood Mist village plotpoint to force Rin to transform into the 3 tails inside Konoha, but that was over 10 years ago. In terms of the Raikage or Tsuchikage I feel the Mizukage's relationship must have been improved once Minato was made Hokage and after he died, atleast when compared to the other 2 Kage. (Which places the Sand Village as Konoha's greatest Ally)**

 **Point out my mistakes.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 35: Hyuga VS Uchiha! Clash Of Clans.**

 _8:33am Thursday June 15th, 58SSP_

The streets of Konoha were bursting with life and commerce as hundreds of visiting foreign tourists and delegates paraded into the city from the West, South and even East gates, many traveling on feet while others were carried in by carts pulled with Oxen.

During this procession, 2 specific carts stood out from all others, carts that were adorned by ceremonial symbols and jewels while each were escorted by several dozen Kimono-wearing Samurai, a sight that was rare to those inside a Shinobi Village.

These crowds all funneled and directed themselves towards a large 50ft tall and 100ft wide stone arena, an arena topped with 6 different roof tiles, Blue, Green, Yellow and Brown with 2 of them being Red, each of which had a gap in between them that separated the groups with thick walls of stone.

5 of the sections were clearly designed for citizens while the 6th and final section was raised over 10ft above the rest, this platform was extended outward slightly like a stone deck with the Red titles covering it from the drifting clouds overhead.

Resting on this platform were 5 stone thrones, each with an extended and raised back that had the symbol of a specific element upon it. In the center was the 'Fire' throne with the 'Wind' throne directly to the right and the 'Water' throne to the left, signifying the importance that these nations held to Konoha, on the far left and right rested the 'Earth' and 'Lightning' thrones, each of which were covered in dust.

Surrounding the outside of the arena was a large circular pathway that encompassed the entirety of the structure before leading off into 4 separate walkways, walkways that were filled and flooded with dozens of guests all flocking to the building. Lining these roads and paths were dozens of bushs, all neatly placed in a specific order.

There were 4 entrances that lead inside the arena, entrances that were swarmed and surrounded by massive crowds and seemingly endless lines. Next to these entrances were several desks and wooden-counters, all of which had layers of paperwork atop them while multiple clerics sat behind.

"Last minute bets! Place your last minute bets!" A rather large and obese cleric declared as he stood behind the counter while waving a bundle of papers through the air with his right hand. This action caused a nearby group to scoff, giggle, grunt and laugh in response.

"You guys finish your bets yet? I'm about to go put 500 Ryo on the Uchiha to win the whole thing." A pale-skinned, tall and skinny man questioned. His hair was short, spiky and black while he wore a long-sleeved green shirt with grass-colored pants that lead to his citizen shoes, suggesting he was a visitor from the Land of Grass.

"The whole thing? I think you're alittle confident in that kid, Buko, I hear that Sand Trio is a force to be reckoned with." A nearby female declared, her hair was brown and ran down to her mid-back while she wore almost an exact copy of the formers outfit except hers was Sand-colored.

"Shut up, Naki, you're just stroking your ego, I hear that Sand trio made it through the Forest of Death at the same time as Kakashi's squad." A fair-skinned women replied, she wore a forest green short-sleeved shirt with black shorts and standard citizen shoes.

"Kakashi's squad? You mean the Whitefang's son? The Copy-ninja? I didn't know he took on a squad, I guess you would know since you live here, Yukai." Buko admitted while crossing his arms infront of his chest.

"I didn't even know about that, who are his students?" Naki questioned innocently, causing Yukai to sigh in response while she rolled her eyes.

"You two are complete morons, all 3 of his students are in the finals and the Uchiha is one of them, I'm honestly looking forward to the Haruno girl too, she is the only remaining Kunoichi from Konoha so hopefully she makes a good impression." Yukai proclaimed.

"What about the 3rd kid? Whose his 3rd student?" Buko questioned, eager to uncover more details about who he should bet on. However, before the conversation could progress any further, a loud declaration from the nearby desk shocked and stunned all of them.

"10,000 Ryo on Naruto Uzumaki winning." A distant Jonin asserted in a nonchalant tone with his back directed towards the crowd while his face was concealed by a large Orange book. His words had a visual effect on everyone around him, even the cleric's, but he didn't even notice while he continued to read his book.

"R-Ri-Right sir! Of course! Here you are." The cleric responded in a hesitant tone before scribbles a series of paragraphs onto an blank page and handing it to the Shinobi. If he was any other man, the cleric might have asked for his name or ID - but every already knew who he was, he was the man who mastered over a thousand Jutsu.

"That's... the Whitefang's son." Buko mumbled timidly while uncrossing his arms from his chest.

"Kakashi Hatake, The Copy-ninja." Yukai declared while observing the distant Shinobi, she had heard tales and gossip about the man's beauty and sex-appeal, beauty he kept contained behind his mask, beauty that only Anko had seen and it was something she bragged about constantly.

At this moment, Kakashi turned to the left before leisurely strolling off towards the closest entrance to the arena, causing him to walk right past the group of discussing friends. This action caused Buko to raise his right eye-brow before taking a step-forward once he found his courage.

"Kakashi... U-Um... Sir - Why did you put so much money on that Uzumaki kid? Doesn't the Uchiha have a better chance?" Buko asked timidly, causing Kakashi to not even break his stride while he continued to read his book, as if he didn't even hear anything.

After several moments of walking, Kakashi finally stopped dead-in-his-tracks without even tearing his attention off his book. This action once again directed his back towards the group while his face was buried in his book.

"Oh, that... Well, it's just a hunch." Kakashi mumbled before walking away and disappearing into the arena. Once again, the elite Jonin's words made quite the visual effect on the group of 3 aswell as the surrounding crowd of citizens, many of whom glanced from side-to-side in an attempt to regain their senses.

Suddenly, Buko rushed towards the nearby desk with an impressive display of speed, atleast for a civilian, before slamming the palm of his right hand atop the counter with such force that it began to throb.

"1,000 Ryo on Naruto Uzumaki winning! Now!" Buko ordered before repeatedly slamming his right palm atop the counter, forcing the cleric to rush through multiple pages in an attempt to fulfill his request.

"Buko, What are you doing?" Yukai questioned, surprised at his outburst but at the same time disgusted that he would even consider betting on Naruto, she considered that boy to be nothing more than a freak.

"Are you out of your mind!? The Copy-Ninja was willing to bet 10,000 Ryo on this kid! There is no way he'll lose. Hell I'll even bet my life-savings, 1,500 Ryo on Naruto Uzumaki winning, up the stakes!" Buko asserted, causing the cleric to begin shuffling through a different stack of pages.

"500 Ryo on Naruto Uzumaki!" A distant female voice declared as she broke from the crowd before approaching the desk.

"250 Ryo on Naruto winning!" An approaching old man spoke after he stepped out from the crowd.

"730 Ryo on the Uzumaki kid!" A young man ordered as he trailed after the others who walked ahead of the crowd.

With each passing moment, the crowd of citizens stepping forward to bet on Naruto continued to grow and multiple, each of them inspired by the large amount of Ryo such a skilled Jonin like Kakashi would bet. While the crowd was massive, not a single one of them were natives to Konoha, evidence that no one in the village wanted anything to do with the Uzumaki.

During this process, a nearby Uchiha heard the screams and pleas for Naruto winning, an idea that he briefly scoffed at before continuing his walk. Sasuke's outfit was slightly altered from his previous attire, with his sword unstrapped from his back and repositioned against the back of his waist.

The most noticeable change to Sasuke's attire was the large gray cloak that adorned his shoulders and hung down to his waist, a cloak the concealed the entirety of his torso and arms while the fabric clung together. On the back of the cloak rested an Uchiha symbol that was sewn into the fabric while the symbol was surrounded by a dark blue Shuriken.

As Sasuke approached the arena, a heavy gust of wind blew in from the South, wind that eroded and crashed against the Uchiha's back, causing his sword to rattle gently in the breeze as each step forward increased it's volume.

Shisui... Sasuke thought before stopping midstride and glancing up towards the dense clouds flying overheard. This moment caused the world to slow down and almost freeze entirely as several images of his childhood friend and brotherly-figure floated through his mind.

Sasuke's right hand then emerged from the center of his cloak before gripping down upon his collar with such might that the sound of his muscles popping and contorting filled the surrounding air.

During his childhood, Sasuke never recognized the importance of Shisui, he was always there for him, trying to cheer him up, make him laugh or even making excuses for Itachi in an attempt to make the latter look like a good brother.

Over the past several months, Sasuke had begun to realize that Shisui and Naruto were much more brotherly than Itachi, it was one of the many reasons he felt so weak, so pathetic, even as the #1 highest ranked Genin in his class.

If you would have been there... As his mind raced, he pondered the idea of Shisui saving his clan, of Shisui stopping Itachi and even killing him before standing tall as the hero to the Uchiha clan.

I failed my clan once before... but I will not do so again. After finishing his train of thought, Sasuke lowered his gaze before once again walking towards the candidate-only entrance to the arena.

As Sasuke walked, his right hand continued to clench and grip the collar to his cloak, no doubt one of the endless gifts Shisui had given him, a gift that represented the Uchiha Police Force and the Uchiha clan as a whole, a clan Sasuke was determined to bring honor and glory too once again.

Sasuke was so distracted by his thoughts that he failed to notice when a small black crow landed atop a distant treebranch. The crows eyes focused and narrowed upon the young Uchiha while its feathered-head glanced from side-to-side.

For several moments the crow stood atop the treebranch until it disappeared just as quickly as it arrived. With no audible sound escaping from the flap of its wings, the only proof that the crow was even real was a bundle of 3 black feathers that slowly plummeted to the ground.

* * *

 _10 minutes later, 9:03am inside the battleground to the arena_

9 of the 10 candidates stood lined up behind a coughing Hayate, all of which were positioned in the center the the 60ft wide battleground with 35ft tall walls lining all sides. Above these walls rested the 6 viewing sections, many of which were filled with foreign tourists from the smaller nations, nations that were allowed to choose which section to be seated in.

The battleground was covered by a field of dirt in the center that sprawled out into lush-green grass with a dense and thick treeline blooming from all corners. As the candidates stood, the crowd examined and studied them from all sides, many of which had placed bets on certain Genin and were determined to see what they had paid for.

"What is Ms. Forehead doing? The opening ceremony has already begun, where is she?" Ino asked as she sat in the 'Fire' section of the arena, a side-effect of losing her match, forcing her to buy a ticket like some normal guest.

"Beats me." Choji declared in a care-free manner as he reached into his bag of food before tossing several handful's of Potato Chips into his mouth, causing Ino to sigh loudly. Before the conversation could progress any further, the wailing body of Sakura flew in from the candidate-only entrance to the arena.

This action caused Sakura to land on her flat chest before sliding over 20ft across the dirt, garnishing the attention of her fellow candidates aswell as the entirety of the arena. Without even noticing the directed glares, Sakura reached back with her right hand before rubbing her tail bone as she grunted with pain.

"What kind of an entrance was that..." Ino mumbled as she shook her head from side-to-side in disappointment. During this, Naruto strolled towards his dizzy and grunting teammate before kneeling down infront of her and offering his hand to help, an action that took Sakura several moments to notice.

Once Sakura fully recognized Naruto, her eyes bulged and widened while she abruptly jumped up onto her feet before waving her arms through the air in a dramatic fashion. Her actions greatly bothered Sasuke and forced him to slam his right palm against his face, embarrassed to be on the same team as her.

"EVERYONE, RUN! The village's bulls...! The bulls are going to kill us all, they saw my red tunic and now they won't stop until we're all dead!" Sakura declared dramatically while Naruto slowly stood up, her statement causing Sasuke to scoff loudly in disbelief.

"Geeze, and I thought Ino was a handful... girls are so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed before glancing up towards the clouds, eager to get the day over with already.

"I'm serious! There were so many of them! And they are fueled by rage itself! They chased me halfway from my house, and thats on the other side of the village...!" Sakura proclaimed before slowly losing her train of thought after noticing 8 of her fellow candidates were staring at her, all except Gaara who didn't even notice her existence.

"I need the both of you to step forward and stand up straight, you're representing Konoha so please show your faces to the crowd, they paid good money to be here." Hayate requested before breaking in a series of harsh coughs.

This request caused Naruto to rejoin his position beside Sasuke while Sakura glanced up before becoming hypnotized by the crowd, a crowd that began to cheer and roar once the 10th and final candidate revealed herself, each of them ready to see a specific match.

The roar of the crowd was deafening and it even pierced the air itself while thousands of tourists, citizens and even Shinobi watched from the viewing sections. This cheering caused Sakura to swallow a large gulp of spit down her throat as she nervously squeeze herself in between Naruto and Sasuke, she expected a large crowd but no where near this massive.

"Welcome candidates, to the final stage for the Chunin Exams." Hayate proclaimed as the piercing roar of the crowd almost concealed his voice entirely. At this moment, a large cloud began to part and dissolve overhead, allowing a faint ray of sunlight to shine down upon the 10 candidates, further fueling the crowd with anticipation.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, atop the Kage platform._

"Several Anbu teams are patrolling and searching the village as we speak, should a threat arise they will instantly be alerted." Genma whispered into Hiruzen's left ear as stood behind the 'Fire' throne.

"If Orochimaru is anywhere near us we will find him, my Lord Hokage." The Jonin known as Raidō whispered into Hiruzen's right ear. Raidō's most distinct feature was the weal-like scar on his face that ran across the bridge of his nose and down the left side of his face.

Raidō had brown spiky hair, dark-brown eyes and wore almost the same attire as Genma except he for his headband. He also wore multiple small appendages on his fingers, ranging from black-linen bandages to metal rings adorned with spikes.

"I understand." Hiruzen replied as the door on the far-left wall slowly creaked open before being followed by a pair of 3 separate Shinobi shoes shuffling atop the stone floor.

"Ooooooooooh - Look who we have here, welcome to the Chunin Exams, Lord Kazekage." Hiruzen greeted in a charming and joyful tone, displaying a manner of diplomatic knowledge gained from over 30 years of service.

He was adorned with the standard attire for all past Kazekage with a white-linen cloth draped across his face, concealing his lower face and mouth while leaving only his dark-brown eyes and the bridge of his nose visible.

The 4th Kazekage was followed on both sides by his elite Sand bodyguards, both of which wore a heavy Sand-colored cloak that concealed the entirety of their torsos, arms and legs, leaving only their feet and heads visible.

The one walking beside the Kazekage's right hand was covered in ceremonial purple, black and white war-paint, very similar to Kankuro's. The paint-lines on his eyes and mouth all stretched and extended to the back of his skull, only to be concealed by his headband and the layer of bandages wrapped atop it.

Walking beside the Kazekage's left hand was an extremely tan-skinned man, a man who towered over both his teammate and Kage in height. His nose was broad and flat while his facial features were firm and strong. Similar to his teammate, he wore a headband with bandages wrapped atop his skull, concealing his hair from view except for the short chops that lined the sides of his face.

The Kazekage and his escort then strolled next to Hiruzen before sitting to his right inside the 'Wind' throne while his 2 bodyguards stood directly behind him in a fashion similar to the 3rd Hokage's.

During this process, Gaara gaze at the robed figure, anytime he was next to Rasa he always felt this overwhelming urge to hate him, to kill him and taste his blood, to murder the man known as his father just like he did his mother.

But what he felt now wasn't bloodlust, he felt nothing, no internal urge of rage or murderous intent, only emptiness and a piercing black void that filled his mind, it was as if the Kazekage he was staring at wasn't even his father, something only his strong hatred for Rasa could identify.

"You must be tired from the long journey here." Hiruzen remarked in a cheerful tone after his guest had taken a seat next to him. During this, the 3rd Hokage was glancing at the 4th Kazekage's eyes, examining the same eyes he had been negotiating with for over 8 years, the eyes of Rasa.

"Not at all, I'm just happy that these Exams are taking place inside Konoha. Although you still are young, visiting another village at your age might be... difficult for you, Lord Hokage." Rasa replied in a sincere tone while staring back Hiruzen, allowing their eyes to make direct contact with one another.

"Perhaps, you should choose a 5th soon." While he spoke, the eyes of Genma and Raidō both squinted and narrowed as they grew bothered by the lack of respect shown towards their Kage, but speaking out in the presence of neighboring Kage was blasphemy.

"Hmmmmm?... HAHAHAhahahah - Don't treat me like an old man, I'm still considering this title for another five years." Hiruzen chuckled in a friendly tone before standing up from his throne and strolling towards the Kage balcony while placing both arms behind his back.

For several moments Hiruzen stared out across the candidates and crowd while Rasa's narrowed eyes glared at his back. At this moment, a strong gust of wind blew in from the South, causing both Kage hats to waver in the breeze as showers of leaf's could be seen hovering above the distant rooftops.

"Well then... lets begin." After he spoke, Hiruzen raised his right index and middle fingers to his neck before funneling chakra into his fingertips, chakra he then infused and channeled into his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for visiting the Village Hidden in the Leaf's, and even further thanks for paying money to attend today's Chunin Selection Exam. We will now begin the main matches with our 10 remaining candidates who passed the Preliminaries, please enjoy." As Hiruzen spoke, his voice echoed and resonated across the arena, garnishing the attention of the many thousands that sat in attendance.

Tourists and visitors from all around the small nations were gathered here while several delegates and even the Land of Wind's feudal Lord were in attendance, much like the Land of Fire's feudal Lord, both of which were given the entire 'Lightning' section in reserve since members from that village never visited.

Fathers, mothers, children and even several hundreds of leaf Chunin and Jonin were gathered in the audience, many of which were eager to see what this years graduation had brought in while others just had nothing better to do that day so they decided to watch the Exam with friends.

At this moment, Hayate received a quick nod of approval from Hiruzen before the latter turned around and retook his seat inside the 'Fire' throne. This action caused Hayate to cough multiple times until he also turned around to face the candidates.

"Although the landscape is different, the same rules from the Preliminaries apply here; there are no rules. The match will only end when someone dies or gives up but if I decide the match is over, I will stop it." Hayate proclaimed before coughing multiple times into his right hand.

"Now, are there any last minute questions?" After he spoke, a brief period of silence fell over the group of Genin only to be interrupted and overwhelmed by the fierce roar of the crowd, signaling that the audience was ready to begin.

"Very well, the match is Sasuke Uchiha VS Neji Hyuga, if the rest of you will look behind me, you will see small doorway that leads up to the viewing box underneath the Kage platform, since you are all candidates the deck has been reserved for you but please behave." After speaking, he once again broke into a series of harsh coughs while the 8 remaining candidates walked past him.

As the group of candidates slowly began to disappear into the doorway, both Naruto and Sakura glanced back at the last moment, each of them concerned for Sasuke in their own unique way.

"Hey, Hinata, I found some open seats." Kiba spoke as he lead his teammate through the rows of the 'Fire' section which was almost filled to the brim. His outfit was slightly altered since he wasn't wearing his thick-furred jacket, revealing a long-sleeve and thin black jacket with Akamaru laying in the hood.

"Right... thanks." Hinata mumbled as she timidly sat to the left of Kiba, both of them managed to secure a spot on the far left side of a front row, giving them an excellent view of the match.

"I can't wait to watch this, I've been looking forward to this all week." Kiba explained as a wide grin grew upon his face, eager to watch members from the 2 strongest clans of Konoha clash in battle.

Before the conversation could progress any further, the scared whimpers of Akamaru alerted and alarmed Kiba, causing him to turn his head to the left slightly just in time for his dogs snout to rub against his face.

"What did you say?" After speaking, Kiba received another series of whimpers from Akamaru, forcing his eyes to bulge and widen before they began to glance in multiple different directions and angles, clearly searching for something but trying to look calm.

Where, where... There! Kiba's thoughts raced after spotting a dark-cloaked figure that stood behind the back seats of the row directly parallel to where he was seated. The figures arms, legs and entire torso was concealed by their attire, the only visible part beside the cloak was a white cat mask which was partially enveloped by the cloaks hood.

The thing that alarmed Kiba the most was how close the figure was to the people he stood behind yet none of them even noticed what was behind them, they were only citizens but the figure behind them was barely even a foot away, as if he was just too good to be seen or noticed by civilians.

Why are the Anbu here...?! Did something happen? As his thoughts continued to race, he quickly turned back around in an attempt to avoid any attention, thankful to have Akamaru's nose alert him once again before he redirected his focus towards the match.

The crowd then halted all cheers and sounds as the thousands of audience members all directed their attention towards the 2 Genin inside the battleground, Genin who each had many thousands of Ryo placed on them, betting they would win against the other.

"You look like you have something to say." Neji spoke with a wide and confident grin upon his face while he observed the disgusted scowl on Sasuke's.

"Test your pathetic eyes against mine, Hyuga-rat." Sasuke mocked as the scowl on his face transformed into a grin, causing Neji's lavender-tinted eyes to squint and narrow.

His eyes tell me that he is totally confident in himself... He isn't hesitant at all. Neji noted to himself as he slowly entered his iconic Taijutsu stance with his left hand directed towards his opponent.

"Hmhmhmh - that makes this even better, you will soon understand just how far above you the Hyuga truly are, I will enjoy seeing that... and the disappointment that will fill your eyes." Neji explained.

At this moment, an overwhelming hail of wind soared in from the South, partially blinding over half the audience as their eyes squinted while their bangs wavered in the breeze, even the members of team 8 and 10.

"Stop talking and lets end this already." Sasuke ordered as the gust of wind doubled in strength and volume, blowing against his fellow candidates and even the Kage's as several small bundles of leaf's plummeted from the trees that lined the corners of the battleground.

"First match, Begin." Hayate proclaimed only to be instantly drowned out by the erupting roar from the crowd while he remained 5ft away from both candidates, suggesting he wasn't going to disappear like he did in the Preliminaries.

This caused Sasuke to instantly hurl 3 Kunai towards Neji, Kunai he easily deflected and grabbed in midair without even having to active his Byakugan. During this, Sasuke jumped back over 5ft while once again throwing 3 Kunai towards Neji, causing the Hyuga to deflect and dodge them just like before.

Neji caught the last Kunai with his bandaged right hand before twirling it through the air in an attempt to hurl it back towards Sasuke, only for the Uchiha to instantly appear infront of him like a blur of lightning while knocking the Kunai to the ground with his sword.

Sasuke then swung his reverse gripped sword horizontally towards Neji, only for the latter to press his left palm against the flat angle of the blade before raising it up, causing the weapon to slice through the air over his body instead of making contact.

Before Neji could counter-attack, Sasuke abruptly dropped to the ground while extending his right leg out and twirling in a counter clockwise fashion, forcing his opponent to jump back just in time to avoid the leg sweep.

Sasuke then threw his last Kunai towards Neji, only for the latter to once again deflect the object in midair with the back of his hands just in time to notice his opponent's left hand weaving through the half Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals while inhaling a significant amount of air.

One handed Seals?! Several thousands members of the crowd thought, hundreds of them shocked at the display of Shinobi prowess from the 12 year old Uchiha infront of them while Neji didn't even change expressions, having already seen Naruto accomplish such a feat.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke proclaimed as he arched his back forward while exhaling a condensed ball of flames that only grew and enlarged as it scorched a burnt path into the earth while it progressed towards Neji.

This action caused Hayate to quickly leap back over 20ft as the veins around Neji's eyes bulged and protruded while his eyes turned solid white, signaling that his Byakugan was now active.

The 15ft wide ball of flames then collided into Neji before revealing that his entire body was spinning atop the ground in a 360* fashion as an aura of blue chakra surrounded him, reflecting and even dispelling almost the entirety of the flames until the Genin finally stopped rotating, revealing a small 2ft deep crater he now stood in.

"But that's..." The shocked voice of Hiashi mumbled while his trembling left hand grasped and clenched his left knee, an action that shocked Hanabi from sat to his right, as if she was his right hand.

"Dad? Is something wrong?" Hanabi asked, only to receive silence in response as her father was too lost in thought to hear her.

Rotation... Sasuke concluded as he appeared behind Neji with Jonin-level speed and silence while slicing the reversed gripped sword in his right hand upward in a slanted vertical fashion.

Naruto and Sasuke had spent years reading from the green book Sarada gave them so long ago. Out of all the clans that were detailed in the book, Sasuke spent most of his time reading and observing the Hyuga clan section, filling him with knowledge towards the opponent he now faced.

To any normal Genin, the quiet speed of Sasuke's attack would have easily cut a savage wound in their back, but the Byakugan allowed Neji to see him just in time to rotate in a clockwise manner while extending his arms out, creating a blue aura of chakra that pushed away the Uchiha and halted his advance.

At this moment, Neji surged towards Sasuke while reaching out with both hands and aiming his fingertips towards the latters shoulders, attempting to strike the latters Chakra points to end the battle.

This allowed Neji's fingers tips to jap against the Chakra points inside Sasuke's shoulders, causing the latter to erupt and explode into a fierce current of lightning, shocking and pulsating throughout the Hyuga's body before forcing him to fall on his knees.

Suddenly, 1 of the 7 Kunai Sasuke had thrown at the beginning of the battle erupted into a puff of smoke before the Uchiha's right foot protruded from the cloud and collided into Neji's jawline, forcing him to soar 3ft into the air as he grunted with pain.

Sasuke's partially-covered right fist then smashed into the left side of Neji's face, forcing him to hit the ground and roll over twice before regaining his balance and establishing his iconic Taijutsu-stance as he ignored the pain from the bruises that now adorned his face.

This action paralyzed the crowd as several thousand audience members began to whisper among one another in quiet and hushed tones, many of them unable to believe a 12 year old Genin could even use 2 different types of Chakra Natures, let alone the level of power and mastery that Sasuke was displaying with such techniques.

"His Fire Style was even larger than my own..." An embarrassed Leaf Chunin mumbled on. He sat on the front row of the far right column in the 'Fire' section, allowing him to receive a great view of the battle.

"That kid...… He can use Fire Style and Lightning Style?" One of the visiting tourist from the Land of Grass mumbled out as he sat beside his group of friends inside the 'Wind' section.

"This is what the Leaf Village considers a Genin? Back home he would easily be a Jonin." The man's friend spoke out in response, suggesting he too was also from the Land of Grass.

"Go Sasuke! Beat his ass!" Sakura shrieked from atop the Candidate view balcony, causing her voice to echo across the arena, an action that caused Kakashi, Sasuke and Shikamaru to all sigh loudly.

"Man, she is so loud." Shikamaru mumbled as he leaned against the railing while Naruto stood to his left, the observation deck they were placed in was 20ft wide and 20ft tall, just like the Kage deck which was directly above them.

"Never a dull moment." Naruto exclaimed with a wide grin on his face, a grin that was entirely concealed by the raised collar of his tunic, in a similar manner to Shino who stood quietly to the right of Shikamaru.

I see... before the match even began he replaced himself with a lightning clone, just like in the Preliminaries, but this time he transformed into a Kunai, which he then threw at his opponent, allowing him to close the distance and study his enemy before attacking. Dosu's mind raced as his one visible eye narrowed while observing the battle unfolding infront of him.

Dosu stood on the far right side of the deck with his body hunched over the railing, barely 5ft away from his future opponent, Shikamaru.

The Sand trio all stood on the far left side of the Balcony with Kankuro and Temari watching the match as Gaara's head was twisted to the right while he glared at Naruto, an action the latter was trying his best to ignore. The most surprising thing about the Sand trio was Temari actually had her fan restrained against her back with the sash at her waist, suggesting Kankuro fixed it at the last minute.

"N-No way...!" Tenten mumbled while she sat on the back row, one of many that filled the 'Fire' section of the Arena. Since Lee was at the hospital, Guy was training and Neji was in the finals, Tenten was the only member of her team in attendance, leaving her alone and isolated.

"Sasuke Uchiha, good thing I bet on him." Kotetsu remarked as both he and Izumo sat to the right of Hinata and Kiba inside the 'Fire' section, a section that was positioned on the opposite side of the arena from the Kage section, giving them a great view.

"He's displaying Jonin-level feats." Izumo pointed out as his left eye examined the battlefield.

"You regret placing 100 Ryo on Neji to win yet?" Kotetsu mocked, only for his friend to completely ignore him as the battle below continued.

Neji's eyes squinted and narrow as he glanced in between the 6 Kunai that littered the ground, all of which had Chakra networks resonating inside of them, well aware of what this meant.

The transformation jutsu... His chakra is disturbed equally among his clones so I can't identify the real one, which makes a direct attack difficult. Neji concluded as he took multiple steps back while his mind was astonished at the idea of Sasuke creating 7 Lightning clones.

"I was hoping to finish this without getting my cloths dirty, you ready yet?" Sasuke mocked as he pulled his cloak loose with his left hand before tossing it towards Neji. Against a normal opponent this would have obsecured their vision, but the Byakugan allowed its user to see through solid objects, something Sasuke was fully aware of.

The Uchiha then cut through his cloak in a horizontal fashion with his reverse gripped sword before twirling it around in his right hand and lunging towards Neji with the tip of his blade, only for the Hyuga to effortlessly deflect it with a swipe from his left palm.

"Eight Trigrams: Hazan Strike!" Neji screamed as he slammed his right palm against Sasuke's stomach, forcing the latter to fly back over 10ft before erupting into Lightning mid-flight, zapping and electrifying multiple cracks in the ground.

During this, Sasuke's sword flew up several feet into the air since he lost his grip at the last moment, as the blade continued to raise closer to the sky, it suddenly burst into a electric explosion, showering Neji with several sparks and Arcs of Lightning.

After slicing and shocking multiple cuts into Neji's cloths, the Hyuga began to once again rotate his entire body in a clockwise fashion while extending his flat hands outward, creating an aura of Chakra that managed to successfully deflect the final blows, causing Lightning to strike the nearby ground.

Neji was so focused on fighting that he failed to notice Sasuke's spilt-in-half cape plummet atop 2 separate Kunai on the ground, Kunai that erupted into a smoke before 2 versions of the Uchiha stood up while tossing both pieces of fabric towards their opponent.

This action caused Neji to glance from side-to-side multiple times before quickly entering a rotating clockwise stance while extending his arms outward once again, accepting that defense was the best option until he could locate the real Uchiha.

With his 359* diameter field of vision; Neji was able to notice one Sasuke hovering 10ft above him while another stood 5ft behind him. Both Uchiha's held their left hands vertically infront of their chests, the one behind Neji weaved through the Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit and Tiger Seals while the one above threw the tip of his blade down towards the Hyuga.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu." Sasuke proclaimed in confident tone as he leaned forward while exhaling a tremendous amount of fire, fire that sprawled out and divided into several dozen balls of flame that hurled through the air towards Neji, who managed to dodge multiple of the attacks before succumbing to the extreme number of them.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm." Neji declared as he weaved his flat palms through the air towards both his opponents and the incoming flames. During this, he was forced to twirl, spin and contort his body into multiple positions just to survive. After deflecting several of the fireballs, Neji's condensed air currents then collided into both Sasuke's, forcing them to fly back over 3ft before erupting into an explosion of Lightning.

Suddenly, the 3 remaining Kunai all erupted into puffs of smoke before an Uchiha stood up in each of they're places, forming a 10ft wide Triangle the Hyuga. This action caused Neji to enter his iconic Taijutsu stance while his nearly perfect vision scanned his 3 opponents.

The real one is among them. Neji concluded, reinvigorating his morale as he finally switched to an offensive plan before dashing out towards the Uchiha directly infront of him. Sasuke's eyes then widened and swirled before morphing into a solid crimson color with 1 Tomoe, signaling that his Sharingan was now active.

He's the real one! As his thoughts progressed, he flung his flat right palm towards Sasuke, only for the latter to knock Neji's attack away with the back of his left hand, forcing a wave of chakra to surge past the Uchiha.

During this, the Sasuke's behind Neji each held one hand infront of their chest, one held his right hand as the Uchiha Parallel to him held his left hand. Both hands weaved and preformed the half Ox, Rabbit and Monkey Seals before extending their hands out towards one another.

"Chidori." Both Sasuke's proclaimed, creating a bundle of Lightning that shocked, pulsated and electrified both of their hands and the surrounding ground. The sound created from this jutsu struck the very air itself as sparks fell and plummeted to the ground.

Both handful's of Chakra then shot out like pillars before colliding into one another, creating a cable of solid Lightning. This technique caused several dozen Arcs of Lightning to erupt and strike the ground, cracking it in multiple areas. This process caused Kakashi to snap his book shut as he leaned against a wall in the 'Fire' section, knowing exactly what jutsu Sasuke was about to use.

"Lightning Cable." Both Sasuke's declared before they began dashing towards Neji who was in the middle of a fierce Taijutsu battle with the Uchiha directly infront of him. To anyone else this attack would have been unseen, but Neji possessed the Byakugan, allowing him to see almost everything.

At this moment, Sasuke unsheathed his blade before slinging it towards his opponent in a horizontal fashion, only for Neji to break the blade in half after halting it with his left palm. The Hyuga then pushed Sasuke back before turning around just in time for the figure to explode in a current of Lightning, electrifying Neji while causing him to lose focus due to the pain.

During this intense amount of pain, the Lightning Cable made direct contact with Neji before both Sasuke's began to run around their opponent, wrapping him up in the electrifying current from the Cable.

The Arcs of condensed Lightning cracked and splintered the nearby ground as Neji grunted with pain. Neji's screams were so loud that they echoed and resonated across the crowd, causing a large portion of them to whisper in hushed tones.

"Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow!" Neji yelled out during the pain, causing both Sasuke's around him to fly back before flipping, contorting and sliding across the ground for over 15ft. Over several moments, this caused one of the Sasuke's to erupt into an explosion of Lightning that scarred the nearby ground as the other slowly stood up and faced his opponent while smiling confidently.

"Looks like you've found me, not bad, for a Hyuga." Sasuke admitted before unsheathing his sword with his right hand in a reverse grip fashion.

"You, who have no clan, no family and no future, have no right to mock the Hyuga. My Clan has a future, yours will die off and become forgotten, your legacy is the dirt." Neji proclaimed with a straight face, causing Sasuke to drop his sword to the ground.

Sasuke then clasped his right hand around his left wrist as he began to funnel chakra into his jutsu, filling the air with the sound of crackling Lightning and sparks. As the levels of chakra pouring into his hand continued to increase, so too did the power and sound it released, causing multiple currents of Lightning to strike and Arc across the ground around him.

"The Hyuga are nothing but rats compared to the Uchiha." Sasuke spat out while the skin on his left hand began to peel and burn, filling the air with the distinct smell of burnt human flesh.

"If we are rats, what does that make the Uchiha? Men, women and children; none were spared their fate... except you, of course." Neji mocked, causing Sasuke to surge forward while his left hand hovered above the ground, creating and burning a pathway as he ran.

As Sasuke charged, Neji began to rotate and spin in a clockwise fashion, forming an aura of blue chakra around him while his opponent jumped into the air. The ground underneath Sasuke cracked and splintered while the area around Neji became swept up in his technique.

"Chidori!... Rotation!" First Sasuke and then Neji screamed out as their jutsu made direct contact with one another, filling the arena and battleground with a bright, overwhelming light, blinding everything and everyone from view as the outcome became impossible to see.

Uchiha or Hyuga? These thoughts raced through the minds of thousands as they watched the technique's collide, no one knew what the answer was but they were determined to see. As the light grew in density and volume, so too did the anticipation for the outcome, an outcome that would shock and awe thousands.

This is it. Neji concluded as his mind realized the match was about to end.

It's over. Sasuke's thoughts declared, showing just how confident he was in both his victory and power.

Sasuke... Naruto thought as even his violet eyes became overwhelmed by the light. This was it, the moment that would decide the future of Konoha and the Uchiha clan as a whole, the moment of victory.


	36. Chapter 36

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 36: The Cherry Blossom Blooms! Battle Of Elite Intellect.**

"Sasuke! My Love!" Sakura shrieked with panic.

Sakura was standing at the limp silhouette of her ideal boyfriend, laying unconscious on the ground. This brought attention to Neji, triumphantly standing on both feet with a wide grin on his face.

After, Sakura was muffled by mixed chorus of cheers and boos, radiating out from the massive arena. Fueled by these sounds, Neji deactivated his Byakugan before strolling forward, confident in his victory

As he approached, Neji focused on Sasuke left hand, partially burnt and scorched from chakra. This realization forced the grin on Neji's face to evolve, blooming into a full-fledged smile.

"You're technically the clan head for the Uchiha; is this all they have to offer?" Neji mocked.

"I can see many things with the Byakugan, including the failed destiny of your clan." After speaking, Neji turned around before walking away.

"Very well, the winner for the match is-" Hayate's words broke mid sentence, erupting into a harsh cough.

Neji was so focused on preparing himself for his next match that he didn't even acknowledge Sasuke's discarded cape on the ground. This lack of foresight allowed Sasuke's unconscius body to rupturing with arcs of lightning.

Before Neji could react, the cape beside him morphed into a puff of smoke, revealing the obscured eyes of Sasuke. Without hesistation, Sasuke's right foot stretched across the ground, knocking Neji off his feet.

Sasuke's left knee then rose from the smoke before slamming his foot against Neji's stomach. Sasuke moved with such speed and vigor that several arcs of lightning could be seen, surging across his feet and legs.

"It looks like I was right; I didn't get a single scratch." Sasuke remarked, blowing the smoke from his face.

After this smoke finally dissipated, Sasuke finally came into view standing on top Neji with one foot. Also, Sasuke's outfit was completely clean and polished, devoid of any scoff or stain.

"I... I can't move." Neji muttered, held in place by Sasuke's foot.

After several moments, a second cloud of smoke slowly dispersed, revealing Sasuke's sword, jutting out from the ground. Reaching out, Sasuke gripped the hilt on this blade before sheathing it.

Suddenly, the entire arena erupted into a loud chorus of cheers and applause, even the losing patrons who bet on Neji. Many of these guests were civilians, awed by such a high display of shinobi combat.

"I can't even use Lightning Style..." Izumo mumbled before clapping.

"Can't use your brain either, looks like you just lost 100 Ryo." Kotetsu joked in response.

"Naruto... How did Sasuke win?" Sakura mumbled, leaning against an iron railing.

"It's his cloak, that's why he threw to the ground, earlier in the match... He planned for this." Shikamaru exclaimed, easily deducting Sasuke's secret plan.

The kid is sharp, usually I have to do the explaining. Dosu mumbled to himself, glancing at Shikamaru.

"The winner for the 1st match is Sasuke Uchiha." Hayate coughed out, muffled by the loud crowd.

Undaunted by these words, Sasuke turned around before walking towards the distant staircase. At the same time, a group of Medical Ninja rushed into the arena before placing Neji atop a stretcher, escorting him out of sight.

"Sasuke, that was so awesome! I bet you're looking forward to my match, right?" Sakura teased as Sasuke walked into view.

"No one is looking forward to your match." Sasuke declared nonchalantly, causing Sakura to drop on her knees in depression while Kankuro chuckled on the distant side of the room.

Feeling annoyed with Sakura being so close to him, Sasuke quickly to multiple steps forward before leaning against the railing and looking out across the now empty battlefield, filled only by the coughing Hayate.

"Tell me, Lord Kazekage, what did you think of the 1st match?" Hiruzen asked while he pulled his pipe from his robe before raising it to his mouth and inhaling a fresh gust of leaf, showing that he lit the pipe with his bare fingertips.

"The Hyuga and Uchiha are both well known and respected clans of Konoha, even in my village, but I must admit that Sasuke was far beyond his opponent, it almost wasn't fair." Rasa spoke in a cold and calculated tone as both his eyes and Hiruzen's made direct contact.

"Hahahahah - Yes well, Sasuke has always been a proud boy, I suspect that has helped his strength and determination grow." Hiruzen replied with a friendly chuckle, causing clouds of smoke to pour out from his nose as he spoke.

"Proud indeed... If I'm not mistaken, his brother is Itachi Uchiha, The Clan-Killer." Rasa spoke as his brown eyes first widened then focused upon the 3rd Hokage.

This statement caused Hiruzen to quickly tear his gaze away from Rasa before directing it towards Hayate and giving him a brief nod, signaling for the next match to begin, clearly eager to change the conversation.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Please settle down!" Hayate proclaimed boldly, causing him to cough harshly several times. During this, the several thousand audience members finally began to stop their screaming and clapping before they all sat down, eager for the next match.

"The 2nd match for the finals will now begin, Shino Aburame VS Kankuro, will the Candidates please approach the battleground." As he spoke, Kankuro entered an internal meltdown as his mind raced through several different conclusions.

My match isn't important!... We just need Gaara to battle Naruto, and with Baki gone I don't have the chance to risk exposing my true technique's now, I'll need them to escape. Kankuro concluded as he glanced to his left, staring past Gaara towards Temari who replied with a brief nod of approval.

"He's the next head for the Aburame clan..." Several dozen citizens of Konoha whispered among themselves while they sat inside the 'Fire' section. The entire world knew of the fame and fear that the Aburame name instilled.

"This match won't be much fun, since we both put Ryo on Shino winning." Kotetsu proclaimed with a smirk wide upon his face.

"It's really not even a match, I wouldn't even want to fight Shino." Izumo explained, suggesting Shino was far stronger than the average Genin who graduated.

"Examiner! I forfeit! I forfeit the match, move on to the next Candidates." Kankuro yelled across from atop the balcony. This caused the entire arena to erupt into a loud series of boo's and complaint, very few people actually bet Ryo on Kankuro but many of them wanted to see Shino fight.

This action shocked all 3 members of team 7 and even Shikamaru who stopped yawning just to stare at Kankuro in confusion. During this, Shino glared at Kankuro with his hands in his jacket pockets and his eyes entirely concealed by his glasses, covering any hint of emotion.

"Kankuro has chosen to forfeit the match, therefore Shino Aburame wins by default." Hayate spoke, only to be drowned out by the rage of the crowd.

At this moment, Temari unsheathed her fan before unlatching it and swinging it forward in a horizontal fashion. This created several dozen currents of condensed wind that sliced through the air, silencing the arena and disturbing her nearby Candidates with heavy gusts of wind.

Temari then tossed her fan forward before jumping atop it and sailing the object down to the battleground floor. At the last moment, Temari managed to snap the fan shut before landing harmlessly on her feet while stabbing the end of her now closed fan into the ground with her right hand.

"It's my turn now, right?" Temari asked rhetorically since she already knew the answer. This action caused Sakura to jump up and down multiple times while she held her clenched fists against her jawline.

"Yea! Here I go Sasuke, are you ready for me? This is going to be sweet, you'll love it Sasuke." Sakura proclaimed excitedly, each of her words causing Sasuke to sigh loudly.

After several moments of cheering for herself, Sakura quickly turned around before dashing off towards the stone doorway only to be stopped at the last moment by Naruto.

"Be careful, Sakura." Naruto pleaded in a kind and genuine voice, causing Sakura to turn around before snorting loudly.

"Oh just you wait, I finally managed to nag Kakashi-Sensei enough to teach my some new jutsu, just watch." Sakura replied before disappearing down the staircase, causing Naruto to smile while Sasuke once again sighed loudly.

"The next match is Temari VS Sakura Haruno." Hayate exclaimed as the pink-haired Candidate entered the battleground and began walking towards him.

"I didn't even bother to bet on this match." Kotetsu remarked.

"Atleast we both made free Ryo from the last match." Izumo spoke, causing his friend to nod in agreement.

This will be interesting, a chance to see how far Sakura has grown. Kakashi concluded as he took several steps forward and began leaning up against the railing that lined the entirety of the 'Fire' section.

"Go Sakura! Beat her up with your 16-hit combo!" Ino screamed as she jumped up from her seat and began preforming a series of kicks and punches into the air, alarming the citizens that sat near her.

This level of affection was something Sakura found very endearing since both her parents were at work and unable to attend. In response to Ino's cheering, Sakura abruptly turned around and began waving towards her friend, an action that greatly annoyed Temari.

"If you're not going to attack, I will!" Temari declared as she picked her fan up with one hand and began charging towards Sakura, who was still waving at Ino.

"Wait, we haven't begun the match yet!" Hayate attempted to protest, only for a harsh series of coughs to halt his complaint.

At this moment, Temari leaped 6ft in the air as she raised her closed fan vertically before swinging it down like a club and crashing into the ground, creating a 3ft wide cloud of dust that obscured the Sand Kunoichi from view.

This action created multiple hushed whispers that echoed and resonated around the crowd as they debated what just happened. After several moments, the cloud of dust dissolved before revealing that Temari stood alone with the edge of her fan lodged into the ground.

Where did she go? Temari asked herself as she stood up straight and glanced from side-to-side.

She must be trying to hide from a distance while attack me at range, the brat doesn't realize that Tenten tried the same thing. Still I have to maintain my own distance, I can't get involved with Taijutsu. As Temari's thoughts progressed, her mind wondered back to Sakura's match with Ino.

"I'm surprised you didn't quit like your teammate." Sakura mocked as her entire figure and body was concealed from view. After observing her opponents voice, Temari realized that Sakura was hidden directly behind a tree on the farside of the arena.

"And miss this chance? As if!" Temari proclaimed as she tossed her fan a few inches into the air, forcing it to slide all the way open. The Sand Kunoichi then gripped the flat edged of her fan before slicing it through the air in a slanted horizontal fashion.

"Wind Style: Wind Cutter Jutsu." As Temari spoke, several dozen rotating swirls of condensed and sharpened blades of wind cut through the air as they flew towards the trees that housed Sakura's location.

These blades of wind crashed into the thin bundle of trees, dicing and cutting multiple of them into dozens of pieces, leaving nothing but freshly chopped tree stumps as several pieces of timber fell atop the nearby ground.

These actions only further enraged Temari once she realized Sakura was no where to be seen, even her lifeless body. This realization caused the Sand Kunoichi to position her sprawled out fan atop the ground infront of her, blocking half her body from view.

This girl is quick to run and hide. As Temari's train of thought progressed, members of the crowd began to boo and complain at the lack of combat, every person in the several thousand member large audience paid good money to attend and they expected a good battle.

This only distracted Temari, causing her to glance up towards the crowd in an attempt to direct a disgusted scowl at them. During this, the ground underneath Temari crumbled into sand, forcing the Kunoichi to propel her body upwards with her fan, separating her from the ground.

As Temari hovered in the air, she preformed a backflip before kneeling down atop her opened fan, allowing her to fly 15ft above the ground. Before Temari could observe her surroundings over 20 Senbon flew at her through the air, forcing the Kunoichi to snap her fan shut before jumping to the ground just in time to dodge the attack.

The moment Temari touched the ground, three 10ft tall mud-walls rose from separated corners all around her, forcing only one direction of escape. At the same time, several dozen Senbon flung towards her from a forest on the farside of the battleground.

"Enough!" Temari declared as she sprawled her fan open before slinging it forward in a horizontal fashion. This created a wave of air that collided against the approaching Senbon, forcing them to fall harmlessly to the ground.

Suddenly, Sakura shot out vertically from the ground before hurling her clenched right fist against Temari's jawline, forcing the Sand Kunoichi to fly over 5ft backwards while dropping her fan in the process.

Once Temari landed on the ground, Sakura clapped her hands into the Snake Seal infront of her nonexistent chest before crouching down and slamming her palms atop the dirt.

"Earth Style: Mud Wave Jutsu!" Sakura screamed as the ground underneath and all around her began to rumble and ripple in a 20ft wide radius, almost like an ocean of earth and stone. This prevent Temari from regaining her balance while pushing her against one of Sakura's walls.

As the ground continued to rumble, Sakura began dashing and sliding across the ground towards her opponent with a decent amount of speed. During this, a faint green aura could be seen surrounding Sakura's feet, suggesting she was funneling her chakra there.

That ability... it required a considerable amount of chakra. Naruto noticed as his violet eyes examined Sakura's green chakra network.

I don't have enough chakra to keep this going much longer, I need to finish this now! Sakura concluded as she jumped 3ft into the air and threw a handful of 5 Senbon down towards Temari, who barreled rolled 2 times to the left at the last moment, only to place herself against another corner of the wall.

"Wind Style: Air Current Dance." Temari spoke as she clapped her hands into the Rat Seal before extending both her flat palms towards Sakura. This action created a significant gust of wind that gathered all the nearby dust and dirt together in its swirling rotation.

Soon, the gust of wind grew into a 20ft tall and 5ft wide Dust tornado that enveloped Sakura, obscuring her from view and giving Temari time to stand up. After several moments, 5 Senbon flung out from the tornado before stabbing into Temari's leg, waist and stomach, causing her to fall on her left knee.

Any normal weapon or Senbon would have been deflected by the intense breeze from Temari's technique, but Sakura's weapons were infused with her chakra allowing them the force and accuracy needed to preform such a feat were also giving them a faint green glow as they flew.

For several seconds Temari laid with her back against one of the corners to the 3 walls Sakura had created earlier, after a brief period of rest the Sand Kunoichi began pulling Senbon loose from her body one by one. During this, the tornado dissolved and dissipated, revealing Sakura was nowhere to be seen.

Rather than becoming enraged, Temari was thankful for the time she had to recover since her took almost a minute to pull all 5 Senbon loose from her body, creating streams of blood that ran down her frame in the process.

After standing up, Temari pressed her right palm against the mud-wall as she walk towards her fan before picking the object up and holding it against her side. Hayate watched this entire process from a distance side of the arena, giving enough space for the Candidates to fight but also close enough to intervene at a moments notice.

She is using Earth Style to hide under the ground. Temari concluded as she flew her fan infront of herself, causing it to fly in the breeze as the Sand Kunoichi jumped atop it. This allowed Temari to rise over 15ft into the sky as she glanced from side-to-side in anticipation of future Senbon.

At this moment, 7 Senbon pierced Temari's fan while 3 stabbed into her left leg. These Senbon were thrown from directly under the Sand Kunoichi, allowing them to go completely unnoticed until the last moment.

This caused Temari to fall forward, tumbling off her fan before gripping the edge at the last moment and swinging her weapon vertically through the air, creating several currents of wind that gently carried her to the ground.

Before landing on the ground, Temari snapped her fan shut and used it as a crutch while she struggled to stand on her left leg. Sakura's attack had effectively broken Temari's fan once again, cutting so many holes into the fabric that it was unable to bend air.

Temari was quick to crouch down and pull the 3 Senbon loose from her left leg, creating even more streams of blood that ran down her frame and body. During this, the ground underneath Temari instantly crumbled to sand, only for the Kunoichi to quickly barrel roll to the left just in time to save herself.

Sakura then jumped out of the sand with 3 Senbon protruding out from each of her clenched fists, allowing the objects to extend out from in between her fingers like claws. The tips of these Senbon were bathed in an aura of green light, showing that Sakura was funneling her chakra into them.

Sakura began to slash out with her Senbon-filled fists, striking vertically and horizontally as Temari struggled to deflect the attacks with her fan. This continued assault filled the battleground with the sound of metal scraping metal as Senbon cut several scars into the fan's hilt.

Watch this, Sasuke! Sakura thought as she arched her right fist back while redirecting all her chakra into the 3 Senbon held there, causing them all to glow brightly with a green aura as her left hand became devoid of all chakra.

This display of chakra control impressed many of the Chunin and Jonin who sat in the audience, creating multiple hushed whispers among the crowd. At the same time, Sasuke was watching Sakura, for the first time ever she had managed to garnish his genuine attention.

Sakura hurled her right fist forward, causing them 3 Senbon to pierce through the metal of Temari's fan and almost the Sand Kunoichi herself. This attack prevented Temari from twisting or turning the fan any further.

At this moment, Sakura slung her right arm outward before releasing the Senbon, causing both them and Temari's fan to be hurled over 10ft across the ground. During this, Sakura flung her Senbon-filled left hand toward Temari, forcing the Sand Kunoichi to raise her right forearm in defense.

"Nnhh-" Temari grunted out in pain as the 3 Senbon pierced her right forearm. After several moments, Sakura used this leverage to pull Temari's arm away from her body, an act that inflicted even greater pain on the Sand Kunoichi.

This action revealed that Sakura once again had 3 Senbon placed in between the fingers on her clenched right fist. Because of the intense pain Temari was in, she was unable to prevent Sakura from puncturing her in 3 specific places across her shoulders, places that Haku had trained the Leaf Kunoichi to target.

Suddenly, Sakura raised her right knee against her flat chest before hurling her foot down towards Temari's right knee, striking it and forcing the Sand Kunoichi to fall on her left knee. During this, Sakura raised her right fist high into the air, revealing the dirt and dust that stained both her figure and cloths.

"SASUKE!" Sakura shrieked at the top of her lungs, filling the arena with her voice as she slammed her right fist full-force against the leftside of Temari's forehead, knocking the Sand Kunoichi face-first to the ground with a heavy thud while creating a moment of silence in the arena.

Temari landed atop the ground with such force that the 3 Senbon lodged in her shoulders pierced all the way through to her back, damaging her tendons and muscles. These Senbon also avoided any and all bones, evidence to the extreme precision Sakura had demonstrated.

"U-... U-... No way." Kankuro mumbled out in astonishment as his eyes quaked with shock.

"Haruno... Team 7... Kakashi's student... Same team as the Uchiha." Several hundred members of the audience whispered loudly among one another, filling the arena with buzz and interest towards Sakura.

"I must say, that was quite impressive... She put up more of a fight than I expected." The 4th Kazekage spoke before a loud chorus of applause broke out in the arena.

"Yes, Sakura often surprises many people since she is the first ninja from her family, but I rather enjoy the bright spirit she carries with her." Hiruzen replied joyfully before raising his pipe against his mouth in an attempt to inhale a fresh hit of leaf.

"Makes you wonder what Kakashi does with his students." Izumo proclaimed, ashamed that he didn't have enough faith in Kakashi to believe in the man's student.

"Makes me wonder what Kakashi is feeding these kids." Kotetsu joked as a grin grew upon his face in an attempt to hid the regret he fault for not betting Ryo on Sakura winning.

"Hch... Hch... The winner for the match is Sakura Harun-" Hayate was cut-off midsentence once Sakura began jumping into the air while she cheered.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Did you see me Sasuke!?" Sakura screamed as she continued to jump up in down, causing the Uchiha to lose all hints of interest before sighing loudly.

"Sakura! Way to go, Sakura!" Ino screamed from the 'Fire' section in the audience, garnishing her friends attention in the process.

"Ino! I was so amazing, Ino!" Sakura replied with a bright smile upon her face. During this, a group of 4 medics enter the battleground before picking up the unconscious Temari and placing her atop a stretcher.

After the patient was picked up, all 4 medics carried Temari's stretcher out of the arena, leaving her broken fan behind her. As the medic's carried Temari away, they all marveled at the surgical precision of the attacks, attacks Sakura had made.

"The next match is Dosu Kinuta VS Shikamaru Nara." Hayate coughed out, causing Sakura to skip across the arena on her way back towards the Candidate platform while Dosu began slowly walking down the stairs.

On her way across the arena, Sakura was blowing a series of kisses towards Sasuke, kisses she tried to infuse chakra into but failed entirely.

"Awh man, why is everyone else so excited?... Come to think of it, I should just act like the other guy and forfeit." Shikamaru sighed, causing Naruto to glance towards him, intent to encourage his friend.

However, before Naruto could even speak Sakura reentered the room before dashing towards Sasuke and wrapping her arms around his stomach as she snuggled next to him.

"Hey dear!" Sakura screamed as she continued to rub against Sasuke's back. This loud nose scared Shikamaru, causing him to fall forward before tripping over the railing until Naruto caught him at the last moment and pulled him to safety.

"Thanks man... This is going to be such a troublesome drag." Shikamaru complained as he turned away before lazily walking towards the doorway and down the stairs, trailing behind Dosu.

"The next head of the Nara clan, I've met his dad, good man, it's why I bet 250 Ryo on Shikamaru winning." Izumo proclaimed, suggesting he held Shikamaru at an extremly high standard.

"That's the most money you've ever put up on one of these things, you're that confident?" Kotetsu asked rhetorically since he already knew the answer.

"It's a good thing I was looking over your shoulder when you made that bet, I put down 100 Ryo on Shikamaru winning, just to even out my odds." As Kotetsu spoke, his longtime friend began to sigh while shaking his head from side-to-side.

After approaching Hayate, both Dosu and Shikamaru stood 5ft away from one another while the latter was staring up at the clouds that drifted over head. During this, Dosu studied and observed each piece of fabric, material and weapon his opponent had.

By defeating my opponent, I should be placed against Naruto next round, assuming he wins his match. Dosu's mind concluded as his left eye widened and narrowed multiple times.

The clouds are so nice... They're so free... Actually, why don't I just forfeit? I only became a ninja because I thought it would be fun, not this drag. Shikamaru thought as his mind began to fade into a distant place.

"Begin." Hayate coughed out, causing Dosu to dash towards Shikamaru, forcing the latter to barrel roll to the right before pressing his hands together into the Rat Seal. This action caused Dosu's left eye to bulged before he jumped back over 10ft, creating a 15ft gap in between the 2 opponents.

He can control and manipulate his shadow... But the real question is, how far can it extend? Dosu asked himself as his head turned slightly sideways. After several moments, Dosu positioned his metal-covered right forearm infront of his chest before he began dragging the nails from his left hand across the surface, creating multiple ripples of sound that echoed out across the battleground.

This sound raced across the battlefield, reaching Shikamaru and forcing him to fall on his knees as he grunted with pain. During this, Shikamaru held each of his hands against his forehead while blood began to pour out of his ears. The sound was so effective that even Hayate was forced to jump back over 20ft just to prevent himself from being harmed or affected.

Sensing an opening, Dosu once again charged forward while reaching out with his right hand, determined to pull Shikamaru close before preforming his next technique. At this moment, Shikamaru dropped 2 Smoke bombs infront of his feet, bombs that abruptly exploded into a 10ft tall and 15ft wide dense smoke cloud.

While he was engulfed by the smoke, Dosu held his right forearm vertically infront of his chest before once again dragging his fingers across the metal gauntlet. The sound created from this somehow managed to dissolve the surrounding cloud, revealing a crouched Shikamaru who was still throbbing with pain.

The hunched figure of Dosu then took several steps forward, allowing him to tower over the downcast face of Shikamaru. Dosu then crouched down slowly before abruptly slamming his palm atop the ground, causing such powerful waves of sound to resonate out that Shikamaru erupted into an explosion of smoke.

Substitution Jutsu. Dosu noticed once the smoke dissipated, revealing a pair of 2 Kunai that were stabbing vertically out from the ground. Meanwhile, on the farside of the arena a panting and disoriented Shikamaru sat with his pat laid against a treebranch.

"That kid never wants to do anything, not since the day I met him." Asuma spoke as he sat beside Kurenai, both of them were seated on one of the 12 front rows that adorned the 'Fire' section.

After Asuma finished speaking, Kakashi strolled up lesiurely into the direct view of the former. At the same time, Kurenai also noticed her childhood friend, causing her to smile widely.

"Hey, Kakashi."Kurenai spoke out as Asuma used his right index finger to light the Cigarette in his mouth.

"Two of your kids have put up quite the fight, Kakashi, but I don't think any of them will stand against Shikamaru." Asuma spoke in a playfully tone as he inhaled a deep breathe of Leaf wrapped in paper.

"Oh? Right, the kid hiding right now." Kakashi spoke innocently as he closed his eye while using his left hand to rub the back of his head. This action caused Kurenai to giggle slightly while Asuma sighed with defeat, realizing long ago that he could never one-up Kakashi.

"Hey! Shikamaru! Quit hiding! Other people have match's too!" Sakura complained from atop the Candidate viewing platform.

I knew he could control and manipulate sound, but I didn't know the reach... It'll be tricky to find out what the extent of his jutsu is, but I guess I have too. Shikamaru concluded as his mind raced through thoughts very similar to Dosu's.

No doubt about it, those soundwaves mess with my sense's. He almost had me right then and there, I can't get close again. As his thoughts progressed, Shikamaru used his index fingertips to wipe away the blood that had poured from his ears.

"I'm really not excited about this." As he spoke, Shikamaru glanced to the right, staring past the tree and towards the 3 large walls Sakura created earlier. During this, Shikamaru's eyes also shot in between several of the craters and cracks that had been formed throughout the previous match's, as if he was forming a plan.

"Shikamaru being in the main tournament... It's out of place, isn't it?" Choji asked his Kunoichi teammate as he tossed a single potato chip dramatically into his mouth.

"Don't say that... He might not have any strong moves or jutsu but he is quite good at designing strategies. I think he's the only reason we survived the Forest of Death." Ino spoke quietly as she lowered her face in embarrassment.

"Yea, that's true." Choji mumbled out as he raised a half-empty bag of chips to his mouth before pouring the remaining contents into his mouth.

"I just hope he lets his determination fuel him this match, sometimes he lets his passion drive him and I want that to be now." Ino exclaimed as she stood up while raising her clenched right fist high into the air.

"Go get him, Shikamaru!" As she spoke, Ino's voice echoed and resonated across the battlefield, causing her concealed teammate to sigh loudly as he stood up, finally ready to get to work.

Shikamaru then lazily began walking trough the small bundle of trees before standing at the edge to the treeline. This action alerted thousands of the audience members to Shikamaru's location while Dosu examined his opponent.

I guess things don't go by that easily. Shikamaru concluded as a confident grin grew upon his face.

What is that smile on his face...? Is he underestimating me? Dosu asked himself as his head twisted from side-to-side repeatedly.

At this moment, Shikamaru pressed his hands together into the Rat Seal while kneeling down. This process caused Dosu to jump back over 10ft, creating 25ft of distance between the 2 battling Genin.

He is trying to force me closer to the treeline, no doubt he is trying to use they're shadows in combination with his own. But that doesn't answer the question, how far can his shadow extend? As Dosu's train of thought progressed, his eye once again widened and narrowed multiple times.

Suddenly, Shikamaru's shadow extended and shot out across the ground as he raced towards Dosu. At first, Dosu stood completely still before preforming 3 backflips once he realized the shadow wasn't going to stop. This turned the 25ft distance into 30ft.

Dosu halted all forms of movement once he noticed the shadow was bubbling and rupturing, suggesting it had a hard time expanding any further. This realization caused Dosu to slam his right foot atop the ground before dragging it across the dirt, creating a line with his foot.

I see... The Shadow Possession Jutsu, I believe I've uncovered it's weakness. Dosu concluded as he stood confidently behind the line he just created.

"It looks like there is a limit to how far you can stretch, shrink and transform your shadow." As Dosu spoke, many hushed whispers began echoing throughout the crowd.

"Heh... You're correct." Shikamaru replied before the grin on his face transformed in a frown once he realized his previous plan wouldn't work.

Even if I assume that he used the shadow from the trees to increase his range... That doesn't factor in the height of the wall but still, this is as far as the shadow can stretch. Dosu thought while he glanced down at the line in the dirt infront of him.

His attack range is only 30ft, while mine travels the distance of sound itself... Giving me the decision advantage. As his thoughts progressed, Dosu had no idea that Shikamaru was thinking the exact same thoughts.

He used his foot to measure the shadow's range... But if he intends to fight a battle like this, he has to have enough long-range combat to maintain the attack, which is where that gauntlet on his right arm comes into play. Sasuke Analyzed as he stood in between his 2 teammates.

Suddenly, Shikamaru tore his attention away from Dosu before redirecting it up towards the clouds. For several moments Shikamaru observed and glared at the drifting objects, as if he didn't have a care-in-the-world.

Shikamaru then downcast his face while closing his eyes and placing the edge of each fingertip against one another, forming a wide circular shape his hands. This action caused Dosu to straighten his back slightly while his left eye narrowed with interest.

"What is he doing? What Seal did he just form?" Kurenai asked while Asuma sat to her right and Kakashi stood infront of them, leaning over the railing as he read from his favorite Orange book, as if he wasn't even watching the match.

"Hmph... That's not a Seal, it's a habit of his, it's how he kills time." Asuma replied.

"Habit? Kills time?" Kurenai mumbled in a confused tone.

"Shikamaru knows how to make the best of a boring situation... He's like an old man. That's why he likes to play Shogi, and he even makes me play against him." Asuma explained before inhaling a deep drag of Leaf from his cigarette.

"Anytime he is stuck on a move during our games, he always assumes that position." As he spoke, multiple streams of smoke poured from his nose and mouth.

"Why?" Kurenai questioned.

"It's how he adapts and preforms strategy, strategy that I myself have never been able to defeat. The kid is a Shogi master." Asuma responded.

"But this isn't Shogi and this isn't a game, it's real combat." Kurenai argued.

"I've heard that the pieces used for planning war strategies eventually ended up in games like Shogi, so Shikamaru is like a clever strategist." Asuma protested with a playful grin on his face.

"Wait a minute... You always talk about his IQ being over 200 but when we were forming the Genin Squads, I looked at his grades... The were barely above Naruto's." Kurenai once again argued.

"He said it was too troublesome to move his pencil across the Academy written tests, so he would just sleep doing the tests instead. Since he was so good at strategy games but so bad at paying attention, I decided to give him an IQ test disguised as a puzzle" Asuma replied.

"And, how did he do?" Kurenai asked, causing Asuma to chuckle in response.

"It took me over 5 minutes to finish the puzzle... But Shikamaru, he accomplished it in under 45 seconds." Asuma proclaimed, causing Kurenai's crimson eyes to bulge with shock. During this, Shikamaru's eyes shot open, revealing a determined and focused look, a look he rarely had.

"He's done thinking" As he spoke, Kurenai redirected her attention towards Shikamaru while even Kakashi tore his gaze away from his book, curious to see what would happen next.

"It would appear you're motivated now, I can't allow that." Dosu spoke as he positioned his right forearm vertically infront of his chest while using his left index finger to flick the object, creating multiple ripples of sound that resonated out.

This piercing amount of soundwaves caused Shikamaru to instantly erupt into smoke, revealing it was just another Substitution. During this, Dosu was barely able to notice a fresh new shadow approaching him from the opposite side of the arena.

This realization caused Dosu to calmly step over the line before turning around and staring at the approaching shadow with interest. Since Dosu was in the exact center of the arena every attack from any direction would measure the exact same in distance, allowing him to feel secure and safe.

30ft... It's useless, aslong as I'm behind this line, he can't touch me. Dosu concluded before his eye widened in horror once he realized the shadow was still stretching towards him. Filled with precaution, Dosu quickly jumped back over 5ft, forcing the shadow to once again rupture and strain, unable to stretch any even.

"Good reflex's." Shikamaru mumbled out from one of the distant treelines while his body was concealed entirely from view.

"I see, you were waiting for the sun to rise. After calculating the angle of the sun combined with the shadows created from the trees and walls you were able to extend your jutsu." Dosu examined, impressing Shikamaru with his speed of deduction.

"It's 10:32am right now, the longer this match goes on the higher the sun gets, which means my shadow grows larger by the minute." Shikamaru explained as his was still hidden from view.

Since Dosu was a master of manipulating soundwaves, he was quickly able to locate Shikamaru's location before slowly walking towards the entrenched Shinobi. During this, Dosu's shoes clapped loudly against the dirt underneath him, a sound that filled the arena since the entire crowd was deathly silent.

Once Dosu entered to small forest of trees, he slowly observed his surroundings and the path infront of him while he walked, prepared for an attack at any moment. Suddenly, Dosu's foot stop mid-stride before hovering 3 inches above the ground until he took 1 step back.

Dosu then crouched down and used his right hand to lightly brush away a bundle of Leaf's that lined the ground, revealing a thin tripwire that ran across the pathway. At this moment, Dosu abruptly stood up before slamming his right forearm against a nearby tree, causing sound waves to bounce and ripple across the bundled forest.

Although the nearby trees were affected with multiple Leaf's falling to the ground, Dosu didn't notice any sign of Shikamaru. This realization caused Dosu to continue searching while he walked through the thin bundle of trees, cautious for any moving shadow.

"Yo." Shikamaru screamed from the center of the arena, causing Dosu to slowly walk out of the forest before coming into direct eyesight of his opponent. Dosu noticed that Shikamaru wasn't wearing his short-sleeved jacket.

"Oh? So you've decided to switch to an offensive strategy?" Dosu questioned as he continued to slowly walk towards his opponent while maintaining a 35ft distant from his target. Shikamaru then crouched down while clapping his hands together into the Rat Seal, creating a shadow that dashed towards his opponent.

After calculating the height of the sun with the length of the growing shadow, Dosu estimated that he needed to create a 37ft distance, causing him to take 2 steps back just in time to avoid the shadow.

At time moment, a large circular shadow bloomed upon the ground directly infront of Dosu, causing his left eye to bulge widely as he glanced up towards the object that created it. Shikamaru had tied his headband through the sleeves of his jacket while looping the headband's fabric through a Kunai hilt he used as deadweight, creating an artificial shadow.

The shadow's strength combined with his own allowed Shikamaru to extend his jutsu past 37ft feet, capturing and restraining Dosu in the process. Without allowing a moment of rest, Shikamaru then stood up before beginning a series of stretching, causing Dosu to mimic the same actions.

This isn't good...! I need to create sound, now! Dosu panicked as he attempted to move his right forearm only to continue stretching like Shikamaru.

"This is going to be such a drag." Shikamaru complained as he bent down and entered a running stance while positioning his flat palms atop the ground, causing Dosu to preform the exact same actions.

Shikamaru than began running across the battlefield, causing Dosu to run parallel to him over 40ft away. As Shikamaru ran, he was forced to jump and leap over multiple cracks and craters as he approached one of the large mud-walls Sakura had created.

At this moment, Shikamaru jump 5ft into the air before instantly breaking his jutsu, causing Dosu's right foot to land in a small crater before he fell forward, twisting his ankle. As Dosu fell, his forehead smashed against the mud-wall infront of him with a heavy thud.

This action caused Dosu to fall on his left knee before tumbling to his side entirely as he halted any form of movement. After several brief moments of silence, the entire arena erupted into a loud series of cheering and roars, clearing impressed with the battle they had just witnessed.

"Geez, if this went on any further I would have forfeited." Shikamaru sighed from under his breath as Hayate slowly began to approach him.

During this entire process, Choji had stuffed over 3 bags of potato chips into his mouth as he began to stress eat, clearly concerned about his friend.

"Go Shikamaru!" Ino screamed in encouragement.

"Everyone surely has gotten into this match." Kotetsu pointed out as all the citizens nearby stood on their feet cheering.

"It was a good match, a battle of intellect, what the Shinobi world is truly about, Shikaku would be proud." Izumo exclaimed.

"The winner for the match is, Shikamaru Nara." Hayate proclaimed as 4 medics rushed into the arena with a stretcher before picking up the unconscious Dosu and escorting him out of the battlefield.

Not bad. Sasuke thought as Shikamaru began walking back towards the Candidate platform while picking up his headband and jacket to fell to the ground. During this, Naruto smiled at his friends success, Shikamaru was one of his first friends and he was always glad to see him prosper.

"That was cool, but not as badass as me, right Sasuke?" Sakura asked as she used her left index finger to twirl the loose strands of her pink-hair.

"Don't push it." Sasuke sighed, while he was impressed with the display of jutsu Sakura had demonstrated, he would never admit that. During this, the conversation team 7 was having could barely be heard due to the loud grunts that were escaping from Gaara.

"Nnhh-... Nh-" Gaara groaned as both his hands pressed against his throbbing forehead, an area that pulsated with pain.

This is bad, if he breaks loose now... He'll kill me too... The next match needs to begin, now! Kankuro panicked as he took 3 steps back, attempting to hide from Gaara's direct field of vision.

"If we look at the qualities expected from a Chunin... Shikamaru possesses the most important attribute, knowledge." Asuma proclaimed as the citizens around him continued to clap and applaud.

"A fine match." The 4th Kazekage spoke, garnishing a nod of approval from Hiruzen.

"Yes, he is a prodigy of Konoha with an IQ of over 200." Hiruzen replied as he inhaled a fresh hit of leaf from his pipe.

"Oh? A prodigy... speaking of prodigies, I believe Gaara is up next and his opponent is an Uzumaki?" Rasa spoke, not even calling him his son. This statment caused a firm expression to bloom across Hiruzen face before he nodded towards Hayate.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please settle down so the next match can begin." Hayate coughed out but without causing any effect on the crowd.

At this moment, the still panting Gaara raised his left hand to his chest while preforming the half Ram Seal, causing his entire body to crumble and dissolve into thousands of Sand grains that surge forward and floated down into the center of the battleground.

This process caused the entire crowd to halt any and all forms of communication as interest overwhelmed them. Once the cloud of dirt hovered above the ground, the Sand grains began to clump and mold together, first forming Gaara's feet and legs before his torso reappeared into view.

Gaara knew what was next, he knew that the next match would be between him and Naruto, the person who created nothing but pain and hatred inside his mind. As Gaara stood waiting for the next match to begin, the Seal on his forehead continued to throb with pain, causing him to pant loudly.

Gaara would wait no longer, this was his moment, the moment when he would finally kill Naruto before tasting his blood. The urge to strike was almost unbearable, every second that passed only caused his bloodlust to grow.

It's all on you Gaara, the entire mission depends on your success... Release the demon that you truly are and help us win this invasion. Kankuro thought as both his trembling hands gripped the railing infront of him for comfort, clearly disturbed about the upcoming match.

The last match for the 1st round of the Chunin Exam was about to begin, a match that was supposed to lead into the 2nd round and then the final one-on-one match that determined the greatest Chunin. But no one knew what was about to happen during this match, not Hayate, Hiruzen, Kakashi or even Sasuke, no one knew at all.


	37. Chapter 37

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 37: Fury Of The Sand! The Laughing Beast Released.**

"The next match is Gaara vs Naruto Uzumaki." Hayate coughed out before being followed by a loud chorus of Boo's and complaints that erupted from the crowd.

At this moment, parents began grabbing their children before escorting and carrying them out of the arena. This was an act of protest towards Naruto, many of the villagers were outraged that he was even allowed to become a ninja but now that Hokage had gone too far by letting him participate in the finals.

"What's going on?" Kankuro mumbled as he stared at the hundreds of citizens evacuating the 'Fire' section. After several long moments, almost the entirety of the 'Fire' section was completely deserted, leaving only a few dozen of Leaf Shinobi and fresh Genin who failed the Preliminaries.

This act greatly alarmed and confused the several thousand foreigners that filled the opposite sides to the arena. Many of these foreigners had bet money on Naruto at the last moment and refused to leave.

During this, Sasuke's eyes narrowed while he glanced towards his blond childhood friend, knowing full-well that the villagers were leaving because of him and not Gaara.

At the same time, Sakura's emerald eyes were also focusing upon Naruto while her mind drifted back to when she confronted her dad after the Preliminaries.

I've told you before! Stay away from that thing! I tried to get it removed from your team but the Hokage is blind in his affection for that creature. The voice of Sakura's father, Kizashi, echoed throughout her mind.

Do not talk to that thing. Do not go near it and never be alone with it. Do you understand?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!? No Daughter of mine will be a friend to that freak! As Kizashi's words progressed, each of them caused a deep and depressed frown to form upon Sakura's face.

Naruto... Why does everyone hate you? Sakura asked herself.

"Geez... What a drag." Shikamaru sighed as he leaned against the railing infront of him.

"Mmm..." Hiruzen sighed as he shook his head from side-to-side in disappointment.

"How curious." Rasa spoke in a hushed tone.

"Hey! Kakashi!" Guy spoke boldly as both he and Lee entered the now barely-filled 'Fire' section of the arena. As Lee walked, he was forced to use a crutch in his left hand to help relieve strain from his legs.

"Lee!" Tenten screamed as she stood up and ran down a section of stone stairs to approach the crowd of 5 Leaf Shinobi.

"Is this kid supposed to be out of the hospital, Guy?" Kurenai asked, earning a brief smile from her childhood friend.

"I would not miss this match." Lee proclaimed as he slowly limped past Asuma and Kurenai before standing infront of the railing beside Kakashi.

Lee wore a simply dark blue loose-fitting Kimono with hospitial slippers, suggesting he just left. His face and neck were covered with multiple bandages while his outfit was stained with several spots of dirt.

"You're both late! You already missed Neji's match." Tenten complained as she stood behind her teammate and Sensei.

"Hmph... Tell me, how did the Rascal do? Was Kakashi's student able to crawl out of the arena?" Guy mocked in a playful tone.

"Guy... Neji wasn't even able to move once the match ended. He lost completely." Asuma spoke as streams of smoke poured out from his nose.

Hmmm... I see, you win again... Kakashi. Guy concluded as he glanced towards the back of his silver-haired friend.

"Guy... Have you noticed it too?" Kakashi asked, causing his friend to take several steps forward before standing beside him.

"Yes, there are only 8 of them covering this massive arena... Even with the Fire section empty that still isn't enough." Guy replied as his eyes glanced in between the Anbu that were disguised among the remaining crowd.

"We don't know precisely where or when the enemy will attack... So Lord Hokage is forced to distribute the Anbu around the more critical areas of the village." Kakashi explained, earning a brief nod of agreement from his friend.

"We can't let our guard down, but we also must pay attention to this next match." Guy proclaimed.

"Oh... And Kakashi, I will be judging the skills of your student... I am your eternal rival after all." As Guy spoke, he also chuckled multiple times before several seconds past by.

"Hmm...? Did you say something?" Kakashi mumbled as he finally tore his eye off his Orange book, causing Guy to faceplant against the railing in the process.

"Looks like the crowd is all together." Kiba joked as he and Hinata slowly approached the group before sitting down in the row behind them.

"Lee, want to sit down?" Tenten asked as she took a seat beside Hinata.

"No, I will stand." Lee replied, causing his teammate to sigh in response.

"For every hour that I stand with these crutches, I shall preform 200 push-ups!" As Lee spoke, Guy began to howl while shaking his head dramatically from side-to-side.

"Only 200?! Those are low numbers!" Guy argued, causing Lee to raise his bandaged right fist to his face while ignoring the pain that such an action created.

"Yes! Of course, Guy-Sensei! For every hour I waste, I will preform 500 push-ups!" Lee declared while his eyes erupted into burning flames.

"That-a-boy, Lee!" Guy replied as hurled a thumbs-up towards his student with his left hand.

Naruto is going to fight Gaara of the Sand, someone I failed to defeat... While Sasuke defeated Neji, someone I wished to defeat... Lee's thoughts raced as he stared down at his former red-haired opponent.

At this moment, Lee's grip on his crutch tightened with such strength that his previous wounds reopened, staining the bandages on his hand into a crimson red color. At the same time, his legs were trembling and shaking from the constant pressure it took to walk, still weak from his battle with Gaara.

Why... Why do I feel so... Humiliated... As Lee's train of thought progressed, his entire body began to tremble from both embarrassment and pain, a feat that went completely unnoticed by everyone except his teacher.

Lee... Guy thought as a look of concern formed on his face.

"Naruto Uzumaki, please enter the battleground." Hayate coughed out while Gaara continued to pant beside him.

"Go ahead Naruto, don't worry I'll cheer twice as loud, okay?" Sakura spoke out in pity for her teammate, one of the few times she actually felt bad for him.

"Just get going already, after you win this match it'll be me against Sakura in the next round." Sasuke remarked, causing his pink-haired teammate to panic at the thought of fighting her ideal boyfriend.

"Sure, no problem." Naruto spoke in a low and timid tone as he turned around before descending the stone staircase. During this, none of Naruto's friends noticed the deep and grim frown that covered the blonds face.

"Can't believe that _kid_ made it this far." Kotetsu remarked as a sly smirk grew on his face.

"The same kid that laid you out like a rock?" Izumo asked, causing his friend to roll his eyes while sighing.

"I'd rather not be reminded of that." Kotetsu replied before allowing the conversation to end, unwilling to focus on such a memory.

"This match will be won by Gaara." An old tan-skinned man declared as he examined the book of Candidate statistics given out to all audience members.

The stats, missions and teammates of Naruto were all displayed upon the left page while Gaara's blank statistics covered the right. Many of Gaara's stats were completely unknown.

The man wore a long silky emerald green robe that ran down to his shoes, which were dirt-brown in color by made of extremely wealthy materials. The robe was adorned with a series of lavish Grass artwork and emblems that were a bright-yellow in color.

His hair was short and combed back underneath a prestigious brown hat that had multiple green ornaments hanging from the both ends. His face was covered by a well-groomed and trimmed brown beard. Embellished onto the front of his hat was the Kanji symbol for 'Grass'.

"You can't quite say that Lord Fuka, I am expecting something from the Uzumaki, despite his grades at the Academy." A nearby man spoke out. He had a short crop of black hair with narrow black eyes. His more prominent features were a thin black moustache, goatee, and large ears.

His outfit was extremely similar to Fuka's with the only noticeable difference being the color of his robe and the ornaments that hung from his hat, both of which were tan-brown. The emblem that adorned his hat was the Kanji symbol for 'Tea'.

These two individuals sat in the center of a reserved column inside the 'Wind' section, a column that was surrounded and guarded by multiple Grass and Leaf Shinobi.

"Hahahah... No I don't think so Lord Kuni, in the Shinobi world something... Unpredictable always happens." Fuka chuckled out before narrowing his eyes as they glanced to the left, observing 2 Grass Shinobi who nodded in approval before walking up the stairs and disappearing from sight.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the dark stairway leading down into the battleground._

Naruto walked through a narrow and dark hallway, one of many that paved the pathway leading further down. As Naruto turned a corner, he noticed 2 shadowy figures standing on either side of a 10ft long hall, figures that were only noticed due to their chakra networks.

As Naruto attempted to walk past them, both figures took a step into the center of the hallway, blocking his path while allowing the ceiling lights to illuminate they're bodies.

Both figures were adorned in the standard attire for all Grass Jonin, both wore full body black jump-suits similar to Guy and Lee. Around they're torso was a faded yellow jacket, one of the Shinobi had it buttoned up while the other's was loose and open.

Both Shinobi wore a heavy grey scarf that was wrapped around they're shoulders multiple times until rising to they're jawline. They also both wore matching Headband bandana's, showing the symbol for the Village Hidden in the Grass carved into the front.

One Shinobi had long black hair that was spikey and tied back into a ponytail while the other had short brown hair whose bangs were combed to the sides.

"Low level tournaments like this Exam are good for betting money." The short haired Shinobi proclaimed as he glared down at the partially covered face of Naruto.

"Quite a few feudal lords come here just for that reason, right Kotsu?" The long spikey haired Shinobi asked his friend.

"You are correct, Susai... So, can you lose this match kid?" Kotsu asked Naruto, causing a period of silence to fill the air over several moments as no reply could be heard. Since Naruto's mouth was concealed by the raised collar of his tunic while his eyes were hidden by his bangs, neither of the Shinobi could notice a response of any kind.

"Hey now, atleast say something." Susai spoke, cutting into the tense silence that filled the hallway.

"Are you too scared to say anything?" Kotsu questioned while his eyes narrowed in annoyance as another period of silence followed.

"If you're not going to say anything... Might aswell finish this here." Susai proclaimed as he reached into his jacket with his right hand before pulling out a Kunai.

"Good idea, if he doesn't show up then Gaara wins by default." Kotsu explained as he pulled out his own Kunai.

"How many people have you threatened?" Naruto asked in a low tone, one that could barely be heard. Instead of answering with words, Susai bridged the 4ft gap in between him and Naruto before swinging his Kunai down in a vertically fashion, an attack that was completely deflected by some unseen force.

The power of this force was so vast that it repelled Susai's right arm entirely, forcing it high into the air. During this, Naruto's right hand shot out before clenching down upon Susai's throat and lifting him into the air slightly. As he struggled, Susai slung his right hand upward in an attempt to stab Naruto with his Kunai only for the latter to grip down tightly on his wrist, preventing his attack entirely. Naruto's grasp was so strong that the sound of joints and bones popping filled the hallway, disarming Susai in the process.

"Susai!" Kotsu screamed as he surged forward while slicing his Kunai vertically towards Naruto's right hand in an attempt to free his friend.

At this moment, Naruto abruptly jolt his head to right causing his bangs to move in the process before briefly revealing his violet ripple patterned eyes, eyes that Kotsu glanced at. The image of the Rinnegan then seared itself into Kotsu's mind, forcing him to fall on his knees mid-run.

Kotsu then faceplanted the cold floor of the hallway as his body pulsated and trembled dramatically while the image of Naruto's eyes continued to throbbed throughout his mind.

"How many people have you threatened?" Naruto once again asked as he held Susai by his throat, barely tall enough to accomplish such a feat.

"Hc-... Hc-..." Susai grunted out as he used both hands to grip Naruto's wrist while he struggled to free himself. After struggling for several moments, Susai hastily clapped his hands together into the Tiger Seal only to be abruptly thrown against the wall by Naruto, disarming the attack.

While Susai fell to the ground, his forehead impacted the stone with a heavy thud, causing his Headband bandana to fall off as he went limp atop the floor. Both Grass Shinobi were left unconscious in the hallway as the young Uzumaki turned to the left before continuing his journey to the battleground.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the battleground for the arena._

"Come on! Bring up the next match already!" Several dozen groups of audience members screamed out as they became annoyed at the length of time it was taking. During this, Hayate found it difficult to ignore the loud and continuous panting that Gaara was preforming.

"This is ridiculous... I took a day off to watch these Exams and we can't even finish the first round." A middle-aged Leaf Chunin complained as he sat in one of the partially empty columns inside the 'Fire' section.

"Don't disappoint me!" A group of foreigners from the Land of Hot Springs yelled.

After several moments, Naruto finally entered the battleground before slowly approaching Hayate and the still panting Gaara. This action silenced the crowd as they realized the battle was about to begin.

"I hope Naruto is careful... Last time Gaara fought..." Sakura mumbled as she thought back to the battle that almost killed Lee.

"Naruto will be fine, just worry about our match." Sasuke declared, causing Sakura to sigh with depression as she downcast her face, clearing upset at the idea.

"Fighters... To the center please." Hayate pleaded, causing both Candidates to take multiple steps forward until they were only 5ft away from one another. During this, Gaara began to smile from ear-to-ear in a sadistic fashion while he continued to pant loudly.

"Begi-" Before Hayate could even finish speaking, the cork on Gaara's gourd already popped off before landing atop the ground. At the same time, several streams of sand instantly surged out from the gourd, forming a cloud in the air above Gaara.

At this moment, a shocking pain erupted from the Seal on Gaara's forehead, forcing his sand to fall atop the ground while he clenched his face with both hands in an attempt to numb the pain.

"Don't get so mad at me..." Gaara pleaded as he grunted with pain, an act that greatly confused the crowd. During this, Hayate took several steps backwards as he acknowledged that the battle had begun.

"He's right there... I see him, mother... You'll taste his blood soon." As Gaara spoke, his twisted eyes gazed out from in between his fingers.

I've never seen Gaara become like this before a battle... Naruto is really getting to him. Kankuro noticed as his trembling hands continued to grasp the railing infront of him.

Suddenly, the Seal on Gaara's forehead once again throbbed with overwhelming pain. This pain caused Gaara to fall on his knees while his fingernails dug into his scalp.

After several moments of grunting and groaning, Gaara crossed his arms infront of his chest as he slowly stood up, revealing his now emotionless face.

"Come" Gaara ordered as a circle of sand began to collect and mold together around his feet.

Those eyes... I've seen those eyes before, eyes filled with hatred and loneliness... The same eyes I used to have... He's a monster, just like me. Naruto thought as his memory faded back his life before Iruka.

Naruto hated almost everyday of his childhood. The memory of brushing his teeth before staring into the reflection of his empty blue eyes was a thought that always seared it's presence into the blonds mind, it was why he grew his bangs out to cover them.

I remember how I hated them, I hated all of them... Because they hated me, and because I couldn't understand why... I wondered why they even kept me around. As Naruto's train of thought progressed, his violet eyes narrowed from underneath his bangs.

It wasn't my fault, I didn't ask to be born this way... But everyone acted like I did, and that just made it worse... But then. After finishing his thoughts, Naruto's mind was instantly filled with the smiling face of Iruka.

Hey Naruto, lets go take a Ramen break... With extra Pork and Eggs? The voice of Iruka echoed inside the blonds mind.

Nice job Naruto, I think you'll really starting to get the hang of this. Kakashi's voice spoke out, congratulating Naruto on the first time he caught a cat during a D-rank mission.

Hey Naruto, me and Choji were gonna go grab a bite to eat at that Ramen place you love so much... Want to tag along? Shikamaru asked, one of the few children that ever offered Naruto anything.

Naruto, did you change the TV channel? I can't stand all the cartoon stuff you watch, the news is better. Sasuke complained during one of the many times Naruto stayed over at his house.

A few people came along who paid attention to me... They genuinely cared for me, and that made it better... It was alright then, even though I have this monster inside me, even though everyone else acted like I didn't exist... Because it meant that I wasn't alone anymore. Naruto thought as the image of his friends floated through his mind.

For the first time in my entire life I was happy... Really, really happy... They made me see how good life could be, they made me glad to be alive... As his thought's progress, a faint smile formed upon Naruto's face as he continued to think about his friends.

But when I think back to my life before them... It's scary... Nothing but pain and darkness... Are you what I am... What I would have become If I stayed there... All alone? As Naruto's thoughts wondered, both his hands began to clench tightly by his sides.

"Well... Are you going to move?" Gaara asked as mounds of sand continued to build up in a circle all around his feet.

At this moment, a strong gust wind blew in from the south, causing multiple Leaf's to fall from the nearby treebranches before plummeting atop the battleground floor.

"I don't know how it happened... But you're struck there, all alone in that bottomless pit of darkness and pain... That's why you have no one, Gaara, because you fight only for yourself." Naruto explained, only for his words to have no effect on his opponent.

"I already told you... The only reason I exist is to wipe out every other existence than my own, your death will prove my life is real." Gaara spoke before several streams of sand shot out towards Naruto, cascading the ground underneath them with a dark shadow.

This sand completely surrounded and consumed Naruto before being overwhelmed by some unseen force, breaking the sand apart and pushing it all several feet backwards. This action created multiple circles of sand that lay atop the ground all around Naruto, who didn't even physically react to the attack at all.

"Do you think that makes you stronger? Do you think it's a weakness to have friends... To be happy?" Naruto asked.

"Friends...? Think only of yourself... Love only yourself, that is what it means to be the strongest. Come, show me your pathetic strength of friendship so I may grind it into dust." Gaara ordered, creating a brief period of silence that filled the air.

After several moments of hesitation, Naruto slowly raised his hands to the Headband tied around his neck before tracing his fingertips across the cold metal surface that had the symbol for Konoha engraved upon it.

Naruto then reached behind his neck before grabbing and untying the fabric of his Headband, allowing him to raise to object up across his face. Naruto positioned the Headband infront of his eyes before pressing it upwards, pushing his bangs out of his face while forcing his hair to take on a spikey-appearance in the front.

This action revealed Naruto's violet ripple patterned eyes, eyes that shocked the crowd and many of the watching Shinobi. During this, Naruto tied his Headband tightly upon his forehead, causing the fabric to stretch and contort in the process.

Naruto, I hope you know what you're doing. Kakashi pleaded as he snapped his book shut before preparing himself to watch the battle. At the same time, Kakashi was forced to ignore the numerous questions that Asuma, Kurenai and Guy all began asking him about Naruto's eyes.

"Don't you think Naruto is going alittle too far, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, confused that Naruto would preform such an act infront the thousands of people watching. Instead of responding with words Sasuke merely narrowed his black eyes while staring at Naruto.

Naruto... What are you thinking, doing something like that, here of all places. Sasuke thought.

"My... How interesting." Rasa whispered, causing Hiruzen's eyes to narrow while inhaling a fresh hit of leaf from his pipe.

"Very well." Naruto answered his opponent while reach behind his back with his right hand. This action revealed the addition of a 2nd satchel on Naruto's outfit, both of which were tied to the back of his waist.

As Naruto retracted his hand, he revealed four 3-pronged Kunai held in between his fingers, Kunai that had several scribbles engraved upon the hilts. Before the nearby citizens could even notice the Kunai, Naruto had already thrown them into the air while raising his left hand to his chest.

Naruto's left hand then weaved through the half Ox, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake and Tiger Seals, preforming one-handed Seals, an accomplishment that shocked all those who hadn't previously seen him preform it.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu." Naruto spoke, causing the previous 4 Kunai to multiple and morph into 32 Kunai. This jutsu caused the numerous weapons to create a thin blanket of shadows as they plummeted to the ground yet somehow didn't harm or cut either of the Candidates.

"That's the 3rd Hokage's technique." An unknown Leaf Chunin in the 'Fire' section pointed out, impressed that a Naruto could preform an A-rank jutsu.

"Don't compare that creature to the great Lord 3rd Hokage." A nearby Leaf Jonin complained, causing the Chunin to bow his head in respect.

Suddenly, the sand surrounding Naruto shot out into multiple jagged spikes in an attempt to impale the blond only for him to vanish in a bright flash at the last moment. This action caused Naruto to reappear atop the mudwall Sakura created earlier, standing beside a Kunai.

This display of jutsu forced Asuma's mouth to fall open, causing his burning cigarette to fall loose before smashing into the ground. Once the Cigarette hit the floor its burning cherry erupted into dozens of embers that stained and scorched the stone.

He's fast... Faster than Lee's normal speed. Guy's thought's raced as he studied Naruto's feet, too cautious to stare directly into the blonds violet eyes.

"Th-... That's the 4th Hokage's..." Izumo's sentence trailed off, unable to form the proper thoughts to finish it.

"I-Impossible..." Kotetsu stuttered as his saucer-like eyes bulged with shock.

During this, both Genma and Raidō glanced towards one another, each of them knowing that Naruto had just preformed a technique that ordinarily required 3 separate Jonin to accomplish. At the same time, Rasa's eyes squinted and narrowed with interest.

The sand spikes from earlier then contorted and morphed into 4 separate Gaara sand clones, clones that all began to slowly limp and approach the distant Uzumaki, each of them struggling to move.

After several moments of staggering to move, each of the clones began to leap and climb up the mudwall before lashing out at Naruto, intent on harming the blond. This forced Naruto to side-flip to the left, avoiding one of the horizontal sand strikes aimed towards his ankles by a Gaara clone.

This caused Naruto to land atop his left flat palm as 2 sand clones closed in on either side of him, forcing the blond to swing both legs through the air in a counter-clockwise fashion before he pushed himself off the ground.

This action beheaded both of the sand clones before they dissolved and crumbled into a 2 separate mounds of sand. During this, Naruto landed on his feet just in time to notice one of the Gaara clones explode into sand, sand that surged and dashed towards him.

Naruto quickly extended his left hand outward, an action that blocked and stopped the approaching sand with some unseen force. At the same time, the last Gaara clone clapped his hands together into the Rat Seal, forcing the mudwall Naruto stood on to dissolve into grains of sand.

This process also caused the Gaara clone to crumble and dissolve before merging with the sand from the mudwall, doubling the amount of sand. This forced Naruto to backflip at the last moment before twisting and contorting through the air in multiple different angles until he landed atop the ground.

As Naruto stood up, multiple streams and waves of sand began surging towards the blond while blocking off all means of escape. These manipulations of sand then swarmed over Naruto, concealing his entire body from view.

During this, Gaara uncrossed his arms before extending both hands towards Naruto while he began to smile in a twisted fashion. Gaara then clenched both hands tightly, forcing the sand that engulfed Naruto to squeeze and grinding together.

However, instead of blood splattering across the nearby ground it was nothing but air, suggesting Gaara's sand had missed entirely. After several moments of silence, Gaara's eyes noticed and narrowed upon Naruto who now stood over 20ft away, standing beside a 3-pronged Kunai.

"Is that all you've got? I hope you haven't finished entertaining me." Gaara spoke in a cold and emotionless tone. After he finished speaking , Gaara stared directly into Naruto's violet eyes, an action that would normally paralyze an ordinary ninja but not him.

Instead of Hypnotizing the Sand Shinobi, Naruto's eyes caused an intense-feeling of pain to once again erupt from Gaara's seal. This pain was so great that Gaara began to drag his fingernails across his forehead while groaning.

"What kind of training did you make him go through." Guy asked his childhood friend as he continued to examine the battle unfolding infront of him.

"Mmm... Just the basics, I can't really remember." Kakashi mumbled in a low tone.

"Hmph, the basics." Guy repeated as a wide smile grew upon his face, always happy to exchange words with his eternal rival.

Suddenly, Gaara fell to his knees while his previous groans of pain evolved into screams, an action and sound that horrified the majority of the audience. During this, a sad and empathetic Naruto began slowly walking towards his opponent.

"DIE!" Gaara screamed while slamming both hands atop the ground infront of him. This force all of the ground in a 15ft wide radius around Gaara to abruptly crumble into sand, grabbing onto Hayate's ankles while Naruto once again disappear in a bright flash.

Hayate was then dragged down into the sand, an action that greatly alarmed the Leaf ninja would were watching but they were forbidden from intervening in a match. Many of the Leaf Shinobi watching were close and deep friends to Hayate, a fact that only increased the tension.

Once Hayate was waist deep in the sand, he felt his entire body become gripped by some unseen force. This force yanked and pulled Hayate free before he drifted over 20ft across the arena, revealing Naruto's new location.

Once Naruto grabbed the back of Hayate's flak jacket with his left hand, he then raised his right hand to his chest while several streams of sand began surging towards him. Naruto knew that the power of his eyes had a delay while at the same time he was unable to properly master the Flying Thunder God technique, preventing him from teleporting other people or things.

This realization forced Naruto's right hand to weave through the half Tiger, Snake, Rat, Snake and once again Tiger Seals. During this, Naruto inhaled a vast amount of air, forcing his back to arch slightly while his cheeks puffed out.

"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu." Naruto spoke before a condensed stream of water erupt out from his mouth. This water shot forward, eroding the approaching sand before it began to swirl and spin around both Leaf Shinobi.

The amount of chakra-filled water continued to shoot out from Naruto's mouth, causing the protective wall of water to grow over 10ft in height while it completely nullified the remaining sand. During this, Hayate fell to his knees while coughing harshly beside Naruto.

No way...! To cast and create such a powerful Water Style jutsu... where there is no water! An ox-masked Anbu panicked internally as he studied the match from a hidden section in the crowd.

You are indeed a worthy rival, Naruto. Lee concluded as his left hand once again began clenching down upon the handle of his crutch, staining his bandages with even more blood.

"What a drag, if I have to fight Naruto next round I'm just going to forfeit." Shikamaru sighed while Shino quietly observed the match.

Once the water wall dissolved, Naruto noticed Gaara was still on his knees with his hands buried atop the ground while he groaned in pain. During this, the black pupils of Naruto's eyes abruptly shrunk before enlarging, allowing his vision to shift into the chakra-world.

This action allowed Naruto to better see the function for Gaara's seal, a seal that was completely overwhelmed and almost shattered entirely, a seal that was filled with brown chakra. Suddenly, the gourd on Gaara's back abruptly shattered into hundreds of pieces while crumbs of sand began falling from his downcast face.

"Why... Why won't you die!? Gaara demanded to know while he dragged his fingernails across the sand infront of his still downcast face. Pain then once again erupted from Gaara's seal, causing him to grip his forehead as his screamed in agony.

As Gaara screamed, his mind drifted back to last time he ever cried, something he hadn't done since he was 6 years old. During this, Gaara's entire body began to crack and splinter in multiple locations as he trembled in pain.

Why... Why, Yashamaru... Why did you do it, tell me why... I don't understand. Gaara's tear-stained younger self spoke inside his mind, causing the seal on his forehead to throb with even more pain.

Love is... The hearts desire to serve someone precious to you... To watch over them and to care for them, like my sister did for you. After all, you're special me Gaara, I hold you very dear to my heart. The voice of Yashamaru echoed inside Gaara's mind.

Yashamaru, if I'm precious to you... Then how could you? Gaara's younger self once again spoke out as the buried memory of love began to stir inside him.

It was an order... I was ordered to kill you, Gaara... by the lord Kazekage, your father... The day will come when you're too dangerous to keep alive. The blood-stained memory of Yashamaru replied.

Y-you had to obey my father, you didn't have any choice. Gaara thought back to the excuse he tried to make, even though tears were streaming from his young eyes.

You're wrong, I had a choice... And I wanted to kill you... Because, deep in my heart... I hate you Gaara, I've always hated you. This memory caused multiple veins inside Gaara's head to rupture, forcing him to scream and howl in agony, filling the arena with his pain.

My sister died bringing you into this world, it was her choice to have you, she chose to be made a human sacrifice. With my sisters dying breath she cursed this village because she gave us you, Gaara. As these memories progressed, Gaara began dragging his fingernails across his downcast face.

Your name is... The one your mother gave you. Your name is Gaara, a demon that loves only yourself because you must love no one else, care for no one except yourself, fight only for yourself, this is the dying gift your mother left you. During this, Gaara was panting rapidly, almost unable to control his gasps for air.

But do not mistake the intent of this gift... It was not a gift of affection, there was no maternal love for a creature like you. All of her undying rage for this village led to you, her curse upon the sand... Her hate lives on in you. These memories caused Gaara's teeth to grit and grind together as he continued to groan in agony.

You were never loved Gaara - never... Now, please die. The bloody memory of Yashamaru pleaded as he unzipped his flak jacket, revealing several dozen explosive tags on his body that erupted into flames and smoke.

This memory caused Gaara to fall face-first atop the arena floor while his entire body went limp, suggesting the mental pain was so vast that it knocked him unconscious. This action greatly confused the crowd, many of which were still horrified at the previous screams of agony and pain.

During this, Naruto's violet eyes examined Gaara's brown chakra network, a network that was being entirely overwhelmed by chakra seeping out from the seal on his forehead. Hayate then took several steps forward to check Gaara's pulse before Naruto abruptly blocked his path.

"Hmhmhmhmh... Heheheh... Hahahah... HAHAHAH, NOT BAD NARUTO UZUMAKI!" Gaara screamed while his head rose and tilted in a 260* fashion, an act that break any normal persons neck.

This action revealed Gaara's eyes, eyes that were normal morphed into a strange shape and color. The sclerae of his eyes were black with yellow irises while each of the pupils took on the shape of a black four-pointed star with four black dots around it.

The broken and splintered cracks in Gaara's skin revealed a glowing brown surface underneath, the surface was covered in multiple dark blue seal markings, markings Naruto couldn't identify. At the same time, a faint but tangible aura of brown chakra began swirling around Gaara's body.

"Yo, yo... Kurama, come on out Kurama!" Gaara ordered as his head tilted and cracked even further, greatly disturbing the citizen audience members.

This order created a critical amount of agony inside Naruto's stomach, forcing the blond to fall on his left knee while both hands pressed against his seal. During this, Naruto's black pupils almost tripled in size and radius, pushing the ripple pattern of his eyes back slightly.

This chasm of unending pain was so vast that Naruto found himself almost completely paralyzed. At the same time, Gaara began to laugh hysterically, filling the battleground with his sadistic chuckle.

U-... Here he comes. Hayate panicked as he began taking several steps backwards, finally understanding what Gaara was.

As Gaara launched himself across the ground like a rabid Raccoon, every section of earth that he touched instantly dissolved and crumbled into sand. During this, more sections of Gaara's skin continued to crack before falling off his body, revealing even more of the bright brown surface below.

The level of chakra radiating from Gaara was so intense that the battleground floor was rupturing and cracking in several areas. This action also caused multiple sections of earth to shift, raising Naruto into the air on a rock as Hayate fell down into a fissure.

At this moment, the chakra engulfing Gaara extended out from his lower back before morphing and shifting into a bright brown tail. At the same time, Gaara's red hair crumbled into sand, revealing 2 brown Raccoon-like ears that protruded off the top of his head.

The sea of sand surrounding Gaara then ascended and rose over 15ft, resembling a Tsunami of sand that rushed towards Naruto, who was barely able to recover from the pain inside his stomach. This wave of sand was so vast that it tore the rock Naruto stood upon out of the earth, disturbing the blonds balance and causing him to stumble.

2 skinless brown chakra arms then shot out from the sand Tsunami before stretching over 10ft in an attempt to grab Naruto. These arms resonated and flowed with chakra, chakra that had completely overwhelmed Gaara's network.

As these chakra hands dashed out, one reached for Naruto's face while the other surged towards his stomach. Naruto then crouched down, allowing one chakra hand to soar over him while he used the back of his left hand to deflect the 2nd attack.

Suddenly, a 3rd chakra hand erupted out from the shifting Tsunami before slamming against the boulder underneath Naruto. This attack spilt the boulder in half, causing Naruto and several dozen pieces of rock to fall down in the shifting sea of sand.

As Naruto fell, he slammed both of his palm hands together while funneling a significant amount of chakra into his violet eyes, causing his black pupils to shrink in the process. During this, multiple sand hands rose up before reaching out towards Naruto.

Before the sand even touched Naruto, an overwhelming and unseen force jolted out from the blond on all angles. This force deflected and overcame everything in a 10ft radius, causing multiple rocks and grains of sand to fly over the fissure Hayate was concealed in.

Outside of this unseen force, a massive sea of sand swirled and circled around the area, held at bay only by the power of Naruto's jutsu. After holding the almost endless amount of sand back for several moments, Naruto was forced to cancel the jutsu once he realized there was a time limit to keep it active.

Once this jutsu was undone, a brown chakra hand instantly erupted out from the now approaching sea of sand before grasping down upon Naruto's face. Naruto then attempted to push the chakra hand away only for 2 more to shot towards him before grabbing each of his wrists.

All 3 of these hands then hurled Naruto backwards, causing the blond the twist, flip and slide across the ground for over 30ft. During this, Naruto crashed against one of the mudwalls Sakura had created before breaking it in half as he continued to fly back.

At the last moment, Naruto collided against a bundled up section of forest, filling the arena with the sound of wood snapping as 2 trees fell down in the distance.

"HAHAHAH! HAHAHAH!" Gaara screamed as his body erupted out from the sand.

All of Gaara's skin, cloths and hair were completely dissolved. This left Gaara with 2 Raccoon-like ears and 1 Raccoon-like tail, all of which were solid brown with multiple dark blue seals sprawled across them and his body.

This action horrified Kankuro once he realized what was happening, Gaara was no longer fighting - there was only Shukaku of the sand.

"I hear little hearts beating... _Yes_... Beating faster now, soon the beating will stop... HAHAHAHAH!" Shukaku joked, causing children to hide in the arms of their parents.

While Shukaku's twisted laugh echoed across the arena, the figure of Naruto slowly walked out from the distance treeline. Once Naruto left the shadows, it was revealed that a large treebranch had impaled itself through his left shoulder.

Naruto was so focused on Shukaku that he didn't even shrug while he pulled the treebranch loose before throwing it to the ground. During this, steam began to pour out from Naruto's wound as it healed almost instantly.

This stained Naruto's left arm with 3 streams of blood that had previously been dripping from the wound. This entire process left the audience speechless, many of them unable to believe what they were seeing.

"Humans will be dissected, villages overgrown... Mothers will kill daughters as Shinobi weep in _terror_!... And then, everything you love will die - HAHAHAH!" As Shukaku spoke, many children in the crowd began to cry.

"Wh-what kind of a battle is this turning into?" Sakura stuttered.

Naruto, why do you seem so... Calm? What are you thinking right now? Sasuke asked himself.

"What a drag." Shikamaru sighed.

"N-no way... That _kid_ is taking on the 1-tails!" Izumo exclaimed, barely able to believe his own words.

"Naruto's youth is shining like a sun." Guy pointed out with a straight face.

Naruto... Are you really that far ahead of me, Naruto? Lee asked himself, barely able to withstand the amount of humiliation in his heart.

Hundreds of elite and average ninja sat in the audience and many of which were shocked to see a 12 year old battle a tailed beast. At the same time, the masked face of Rasa began to grin from ear-to-ear, clearly happy with what he was seeing.

During this, Shukaku's demonic laugh continued to echo across the arena, terrifying hundreds of audience members, none of which knew that the battle had only just begun.


	38. Chapter 38

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: I want each tailed beast to be unique, they will all have their own gimmick and a unique way they transform. To accomplish this, I have to make some creative changes.**

 **I will be creating a verison 3 chakra-cloak for tailed beasts, like the form Gaara used VS his canon battle with Naruo.** **I' m doing this is because I don't like the concept of a jinchūriki transforming into a power ranger boss.**

 **I love the idea of a wild tailed beast being the original height, shape and size due to its lack of control. That's why jinchūriki are stronger than normal tailed beasts.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 38: Naruto's Ninja Handbook! Battle Of Sorrow.**

 _5:12pm, Friday June 9th 58SSP_

"Hey, boss... Do you, love anyone?" Konohamaru asked as he stood beside his Sensei and friend atop the Hokage Monument. Following this question a heavy gust of wind blew in from the south, forcing multiple Leaf's to float and swirl around the pair of Leaf Shinobi.

"Love... I did love someone, once." Naruto replied as he glanced up towards the setting horizon.

"Do you mean Iruka-Sensei, boss?" Konohamaru questioned only to be met with silence.

"Ebisu-Sensei hasn't told me anything about that boss, said it was a high-ranked secret or something... But you can tell me, right boss?" As he spoke, Konohamaru's voice rose in pitch and tone as he tried to earn Naruto's favor.

"I failed him..." Naruto answered in a low tone.

"No way boss, how could the great Naruto Uzumaki fail?" Konohamaru retorted with a chuckle.

"I've asked myself that more times than I can count... Why did he have to die?" Naruto exclaimed, clearly effected by Konohamaru's words.

"Why couldn't I save him... I know I could have." After speaking, Naruto then downcast his face as he stared out across the village.

"Some times there are things no one can fix... You're not all powerful boss." Konohamaru mumbled.

"Well I should be... Some day I will be... I will be the most powerful Shinobi ever, I will even learn to stop people from dying." Naruto proclaimed as his voice grew louder in volume.

"B-boss..." Konohamaru stuttered as his saucer-like eyes bulged with shock.

"I was once like you, Konohamaru, I was young and playful - I even pulled pranks on the village... But then I found someone who accepted me for who I really am, do you know how that feels?" Naruto asked, causing his student to abruptly nod his head in approval.

"Find someone like that, Konohamaru, find someone who loves and protects you, find someone you look up too - find your purpose." As he spoke, Konohamaru's eyes once again grew wide with shock.

"M-my purpose, boss?" Konohamaru mumbled.

"Your goal is to be Hokage... You want to become the Hokage so people see you as something other than the 'Honorable Grandson' but that isn't a purpose, Konohamaru." Naruto replied.

"It's hard to explain what a purpose is... I've been looking for mine for awhile now, but try to think of someone you love or something you care about... Maybe, someone who isn't with you anymore." As he spoke, Konohamaru could do nothing but idolize his Sensei and friend.

"A-and when I get a purpose... I become strong, right boss?" Konohamaru asked, creating a wide grin on Naruto's concealed face.

"Yes, Konohamaru... Some day, you will become a strong Shinobi." Naruto answered as he once again glanced up towards the setting horizon, determined to guide and protect his student, just like Iruka.

* * *

 _11:47am, Thursday June 15th, 58SSP. The Chunin Exam Arena._

The screams and loud cries of multiple children could be heard resonating from the audience, screams that fueled Shukaku's sadistic laugh. Even though a tailed beast had broken loose during the exam, all ninja were forbidden from intervening, except the proctor.

You first have to grow up Naruto, if you apply yourself and work hard... One day you'll figure it out all alone! The joyful voice of Iruka echoed inside Naruto's mind.

Father, this is my moment... The moment I prove myself worthy of your love. Naruto concluded as he tore his tattered left sleeve loose before dropping it to the ground, revealing his pale-skinned left arm and shoulder.

"Forgive me, Sensei... Against such a foe, I can use no restraint." Naruto mumbled too quietly for anyone to hear.

Shukaku then abruptly slammed both hands atop the ground, forcing a cascading amount of sand to swirl and spiral upward. After twirling through the air multiple times it soon took on the shape of a sand tornado before surging towards Naruto.

This action caused Naruto to jump 5ft forward before kneeling down and clapping his hands together, instantly dispelling the tornado as it approached. This left hundreds of sand particles in the air that soon began molding and merging together, forming dozens of floating sand spikes.

As Shukaku began to laugh once again, the spikes then launched down towards Naruto who was forced to physically dodge the attack since his eyes couldn't react in time. Although Naruto was able to deflect and dodged multiple of the spikes, several of them still puncture his back and arms, staining his outfit red.

"I WILL NOT FAIL!" Naruto screamed, causing all of the sand surrounding him to abruptly dissolve before being flung back by some unseen force. This power was so great that the surrounding ground cracked under it's weight.

This revealed several streams of steam that poured out of Naruto, seeping off of every wound as they healed almost instantly. This left multiple holes in his outfit as blood stained the once purple tunic.

At this moment, Naruto raised each of his hands to his chest while holding them apart from one another. During this, his left hand weaved through the Tiger, Ox, Monkey, Rabbit, Ram, Boar, Ox, Horse and finally Monkey Seals.

At the same time, Naruto's right hand danced through the Tiger, Dog, Tiger, Snake, Tiger, Ox, Monkey, Rabbit and Bird Seals. After preforming theses seals Naruto then clapped his hands together while overlapping his fingers atop one another.

Naruto then inhaled a staggering amount of air as he arched his back slightly while he cheeks puffed out. Out of the hundreds of ninja that watched this feat, very few could believe a 12 year old had such mastery of Hand Seals.

"Water Style: Giant Waterfall Jutsu!" Naruto proclaimed as he leaned forward before a jet of chakra-filled water shot out from his mouth.

This water slowly flooded Naruto's feet and the surrounding area before surging out in all areas, submerging the sand or making it completely useless. This amount of water was so vast that Naruto was soon standing upon a wave of water.

This water soon began to flood the entire 60ft wide arena with ankle deep water, accomplishing a feat of Water Style that very few others could. During this, Hayate managed to escape the fissure before hiding in a distant tree.

Suddenly, Shukaku dragged multiple boulders up from underneath the earth before launching them towards Naruto, forcing the blond to cancel his jutsu as he calmly stood atop the water.

Naruto used his hands to crush and smash through several pieces of rock before he was forced to jump over a large boulder. After landing, Naruto then crouched down just in time to avoid a rock thrown towards his face.

After raising his gaze, Naruto noticed a large 10ft boulder sliding across the ground towards him, forcing the blond to cross his arms in a 'X' fashion infront of his chest. This action caused the boulder to instantly shatter on impact before all pieces of rock and debris harmlessly fell around Naruto.

Once this debris cleared, Naruto's violet eyes bulged with shock as they realized Shukaku was running at full speed towards him. Shukaku then arched his left fist back before hurling it into Naruto's mouth, forcing the blond the fly back over 10ft.

As he was launched back, multiple drops of blood and several teeth littered the arena floor. Soon, Naruto began using his hands to preform backflips in order to regain his balance.

Naruto then jumped into the air before twisting and spinning in multiple directions to avoid the streams of approaching sand. Naruto was so focused on his battle that he failed to notice when new teeth began to grow out in his mouth, replacing those that had fallen out.

Once Naruto landed on atop the water, a large 5ft wide boulder was suddenly raised from underneath him, raising the blond into the air. This boulder then abruptly crumbled and dissolved into sand, absorbing Naruto into the sand before it then hardened, sealing him into place.

Naruto's violet eyes then instantly bulged, causing the blond to float out from the rock and stone, as if some unseen force pulled him free. During this, Shukaku began to once again laugh hysterically.

"Woah! Nice one! Let's see how you deal with this - HAHAHAHAH!" Shukaku joked as several dozen red and blue chakra orbs protruded and popped out from his body.

What's this...? Naruto wondered as the multi-colored chakra orbs began to float in the air around Shukaku.

"Is that... Chakra?" Sakura asked only to be met with silence.

That's... Guy noted while his eyes narrowed.

Shukaku then sat down while raising his tail and head up, causing the nearby chakra orbs to funnel towards his mouth. These orbs then began merging together, transforming the previous blue and red orbs into a large dark purple one.

This orb then shrunk and condensed into a bite-size ball. This caused the water underneath Shukaku to ripple and rupture violently under the weight. This display of power greatly alarmed Naruto once he realized his friends were also threatened.

Naruto's violet eyes then glanced to the left before observing a large section of the deserted and empty 'Fire' section. Naruto then slammed his hands together with such force that the sound echoed across the arena.

At this moment, multiple cracks and splinters then erupted throughout an empty column inside the 'Fire' section. The walls, ceiling and floor were all instantly dislodged and broken from the main section of the arena.

Don't tell me... Naruto has something even greater!? A shocked Lee panicked internally.

Suddenly, a 35ft tall and 20ft wide section of arena jolted upward, breaking apart from the earth before it slowly rose into the sky. During this, Naruto unclenched his hands before directing both palms towards Shukaku.

This action caused the massive piece of rock, stone and metal to crash upon Shukaku, crushing him under 2 tons of weight. This forced the technique Shukaku was casting to explode in a 30ft wide event, showing the entire arena with a blinding light.

At the same time, heavy gusts of wind streamed out from this attack, hitting many of the audience members directly in their faces as they attempted to get a better view. While this happened, Naruto quickly shank down into the water, some how managing to fit his entire form into the ankle-deep liquid.

Naruto, how are you doing that... Sasuke asked himself while his hair and cloths blew in the breeze.

Naruto... Lee thought while his hair rustled violently in the breeze. This gust of wind was so strong that Kiba and Hinata couldn't even keep their eyes open. At the same time, while Asuma and Kurenai were struggling to watch the fight, Kakashi and Guy weren't even affected, suggesting their power was far greater than the others.

As this volume of wind increased, so too did the struggle to stand and watch as many Genin and children in the audience could barely open their eyes. During this, Lee's mind began to drift back to his last day at the Academy, a day that happened over 1 year ago.

 _-Flashback-_

 _8:03am, Wednesday May 3rd, 57SSP._

"Hey, Guy! What are you doing here?" Iruka asked as he slowly escorted his son and student to the frontdoor of the Academy.

"Oh, Iruka - I've heard much about your burning youth!" Guy proclaimed as he dramatically hurled a thumbs up towards Iruka, causing the latter to chuckle in response.

"Heh... It's nice to meet you... Naruto is attending this academy, I was hoping our students would get along together." Iruka replied with a grin wide upon his face.

"I'm afraid that will be impossible." Guy declared while resting his left hand against his waist.

"Huh? What a think to say! Are you... One of those crazy-strict parents?" Iruka stuttered as multiple beads of sweat began dripping down his face.

"No, Sensei... Lee graduated this year, he won't be coming back anymore." Naruto explained as he downcast his face, clearly depressed with this piece of information.

"Oh... Pardon me! I just assumed since you were in front of the Academy..." Iruka spoke sheepishly while using his left hand to rub the back of his head.

"Hahahah... Don't worry about it!" Guy chuckled out in response.

"Uh... I don't think this is anything to be laughing about." Naruto complained with his still downcast face, unhappy with the idea of Lee leaving.

"Hey, Naruto... Don't be rude." Iruka mumbled as he began rubbing the top of Naruto's scalp with his left hand.

"But... You were alot ruder than me just a minute ago, Sensei." Naruto replied, causing Iruka to sigh while he shook his head from side-to-side.

"Anyway, we should get going before we're late to class... Excuse us please." Iruka spoke as he and his student both walked past Guy and Lee.

"Naruto... Thank you for your support!" Lee screamed while he turned around before directing his left hand out in a thumbs up fashion. This caused Naruto to turn around midstride before directing his own thumbs up towards Lee while smiling.

During this, both Iruka and Guy were grinning from ear-to-ear as they watched their students. After several moments, Iruka and Naruto then turned around before continuing their journey into the Academy.

"Lee... Don't slack off just because you graduated from the Academy." Guy ordered, confusing his student with his words.

"Huh? What's wrong Sensei?" Lee asked.

"You didn't see it, did you...? It's Naruto, at the rate he's training... That boy will become stronger than you." Guy explained as he thought about the endless stains, bruises and scuffs of dirt that covered Naruto's hands and feet.

"St-stronger than me...?" Lee mumbled out.

"They haven't announced the graduates for next year yet... But the Academy isn't dumb, Naruto will pass and I want you to remember this day - Lee." Guy requested, causing his student to instantly stand-at-attention.

"Yes, Guy-Sensei!" Lee yelled while his teacher knelt down beside him.

"You think Neji is a good rival... But let me tell you, Lee... One day, you will find your eternal rival." Guy explained as he rested his right hand atop Lee's head.

"M-my eternal rival?" Lee repeated, causing his Sensei to chuckle slightly.

"Someone you will chase after your entire life, someone you want to surpass and battle... It's a feeling I can't explain, but when you meet your true rival - you will know." Guy spoke, causing Lee to stare at the Academy entrance.

"My... Eternal rival." Lee mumbled while the image of Naruto floated throughout his mind. Although Lee understood what Sensei was saying, it would take over a year for him to learn the true meaning.

 _-Flashback ends-_

Dirt, rock and debris continued to blow out from the center of the battleground while a blinding light prevented hundreds of people from opening their eyes. During this, Lee held his right bandaged forearm horizontally infront of his mouth, blocking debris while his eyes narrowed.

Eh? Oh... Your match, well Naruto jumped in and saved you at the last moment - don't you remember? The voice of Shikamaru spoke inside Lee's mind.

Are you alright, Lee? The memory of Naruto asked during one of the many times both Shinobi had trained together.

You actually have perfect timing for once... Hahah. Naruto's voice spoke inside Lee's mind as the latter thought back to one of their training sessions.

"Sensei... It ended up exactly like you said." Lee mumbled underneath his breath as pieces of rock of debris struck his arms and face.

These words caused Guy to grin from ear-to-ear while he stood completely still, unaffected by the gusts of wind and dirt. Guy already knew what Lee was talking about but he was happy that his student finally saw it too.

During this, the missing wall in the arena allowed the small lake of water to rush out before flooding the nearby houses and parks. At the same time, Naruto jumped out from underneath the ground before landing firmly on his feet.

This process revealed that the entire left portion of Naruto's tunic had been burned off, showing a significant amount of his pale-skinned chest and stomach. This skin was covered in scuffs of dirt and mud, suggesting his outfit had been removed by Shukaku's attack instead of hiding underground.

This allowed many of the audience members to directly see the black seal inscribed upon Naruto's stomach, a seal Sasuke and Sakura had never seen before. The previous explosion was so vast that it shook the entire village and even more, alerting Shinobi who hid outside of Konoha.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Outside the walls of Konoha._

A group of 4 Leaf Anbu dashed through the surrounding forest with such speed that they to on the appearance of shadows. At the last moment, 3 of these Anbu continued to move forward while 1 stopped before glancing and observing the surrounding trees.

This Anbu wore the iconic Leaf Anbu outfit with a short-sleeved tunic and sword strapped in a slanted vertical fashion to his back. These short sleeves revealed the trade mark tattoo for all Leaf Anbu sprawled across the mans left bicep.

He wore a bird mask with a large beak that extending 3 inches out from his face. His hair was dirt-brown and extremely spikey as it shot out in all directions. For several moments this Anbu stood alone while turning around and glancing from side-to-side multiple times.

"Hey, is something wrong?" A lizard-masked Anbu member asked as he and 2 other Anbu appeared atop a nearby treebranch.

"No... It must have been my imagination..." The bird-masked Anbu replied before chasing after his teammates as they continued to patrol the perimeter of Konoha. After the Anbu disappeared, a pale-skinned hand rose out from a nearby bush.

This signaled for dozens of Sound and Sand Shinobi to reveal themselves as they all hide behind bushes, trees and even the ground itself. This raised-hand then turned in a counter clockwise manner, forcing the dozens of Shinobi gathered to abruptly scatter and disappear.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Chunin Arena._

Is it... Is it over? Naruto asked himself as he violet examined the large pillar of rock, stone and metal that rested atop Shukaku's previous location. Unlike the Byakugan, the Rinnegan was unable to see through solid objects like rock or stone.

For several moments a tranquil silence fell over the arena while birds could be heard singing in the distance. During this, a series of applause could be heard erupting from the thousands of foreigners that sat in attendance, giving Naruto something his village never would - approval.

At this moment, Shukaku's brown chakra tail shot out from the ground before wrapping and contorting around the large pillar of rock. Every portion of rock and stone that Shukaku's tail touched instantly dissolved into sand before he crushed the pillar under the weight of his chakra.

As these pieces of rock and stone fell through the air, almost all of them crumbled into sand that began swarming towards Naruto. This process changed the pillar of stone into a massive 10ft tall sea of sand, using Naruto's attack against him.

"Hmph..." Naruto sighed once he noticed all of his Kunai were shallowed by sand, preventing him from using the Flying Thunder God technique. This realization caused Naruto to turn around before he began running away from the approaching sand.

"Yea... I'm going to tear him apart before I drag them out... What you ask? The insides of course - HAHAHAH!" Shukaku joked as he erupted out and stood atop the approaching sand.

As Naruto ran he tilt his face to the side, allowing his violet eyes to notice sand pouring out from Shukaku's chakra body. This action caused Hiruzen to pull his hat down slightly upon realizing the danger this represented.

Th-the... The perfect possession...!? A panicked Kankuro thought as his arms trembled while his eyes bulged.

Once Naruto stood infront of the large wall gap in the arena he quickly turned around to face the sand. Naruto knew that he couldn't retreat any further, he had to stop Shukaku soon.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto screamed while slamming both hands atop the ground as he knelt down, instantly surrounding the blond with a 10ft wide smoke cloud.

A jet of foam-like bubbles that shot out from the smoke before crashing against the sand. This force of this foam was so vast that it completely overwhelmed and washed over the one deadly amount of sand.

At the same time, a jagged yellow beak jolted out of the smoke before soaring over 30ft into the air, revealing a large multi-legged bird that Naruto stood upon. As this purple-eyed bird drifted through the air, Naruto's spikey hair and purple tunic rustled in the breeze.

Na... Naruto - How... How on earth can you do that...!? A shocked Sasuke panicked internally, unable to believe his eyes. During this, the cloud of smoke dissolved entirely, revealing a large crab with the same violet eyes as Naruto.

Those possessed by Shukaku the sand spirit are no longer able to sleep during the night, the terror is too great. Naruto thought back to one scrolls he kept hidden in his room, a scroll he barely managed to get from the library.

"Here we go! I hope you're ready to die - HAHAH!" Shukaku joked as he swiped his left arm through the air in a horizontal fashion, creating multiple torrents of sand-infused wind that surged up towards Naruto.

At this moment, a surge of foam completely overwhelmed and sealed Shukaku, proving the foam was to great too withstand. This action left half of the arena completely concealed and covered with dense foam-like bubbles.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!" Naruto declared while clapping his hands together into the Dragon seal before weaving through the Tiger and Hare seal as he inhaled a vast amount of air.

Once Naruto exhaled, he began spewing water out of his mouth in a waterfall-like fashion, completely washing over the approaching wind torrents before raining down on the ground below.

Ma-Man... Maybe I should just run away... Just thinking about that thing gives me the chills, I couldn't eat for 2 days after I saw it last time. Kankuro remembered as he thought back to one of Gaara's nightly rampages inside the Sand Village.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Outside the walls of Konoha._

A group of 3 dozen Sand and Sound Shinobi all crowded together inside one of the countless forest-clearings that dotted the land around Konoha. In the center of this clearing was a large summoning seal with Kanji scribbled across the mixture of grass and dirt in a 10ft wide radius.

Around this seal sat 6 elite jonin from the Sand Village, all of which had an unrolled sealing scroll in their laps as they preformed the necessary seals to begin the summoning.

"How are things?" One of the remaining Sand Shinobi asked as a group of new Sound Shinobi entered the clearing.

"Everything is going as scheduled, please continue with the summoning." The leader of this Sound group spoke. Unlike the Sand Shinobi, all of these Sound ninja wore identical outfits and masks, concealing their identities.

"We will be moving out any moment now." As this Sound ninja spoke, the leader of the Sand nodded in approval.

"Understood." This Sand Shinobi replied.

"I will leave things here to you then." This Sound ninja replied before both his group and the other Sound ninja all began dashing and leaping across the treeline.

At this moment, the 6 seated Sand Shinobi all began funneling chakra into their Hand Seals. This action caused the large seal across the ground to abruptly glow and hum with a bright green aura, signaling that the time for invasion was soon to come.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Chunin Arena._

The large purple-eyed bird carrying Naruto gently landed on the foam-like ground before the blond jumped off and began walking across this foamy landscape. During this, both summons created by Naruto erupted into a large puff of smoke, removing them from the battlefield.

"Hey, hey... Not bad, not bad at all - let me kill you HAHAH" Shukaku's half-perfect possessed body joked. Large clumps of sand covered Shukaku's legs, tail and lower torso, giving him the true appearance of the Sand Demon.

Usually Shukaku could mold his own chakra into sand, creating the material out of nothing but air. However, the large field of foam that decorated the battleground completely restrained Shukaku and prevented the creation of more sand.

After several moments of walking, Naruto finally stood directly infront of Shukaku, barely 2ft away from the most feared demon in the Sand Village. This act, the action of standing infront of Shukaku was something no Chunin or even Jonin of the Sand Village would ever do.

Aslong as the jinchūriki for Shukaku is awake, then the Sand Demons true power is held at bay. Naruto recalled the last line from the Shukaku scroll he owned. Usually, scrolls detailing the jinchūriki were extremely rare but due to Shukaku's frequent rampages in the Sand Village he was well-known.

"Oh, oh... Tough guy HAHAHA... I like your eyes, kid - HAHAH" Shukaku continued to joke before some unseen force gripped his body. This force completely tore Shukaku free from the foam before Naruto's right hand abruptly grasped down upon his chakra throat.

"I've had it with you!" Naruto screamed as he slammed his forehead against Shukaku's, causing Gaara's bright red seal to once again become visible while it throbbed with pain.

This action caused the metal section of Naruto's headband to partially crumble into sand while 3 streams of blood began running down the blonds face. During this, the red seal on Shukaku's forehead began to glow brightly while sand crumbled and fell off his body.

At the same time, the brown chakra of skin that maintained Shukaku's body began to crack and splinter in multiple places.

As this happened, Gaara's internal world was in a meltdown while he let Shukaku control the entirety of his body. Gaara's purpose was clear, he needed to kill Naruto so he could prove his existence, but what if he failed?

 _-Inside Gaara's mind-_

"Gaara... Gaara!" A strange yet familiar voice echoed through Gaara's lonely mind, a mind filled with an empty and barren desert.

"Who is that...? Whose calling me... Who is it?" Gaara mumbled as he sat atop a patch of dirt with his knees against his chest while his stared down at his left hand for an extensive period of time.

"This hand... Oh, it's just my hand... Again... My hand, me" As he spoke, Gaara's tone was low and timid, nothing like his outward appearance.

"Who am I...I..? What am I..." After speaking, his entire body began to tremble and shake, unaware of both his purpose and meaning.

What are you doing!? I told you not to talk to it! The voice of a parent from the Sand Village spoke out, one of many that warned kids against playing with Gaara as a child.

Lets get out of here... A group of scared children whispered as they began running away from Gaara.

Watch out...! It's... It's him again... A teacher at the Sand Academy warned his students as Gaara walked past the playground.

Why don't you just go away...?! Go away you... Freak! The voice of a shopkeeper inside the Sand Village screamed.

Freak! The voice of over 20 individuals all repeated themselves inside Gaara's mind, each of their voices clearly filled with hatred towards the red-haired boy.

Freak! Why don't you just die! A 16 year old boy yelled at Gaara while the latter was eating lunch.

He's a monster, don't even look at him. A concerned mother ordered both her children as she dragged them away from the playground.

I told you to stay away from him. A concerned father reminded his son.

Go away! A group of child screamed at Gaara when the latter tried to return their kick ball.

"Gaara!" The scream of Naruto resonated across Gaara's mind, causing the latter to finally regain his senses after passing out earlier in the fight.

 _-Gaara's train of thought ends-_

Once he opened his pale-green eyes, Gaara could barely see anything due to the intense bright light of the sun. Gaara felt his right arm draped across someone's shoulders while that individual used their left arm to help him stand.

"Wh... What is this...?" Gaara mumbled while his eyes finally adjusted to the light, allowing him to stare directly into Naruto's violet eyes. Eyes that showed genuine concern and worriment, feelings Gaara hadn't felt in years.

"Naruto..." As he spoke, Gaara's tone was low and hushed due to the amount of chakra he had used. At the same time, Gaara was unable to understand why the same person he threatened to kill was now helping him.

"I don't really understand the tactics of a headbutt... But look at the results! He won Sasuke!" Sakura screamed before she wrapped both arms around Sasuke's waist while squeezing tight.

Naruto fought against the same opponent as me... Yet he won while I lost. A humiliated Lee noted to himself.

"I'm glad you're finally awake again... You had me worried, Gaara." Naruto exclaimed as he began to smile at the stunned red-haired Shinobi.

"Why... Why would you do this...? Why would you worry about anyone other than yourself?" Gaara pleaded to know the answer. This question caused Naruto to tear his gaze away from Gaara before glancing up towards the cloudless blue sky.

"Because we're the same... I know how you feel, Gaara. You feel lonely and it hurts inside... And someone should have been there for you, but I'm here for you now." Naruto explained while each of his words caused Gaara's eyes to tremble with shock.

"When my father died... I used to think my life would just stop entirely. How could my world progress without the man who raised me... That's when I realized I had to go on living, without him." As he spoke, the watching audience members went deathly quiet in an attempt to hear his words.

"But even then... I knew that something else had been taken from me, something even more important, and that is when I truly became lost. It was the fear of my purpose, the idea that there was no one left in this world who needed me... The realization that I was unnecessary." As Naruto spoke, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, knowing full well that this wasn't the life Minato planned for his son.

"It's almost unbearable... Isn't it? The feeling of being all alone, I know that feeling - I've been there... In that dark and lonely place." After speaking, Naruto once again glanced into Gaara's pale eyes.

"But now there are others... Other people who mean alot to me, and I care more about them then I do myself." This statement caused Gaara's mouth to fall open, unable to comprehend the words he was hearing.

"But why...? Why would you do this for anyone other than yourself?" Gaara asked while his pale-greens eyes bulged with shock.

"Because they saved me from myself. They rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me for who I am, their my friends, Gaara." Naruto explained as a kind smile bloomed upon his whiskered-face, causing Gaara to glance up at the bright sunlight in the sky.

Well love is... The hearts desire to serve someone who is precious to you, to watch over them... Like my sister did, for you Gaara. The voice of Yashamaru gently resonated inside Gaara's mind.

Love... Is that what makes him so strong? Gaara asked himself as he continued to stare into the bright light. Gaara was so focused on his thoughts that he barely noticed when a rainfall of white feathers began hailing down upon the arena.

These feathers quickly hypnotized and entranced the thousands of audience members in attendance, forcing them to all fall unconscious before they could even applaud.

While normal citizens were overwhelmed, the elite and average Shinobi quickly identified this as Genjutsu before preforming the necessary Seal to break it.

"Huh...? What's going on?" Naruto asked as he turned his head from side-to-side to examine the hundreds of falling feathers. To any normal person, this act would have caused Naruto to instantly fall asleep but his eyes prevented any Genjutsu from affecting him.

This was the moment, the moment that years of planning and preparation had led up to. The moment when Konoha and the 'Fire' nation as a whole would be wiped off the map, the moment of Orochimaru's victory.


	39. Chapter 39

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Hiatagi-Satori - I just don't see any reason for Naruto's Rinnegan to pull Shukaku loose. Shukaku is the weakest of the tailed beasts, so I can't just blow my whole load on him.**

 **Guest -** **The reason I'm so hard on myself is because I want to write a good story. I want to come back and reread this years from now and be proud of it.**

 **I've never understood why some authors are so sensitive to criticism, because I criticize everything I do. That type of mentality is a great way to develop as a person.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 39: Heir to the Aburame Clan! The Destruction Of Konoha Begins.**

"I have lived a short yet fruitful life... Because of this, I am not afraid to fade from this world." The voice of a young and kind man spoke out across a barely visible clearing.

The man was over 6ft tall and extremely pale-skinned. He had spiky, shoulder-length pale brown hair with a chin-length braided lock hanging against his left ear. His face was shrouded with shadows that concealed the majority of his Shinobi Headband except for a pair of horns that protruded out.

He wore a white, full-length kimono with a pattern of six black magatama adorning the high collar. On the back of his kimono was a large Purple Rinnegan marking with a pattern of nine magatama arranged in three rows of three beneath it.

His left waist was adorned with a 6ft long, white-sheathed Katana while his left arm rested against his side. In his right hand, he held a 6-ringed staff; a 5ft long staff with a large black circle on 1-end that held 6 smaller circles inside it.

This man stood in the stood and a 6ft wide circle that was adorned and lined with 6 black magatama. Protruding out from the ground on both sides of the man were 4ft tall candle-sticks that illuminated the surrounding area.

"Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, Gyuki and Kurama... Each of you have a unique name." This unknown man declared as 9 large figures erupted into view.

These figures were all easily over 20ft tall while some of them resembled insects, slugs or even Raccoons yet the young Shinobi appeared comfortable standing before them.

"If you are close by to one another... Or even if you are far apart, you will always be together here. This place will be my final and last gift to you all, my inheritance." As the man spoke, the flames of his surrounding candles began to flicker in-and-out of existence.

"This is a very deep place... A place where you all can gather and meet, a place where only your most trusted friends can visit. A place that binds you all together." As he spoke, the surrounding candle flames could barely burn.

"There will come a time when you when all be united again, a time when someone will succeed where I failed... A time when you will all be guided down the right path." After speaking, the man turned his face just enough for his bright violet eyes to gaze into the young red eyes of an innocent fox that stood behind him.

"Before that time... I hope that you learn what true strength is." As he spoke, water began to form in the fox's eyes before a single tear fell to the ground.

"Please... Do not cry my child, it is a sight no parent wishes to endure." After speaking, the pair of candles both flickered violently, sometimes snuffing out entirely only to briefly reignite into flames.

"You all are the greatest thing to ever bless my life... I have cherished each and every moment shared. You've made me a better person, I apologize that I failed to offer anything in return." As he spoke, a large red-haired horned Gorilla lowered his face to the floor.

"The only thing I have left to say is this..." After speaking, both candles abruptly burned out, cascading the clearing in complete darkness.

"I love you all." The voice of the unknown man echoed across the clearing before being followed by the sadistic laughter of Shukaku.

At this moment, the clearing was instantly reillumined by a pair of 2 candles that began burning brightly around the 6 magatama circle. These 2 candles were part of 9 that lined and surrounded the entire circle with both candles being opposite from another.

This action revealed that 7 of the beasts vanished entirely while the 2 remaining creatures had tripled in size, suggesting centuries had past. During this, Shukaku was laying on his back while both hands rubbed against his enormous sand-belly.

"Imbecile..." The voice of a dark and raspy fox complained. The large fox was laying on his stomach with both arms crossed infront of his face while he buried his snout atop his orange-furred paws.

"Awhhhh... Why you gotta act like that, doesn't this place take you back... Kurama - hahah" Shukaku giggled as he continued to rub his belly.

"Tch... I do not care for idol chat." Kurama growled without even opening his eyes.

"Why so down in the dump - Heheh... Don't you remember what the old man told us?" Shukaku chuckled. This statement caused a disgusted snarl to bloom across Kurama's face as his crimson red eyes abruptly opened.

"Do not lecture me about the old man's words... I was there when they were spoken." Kurama barked in anger.

"I remember you crying like a baby... Heheh." Shukaku joked, further enraging his childhood friend.

"I WILL TEAR YOU APART!" Kurama screamed without even using the effort to stand up.

"You already tried that, and your jinchūriki stopped you completely... Heheh." Shukaku giggled in response.

This mockery caused Kurama to once again lay his snout atop both paws while closing his crimson red eyes before snorting loudly. After several moments of laughter, Shukaku halted any and every type of sound, filling the surrounding area with absolute silence.

"Your jinchūriki... You've seen his eyes, haven't you?" Shukaku asked with a serious tone.

"Those eyes did not make the Sage... _He_ made the eyes, do not compare that child to the old man." Kurama ordered, causing his childhood friend to chuckle in response.

"I will not bend my knees and shake my tail like some obedient dog when I am called upon - I am the greatest of the nine." While he spoke, Shukaku slowly rolled over before sitting down.

"Then why don't you lead us? Oh greatest of the nine." Shukaku mocked only for Kurama to continue laying on his stomach.

"If that brat wants some chakra... I may indulge his request in order to weaken the seal that restrains me. But I do not care for him, and I do not care for you - now be quiet while I sleep." Kurama declared, causing a depressed expression to grow across Shukaku's face.

"Hey... Wanna hear a joke about a serial killer? Heheh." Shukaku chuckled, causing Kurama to growl as he attempted to ignore the Raccoon.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Chunin Arena of Konoha._

Uh... Genjutsu? Sakura thought while slamming both hands together into the Tiger Seal, allowing her to disrupt the jutsu before it was even cast upon her. At the same time, Sasuke's eyes began to rotate and swirl before the instantly shifted into a solid crimson color, showing that his 1-tomoe Sharingan was now active.

During this, both members of team 7 noticed Kankuro run out of the candidate viewing area before disappearing down the stairs. This Sand Shinobi was then followed by a silent Shino who began calmly walking down the stairs.

Both members of team 7 were so focused on the descending Genjutsu that neither of them noticed when Shikamaru laid down and closed his eyes.

"Kakashi, this is..." Guy pointed out as he and his eternal rival instantly stood back-to-back, giving them a perfect 360* view of the surrounding 'Fire' section. While this happened, Asuma, Kurenai, Izumo, Kotetsu and several dozen other Leaf Shinobi all stood up in the audience.

"Right, Genjutsu." Kakashi finished Guy's sentence before both of them clapped their hands into the Tiger Seal, allowing them to break the jutsu before it even managed to affect them. This action was followed by several dozen other Leaf Shinobi in the audience.

At the same time, 7 Anbu members instantly began securing the 'Lightning' section since it contained both feudal lords from the Land of Fire and Wind. This action revealed that the 8th and final Anbu member had disappeared.

While the feudal lords from the Land of Tea and Grass were both present inside the 'Wind' section, neither of them were deemed important. Because of this, those feudal lords were left to their own protection and escorts.

Men, Women, Children and even unexperienced Genin all began to fall asleep in their chairs. Ino, Choji, Kiba, Tenten, Hinata and even Kiba were all completely overwhelmed by this Genjutsu. During this, Lee instantly closed his eyes once he recognized that Genjutsu was being cast, one of the many things Guy had taught him.

Damnit, Genjutsu... The invasion has begun - I need to find Temari and get out of here! Kankuro panicked as he ran through one of the many dimly-lit hallways in the Chunin Arena.

At this moment, the cold and calculated eyes of Rasa slowly turned to the right before glaring at the 3rd Hokage for several seconds. Hiruzen could feel the twisted gaze of the 4th Kazekage, causing him to turn his face too the left before staring back into the eyes of his guest and old friend.

This created a brief period of silence and tension as both Kage continued to stare into each others eyes. During this, Rasa's black pupils began to shrink while his eyes widened in diameter.

"Let's begin." Rasa whispered, causing both his bodyguards to instantly surge forward before jumping over the 'Wind' throne. The tan-colored cloaks of both Sand Shinobi briefly floated in the air between the 2 Kage, concealing Rasa from view.

Suddenly, a pair of 2 smoke bombs detonated inside the Kage viewing platform, alerting the nearby Leaf Shinobi that the seasoned 3rd Hokage was threatened. The smoke was solid Purple, the national color for the land of Sound.

This cloud of smoke quickly bellowed out from the platform being funneling up into the sky, creating a pillar of purple smoke that could easily been seen from miles away.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, outside the walls of Konoha._

"That's the signal!" An experienced Sound Jonin declared before jumping up over 30ft and landing atop the strangely abandoned wall of Konoha. This action was followed by hundreds of Sand and Sound Shinobi who all began flooding into the Leaf village.

During this, a bright blue aura could be seen glowing in the distant tree-line before it instantly erupted into a 40ft wide smoke cloud. This action uprooted several dozen trees while filling the surrounding area with an unseen creature that slithered and hissed.

After several moments, this large creature then surged out from the cloud before slithered towards Konoha at an alarming speed. This process revealed the creature to be a 30ft tall 3-headed hydra with purple scales.

Each neck of the hydra was adorned with a large purple rope-like belt tied in an inverted bow, one of the most iconic items that all Sound Shinobi wore. This hydra quickly slammed one of it's massive heads against an empty walltower that lined Konoha, easily crushing the wall of wood and stone under its weight.

At this moment, a pair of 4 tagged-Kunai all flung through the air before colliding against the mouth of the far left hydra head. Upon making contact, these Kunai all exploded into a series of flames and fire, scorching a large portion of the hydra's face.

"Chicken! Stop the summoning!" A Cat-masked Anbu ordered as he and 2 other Anbu instantly appeared atop the now damaged wall. These ninja were much more unique than ordinary Anbu, instead of the iconic black fabric they all wore solid leaf-green tunic's.

This statement caused a nearby Chicken-masked Anbu member to abruptly kneel down while pressing his metal-gauntlet hands together. These hands then quickly weaved through the Tiger, Rabbit, Dog, Ram and finally Dragon Seals.

"Wind Style: Wind Blade Jutsu!" Chicken declared, causing multiple sharp currents of wind to instantly slice apart both of the hydra's small front-limbs. Although the hydra could move without its 2 front claws, it was limited to an extremely slow speed.

"Lightning Style: Four-Pillar Trap." A nearby Boar-masked Anbu member spoke out while his gauntlet hands danced through the Ram, Boar, Dog, Bird and Hare Seals.

This technique caused four 20ft tall pillars of stone to shoot up from the ground in a square-fashion all around the now-hissing hydra. Suddenly, several dozens currents and arcs of lightning than began shooting out from each of the pillars in multiple different directions.

This jutsu then eletricified and shocked the massive hydra with such high-voltage that the smell of burnt scales filled the air. During this, the cat-masked Anbu clapped his hands into the Snake Seal before being forced to jump back over 5ft to avoid 3 Kunai thrown at him.

Sand Ninja... So the report was correct. All 3 Anbu concluded after noticing over 3 dozen Sand Shinobi that covered the surrounding rooftops, completely surrounding them. These numbers easily dwarfed the 3 Anbu but many of the Sand ninja present were terrified of their opponents.

Despite being completely outnumbered, all 3 Anbu stood confidently before the enemies of Konoha, unwavering in their faith and resolve. These weren't just Anbu - They were Anbu Captains, ranking them as the elite among the elite. These Anbu were charged with the defense of the outer wall and above all, time, something they were determined to give even at the cost of living.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Chunin Exam Arena._

"Lord Hokage!" Guy screamed before he and Kakashi began running towards the 3rd Hokage. Suddenly, 3 hooded Anbu soared across the nearby unconscious citizens before jumping over both Jonin as they dashed towards Hiruzen.

"Let us handle it!" A Bear-masked Anbu Captain ordered before he and both subordinates jumped onto the rooftop of the 'Fire' section as they continued to dash towards the 3rd Hokage.

"Kazekage, what is the meaning of this...?" Hiruzen asked as dense and thick clouds of smoke concealed almost the entirety of the Kage viewing platform. The smoke was so dense that neither of the Kage's bodyguards could be seen.

At this moment, Rasa's eyes abruptly shifted into a pale-yellow color, giving him the appearance of snake-like eyes. These eyes caused Hiruzen's mouth to fall open in shock, having finally realized who he was talking too.

The group of 3 Anbu all appeared upon the small awning that extended out over the candidate viewing platform, allowing the elite Shinobi to stand barely 10ft away from they're seasoned Hokage.

At the same time, a group of 4 Anbu appeared behind the Anbu Captain, all of which were kneeling in anticipation of orders. While the majority of these Anbu were previously deployed with the feudal lords, they're loyalty was to the Hokage.

"Where is Snake?" The Bear-masked Anbu Captain asked as he stood infront of his 6 subordinates.

"I don't know Captain, I thought he was with you." A Mouse-masked Anbu member replied.

"Mouse, take 1st squad back to your previous position and secure the feudal lords, we will protect the Kage." Bear ordered, causing the 4 kneeling Anbu behind him to instantly disappear into a whirlwind of leaf's.

Suddenly, the sound of metal scraping against metal could be heard erupting from inside the Kage platform, alerting the nearby Anbu of a serious threat. During this, both of Rasa's bodyguards leapt out from the dense smoke before brandishing Kunai in each hand.

"Get out of the way!" Bear demanded as a pair of Kunai slide into his hands from the sleeves of his tunic. Bear then managed to cut both Sand Shinobi in half at the waist, accomplishing a near-impossible feat with such a short weapon.

As the bisected Sand corpses fell onto the awning, the 2 Anbu behind Bear instinctively jumped up before hovering towards the still smoke-filled Kage platform. During this, the sound of metal piercing flesh could be heard, a sound that terrified the elite Anbu.

At this moment, the figures of Raidō and Genma both leapt up from the dense smoke cloud before landing on the tower-like rooftop of Kage viewing platform. This action revealed that Hiruzen was standing in between the pair of Tokubetsu Jonin while Genma had a pair of Kunai lodged into his left arm.

"You didn't have to do that." Raidō spoke as Genma winced with pain while pulling the pair of Kunai loose from his arm.

"Please, without me you would have died years ago... Are you alright, Lord Hokage?" Genma asked as he dropped the pair of blood-covered Kunai to his feet.

Before Hiruzen could reply, the 4th Kazekage instantly followed his prey as he leapt onto the same rooftop. This action was followed by a brief gust of wind that caused both Kage hats to wave gently in the breeze.

The Anbu that jumped into the air then landed atop the awning in the same previous position since they had made direct eye contact with the Hokage. During this, the bloodless corpses of Rasa's bodyguards suddenly disappeared, leaving only a pair of cut-up cloths as 4 shadows shot out from the bundle of fabric.

These shadows moved at an impressive rate of speed, easily the rate of a Chunin. After several seconds, all 4 shadows stood atop the corners of the same rooftop that held Hiruzen and Rasa. This action caused all 3 Anbu members to tense with anticipation.

"It's finally our turn." The 6-limbed Sound Shinobi known as Kidōmaru smiled with joy.

"I've got alot of stress built up from having to maintain that transformation jutsu all morning." Sakon proclaimed as he began to roll his shoulders. The most interesting thing about Sakon was a large scroll tied horizontally to his back, something no other Sound Shinobi had.

"You all smell real sweaty, and it's disgusting." Tayuya complained as she tried to ignore the sweat stains that covered her Sound Shinobi outfit. Two members of the Sound Four had each transformed into one of the Kazekage's escorts, forcing Tayuya to spend the majority of her morning next to Jirōbō.

"Please act more polite and lady-like, we're teammates after all." Jirōbō pleaded, causing Tayuya to roll her eyes in response.

Sound Ninja... She... She was with Naruto. Hiruzen noticed as his eyes narrowed and focused upon Tayuya.

"We're going to provide support to Lord Hokage, be careful of any traps." Bear warned as he and both of his Subordinates leapt into the air towards the rooftop.

"Do it." Rasa ordered, causing the 4 Sound ninja around him to preform the Snake Seal before clapping they're flat palms together as each of them crouched down on one knee.

"Ninja art: Four Flames Formation!" Each member of the Sound Four screamed in unison.

This technique caused a bright aura of violet light to form behind the 4-casters of the jutsu before it shot up 30ft into the air like a pillar. The beams of this jutsu then shot out horizontally, connecting the technique on all 4-sides.

Thin lines of violet then began to spread out in all directions from the horizontal and vertical beams. This jutsu created a 20ft wide and 30ft tall violet square that isolated the 3rd Hokage and his 2 bodyguards.

At the last moment, Bear was able to angle his body backwards, allowing him to kick the soles of his Shinobi shoes against the barrier. This action caused both shoes to instantly erupt into flames before Bear preformed a backflip and kicked them off in midair, forcing him to land with barefeet atop the cold roof tiles.

"A wall of flames!?" Bear panicked, shocked at the level of jutsu display infront of him, jutsu created by teenagers.

"A barrier technique, eh?" Guy noticed as he and Kakashi studied the rooftop.

"They're not normal ninja... They outmaneuvered the Anbu, we must help the 3rd Hokage." Kakashi concluded before he and Guy began running through the stone pathway of the 'Fire' section.

"We're coming too!" Asuma replied as he and Kurenai both began trailing between the two other Leaf Shinobi.

"What about me, Guy-Sensei? I can help too." Lee exclaimed as he attempted to follow his teacher.

"Lee! Wake your friends and secure this area, this is an A-ranked mission!" Guy ordered as he continued to race towards the endangered 3rd Hokage.

"Yes, Guy-Sensei!" Lee answered with excitement and joy, overwhelmed to finally have such an important mission.

Suddenly, a single Anbu appeared infront of Leaf ninja, stopping all 4 of them completely in they're tracks. The Anbu was crouched down on one knee with his face and mask entirely hidden, concealing his identity.

"What are you doing!? Lord Hokage is in danger!" Guy protested, causing the Anbu to slowly stand up, revealing his Snake-mask. This action revealed that the Anbu had both hands pressed together into the Tiger Seal.

At this moment, 6 shadows shot out from previously unconscious citizens, showing them to be nothing but transformation techniques. After several seconds, 6 Sound Shinobi all stood beside the Snake-masked Anbu, blocking the path ahead.

"What a bummer." Kakashi sighed.

"I didn't expect an enemy to be disguised as Anbu... That Hand Seal, he must be the caster of this Genjutsu." Guy observed.

"Yea... You're right, no doubt about that." Kakashi mumbled as his visible right eye studied the Snake-masked Anbu member.

"The petty mock battles end here... Today, history will be made." Rasa declared as he stood infront of the 3rd Hokage and the 2 Jonin that protected him.

"Have you forgotten what I told you all those years ago? You should avoid conflicts, and seek a resolution through negotiation." Hiruzen replied, causing Rasa's eyes to squint with interest and delight.

Rasa knew those words all too well, words that were never actually spoken to the true 4th Kazekage. Instead, those words were apart of the last message Hiruzen ever told his favorite student.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph... Perhaps when you grow old, you become used to peace... Sarutobi-Sensei." A voice escaped from Rasa's concealed mouth , but the voice didn't belong to the 4th Kazekage.

"Uh... Th-... That's..." Raidō panicked as he instantly identified who the voice belonged too. During this, Genma pulled a Senbon loose from his satchel before placing it into his mouth like a toothpick, a habit he developed from childhood.

"Welcome home... Orochimaru." Hiruzen replied before a heavy gust of wind blew in from the south. This breeze caused multiple detached leaf's to swirl against the large violet rectangle, Leaf's that erupted into flames and ash upon direct contact.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, outside the Konoha Hospital._

"Damnit... Where did they take Temari? This isn't part of the plan." Kankuro panicked, he had already searched the hospital only to notice the entirely place was abandoned, no one was there.

While Kankuro continued to run down the street, he soon approached a diverging path in the road, a road that had 2 separate pathways. Suddenly, thousands of tiny beetles began swarming across both pathways, blocking the way forward.

This action that greatly horrified Kankuro who had a fear of insects. This realization caused Kankuro to stop running before he jumped back over 5ft only to notice the path behind him was now also blocked by several thousand beetles.

With all 3 pathways blocked by beetles and the surrounding area covered by a large 6ft tall fence, Kankuro was preparing to jump too freedom.

"Plan, you say... What plan?" Shino asked calmly as he stood atop an overbearing treebranch. Both hands were concealed inside the pockets of his tunic while his lower face was hidden by it's raised-collar.

"You're..." Kankuro stuttered as he quickly unlatched the puppet from his back before slamming it dramatically atop the ground.

"I'm your opponent." Shino replied, causing Kankuro to grit and grind his teeth.

"How did you find me... I made sure to cover my tracks." Kankuro exclaimed.

Kankuro had been purposefully held back over 4 times during the multiple Chunin Exams he had taken, held back to further test Gaara. He easily could have become a Chunin at age 12 and now many of the high ranking Sand council members consider Kankuro to be Jonin-level, but even he feared Shino.

"Before you left the stadium, I placed a female beetle into the linen-wrappings of your puppet." Shino explained, causing Kankuro's eyes to bulge with shock once he looked down and noticed 6 beetles around his feet that were crawling towards the puppet-fabric.

"The female is almost odorless... Infact, the only thing that can smell that faint scent is the male of that very same species. The males have a stronger odor to them, though." As he spoke, multiple beetles began to crawl up Shino's neck and across his face, an action that disgusted Kankuro.

"Tch... Why waste time with me? Your teammates are both helpless back at the arena." Kankuro spoke as he attempted to hide the beads of sweat that began to form underneath his turban-like hat.

"Give me five minutes, then I will drag you back to the stadium before I check on them." Shino replied, creating a brief period of silence in the alleyway as his thousands of beetles halted all forms of movement.

"Hh-hahh-hahhah-hahahah... You seem rather confident, but do you really thing these little beetles can scare me that much?" Kankuro mocked as he used his right foot to stomp upon the 6 beetles infront of him, crushing them underneath his feet.

Usually Kankuro was terrified of insects, but after years of living with Gaara the upcoming-puppet master had learned to turn his fear from the Sand demon into a physic tool that bolstered his moral.

This kid... He is nothing... Nothing compared to Gaara... I can easily take him. Kankuro told himself.

"You don't even know what true fear is." The Sand Shinobi attempted to mock his opponent.

"Before I am done here, I will allow my insects to fest on your chakra... Is that _true fear?_ " Shino asked after he felt a visible shift in Kankuro's body tone. Despite Kankuro's best attempts, he couldn't fight back the anxiety he felt for this battle.

Instead of responding with words, Kankuro wrapped a piece of his puppet's fabric around his right hand before clapping both hands together infront of his war-painted face. This action caused Shino to pull his hands loose from his pockets before extending both arms towards his opponent.

Kankuro then abruptly pulled on the fabric with both hands, causing his puppet to swirling several times in response as the fabric fell off. During this, the several thousand beetles that surround Kankuro resumed their movement, giving the Sand Shinobi a limited amount of time to react.

While this occurred, Shino's concealed eyes observed the multiple strings of chakra Kankuro was using to control the puppet with his fingertips. The puppet was a three-eyed, four-armed humanoid with jagged teeth and a spiky brown hairstyle protruding from the top of it's head that framed the sides of it's face.

As Kankuro's fingertips moved, the puppet draped itself across the Shinobi's back like a cape. it's head extended out from underneath Kankuro's right hand while 1 arm was rested atop each of the Shinobi's shoulders.

At the same time, 2 puppet-feet rested against the ground behind Kankuro while 1 puppet-arm wrapped around each of his lower-thighs and shins. As the puppet moved, the sound of wood snapping and locking into place could be heard multiple times.

"I am a member of the Aburame clan from Konoha... Even if our enemy is a small bug we will not underestimate them... We will fight with everything we have." Shino proclaimed as a wave of beetles began crawling out from underneath the collar and sleeves and his tunic.

"How disgusting." Kankuro snorted in response before he hurled his right hand forward, forcing his puppet to flew through the air towards Shino.

As the puppet soared through the air, Kankuro slightly opened his chakra-filled finger tips, causing his puppet to mirror the same action. This process caused a small section of wood to detach itself from the puppets wrist before a 3in long dagger extended out.

Shino's trained eyes allowed him to quickly notice this threat before he jumped to the right, causing him to fall 3ft before landing atop the wooden fence. During this, Shino noticed a poison liquid leaking out from the blade, liquid that stained and killed a large section of the treebranch it stabbed into.

The blade is poisoned. Shino concluded.

Without allowing his opponent time to rest, Kankuro then flicked his left wrist upward. This action caused the head of his puppet to snap too the left before it's mouth began to open and close multiple times, once again filling the alleyway with the sound of wood snapping into place.

After snapping for several moments, a bundle of over 20 wet Senbon shot out from the puppets mouth at an alarming rate of speed. This speed was so vast that they all quickly buried themselves into Shino's torso and throat, causing the leaf Shino to fall towards the ground as Kankuro smiled.

As Shino floated through the air, his body soon began to crumble and dissolve into hundreds of flies that instantly began swarming and encircling Kankuro's puppet. In response to this, Kankuro clapped his hands together, forcing his puppet's mouth to once again open before a small black ball rolled out and fell to the floor.

This ball then quickly exploded into a a 3ft wide radius of poison purple fumes, no doubt a gift from the Land of Sound for helping with the invasion. This poison causing many of the surround flies and even beetles below to instantly die, showing the lethal intent Kankuro was bearing.

Shit... Atleast I have an escape... But I can't just run through the smoke or I'll die too, I need time for i- Kankuro's thoughts instantly cut-off once he noticed a dark shadow forming behind him.

Kankuro managed to turn around just in time to noticed a half human, half bug fist launched itself towards his face. This attack forced Kankuro to jumped 10ft back as he used to loose fabric from his hat to conceal his mouth while standing in the poison cloud.

Although a large portion of bugs infront of Kankuro had been killed, over several thousand still rested a few inches to his left while a 6ft tall fence prevent any movement to the right. Infront of Kankuro was his opponent but without knowing if he was the real Shino the Sand Shinobi was left with very few options.

He made a replication with bugs and snuck in behind me... Nice. Kankuro thought as his left fingertips forced his puppet to once again draped itself across his back. Two puppet hands then half-way dislodged themselves from the a pair of arms before a vacuum-like power began sucking up the poison around Kankuro.

"You are a puppeteer... Your people favor medium to long range battles. I suspect that you are weak in close-quarters combat... Since that puppet of yours requires a lot of chakra and concentration to control, it makes the user vulnerable.." Shino analyzed his opponent.

"You know a true puppeteer's weakness well... But now, I'll show you how a _Puppet-Master_ handles combat." Kankuro declared as he once again reached out towards Shino with his right hand, forcing his puppet to launch towards the Leaf Shinobi.

At the last moment, Kankuro clenched his left hand shut, causing all 4-arms on his puppet to instantly detach themselves from the body before the continued to soar towards Shino. At the same time, Kankuro's puppet quickly appeared by the Shinobi's left side with it's mouth open.

This action revealed a series of metal tubes or canons that made of the base of the puppets throat, tubes that Kankuro could change at a moments notice. The once large tube the release the previous smoke bomb was then replace with a much smaller and condense tube.

This tube then instantly shot out chakra-laced fire, fire the burned and scorched a large portion of Shino's bugs and the surround fence. After several moments of burning, these flames then rose and ignited the overbearing treebranch that soon spread to the tree.

Kankuro was so busy smiling at the thousands of bugs he just burned that he barely noticed when the 4-limbs of his puppet stabbed into Shino's body, a body that quickly dissolve into flies once again.

"Tch." Kankuro snorted before he leapt atop the burning treebranch, confident that it would provide protection from the surrounding bugs.

As Kankuro stood atop the treebranch his chakra-laced fingertips moved in various different degrees and angles, forcing his puppet to reassemble as it draped itself across his back.

This battle can't go on much longer... If the surrounding Leaf ninja find out... No, even if my own village finds out... I'll be executed without fulfilling the plan, especially since Gaara failed. Kankuro concluded, it wasn't a hard decision to leave his teammate behind with Naruto.

At this moment, Kankuro reached out with both hands in an attempt to hurl his puppet towards Shino only to become mildly confused when nothing happened. After repeating this action multiple times, Kankuro became horrified once he looked down at his hands, allowing he to notice dozens of beetles that crawled there.

My chakra strings!?... They've been... Eaten off? But wh-! Kankuro's mind panicked after he realized multiple beetles must had snuck onto the limbs of his puppet after the previous attack.

He mixed beetles in with the flies!? As the Sand Shinobi panicked, he fell over the treebranch before slamming into the ground.

After resting atop the ground for a few brief seconds, several hundred beetles began swarming across Kankuro's legs, arms and back, and action that greatly horrified the experienced puppeteer.

"What?! How!? Where did these bugs come from?!" Kankuro screamed, confident he had burned the vast majority of his opponents bugs.

"Yes, well... After getting rid of those decoy bugs, the real beetles laid in wait behind both of the surrounding fences... I had thought you would attempt to escape so I must applaud you." Shino spoke as he calmly placed both hands into his pockets while walking infront of the panicking Sand Shinobi.

"You failed to notice the my bugs were swarming all around you, and instead you assumed victory was absolute or at the very least escape was possible... But here you are, nothing more than food." As the heir to the Aburame clan spoke, Kankuro crawled across the ground as he attempted to scream for help only for swarms of bugs to cover his mouth.

"That physical attack where I pretended to miss... I was actually forcing you to focus on me, giving me just enough time to replace my real bugs with a decoy." As Shino spoke, the horrified eyes of his opponent bulged and widened.

The sound of insects crawling over one another filled the alleyway as Shino calmly crouched down infront of his opponent, someone who was nothing more than a victim now.

"Don't play with your food... Just eat enough to refill from this battle before we drag him back to the stadium." Shino spoke aloud to his bugs as they began a massive feast upon the Sand Shinobi's chakra, showing just how overwhelming the Aburame clan could really be.


	40. Chapter 40

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **This story is heavily-inspired by Part 1 Naruto and with that being said, I need to talk about the Hokage.**

 **Minato is the strongest Hokage... Ever, that was clearly established in part 1 Naruto, Minato beats all other Hokage. Back then, we didn't know how OP Wood Release or Flying Thunder God were, we just knew he was stronger.**

 **Hiruzen is the 2nd strongest Hokage, lore is firmly on Hiruzen's side - he was trained by both the 1st and 2nd Hokage. Also, Hiruzen knows every single jutsu in Konoha (I'm being literal, every single one).**

 **Even at age 68 Hiruzen was still stronger then the 4 other Kage. Kage like Rasa, Yagura, Raikage A and even Onoki. This is all confirmed canon in part 1 Naruto.**

 **This puts Hashirama as the 3rd strongest Hokage and Tobirama as the weakest Hokage.**

 **A lot of the shit in Naruto Shippuden isn't canon in my opinion, so Part 1 Naruto takes priority with lore. That's why most of the batshit retcons from Shippuden aren't relevant here.**

 **I know some Shippuden fans will get upset that I'm writing Hashirama as weaker than Hiruzen. But Part 1 of Naruto confirms this is canon, the Shippuden retcon doesn't take priority.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 40: Confrontation: Monkey Vs Snake! Zero Hour: The Invasion Escalates.**

As groups of multiple Sand Shinobi dashed across the numerous rooftops of Konoha, a pair of 2 Kunai suddenly lodged themselves into the torso of an unsuspecting Sand Shinobi. This action greatly alarmed the surrounding Shinobi who had barely encountered any resistance.

"Wh-... What's this? Is Gaara not ready?" A half-masked Sand Jonin stuttered as he stood atop one of the many buildings inside Konoha.

"We can't do this without Gaara!" A nearby spikey-haired Sand Jonin argued before he and his group of 3 teammates began battling atop the roofs of Konoha, determined to earn more time for Gaara to aid in the invasion.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Chunin Exam Arena._

The mission... Gaara's thoughts drifted through his mind as he struggled to stand. The only thing keeping the Sand Shinobi on his feet was Naruto, the same person who was his opponent barely 10 minutes ago.

"Naruto!" Both Sasuke and Sakura screamed in unison as they appeared atop the arena floor before running towards the blond-haired boy. As they approached, it became apparent that Sakura was dragging Shikamaru behind her with her right hand.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked as he glanced down at the dazed and confused Shikamaru before staring up at the large violet rectangle that imprisoned the 3rd Hokage.

"I... Said... I was awake..." Shikamaru mumbled as his eyes rolled in his head, unable to properly examine his surroundings due to the amount of time Sakura had dragged him across the ground.

"Someone has cast a Genjutsu on the entire stadium and Shikamaru was faking to be asleep." Sakura explained as she dropped Shikamaru's leg to the ground.

"Where's Kakashi?" Sasuke questioned.

This question caused Naruto's violet eyes to hone and focus upon the distant blue chakra network of his Sensei. The elite Jonin was along-side several other Leaf ninja who were stuck in a fierce battle with dozens of Sound Shinobi.

"He's in the 'Fire' section of the stadium, it looks like he'll be there for awhile." Naruto spoke as his eyes observed the numerous chakra networks that decorated the multiple sections of the arena.

"We should proceed with caution then, this could just be another test." Sakura mumbled.

"Just treat it like the Land of Waves then?" Sasuke asked.

"It would be our first real mission in over 2 weeks." Naruto pointed out.

Before the conversation of team 7 could advance any further, the coughing Shinobi known as Hayate appeared in a whirlwind of leaf's infront of the 3 Genin. His cough was growing more harsh and rapid with each minute.

"Naruto... I'm sorry but your match ends now, the Chunin Exam is over." Hayate proclaimed, filling the 3 Genin infront of him with great confusion while Shikamaru once again pretended to fall asleep.

"By my authority as Proctor, I grant all 3 members of team 7 the rank of Chunin... As Ninja of Konoha you must defend this village." While he spoke, Sasuke scoffed in response, not really enjoying the idea of orders.

"If that's the case then what about all the civilian's in the stadium?" Sakura asked, several thousand foreigners had all been effected by Genjutsu inside the village of Konoha, a fact that could be seen as an act of war.

"There are already hundreds of Sand and Sound ninja inside the village, all Konoha civilians have been evacuated but if we woke the foreigners and escorted them to the same location then our own security would be threatened." Hayate coughed in response.

Evacuated...? Sakura thought, she didn't consider the situation to be that serious. She thought it was just the last test of the Exam.

"So we move with a basic platoon then, just 4 people... What about the Sand Shinobi? He must be part of this." Sasuke concluded while his crimson red Sharingan eyes observed the staggering Gaara.

"I trust Gaara, that should be enough. Can you move?" Naruto asked the staggering red-haired Shinobi who leaned against him.

Gaara's saucer-like eyes stared into the violet, ripple-pattern eyes of Naruto, unable to understand such a random act of kindness. After several moments of hesitation, Gaara turned his head from side-to-side, incapable of forming words due to the internal shock he felt in his mind.

"Cool, the 4 of you can go... I'll stay here." Shikamaru spoke as he stared up into the blue sky with a care-free expression.

"If you applied yourself... You could easily become a Jonin." Hayate declared, causing the spikey-haired Genin to sigh in response.

"That's too much of a drag, I'm comfortable where I am." Shikamaru replied.

"Team 7 - your orders are too search the residential areas of the village, sometimes children like to hide during Evacuation drills, you need to make sure there aren't any." Hayate ordered before coughing multiple times into his right hand.

"Okay... Then what?" Sakura asked.

"The location of our safe-zones can't be given away, therefore once any civilians have be found you are to escort them back here to me." Hayate answered.

"Tch, that sounds like a job for the Jonin... They should have already secured the civilians." Sasuke argued.

"Then consider yourself lucky to be granted a Jonin-level mission." Hayate exclaimed, filling Sasuke's mind with interest.

"From this moment on, this isn't an Exam... It's the real thing, now move!" After speaking, Sasuke and Sakura both quickly turned around before dashing out into the village, using the large opening in the wall Naruto had created to exit the arena.

During this, Naruto's violet eyes turned and focused upon the distant figure of the 3rd Hokage. Hiruzen was surrounded by 5 others Chakra networks that Naruto could see. However they're were 2 other individuals on the far side of the roof that were concealed from his view since the Rinnegan couldn't pierce solid stone.

It was with great reluctance and hesitation that Naruto turned around and began carrying Gaara with him as he trailed after his teammates.

Naruto... Please, be careful. Lee thought as he studied his friend and rival before the latter disappeared from view.

"Lee, watch out!" Tenten screamed as she ran up behind Lee before pushing him down just in time for 2 Sound Chunin too instantly appear behind her.

At this moment, the necks of both Sound ninja were abruptly caught in the warm embrace of a 1-armed headlock. The force of this attack was so vast that the sound of joints cracking and popping could be heard.

"It appears my youth shines the brightest." Guy remarked as a proud smirk grew upon his face before he dropped both unconscious Sound ninja to his feet.

Shit... This isn't what I signed up for. Both Kiba and Ino thought in unison as they slowly crawled through the empty row of seats. During this, Choji was hiding under a pair of unconscious citizens while attempting to quietly eat potato chips.

At the same time, Asuma was preforming a series of backflips across the multiple rows of chairs that were mostly abandoned due to the protest against Naruto. At the last moment, Asuma jumped back over 6ft before landing atop the railing that lined the 'Fire' section as he crouched down.

"Fire Style: Blaze of Glory." Asuma spoke before clapping both hands together as he weaved through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and finally Tiger Seals. During this, Asuma inhaled such a vast amount of air that his cheeks puffed out slightly.

Suddenly, 4 enemy Chunin all appeared infront of Asuma, each of them blocking off escape for the Leaf Jonin. These Sound ninja appeared just in time for Asuma to exhale an overwhelming stream of flames as he shook his neck from side-to-side too strike all opponents.

These waves of dense flames crashed and collided against the faces and bodies of the attack Sound ninja, forcing them to fall on their knees as they screamed with pain. Due to the high amount of fabric that the Sound ninja wore, the chakra-filled flames quickly engulfed the entirety of their bodies, basically cooking them alive.

During this, a distant Kurenai was surround by over 7 Sound ninja, cutting-off all means of escape and preventing any help from arriving. A calm Kurenai then clapped both hands into the Tiger seal before weaving through the Boar, Tiger, Horse and Ox Seals.

No words were spoken, instead Kurenai's entire body began to waver and fade before it dissolved entirely into hundreds of violet flower petals that gently floated in her previous location. These petals then some how multiplied before surging out and entrapping the confused Sound ninja.

Genjutsu. Asuma noticed as dozens of flower petals remerged before morphing back into Kurenai, a Kunoichi who didn't have a single scratch on her.

"TuuuUUAAAHAHHHHH!" Guy screamed dramatically as he grabbed the wrist of an attacking Sound Shinobi before bashing the individual upset the face with the back of his right hand.

Suddenly, 2 more Sound Shinobi charged at Guy from the front, each of them brandishing a Kunai in their right hands. Guy then gripped both Kunai-blades with his barehands before raising his right knee to his chest.

Guy's right leg then extended out with the power of a shotgun, causing his right foot to slam and smash against the torso's of his 2 opponents multiple times. The force of this attack sent both ninja flying back, causing 1 to land atop an unconscious citizen while the other's back snapped in half after landing atop an empty chair.

At the same time, Kakashi preformed a fierce uppercut to a nearby Sound Shinobi, an attack that force the latter to soar into the air. At the last moment, Kakashi gripped the left leg of his opponent before funneling chakra into his feet, allowing him to spin around in a counter-clock wise fashion.

This action caused the body of Kakashi's opponent to crash and slam into multiple other Sound Shinobi, littering the surrounding seats and stairs with unconscious ninja. At this moment, Kakashi released his opponent before turning around and jumping over 10ft backwards, causing him and Guy to once again stand back-to-back.

"Damnit, I'm worried about the Lord Hokage but..." Guy cursed under his breathe as he examined the multiple enemies all around him.

"Let the Anbu handle it. Genma and Raidō are with Lord Hokage and even then... He's the strongest Shinobi our village has, he'll be fine." Kakashi argued, confident in the 3rd Hokage's victory.

At this moment, both Jonin once again separated before charging into battle, determined to defend Konoha.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, atop a distant look-out tower inside the village of Konoha._

"So, Orochimaru has finally made his move." Ibiki pointed out as he and over 9 other Jonin stared across the horizon towards the distant Four-Flames Formation technique.

"What shall we do, Sir? Shall we move in as reinforcements?" A unknown and young Jonin asked.

The Jonin wore the full-iconic outfit of Konoha with matching gloves and a bandana similar to the one Ebisu wore. His skin was pale while his eyes were blue while he had shoulder-length tan brown spikey-hair with the headband of Konoha tied around his forehead.

"No... It's not safe to move until we understand the situation. Orochimaru is behind this afterall, so we must be cautious." Ibiki replied.

"Why? Is Orochimaru really that dangerous of a guy?" The Jonin questioned, showing just how young he was.

"I forgot this is your 1st year as a Jonin, Kakuki... Orochimaru used to be Lord Hokage's favorite student... Lord 3rd said he was the greatest Shinobi he ever trained." Ibiki explained, shocking the fresh Jonin.

"Why would such an honored person become a Rogue Ninja?" Kakuki asked, causing Ibiki to slowly gaze up into the clear blue sky.

"Over 13 years ago... When the 4th Hokage position was open, Orochimaru argued that he was worthy enough to take the title... But Hiruzen personally refused to appoint him." Ibiki explained.

"And so, Lord 3rd chose Minato to be the 4th Hokage then? I've heard of the yellow flash but I'm much too young to have met him, Sir." Kakuki spoke out.

"Correct... The main details of his exile are classified but just remember this, Orochimaru holds a grudge against the Lord 3rd." Ibiki proclaimed.

"A battle of revenge then, Sir?" Kakuki questioned, earning a brief nod from his superior.

"When I was a kid, I saw Orochimaru with my own eyes and I thought..." Ibiki's sentence cut-off once he downcast his face while closing both eyes.

"He was not human... He is _not_ a human, he is just a creature that took on the human shape. Orochimaru scares me, he scared me as a child and he scares me now." As Ibiki spoke, his words terrified Kakuki.

The young Jonin had heard stories of the torture and pain Ibiki inflicted, stories of the fear that the head of the interrogation unit infused upon the enemies of Konoha. However, in all those stories Ibiki never once showed feared.

Before the conversation could advance any further, a crouched Leaf Jonin instantly appeared in a whirl wind of Leaf's next to Ibiki's right side.

"Reporting in... The hydra summoning has entered through the West gate as detailed in the plan. Captain Chicken, Boar and Cat have all engaged the enemy." The unknown Shinobi explained.

"Numbers?" Ibiki asked.

"Along with the summoning, approximately 237 Sand Shinobi have passed through, under or over the Western wall. Also, a total of 647 Sound ninja have infiltrated the village." The Leaf Shinobi reported in.

"What are the enemy Shinobi doing?" Ibiki asked.

"Multiple decoy squads are restraining the ene-" The Shinobi's report was cut-off midsentence once an unexpected guest appeared in a whirl wind of Leaf's

"Ibiki! Reassign your ninja at once, this is an emergency!" Ebisu ordered, causing Ibiki to sigh as he rolled his eyes in response.

"What is it now, Ebisu?" Ibiki asked.

"The Honorable Grandson - He's missing! Konohamaru is missing!" Ebisu screamed, causing his voice to resonate and echo across the distance rooftops, revealing that the grandson to the 3rd Hokage was no where to be found.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Inside the Four-Flames Formation technique._

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph...hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph" The masked figure of the 4th Kazekage giggled before digging the fingernails of his right hand into his face.

Instead of drawing blood, this action caused the 4th Kazekage's skin to peel and stretch. After extending for a certain amount, the skin and fabric that covered Rasa's face was ripped into several dozen pieces of some unknown material that dissolve into white ash.

This action revealed the snow-white skin of the face underneath, a face that contained yellow snake-like years with long black hair. Both Genma and Raidō already knew who their opponent was, he was the greatest living threat to Konoha.

"My, my... When Gaara did his thing, I was hoping that he was exhaust the innocent little Naruto... Allowing me to take that beautiful blond boy home." Orochimaru joked as his snake-like tongue draped and dragged across his lips.

"But it seems I can't have everything go my way, not yet atleast." As the elite Sanin spoke, Hiruzen's face harden into a stern expression, one that had seen decades of combat.

"I see... So you're after Konoha _and_ Naruto?" Hiruzen questioned his old student.

"Do you really think Konoha is that important? This village is nothing compared to that child. Your foolish love for this village has led to its end and your ignorance has blinded you, Sarutobi-Sensei." Orochimaru spoke in a soft yet sadistic tone.

"We do not know the result of a battle until the very end. I suspected this day would come and I've told you before... You cannot take my head so easily." Hiruzen declared.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph, and I've told you... You've should've picked the 5th Hokage already. You are nothing but an old man now, hardly deserving of the Kage title." Orochimaru mocked his Sensei.

"Hmphhmph - huhuhuh...huhuuhuh" As the elite Sanin laughed, his old Sensei noticed a bundle of tears building up in the Shinobi's eyes.

"Are you so happy that you're crying tears of joy? Or... Do you have a heart that feels saddness for attempting to kill me, your teacher?" Hiruzen asked in an inquisitive manner.

"No, they are tears of disgust from having to look at this worthless village." Orochimaru replied as he pulled his Kazekage hat loose before dropping it to his feet.

"That's what I thought... I know you better than anyone, and I know that you aren't doing this for revenge. You have no goals or motives, you just want to see the world burn - it's why you could never become Hokage." Hiruzen proclaimed.

"Well, I sort of have a goal and if I were to explain that goal with words... I like to see moving things, the world is boring if nothing moves. A windmill that is not moving can be nice from time-to-time... But most of the time, it's not even worth looking at." Orochimaru explained before he stomped upon the Kazekage hat with his left foot.

"This world is a broken windmill and I'm going to fix it with the destruction of Konoha." As the Sanin spoke, Hiruzen grasped the bridge of his Hokage hat with his left hand.

"Lord Hokage, please allow us." Genma spoke as both he and Raidō stepped forward, standing in between Hiruzen and Orochimaru.

"I came here to have a match with my old teacher, I do not care for trash Jonin such as you." Orochimaru proclaimed, causing Genma to spit the senbon out of his mouth with an impressive amount of power.

At the same time, Raidō reached into his Shuriken satchel before pulling 4 objects loose as he hurled them towards Orochimaru. This combined Raidō attack with Genma's, creating a pair of attacks that the elite Sanin easily deflected with the back of his right hand.

Damnit... This type of jutsu can only be destroyed from the inside! The nearby Anbu captain known as Bear panicked internally.

"Hey, they're going to start soon..." Kidōmaru pointed out before 4 of his 6 arms extended backwards, creating an internal barrier behind him.

"Make sure to get the barrier set-up inside too." Sakon lectured his teammates before he, Jirobo and Tayuya all created an internal barrier, preventing anyone from leaving or entering the Four-Flames Formation.

"Genma, Raidō... Both of you stand aside, I will settle this now - as Hokage." Hiruzen ordered, causing both of his bodyguards to take multiple steps backwards.

"You must be kidding. You just don't want them to get hurt, for someone like you it'll only be more difficult to fight if others get involved." Orochimaru spoke, causing his old Sensei to smile in response.

At this moment, the surrounding rooftiles cracked under the chakra that Hiruzen and Orochimaru were releasing. Suddenly, both elite Shinobi charged forward, bridging the 15ft gap that separated them in a matter of seconds.

During this, Hiruzen's hands clapped together before weaving through the Tiger, Dragon, Rat, Horse and once again Tiger Seals. At the same time, dozens of nearby roof tiles began to detach and uproot themselves from one another.

"Ninja Art: Tile Shuriken!" Hiruzen proclaimed as over 3 dozen sharpened roof tiles lifted into the air before hurling towards Orochimaru, tiles that were pressurized with chakra. Although this display of jutsu was easily B-rank, it only made Orochimaru laugh as he jumped over 10ft into the air.

"Too slow, Sarutobi-Sensei!" Orochimaru spoke as he slammed both hands together into the Snake Seal.

This action caused Orochimaru's jawline to abruptly lower before unhinging itself entirely. During this, the sound of gagging filled the air as the hilt of a sword slowly slid up from Orochimaru's throat.

The elite Sanin quickly pulled the sword loose from his throat with his right hand before slicing the blade down in a vertical fashion towards the veteran 3rd Hokage. The blade of this sword then quickly buried itself into Hiruzen's left shoulder, an act that greatly amused Orochimaru.

"Having trouble already? It shows how much age can affect even a 'God' such as yourself... Sarutobi-Sensei." Orochimaru mocked before his snake-like eyes instantly bulged and widened after the previous figure of Hiruzen morphed into a 6ft puddle of mud.

Before Orochimaru could even react, Hiruzen had already appeared to the left side of his former apprentice. By the time Orochimaru turned around, both of the 3rd Hokage's hands were already pressed together into the Tiger Seal.

"Earth Style: Great Mud River." Hiruzen declared, causing the horizontal tiles underneath Orochimaru to instantly morph and contort into a fierce river of rushing mud. This technique completely robbed Orochimaru of his balance before forcing the Sanin to fall down on one knee.

"Is that all you've got?" Orochimaru mocked as he pressed both hands together before weaving through the Ram, Snake, Rat and Dragon Seals in an attempt to preform some unknown jutsu.

"I won't let you!" Hiruzen protested as he pressed both hands together before weaving through the Ram, Horse and Dragon Seals.

This declaration greatly shocked Orochimaru as the elite Sanin knew what technique those Hand Seals created. This jutsu caused the raging base of Hiruzen's previous technique to rise and contort before a dragon head made of mud rose slightly from the rooftop.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb." Hiruzen proclaimed before the large jaw of the mud-dragon opened, causing multiple hardened chunks of mud to shoot out towards the defenseless Orochimaru.

At the same time, Hiruzen once again pressed both hands into the Tiger Seal while inhaling a staggering amount of air. The 3rd Hokage inhaled such a vast amount of air that his back arched slightly while his cheeks puffed out.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb." Hiruzen declared before he leaned forward while exhaling a vast amount of air. Air that had been condensed and morphed into chakra-filled flames.

The 2 techniques Hiruzen had previously used then merged together, causing the multiple mud bullets to bubble and ignite into miniature Fireballs that collided against the helpless Orochimaru.

This impressive and masterful display of jutsu caused Orochimaru's entire body to erupt into a flames while the latter began screaming. After several moments, the Sanin was completely overwhelmed by the powerful combination of 2 separate technique's.

"Lord 3rd Hokage... He mixed an Earth and Fire Style jutsu together...!" The nearby Anbu captain known as Bear spoke out.

"The 3rd Hokage is truly living up to his title." The nearby Toucan-masked Anbu member pointed out.

At this moment, the heavy flame-covered mud that Hiruzen created began to wash across the entirety of the rooftop before it slowly began to dissipate. This act greatly shocked the surrounding Anbu and Tokubetsu Jonin, many of which could barely comprehend such a masterful combination of jutsu.

"Cut the stupid act, Orochimaru." Hiruzen ordered before the sadistic chuckling of Orochimaru began to fill the surrounding area.

"Hmphhmphhmph... Very nice but you clearly underestimate me, do you really think that you can kill me with such pitiful jutsu?" Orochimaru mocked as he slowly phased out from the burnt and mud-covered roof tiles.

"You are as stubborn as ever." Hiruzen spoke out.

"Don't say that... The stubborn students always grow the quickest, Sarutobi-Sensei." Orochimaru joked as his snake-like tongue shot out from his mouth before dragging across his lips.

"Perhaps we should stop fooling around, this isn't an Academy class." As the Sanin spoke, Hiruzen used his right hand to once again grip the bridge of his Hokage hat.

"You're right." Hiruzen replied before he tossed his Hokage hat and robes dramatically into the air, an action that caused Orochimaru to laugh in response.

"So, you were expecting to die." Orochimaru proclaimed as his snake-like eyes examined and studied the outfit Hiruzen wore underneath his Kage robes.

Hiruzen wore a grey shinobi battle armor that was common during the 1st SWW. The armor provided the 3rd Hokage with heavy protection all over his body. The outfit consisted of a black jumpsuit with mesh segments over the lower portions of his limbs.

Over his right hand, Hiruzen wore a Leaf-green gauntlet that covered the majority of his right arm. He also wore an armored hood with a bandanna-like forehead protector that was tied with two long straps.

Across the back of this armor-plated outfit was the word "Third Hokage" and "fire", both of which were written in Kanji. In response to this, Orochimaru tore off his own Kage robes, revealing the iconic Sound outfit that he wore underneath.

At the same time, all of the roof tiles in a 10ft radius cracked under the chakra-pressure that was escaping from the pair of elite Shinobi. The level of chakra was so intense that it even created it's own artificial breeze of wind.

After several moments, the level of radiating chakra only increased, causing broken pieces of roof tile to chip off before floating into the air. During this, Orochimaru chuckled and laughed.

"I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're old, Sarutobi-Sensei." Orochimaru proclaimed as broken-pieces of roof tile filled the surrounding air.

"I am not expecting special-treatment... I may force you to redo your training at the Academy, depending on your performance." Hiruzen replied as the two long straps that tightened his forehead-protector flew dramatically in the chakra-filled breeze.

"Please, don't disappoint me." Orochimaru spoke out, the 1st time he actually spoke in a sincere manner.

The level of chakra resonating off of these 2 Shinobi was so vast that even the surrounding stone cracked under its pressure. This chakra also affected the nearby Anbu, all of which were shocked and impressed at the level of power infront of them.

"This is amazing... What an impressive display of chakra!" The nearby Toucan-masked Anbu member proclaimed.

"Yea... It feels like the surrounding air is pushing down upon us." Bear spoke out in agreement.

Suddenly, Hiruzen reached into the Shuriken satchel on the back of his waist before pulling the objects loose, all 3 of these weapons then rested around the Hokage's fingertips. Without a moments rest, Hiruzen then hurled all 3 Shuriken towards Orochimaru before clapping both hands together.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu." Hiruzen declared, causing his former-student to laugh in response.

These hands then weaved through the Ox, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake and finally Tiger Seals. This action combined with the amount of chakra Hiruzen infused into the technique forced the previous 3 Shuriken to multiple into 48.

During this, Orochimaru preformed the Tiger, Snake, Dog and Dragon Seals before clapping both flat palms together as he smiled in a sadistic fashion. This action greatly alarmed Hiruzen, causing his eyes to bulge with shock.

Tha-... That sequence of Hand Seals!? Hiruzen panicked, knowing exactly what type of jutsu those Seals created.

"Forbidden Art: Impure World Reincarnation." Orochimaru laughed as 2 separate violet portals appeared infront of his feet.

"Lord 1st... And 2nd." As the elite Sanin spoke, a pair of 2 maple caskets slowly rose up from the violet portals. One casket was adorned with the Kanji for '1st' while the other maintained the Kanji for "2nd".

"He's using the Summoning's as a shield...?" Hiruzen mumbled as the numerous Shuriken he threw began crashing and stabbing against the pair of caskets, both of which protected Orochimaru.

At this moment, the pair of violet portals under the caskets disappeared. At the same time, the lid of both caskets cracked and snapped before they each began falling slowly.

The true match begins here... He called upon those two, out of all people. As Hiruzen's thoughts progressed, both eyes narrowed and squinted in anticipation.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph." Orochimaru chuckled as both casket lids fell upon the rooftop, an action that shocked and horrified the surrounding Anbu once they saw what was inside.

"Th-... Those are!?" Bear screamed, unable to believe what his eyes were showing him.

"Who are those people...?" Toucan asked.

"Impossible!" The nearby Rabbit-masked Anbu member panicked.

"Now, what will you do, Sarutobi-Sensei? I mean... Oh great, 3rd Hokage." Orochimaru mocked his teacher as the bright sun overhead illuminated the figures contained in the 2 caskets.

The man in the left casket was tall, easily over 6ft with tanned skin and dark eyes. He had waist-length black hair with a set of loose bangs that framed both side's of his face. He wore a set of dark red full-body armor over a simple black suit with sandals.

This armor was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body while each collar of his shoulder guards bore the Senju symbol. Lastly, draped across the man's forehead was the Headband for the village of Konoha.

The man in the right casket was extremely pale-skinned man with silver and shaggy hair. He wore blue armor with a distinctive white fur collar over a simple black suit. This armor was constructed from numerous metal plates formed into multiple protective guards along his body.

This clothing was accompanied by sandals and a happuri instead of the traditional forehead protector. However, much like a Headband the happuri was engraved with the symbol of Konoha.

At this moment, both Shinobi slowly walked out of their caskets in a jagged and rapid motion. During this, the pair of Shinobi each raised their faces, revealing a pair of black sclera that encompassed grey pupils.

"It's been a long time, Sarutobi." The red-armor Shinobi mumbled.

"Oh?... It's you? You've aged, Saru." The blue-armored Shinobi spoke out.

"I didn't expect to see both of you in a form like that... Lord 1st and 2nd Hokage." Hiruzen replied, shocking the nearby Toucan-masked Anbu member.

"Sarutobi, what is the meaning of this?" The 1st Hokage asked as he attempted to move his right arm but failed entirely.

"It is my fault, Elder Brother. This is a jutsu I designed after your passing." The 2nd Hokage explained.

"I see, conflict no matter the era. How is the village, is it stable?" The 1st Hokage questioned.

"Actually, the 2 of you are here to destroy the Leaf village, after we kill Sarutobi, of course." Orochimaru declared.

"Destroy the Leaf village? You worthless brat! Do you seek to bind me with the jutsu I created!?" The 2nd Hokage retorted as he quickly clapped both hands into the Snake Seal before weaving through the Ram, Boar and Dog Seals. Accomplishing a feat that the 1st Hokage couldn't.

Before the 2nd Hokage could continue any further, Orochimaru raised his right hand infront of his face before preforming the Half Ram Seal. This action completely restrained the 2nd Hokage and prevented him from weaving any more Seals.

"If that's the case, Sarutobi, you must defeat us." The 1st Hokage ordered.

"Let's stop the chitchat, old men... And get this started." Orochimaru proclaimed as a pair of red-tagged Kunai fell down both sleeves into the palms of his hands. During this, the Sanin also forced the 2nd Hokage to turn around.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Conflict, no matter the era." The 1st Hokage mumbled.

At this moment, Orochimaru positioned the tips of both red-tagged Kunai against the skulls of each Hokage. Kunai that quickly fused and merged with both Hokage before sinking down into their brains.

"I think it's best to leave their personality intact, would you agree, Sarutobi-Sensei?" Orochimaru smirked before taking multiple steps back.

"Lord Hokage! We must intervene now, we can't allow you to be outnumbered." Raidō protested as he and Genma both appeared beside the 3rd Hokage.

"How is this possible!? A jutsu that revives those from the dead?" Toucan asked his captain.

"It's a Forbidden Technique created by the 2nd Hokage. Usually, when preforming a summoning, the user must sacrifice some blood as payment... But this jutsu requires much more, a human sacrifice." Bear explained, shocking his 2 Anbu subordinates.

"Do you know the sense of satisfaction and happiness I gain from hurting the one I used to call teacher?" Orochimaru asked while his snake-like tongue dragged across his lips.

"I went through the trouble of summoning these two so you could feel that same sense of happiness... If you want to win then you have to destroy your precious teachers." As the Sanin spoke, multiple waves of dense chakra began pouring out from the 2 reanimated Hokage.

This level of chakra was nothing to Hiruzen, However, both Raidō and Genma we forced onto 1 knee. Neither of the elite tokubetsu Jonin had ever experienced such concentrated chakra. Soon, this chakra began to leak out and affect the surrounding Anbu.

This level of chakra was so intense that it radiated across the entirety of the stadium, garnishing the attention of Leaf, Sound, Sand and even a few Grass Shinobi. As dozens of Chunin and Jonin glanced up towards the pillar of chakra, all of them knew what was about to happen.

The battle had only just begun.


	41. Chapter 41

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **GunBlade2018 -** **Tobirama was attempting to break and release the Edo Tensei seal. Since he invented that jutsu, I thought it would make perfect sense that he knew the seals to release it, since Madara did.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 41: Hokage-Level Combat! Future Of The Sarutobi Clan.**

A group of 8 Sound Chunin all stood atop one of the numerous rooftops of Konoha. During this, a constant breeze was blowing in from the South. This actuion caused the tunic's of each Sound ninja to rustle slightly in the breeze.

At the same time, one of the Chunin held a information-card in his right hand, a card oddly-similar to the ones Kabuto had.

"The blond kid? That'll be easy, not alot of those here." An unnamed Sound ninja spoke out.

"He must be brought in alive, those are Lord Orochimaru's orders." Another unnamed ninja cut-in.

"Look at his stats; they are pathetic. This will be easy." A 3rd unnamed ninja concluded.

"Enough talking. Move out." The leader of the group declared before all 8 Sound ninja disappeared, creating multiple shadows that dashed and leapt across the distant rooftops.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Residential Area of Konoha._

I wonder how the Chunin Exam is going... Did boss already win his match? Konohamaru asked himself as he glanced up from a dark alleyway towards the large Four-Flames Formation technique that dotted the horizon.

"Are you worried about Naruto?" Moegi teased her friend as she and Udon stood alongside Konohamaru in the alleyway.

"Of course not! There is no way the boss could lose." Konohamaru protested. During this, the nearby Udon slide his right index finger horizontally underneath his snot-covered nose.

"Hey, Konohamaru...? What do you think caused that rumbling from the West?" Moegi asked, causing her friend to narrow his eyes in response.

Something is weird... First the evacuation-drills, then that smoke cloud and the loud rumbling, and now that. Konohamaru's thoughts raced as he once again glanced up towards the Four-Flames Formation technique.

Also... The 6 year olds thoughts interjected before he stared up towards a bright rainbow that stretched up to the Sun.

That has been bothering me for awhile now... That rainbow. As his thoughts progressed, the boys mind began to drift back to a recent conversation he held with the 3rd Hokage.

 _-Flashback-_

 _Saturday 8:22am May 28th, 58SSP._

"Hey, old man! There's a rainbow over the village!" Konohamaru proclaimed after he ran past the 3rd Hokage, who was walking at a steady and calm pace.

The pair of Sarutobi family members stop atop one of the many tree-covered hills that decorated the outskirts of Konoha, giving both of them a great view of the village they called home.

"Hmmmm?" Hiruzen hummed in response as he gripped the edge of his Hokage hat with his right hand.

While the seasoned 3rd Hokage stared up at the sparkling rainbow, he also inhaled a fresh hit of leaf from the wooden-pipe held between his lips. After several moments of staring, multiple streams of smoke became to pour out from Hiruzen's nose before he spoke.

"You don't get to see those alot." The honorable grandson mumbled.

"Konohamaru, do you like rainbows?" Hiruzen asked his beloved grandson.

"Yea! And I've never seen a rainbow that beautiful!" Konohamaru proclaimed as he reached into the sky with both hands in an attempt to touch the masterpiece of nature infront of him.

"Is that so?" Hiruzen chuckled in response as he nodded his head multiple times in approval.

"You know, in ancient times... Rainbows represented snakes. It was said that they are an omen of bad luck that will soon come." As the 3rd Hokage spoke, his grandson became shocked by his words.

"Such a beautiful thing?" Konohamaru muttered as he glanced in between Hiruzen and the distant rainbow.

"That's a lie!" As the 6 year old protested, his grandfather once again began to chuckle and laugh.

"Is that what you believe...? Hauhauhauhauh." The elder Hokage laughed in a raspy voice.

The laughter was so great that Hiruzen had to pull the wooden-pipe free from his mouth as he closed both eyes, allowing a great bellow of joy to fill Konohamaru's mind. A sound and laughter that the 6 year old would never forget.

 _-Flashback ends-_

A symbol of snakes... What's going on? Konohamaru asked himself, unable to shake the bad feeling he felt.

"Konohamaru...? What's wrong? Does your tummy hurt?" Moegi asked as she shoved her face against her teammate, not caring about his personal space.

Before Konohamaru could respond with words a twisted laughter from some unknown individual echoed across the alleyway. This laughter garnished the attention of all 3 Academy-students, causing each of them to glance up towards the mysterious figure atop the nearby roof.

"What are 3 little kids doing wondering around? You could get hurt." An unnamed Sound Chunin mocked before leaping down into the alleyway.

This action isolated the 3 Academy-students, giving them only one way to escape, which lead into an open and wide street. Instead of cowering in the face of this unknown Chunin, Konohamaru was to only member of the group to step forward.

"What are you doing here!? This is the Village Hidden in the Leaf's! Sound ninja have no place here!" Konohamaru protested as he pointed his right hand towards the Chunin.

"Soon, this Village will be crushed underneath the Sound." The Chunin replied, causing an annoyed expression to bloom across Konohamaru's face.

"How dare you insult the Leaf Village!" Konohamaru screamed while raising both clenched-fists to his jawline in a horizontal fashion.

"Konohamaru... We should go get Ebisu-Sensei." Moegi suggested while she took multiple steps backward.

"We barely managed to sneak away from the evacuation-group, there's no one we can sneak away from this." Udon mumbled out in between the constant snot-rockets he blew from his nose.

"There will be no sneaking away! I'm gonna be Hokage some day so it's my job to protect this village!" Konohamaru protested, causing his experienced Chunin opponent to laugh in response.

"You can keep saying that, but it doesn't change the fact that the enemy is stronger than us!" Moegi argued.

"I'll take him out in no time with all the training I've gotten from boss." Konohamaru proclaimed.

"Training...?" Udon mumbled out, other than Sealing jutsu he didn't know what Konohamaru was talking about.

At this moment, the experienced Chunin appeared in between all 3 Academy-students before knocking Udon and Moegi backwards with the back of his hands. This forced Konohamaru to charge forward only to get kicked back by the Chunin's right foot.

After his back slammed against the hard stone of the nearby building, Konohamaru slowly slid down before landing atop his ass while panting multiple times. During this, both Udon and Moegi smashed against the surrounding ground.

"Udon! Moegi!" Konohamaru screamed out in panick as he stood up before slamming his right palm against the wall behind him.

"Is this your 'training'? You kids aren't even Genin level, I have other priorities to tend too so lets get this over with." The Chunin proclaimed.

In response to this, Konohamaru reached into the Shuriken pouch on the back of his waist before pulling 3 weapons loose. Weapons that the 6 year old quickly threw at his opponent. The experienced Sound Chunin was easily able to dodge the attack by sidestepping to the right. Suddenly, the Chunin grabbed a nearby empty-trashcan with his right hand before throwing the dense object at Konohamaru.

The honorable grandson jumped to the left at the last moment, causing the trashcan to smash against the nearby wall as Konohamaru fell down. After this, the trashcan fell atop the boy's right leg, hurting his ankle in the process.

"Konohamaru!" Moegi screamed in fear as she stood up and attempted to help her friend.

Moegi was then quickly knee'd in the stomach as the Chunin grabbed her left wrist before throwing her against the nearby wall. This action caused the young 6 year old girl to crash against a series of empty trashcans before falling beside Udon.

"Moegi!" Udon screamed as he attempted to prevent any snot from falling out of his nose.

"Now to deal with you two." The Chunin declared while both eyes focused upon the cowering Moegi and Udon.

Although all 3 members of the group were enrolled in the Ninja-Academy, Konohamaru was the only one among them that carried weapons. He was much more determined to be a ninja then either of them. As the Chunin approached Udon and Moegi, he brandished a Kunai in each hand, no doubt attempting to finish the pair of children before moving on with his orders. At this moment, the previously thrown trashcan rustled in the distance as the injured Konohamaru stood up.

This action caused the attacking Chunin to turn around just in time to notice Konohamaru preforming the Ram Seal. This process shocked Moegi and Udon since they weren't taught Hand Seals in class yet.

Concentrate and funnel my chakra. Konohamaru told himself, repeating one of the many things Naruto had told him during their training.

A Hand Seal...? At his age? Impossible. The Sound Chunin concluded.

"I have been honored with the name of this Village. My surname is Sarutobi while my given name is Konohamaru; you will remember me!" The honorable grandson proclaimed before jumping 3ft into the air.

At the same time, Konohamaru extended his right foot out, allowing it to land against the wall before revealing a thin layer of chakra that clung to the boys feet. This chakra allowed the honorable grandson to run horizontally along the walls-surface.

Chakra control? At his age? The Chunin asked himself, interested in the sight before him.

As the honorable grandson ran, it took a great amount of focus to ignore the pain erupting from his left ankle. During this, Konohamaru used both hands to reach inside his Shuriken pouch before pulling out 6 of the sharp objects, allowing them to rest in between his fingers. The Sound Chunin then threw a Kunai towards Konohamaru before the latter hurled his own 6 Shuriken in response. This action filled the alleyway with the sound of metal striking metal as the Kunai was stopped by 4 Shuriken.

The final 2 Shuriken then continued soaring towards the now alarmed Sound ninja. Forcing the Chunin to quickly use the Kunai held in his right hand to deflect both weapons, only to notice Konohamaru had disappeared. The honorable grandson had used the brief period of time created to jump off the wall before soaring through the air as he floated down behind his opponent. Konohamaru then copied the same action he saw Naruto preform, causing the 6 year old boy to extend his right leg out while spinning in a clockwise fashion.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Konohamaru screamed while slamming his right shin against the back of his opponents neck.

If Konohamaru was older or if he had more chakra, the attack might have been successful, instead it only enraged his opponent. Causing the Sound Chunin to quickly used his left hand to grab Konohamaru's leg before turning around and slamming the 6 year old into the ground.

The Sound ninja then buried his right foot into Konohamaru's stomach, forcing the boy to roll back over 6ft before stopping infront of his 2 friends. The action greatly concerned Udon and Moegi as both of them rushed to aid their friend.

"Konohamaru!" The pair of kids spoke out while their friend struggled to prompt himself up on one knee.

"Don't worry about it. Just stay behind me and I'll keep you safe; I promise." Konohamaru proclaimed as he struggled to breath.

Konohamaru... When did you get so, strong? Moegi asked herself.

"I don't have time for this, I'm looking for Naruto." The Chunin declared, greatly disturbing the nearby Sarutobi clan member.

If boss was here... He would have already won. The honorable grandson concluded to himself while his right hand gripped and tightened around his trembling knee.

There will come a moment, Konohamaru... A moment when you will find it. Naruto's voice echoed inside the young childs mind.

You will find the strength you didn't realize you had, why? Because of a certain person you want to protect. The memory of Naruto's words gave Konohamaru the strength to once again stand up.

That is _true_ strength, Konohamaru... And one day, you will find it. As Naruto's voice began to fade, the young Konohamaru clapped both hands together into the Tiger Seal, an action that greatly alarmed his opponent.

The Tiger Seal...!? But that's a... The Chunin panicked internally.

The Sarutobi Fire techniques? You're much too young to begin reading those. The voice of Hiruzen spoke out inside Konohamaru's mind.

Please Lord Honorable Grandson, don't worry about such jutsu, you'll only need the necessary materials to become Hokage. Ebisu lectured his student.

Geez... I suppose I could show you a technique or two... But don't tell the old man, he'd kill me. Asuma's voice proclaimed in a sheepish manner.

During this, Konohamaru began to funnel all chakra into his stomach before kneading it like the books set. The young boy had never practiced such a technique but he was determined to protect his friends.

There are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage. As Naruto's voice resonated across Konohamaru's mind, the young boy inhaled a staggering amount of air. This gasp of air caused the boy's cheeks to puff out while his back arched slightly.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb." Konohamaru declared before exhaling, unaware that his grandfather had used the exact same technique barely 20 minutes ago.

This type of Fire Style was one of the many specific jutsu that were unique to the Sarutobi clan. When used by a master, it could spread well over 20ft while scorched the ground underneath. However, the level of chakra Konohamaru had only poured into his jutsu was barely enough for 5ft. Although this level of attack was below Chunin level, it greatly surprised and overwhelmed the nearby Sound ninja.

At this moment, the half-burnt body of the Sound Chunin appeared beside the young Konohamaru. The Chunin's entire right sleeve was burnt off, revealing multiple section of blistering skin underneath. The Chunin abruptly slammed his right knee against his opponents stomach, forcing Konohamaru to fall down on both knees. Without a moments rest, the Sound ninja then grabbed the honorable grandson by his scarf before hurling him across the alleyway.

This action caused the young Sarutobi can member to once again slam against distant wall before falling to the ground. During this. the Sound Chunin turned around to focus on Udon and Moegi. After staggering for several moments, Konohamaru attempted to stand up only to fail before falling down multiple times. At the same time, the Sound Chunin continued to approach his terrified friends.

I'm out of Shuriken...! Konohamaru's thoughts raced before he thought about the last weapon he carried.

This final weapon was something the young boy considered to be ceremonial, he never thought of using it in combat because of its framework. However, these thoughts failed to prevent Konohamaru from reaching into the single-Kunai satchel he kept tied to his left leg. As the honorable grandson unsheathed this weapon, he gripped the hilt tightly in his left hand.

This action revealed the weapon to be a special-type of Kunai, it contained three blades instead of one while the handle was much thicker than normal. Also, the thick handle was covered and adorned in a series of multiple Kanji scribbled across the surface, Kanji that Konohamaru never thought much about. The weapon held in his hand was a gift given to the young boy upon Naruto's return from the Land of Waves, a gift Konohamaru greatly cherished.

Konohamaru was so focused on protecting his friends that he didn't even notice when a pair of violet, ripple-patterned eyes pierced his mind, no doubt a reaction from gripping Naruto's Kunai-gift.

"Udon! Moegi!" Konohamaru panicked while using his left hand to hurling his last weapon.

This attack exerted all of Konohamaru's remaining stamina and chakra, causing the young boy to fall down face-first before struggling in vain to get back up. Although the previous Fire jutsu he used wasn't that powerful, it was still to much for his young body to handle. As the honorable grandson's face laid buried against the dirt, he began to grit and grind his teeth together, knowing full well his opponent would dodge the Kunai. At the last moment, the Sound Chunin turned around before tilting his head to the right, causing Konohamaru's last hope to fly past his face.

The Chunin was tired of wasting time on children, he was determined to finish this now. The Sound ninja was so focused on mentally murdering the group of kids that he barely noticed when a dense shadow appeared in mid-air behind him. The shadow's left hand clenched down tightly upon Konohamaru's previously thrown Kunai. At the same time, his right semi-closed palm hurled through the air towards the Chunins back.

At this moment, a barely visible violet sphere swirled into existence inside the figures right palm. This process created a faint whistle-like sound that echoed across the alleyway, alerting the Sound Chunin. This sphere then continued to swirl and rotate while it almost tripled in size. During this, as the figure swung his right hand forward, the surrounding air began to funnel around this attack.

The Sound ninja turned around just in time to notice a pair of violet, ripple-patterned eyes that pierced his mind, preventing any movement or escape. Suddenly, the figures attack made direct contact with the Chunin's stomach, instantly tearing away all fabric in that area as multiple currents of wind resonated across the alleyway.

"Rasengan!" Naruto's voice echoed across the alleyway before the Sound ninja was forced back by the powerful rotating sphere of violet chakra.

While the Chunin flew backwards through the air, his entire body rotated in a clockwise fashion as he soared over Konohamaru and another 20ft of distance. At the last moment, this ninja slammed against a distant fence, breaking multiple chunks and pieces of wood before falling to the ground.

"B... Boss..." Konohamaru mumbled as he once again attempted to get up only to fail.

Suddenly, multiple laughter's began resonating across the alleyway, forcing the exhausted Konohamaru to tilt his face up just enough to notice 7 other Sound ninja now standing atop the surrounding set of roofs. This realization caused Konohamaru's jaw to fall open before hitting the ground, he never expected to see so many enemy ninja instead the Leaf Village. For the first time all day, the honorable grandson was genuinely afraid.

"Konohamaru... Relax, I promise you'll be fine." Naruto reassured his student while picking up Udon and Moegi with each arm before walking towards the honorable grandson.

"You shouldn't make a promise you can't kee-...!?" The leader of the Sound ninja spoke out only for his words to end mid-sentence after noticing Naruto's violet eyes.

"Pay close attention, Konohamaru... I'm going to finish this in an instant." Naruto declared as he towered over his exhausted student, allowing the latter to glance up into the blonds violet, ripple-patterned eyes.

B-Boss...!? Konohamaru's thoughts stuttered before a heavy gust of wind blew in from the South.

The honorable grandson was so focused on Naruto's eyes that he failed to notice half of the blonds tunic was burnt off, revealing a large portion of the latters left arm, chest and stomach. Over several moments, the gusts of wind blowing in from the South began to increase in density, causing Naruto's spikey hair to waver in the breeze. At the same time, the tunic's of the multiple Sound ninja also rustled slightly in the breeze.

As Konohamaru stared up into his Sensei's confident violet eyes, he realized that Naruto was the exact type of person he wanted to become. The blond stood calmly against overwhelming odds, odds that would even cause multiple Jonin to think twice, yet Naruto was unwavering in his resolve.

While the honorable grandson continued to idolize his Sensei, he was unaware of the fierce and powerful battle looming in the distance, a battle that would determine the fate of Konoha.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Four-Flames Formation Technique._

For what felt like minutes, insane levels of chakra continued to ripple and resonated out from the 1st and 2nd Hokage. This amount of chakra greatly affected the surrounding Anbu and Tokubetsu Jonin while Hiruzen stood completely unhindered.

Suddenly, all levels of chakra ceased once the 2 reanimated Hokage began stumbling forward after Orochimaru pressed both hands together into the Ram Seal. This stumbling caused the 1st Hokage to slowly walk over one of the fallen casket lids while the 2nd took multiple jagged steps across a set of half-broken roof tiles.

During this, the sound of Shinobi shoes stepping atop a dozen of half-broken roof tiles filled the nearby area before the 1st and 2nd Hokage ceased any types of movement. After several moments, their bodies began to sway and tilt in multiple different directions before the pair of Hokage charged forward.

As the pair of Hokage surged across the rooftop, Genma and Raidō both stood up before entering a defensive Taijutsu stance infront of the 3rd Hokage. Although the 2 tokubetsu Jonin had been trained for the worst, they never imagined being placed up against former Hokage.

"Genma! Raidō! They may look like them... But they are not the true 1st and 2nd Hokage!" The nearby Anbu captain known as Bear screamed in an attempt to alert his allies.

"Doesn't help..." Genma muttered under his breathe while grabbing a set of 3 thrown Kunai in mid-air before dropping them to the ground.

At this moment, the rushing 1st Hokage leapt into the air before directing his left foot towards Hiruzen's face. This attack took all 4 of Genma's and Raidō's hands to prevent as they strained to halt the powerful kick, an attack that caused both of them to slide several inches backwards.

The veteran 1st Hokage then began to rotate in a counter-clockwise fashion in mid-air, allowing him to kick off the pair of hands restraining him with his right leg. After freeing himself, the 1st Hokage landed upside down on his hands before preforming over 4 backwards while the 2nd Hokage entered the battle.

Once the 2nd Hokage stood infront of the defensive Raidō and Genma, he abruptly leapt over the pair of tokubetsu Jonin before soaring 3ft through the air until landing on the other side of the group. While the 2 Jonin could barely follow his movements with their eyes, Hiruzen was able to follow the 2nd Hokage perfectly and without any strain at all.

After landing, the 2nd Hokage crouched down slightly before hurling his clenched right fist forward in an attempt to strike Hiruzen, who easily caught the attack with his right hand. The 3rd Hokage was so fast that he already managed to turn around before Genma or Raidō even noticed.

"Forgive me, Saru." The 2nd Hokage pleaded as he pulled his right hand free before hurling his left fist forward.

This attack forced Hiruzen to raised his right forearm vertically infront of his face, causing the metal gauntlet tied there to absorb the main power of the attack. Suddenly, the 2nd Hokage retracted his fist before jumping up in a slanted vertical fashion while extending his left leg out in an attempt to kick Hiruzen.

Hiruzen was easily able to duck just in time for this attack to soar off his head before lodging against the side of Raidō' skull, sending the tokubetsu Jonin flying over 3ft to the side. This action enraged the 3rd Hokage, causing him the grasp the 2nd Hokage's left ankle with both hands.

At the same time, Hiruzen became funneling chakra into the soles of his feet, allowing him to twirl and spin across the rooftop 4-times in a clockwise fashion before throwing the 2nd Hokage from his grip. During this, Genma was forced to crouch down to avoid being hit.

At this moment, the 1st Hokage appeared in a blur beside an unsuspecting Genma, allowing the elite Kage to crouch down before sliding his right leg across the half-broken roof tiles in a clockwise fashion.

This action knocked Genma off his balance before the 1st Hokage quickly leapt into the air while directing the bottom of his right foot towards the tokubetsu Jonin. At the last moment, Hiruzen gripped the collar of Genma's flat jacket with his left hand before throwing the Jonin behind him.

During this, Hiruzen stepped forward while raising his right hand into the air, allowing him to catch the 1st Hokage's powerful kick with his barehand. This action caused the surrounding roof tiles to once again crack in multiple places, evidence to the power behind Hokage-level Taijutsu.

"Incredible... Hokage-level combat!? Toucan stuttered, unable to believe he was looking upon such impressive chakra levels.

"Yea... They make Jonin look like jokes." Bear proclaimed.

Suddenly, the 2nd Hokage once again began dashing towards Hiruzen, forcing the latter to grip the 1st Hokage's right leg with both hands before throwing the individual towards his approaching opponent.

As the 1st Hokage soared through the air, he reached out with his right hand just in time for the 2nd Hokage to grab him. This action allowed the pair of Hokage to quickly stabilize themselves before once again charging towards Hiruzen.

After approaching their target, the 1st Hokage dropped to the ground before sliding his right leg across the roof in a counter-clockwise fashion, forcing Hiruzen to jump into the air. During this, the 2nd Hokage began striking and jabbing both hands towards Hiruzen in numerous different angles.

Any ordinary ninja would have been overwhelmed by this fierce combination of Taijutsu. However, Hiruzen was able to catch and deflect multiple of the attacks with his barehands before extending his left leg out and preforming a powerful kick to the 2nd Hokage's chest. This action forced the 2nd Hokage to stumble backwards while Hiruzen landed before blocking a fierce series of blows and attacks directed towards him by the 1st Hokage. At the last moment, Hiruzen grabbed the 1st Hokage's right wrist while kicking the latter off his balance.

Hiruzen then quickly spun around before hurling the 1st Hokage threw the air. An average Shinobi would have been disarmed by this action, but the 1st Hokage easily managed to regain his balance before landing and crouching down beside the nearby 2nd Hokage. At this moment, Hiruzen clapped both hands into the Ram Seal before weaving through the Horse, Snake, Dragon, Rat, Ox and finally Tiger Seals. During this, Hiruzen inhaled such a significant amount of air that his cheeks puffed out while both shoulders rose.

"Fire Style: Dragon's Flame!" Hiruzen proclaimed before exhaling a condense and powerful stream of flames. This eruption of fire spewing from the 3rd Hokage's mouth was so intense that the nearby roof tiles melted under its pressure.

After several moments, the combustion of chakra-filled flames surged forward while taking on the shape of multiple dragons. The flames moved with such speed that they quickly overwhelmed and concealed both the 1st and 2nd Hokage with scorching a pathway across the rooftop. Despite all this, the 3rd Hokage continued to exhale his condensed chakra-filled flames. Soon, the flames spewing out from Hiruzen morphed from orange to almost solid white in color, signifying the intense heat of such a jutsu.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph... Heuheuheuheuheu." A nearby Orochimaru chuckled in amusement before the sound of hands clapping together resonated across the rooftop.

"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu." The voice of the 2nd Hokage spoke while preforming the necessary Seals before inhaling air into his stomach, air that was quickly kneaded and morphed into chakra-filled water.

This declaration was followed by a fierce current of water that began gushing out from the 2nd Hokage, water that soon began swirling around the pair of Hokage before rising over 15ft into the air. During this, multiple currents of steam began rising into the air, created from the intense flames crashing against water.

Uh-...!? That's just like... The Rabbit-masked Anbu panicked as the image of Naruto floated through his mind before the former quickly shook his head, disappointed in himself for comparing such a great Hokage to _that_ child.

This powerful display of Water Style caused Hiruzen to halt his attack while the erupting wall of water continued to funnel upward before dissipating after several moments. At the same time, Hiruzen was able to use his Kage-level chakra control to dampen the flames of his attack, snuffing them out of existence.

Instead of allowing the impressive amount of water created to surge out naturally, the 2nd Hokage quickly clapped both hands together infront of his chest. This action forced the surrounding water to once again swirl multiple times around the 2nd Hokage, using him as the epicenter of such a technique.

"Water Style: Water Shockwave." The 2nd Hokage declared before a staggering amount of water before surging upward, resembling a water tornado.

"Aaaaaaaah!" As the elite 2nd Hokage yelled, his technique grew in both volume and density as even the nearby air was drained of all moisture before adding it's strength to the jutsu.

Soon, the built up vortex of swirling water began shooting upward like a frothy geyser before exploding on top. This process submerged the surrounding rooftop with dense chakra-filled water before it only continued to grow.

After several moments, the fierce current of water began approaching Hiruzen who stood confidently infront of his dazed bodyguards, people he was determined to protect. This determination caused the 3rd Hokage to clap both hands into the Tiger Seal before weaving through the Hare, Boar and Dog Seals.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall." Hiruzen proclaimed as he crouched down on one knee before slamming both palms atop the roof tiles infront of him.

Suddenly, the sound of stone crack could be heard before a 10ft wide and 20ft tall dense earth wall erupted out from the ground. The veteran 3rd Hokage didn't move stone from underneath him, he physically created more earth with his Kage-level chakra control.

This technique was the exact same one Sakura had displayed in her match, however, the level of this jutsu was far beyond anything that pink-haired Genin could hope to create. Instead of a plain, average wall, the protection Hiruzen created was a miniature copy of the Hokage monument, it was a wall adorned with the faces of the 4 Hokage.

The dense chakra-filled water from the 2nd Hokage then crashed against this wall before erupting out horizontally across both side's. This action revealed that Genma stood up just in time to pick Raidō off the floor before the pair of tokubetsu Jonin and the 3rd Hokage jumped atop the freshly created wall.

Although the wall created was easily the greatest display of Earth Style that the surrounding Jonin witnessed, it was unable to prevent the 2nd Hokage's Water Style from soaking the entire 20ft wide rooftop. While the fierce currents of water swirled out across the roof, it soon began crashing against the Four-Flames Formation technique. This process once again created more pillars of steam that rose in the air, a reaction from intense heat meeting water.

During this, multiple waves of water crashed into all 4-side's of Hiruzen's wall, resembling the dense waves of an ocean ramming against a cliffside. At the same time, ripples echoed around across the newly created lake, a result from the pair of Hokage and Orochimaru standing atop the distant water.

At this moment, the pair of Hokage began dashing across the water while Hiruzen observed from atop his wall. Instead of waiting for his opponents to approach him, the 3rd Hokage quickly leapt off the 20ft tall wall. As Hiruzen fell through the air, he clapped both hands into the Rat Seal before weaving through the Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit and once again Tiger Seals. While preforming these Seals, the 3rd Hokage began inhaling a significant amount of air.

Hiruzen managed to preform this combination of feats before landing atop the chakra-filled water while crouching down. During this, the speed from the pair of reanimated Hokage was so vast to it created waves of water that rippled out in all directions.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu." Hiruzen spoke out before exhaling his chakra-filled breathe.

This declaration created hundreds of condensed miniature Fireballs that soared through the air with Kage-level speed. While Sasuke had used this very same jutsu in his match, it was nothing compared to Hiruzen's. The young Uchiha created dozens while the 3rd Hokage created hundreds.

Against an average opponent, this display and power would have surely overwhelmed or killed them, but these were the 1st and 2nd Hokage. Instead of turning around or even halting their advance at all, the pair of Hokage merely extended both hands before knocking the chakra-filled Fireballs out of the air with their barehands.

The pair of Hokage managed to catch, deflect and even snuff out dozens of approaching Fireballs, objects that would easily overwhelm almost anyone else. At the last moment, the 1st Hokage jumped into the air before extending his left foot out in an attempt to kick Hiruzen.

This attack forced Hiruzen to cross both arms infront of his chest in an 'X' fashion, blocking the 1st Hokage's attack entirely while causing the nearby water to ripple under the chakra pressure.

Hiruzen then dug his right shoe into the water below him before hurling his right leg upward. This action kicked a splash of water into the face of the 2nd Hokage, preventing him from seeing or attacking. The 3rd Hokage then uncrossed both arms before extending his right hand out with alarming force, slamming the back of his hand against the 2nd Hokage's face. At the same time, Hiruzen gripped the 1st Hokage's leg before slamming the latter against the nearby wall behind him.

This attack forced the 2nd Hokage to fly over 10ft across the water-covered rooftop while a clear indention could be seen in Hiruzen's wall, showing the amount of force used against the 1st Hokage. After several moment of silence, Hiruzen released the 1st Hokage before taking multiple steps forward. During this, the 3rd Hokage glanced in between the 1st and 2nd Hokage.

"You're as impressive as ever, Sarutobi." The 1st Hokage complimented his student while standing up in a jagged and rapid motion.

"Yes, elder brother. We left the village in good hands." The 2nd Hokage spoke out in agreement. The words from the previous Hokage held a great affect on Hiruzen, causing the latter to grit his teeth while down casting his face slightly.

"I have followed your final orders... I protect those who love Konoha and I hold each of them dear to my heart. And, It is with great resolve that I look upon those whom I can entrust the future generation." Hiruzen proclaimed as multiple smiling faces of young Leaf ninja floated through his mind.

"I have, like many others, made mistakes and errors. Errors of which I am deeply saddened by..." As the 3rd Hokage spoke, the corpse-covered Uchiha compound drifted through his mind.

"So many mistakes... Even those that should rightfully stand as heroes are instead isolated as monsters." These words caused the smiling face of Naruto to form inside Hiruzen's mind.

"But _those_ mistakes are over. I will not allow either of you to be used as puppets; I will settle this now as the 3rd Hokage." While speaking, Hiruzen raised his downcast face, showing that the bright Will of Fire burned in his eyes, illuminating his elderly expression.

"End this, Saru. You are the only one who can stop us." The 2nd Hokage proclaimed, showing the vast amount of respect he held towards the 3rd Hokage.

"Sarutobi... I'm happy to see that you've grown into such a fine Shinobi, I'm proud to call myself your teacher." The 1st Hokage humbled himself before he and his younger brother prepared to continue battling.

"I am the one who should be proud... Hashirama-Sensei, Tobirama-Sensei... Please, forgive for what I must do." Hiruzen pleaded while entering a Taijutsu stance.

This statement caused both the 1st and 2nd Hokage to nod their heads in agreement before surging forward, signaling that the battle was about to continue. As the pair of Hokage charged forward, both of them began to smile, fully aware that their student and opponent was one of the greatest Leaf Shinobi who ever lived.


	42. Chapter 42

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 42: The 3rd Hokage: Will Of Fire! A Moment Of Darkness.**

Fueled by his determination, Hiruzen clapped both hands together into the Tiger Seal before funneling a significant amount of chakra to his stomach. This action caused the surrounding water to ripple and rupture because of 3rd Hokage's dense chakra-level.

"Incredible...!? To preform such masterful jutsu, and still have the chakra to continue?" The nearby Anbu member known as Toucan mumbled.

"Right... Lord 3rd Hokage's chakra-reserves are massive, truly worthy of the Kage title." Bear spoke in agreement.

"Water Style: Water Fang Bullet." Hiruzen proclaimed, creating a small puddle of foamy and bubbling water underneath him.

At this moment, multiple drill-like streams of water shot out from the bubbling liquid before hurling towards Tobirama. The first pair of streams hit the latter legs, knocking the 2nd Hokage on his back before the numerous remaining streams wrapped around his body and dragged him down.

Although the lake of water created shouldn't have been any more than 3 feet deep, Tobirama found himself dragged down over 20ft into the black abyss below. This attack forced Hashirama to slam before hands into the Tiger Seal before weaving through the Ram and Snake Seals.

"Prepare yourself, Sarutobi." Hashirama remarked as the surrounding water was crushed under the weight of his chakra pressure.

This isn't good, with that sequence of Hand Seals... There is only 1 technique that could be. Hiruzen concluded while his elderly eyes squinted and narrowed.

"Haaaaaaaaah." Hashirama grunted from underneath of his breathe as he continued to pour and funnel chakra into his jutsu.

This action caused the entire rooftop to rumble while several ripples resonated across the lake of water.

"Is... Is this the secret technique that the 1st Hokage possessed...!? The power of the Senju clan?" Bear asked himself as the rumbling grew in density and power.

At this moment, multiple tree limbs, flowers and even pieces of tree bark shot out from the lake, decorating the waters-surface with numerous fallen trees, resembling a swamp. During this, Hashirama continued to pour even more chakra into his upcoming attack.

Because of training with the 1st Hokage since he was 10 years old, Hiruzen instantly knew what was about to happen. This realization caused the 3rd Hokage to jump back before quickly scaling the 20ft wall he created.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!" The 1st Hokage's voice echoed across the rooftop.

This declaration caused the multiple surrounding trees to abruptly uproot themselves before extending and growing in several different directions. As these trees grew, multiple roof tiles were unhinged before sections of wood began crashing and growing against the Four-Flames Formation.

If this was ordinary wood, the trees would have easily been burnt from instant contact with the Flames Formation. However, this technique was fueled by the 1st Hokage's chakra, giving it the strength and power far beyond an average jutsu.

During this process, several buds of tree leaf's began blooming out from the almost endless amount of treebranches that now decorated the rooftop. Suddenly, a condense jet of sharpened water shot out from lake.

This jet of water was so pressurized by the chakra poured into it, that it easily cut through a large section of the 10ft thick wall Hiruzen created. This action cut multiple pieces of jagged stone loose from the wall, causing them to tumble and fall into the lake, creating several pillars of water in the process.

At the same time, Hiruzen raised his left hand to his face before biting down against his left thumb. While preforming this action, the elite 3rd Hokage appeared beside the struggling Genma and Raidō with a Kage-level Body Flicker Technique.

"HAAAAAA!" Hashirama screamed while crouching down, slamming his right knee into the water below him in the process.

This action caused the amount of surrounding trees to double while pieces of wood and flowers began growing out from Hiruzen's wall. As the amount of chakra poured into this technique increased, so too did its power and density, allowing the chakra-filled wood to drill through solid stone.

This intense display of Wood Style caused the upper portion of Hiruzen's wall to crack and tumble. During this, the 3rd Hokage crouched down upon a piece of falling stone before slamming his left hand against the stones-surface.

"Summoning Jutsu: Come forth, Monkey King Enma!" Hiruzen ordered before a 5ft tall pillar of smoke erupted infront of him, an action that greatly alarmed the nearby Orochimaru.

At the same time, this masterful display of Wood Style separated the pair of tokubetsu Jonin from the 3rd Hokage. This process caused both Jonin to instantly be overwhelmed and restrained by the 1st Hokage's technique, unable to withstand Hokage-level combat.

"So this is the power of the 1st Hokage... The man who put an end to the era of warring states and created Konoha...!?" Bear exclaimed, in all his 20 years as an elite Anbu member, he never experienced such high-levels of combat.

At this moment, the piece of stone Hiruzen sat crouched upon lodged instead in between a set of trees, causing the surrounding smoke cloud to dissipate. This action revealed an odd white-fur covered Humanoid. The figure was quite old and he had long unkempt white hair that reached his back with long sideburns and a goatee. Also, there was a monkey-like tail extending out from his lower-back.

The summoning wore a black suit with mesh armor underneath like Hiruzen's. Over this, he wore a sleeveless kimono shirt with markings very similar to tiger stripes, this outfit was tied-close by a red sash around his waist. Most apparent was the Headband of Konoha tied around the summoning's forehead.

"Hm... So that troublesome thing has finally appeared." Orochimaru mumbled while his yellow snake-like eyes squinted and narrowed.

"The elder monkey, Enma." As the elite Sanin spoke, Enma scoffed while staring at Orochimaru with a disgusted expression sprawled across his monkey-like face.

"Orochimaru... I knew this would happen. You must feel pathetic, Sarutobi, you should've killed him back then." Enma began to lecture his summoner.

"Silence." Hiruzen ordered while his elderly eyes narrowed, causing Orochimaru to chuckle in response.

"What's wrong, Sarutobi-Sensei? Can you still not bring yourself to do it? Are you unable to kill the same person you once called your favorite student?" Orochimaru mocked his teacher.

"This battle will not end until one of us dies, it's either me or you... Sarutobi-Sensei." After the Sanin spoke, Tobirama leapt out from underwater before landing beside the 1st Hokage.

This declaration forced Hiruzen to grind his teeth together while clenching both fists shut, clearly disturbed by the subject of their conversation. This action was also observed by the nearby Enma who grunted as a result.

"Sarutobi... What are you waiting for? What's wrong? This isn't like you." The monkey king Enma continued to lecture his summoner.

"I'm sorry..." Hiruzen apologized while his elderly eyes gazed into the yellow snake-like eyes of Orochimaru.

To anyone else, these snake-like eyes would have appeared sadistic and twisted, however, Hiruzen saw something no one else did. He saw the young and innocent face of his past student, revealing the pure expression that once covered the young Orochimaru's face.

This memory forced multiple beads of sweat to build upon Hiruzen's brow. Despite the resolve to defend his people and protect his village, the 3rd Hokage couldn't find the strength to kill the same child he once loved so much.

Eyes... Eyes filled with malice and ambition, you had those same eyes even as a child, and I knew it. Hiruzen admitted to himself while thinking upon the life Orochimaru had lived.

I knew... Yet I pretended not too. As these thoughts progressed, the 3rd Hokage's mind darted across dozens of warnings that he previously saw about Orochimaru, but ignored.

Back then, It was still an era of war, of conflict... And you were strong. You were a genius filled with potential. Someone who comes along only once in-a-decade. These thoughts forced Hiruzen to clench both fists even tighter than before, clearly disturbed.

That's why... That's why I wanted to believe you would inherit my power, and my will. But that optimism led to this moment, a moment that should have never come. After this train of thought progressed, Hiruzen's mind began drifting back to the night Orochimaru was exiled.

 _-Flashback-_

 _Monday, 9:48pm March 2nd 46SSP_

The sound of feet stomping against ankle-deep water could be heard echoing across the surrounding tunnels. This sound revealed the 55 year old 3rd Hokage who was dashing through the sewer system of Konoha with an elite Anbu bodyguard on either side of him. Even though the 3rd Hokage and his bodyguards were inside the village, all three of them were adorned in battle-armor, evidence to the level of threat from the situation at hand.

Soon, the group of 3 Leaf Shinobi all approached a dead-end in the sewer system. To the untrained eye, this would have been it, but the seasoned eyes of the 3rd Hokage noticed a faintly-visible steel door disguised against the stone wall. The door was painted like the surrounding wall and held no doorknob or handle. Also, the door was adorned and covered with multiple explosion tags, tags the Anbu didn't even notice but Hiruzen did.

This realization caused the 3rd Hokage to raise his left hand vertically into the air, an action that forced the accompanying Anbu to halt all movement while Hiruzen did the same. Without a moments delay, Hiruzen then twitched his fingers forward multiple times. This action caused the 3rd Hokage and his pair of Anbu bodyguards to appear beside the distant door with the Body Flicker Technique, moving at speeds far beyond Jonin-level. Hiruzen then managed to deactivate the dozens of explosive tags in a matter of seconds, accomplishing a feat that usually took an entire squad of Jonin.

Hiruzen then raised his left hand horizontally infront of face. During this, the 3rd Hokage extended his index and middle finger while clenching all others close, alerting the nearby Anbu that the order to move was about to be given. What followed was a tense period of silence, silence marked only by the occasional drip of water falling from the pipes of above. The group of Leaf Shinobi had already disarmed multiple traps on the way here, forcing them all to be extra cautious.

At this moment, Hiruzen waved his left hand forward, ordering the nearby Anbu the break the door down before swarming out in a parallel fashion to stand on either stand of the entrance. After this, the 3rd Hokage then walked into the dimly-lit room, a room filled with several dozen library-like book shelves, all of which were filled with multiple organs.

During this, the sound of metal pierce flesh could be heard resonating from the opposite side of the room. The source of this sound was a dimly-lit Leaf Shinobi who was operating on the corpse of unknown citizen.

Although the door to his lab had been broken down, the distant figure continued to progress his work until the sound of scissors being placed atop an operating tray filled the room.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph... I've finally been caught, how disappointing." Orochimaru spoke in a playful manner while turning his face slightly to the left, allowing Hiruzen to notice multiple drops of blood that covered his students face.

"Orochimaru, what is the meaning of this?" The 3rd Hokage demanded to know.

"I set up alot of traps to prevent anyone from getting this fair, but it seems they were bypassed... No doubt it was because of you, oh great 3rd Hokage." Orochimaru complimented his teacher.

"People have begun to disappear inside the Leaf village lately; Genin, Chunin and even Anbu members... Also, we've received information that you've been acting very strange recently. We even have evidence linking you to multiple missing-citizens." The Hawk-masked Anbu member explained.

"Lord Orochimaru... Why would a great ninja like yourself do something like this? What is there to gain?" The Squirrel-masked Anbu asked.

"Huehuehuehuehue, shall I kill you too?" Orochimaru asked while his snake-like eyes focused upon Squirrel, causing the Anbu member to swallow his spit in response.

"Orochimaru, so you are behind this... The Kidnapping's? The Murder's? Just what are you planning, what are you doing inside this lab?" Hiruzen once again demanded to know.

"Mmmmm... Now that you've caught me red-handed, I guess lying won't help." Orochimaru mumbled before he slowly turned around, revealing several dozen blood stains that covered his Konoha outfit.

"I was developing... New jutsu." As the Sanin spoke, his voice with filled with pride, a fact that greatly disturbed Hiruzen.

"Orochimaru... Did you really kill your fellow village-members just to gain more jutsu?" Hawk asked, causing the elite Sanin to chuckle in response.

"What are you trying to accomplish?" Hiruzen questioned.

"Everything." Orochimaru replied.

"Everything?" The 3rd Hokage repeated. After this, the small source of light overhead began to flicker in and out of existence multiple times before stablizing.

"I want to master all jutsu, all techniques. I want to understand the truth of this world. The one who first mixed Blue and Yellow decided to name that new color Green; I wish to do something similar to that." Orochimaru explained, further disturbing his Sensei.

"You hold such little value and regard for life that you compare it to mixing colors?" Hiruzen spoke.

"If Blue represents chakra, and Yellow represents seals... Then Green is the symbol for that new technique. Since there are many different colors that means there are thousands of different jutsu in this world, some not even discovered yet." As the Sanin spoke, he raised both hands to a ceiling as if he was reaching out to the heavens.

"But to master all existing techniques and too understand the truth of life takes a long time. Time that forces the individual to become old and frail... To me, the body's lifespan is _too_ short, it is _too_ transient." While Orochimaru spoke, the surrounding Anbu began to tense with anticipation.

"Even if I was made the 4th Hokage, everything would end after I died. And a life without living forever isn't worth living at all." After the Sanin spoke, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.

"Orochimaru, is the technique that you're practicing here... Is it _that_ jutsu?" Hiruzen asked.

" _That_ forbidden jutsu? Yes, you probably have the right idea. It's a technique dealing with eternal youth and immortality." Orochimaru replied as his yellow snake-like eyes bulged while a sadistic smile grew upon his pale face.

Instead of replying with words, a tense period of silence quickly followed the Sanin's words, silence that was only broken by the occasional water dripping from the nearby pipes. Suddenly, Orochimaru took several steps forward, causing his feet to scuff against the blood-stained floor.

"Are you going to... _Kill_ me?" As the Sanin spoke, his snake-like eyes widened while speaking the final two words.

At this moment, Hiruzen raised his right hand infront of his face before biting into his thumb. Afterwards, the 3rd Hokage quickly crouched down before slamming his right palm against the blood-stained floor below him.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Hiruzen bellowed before a dense smoke cloud erupt in the previous place of his hand.

After several moments, the young and vibrant Monkey King known as Enma appeared on all four-knuckles infront of Hiruzen. At the same time, the nearby Anbu crouched down into a tense stance, expecting the battle to begin any moment.

"But can _you_ do that...? Can you kill me, Sarutobi-Sensei!?" Orochimaru asked in a sadistic tone before slamming both hands into the Tiger Seal.

The twisted Sanin then weaved his hands through the Ox, Dog, Rabbit and Snakes Seals while smiling towards his Sensei. Suddenly, a faint glimmer of light built up around Orochimaru's hands before shooting out in all directions, revealing the technique to be some type of Sound wave. As the powerful combustion of rupturing Sound shot out in all directions, it shattered the light overhead and hundreds of the surrounding jars. This action littered the entire room with broken glass.

Suddenly, the sound of metal piercing flesh filled the room before numerous splots of blood decorated the surrounding walls. Afterwards, 2 lifeless Anbu corpses fell to the ground before Orochimaru appeared behind the 3rd Hokage, standing in the same doorway that the latter entered from. Instead of striking out at his Sensei, Orochimaru had his back directed towards Hiruzen, who also did the same. Despite knowing that his student was guilty of murder, the 3rd Hokage was unable to turn out and finish him.

"Kill him, Sarutobi!" Enma ordered his summoner, only to be met with silence.

For what felt like minutes, neither of the elite Leaf Shinobi moved or reacted while each of them stood with their back facing one another. Hiruzen then downcast his face while the memories of a kind and innocent Orochimaru floated through his mind. At this moment, Orochimaru began running off into the same tunnel Hiruzen arrived from. Soon, the snake Sanin disappeared from view as Enma glared at the 3rd Hokage with a mixture of shock and awe.

"Sarutobi...? You..." Enma stuttered, unable to believe that the 3rd Hokage just let Orochimaru escape.

"I... I can't do it... I can't, Enma." Hiruzen mumbled in embarrassment while closing both eyes. This was a moment that would live on with the 3rd Hokage for decades, a moment of disappointment and failure.

 _-Flashback ends-_

I couldn't kill him then... But I will kill him now! Hiruzen's train of thought became resolute.

"Enma! Transform!" As the 3rd Hokage spoke, his summoning nodded in agreement before jumping into the air and erupting into smoke.

"Kill him! Now!" Orochimaru ordered the pair of reanimated Hokage before they began slowly charging towards their student.

"This is regrettable." Hashirama mumbled.

"Forgive me, elder brother." Tobirama pleaded, angered that his jutsu would be used in such a manner.

At this moment, the smoke cloud beside Hiruzen dissipated, revealing a large and thick staff that rested upright atop the nearby stone. The staff was roughly 8ft tall and solid black except for the ends, both of which were adorned with gold-paint Kunai steel.

The 3rd Hokage then quickly reached out with his left hand before gripping the staff, an action that caused it to shrink in density. This action allowed Hiruzen to pick up the staff with one hand before twirling it around his body multiple times.

Fueled by his passion and the bright Will of Fire, Hiruzen was determined to end this battle, once-and-for-all.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Residential district._

"Kill the runts, take the blond br-" The leader to the group of Sound ninja spoke out, only to get interrupted midsentence as 6 senbon instantly lodged themselves into his back, forcing him to fall in a paralyzed fashion into the alleyway below.

At the same time, the sound of a sword being unsheathed rang out across the rooftop before 2 Sound ninja were both cut and pushed down into the alleyway. This action forced the pair of Sound Chunin to both fall into a bundle of empty trashcan.

"Geez, why did you have to run ahead of us like that Naruto?" Sakura complained after she and Sasuke appeared atop the overcasting rooftop.

"Where's Gaara?" Sasuke asked before sidestepping to the right, allowing him to dodge 3 Kunai that were thrown at his previous location.

"How dare you hurt my Sasuke!" Sakura once again complained before hurling 3 more senbon through the air, causing all of them to pierce her opponent's left shoulder with almost surgical precision.

At this moment, the 3 remaining Sound ninja leapt into the alleyway before charging at Naruto, who still held Udon and Moegi in each hand. As the Chunin approached, Konohamaru's eyes widened with each step. Suddenly, Naruto's violet, ripple-patterned eyes bulged as his black pupils slowly doubled in size and width.

This action greatly affected the attacking ninja, causing their minds to become pierced by the hypnotic gaze of the Rinnegan, forcing them to trip and fall before passing out.

"Naruto, I asked you a question. Where is Gara?" Sasuke repeated before a loud rumbling ruptured from out from the distant Chunin Arena.

This sound caused Naruto to abruptly place Udon and Moegi atop the alleyway ground before appearing beside his teammates atop the roof. This process caused all three members of team 7 to stand beside one another. After several moments, a gust of wind blew in from the South, blowing against the hair and outfits of all three team 7 members. As the 3 Genin stood beside one another, none of them knew this was the last time they would stand together as friends.

Naruto could see what his friends couldn't, he saw the thick aura of multiple individuals radiating through the distant air. At the same time, the blond was finally able to observe each of the chakra networks atop the distant roof. Although 10 chakra networks decorated the distant rooftop, Naruto's violet eyes were focused upon only two individuals. The Purple network of Shiore and the Red network of Tayuya.

At this moment, the 12 year old blond instantly erupted into a puff of smoke before dissipating entirely, revealing himself to be nothing but a Shadow Clone. While Sakura didn't really care about this realization, it greatly annoyed Sasuke.

"Damnit, Naruto." Sasuke muttered under his breathe while slamming his sword shut into the sheathe on his back.

Before another moment could pass, Sasuke began dashing across the nearby rooftops on his journey towards the distant Chunin Arena. This action caused Sakura to scream multiple complaints into the surrounding air, all of which her Uchiha teammate ignored while continuing to move forward.

In response to this, Sakura stomped her feet against the roof tiles below her before jumping down into the alleyway. Upset that both teammates had left her alone with 3 children, all of which she needed to escort back to the Arena.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Four-Flames Formation._

"Amazing... Such high displays of jutsu, is this what it means to be Kage-level!?" Bear spoke in awe as he continued to observe the nearby battle.

"Lord 1st Hokage created such a dense forest, I can barely see inside." Toucan proclaimed while struggling to look past several dozen tree limbs.

"My, my... Things are finally starting to get interesting." Orochimaru spoke as 3 separate white snakes slithered out from the lower portion of his pants before sliding across the waters surface to a nearby treebranch.

These snakes quickly contorted and morphed their body's before transforming from flesh into steel. This process revealed a set of three legendary swords, each of which were stabbed vertically into a treebranch that rose halfway out from the lake.

Gathered together was the sacred Sword of Kusanagi, Orochimaru's preferred weapon and something that was always on his person. On either side of this blade were the former-swords of the 1st and 2nd Hokage, weapons Orochimaru stole the night of his exile.

Suddenly, both Hashirama and Tobirama were flung back over 10ft, causing each of them to flip and twist over the small lake of water before slamming against a nearby treebranch. This was a result from being overpowered by the elite 3rd Hokage.

Orochimaru then reached out with his right hand before gripping the hilt of his favored sword in just time to parry a fierce attack from Hiruzen. The 3rd Hokage's staff was one-of-a-kind, it could shrink, grow or even extend in multiple different directs. This allowed the 3rd Hokage to attack even though he was 10ft away.

As the golden end of Hiruzen's staff dug against the horizontal side of the Kusanagi blade, causing the sound of metal scraping metal to fill the surrounding area. The power of this attack was so intense that Orochimaru was forced to use both hands in order to stabilize his sword and even then he still struggled.

"Careful, Sarutobi. Even if I'm as hard as diamonds, that sword will still hurt." The staff-version of Enma spoke out, some how he was still able to speak in that form.

At this moment, the 1st Hokage and 2nd Hokage regained their balance before charging towards Hiruzen. This action allowed Hashirama to crouch down before swinging his right leg across the water in a counter-clockwise fashion, kicking Hiruzen off of his feet.

Against an average opponent this would have finished the battle, but Hiruzen was easily able to regain his balance in midair after preforming a backflip. The 3rd Hokage then extended his left leg out, slamming his foot against Hashirama's face, forcing the 1st Hokage to fly back over 5ft.

After landing on his feet, Hiruzen held his staff overhead with both hands, still continuing to put pressure on Orochimaru. Tobirama then appeared behind the 3rd Hokage before kicking his staff into the air, disarming Hiruzen.

The 3rd Hokage the quickly crouched down while spinning in a counter-clockwise fashion, allowing him to kick the 2nd Hokage off his feet. Hiruzen then pressed both hands against the water below him before pushing upward, slamming his right foot against Tobirama's stomach, forcing the 2nd Hokage to fly back over 10ft.

During this brief moment of relief, Orochimaru kicked the pair of remaining swords towards each of their owners, rearming the 1st and 2nd Hokage with their legendary blades. Although both swords looked very similiar, the fabric wrapped around either hilt was crimson Red or ocean Blue, each representing the favorite color of that Hokage.

Hashirama's sword was said to have endured a 6-hour long battle with Madara Uchiha, a battle depicted in legend and statues. Also, Tobirama's blade was engraved with his personal Flying Thunder God seal, a seal from the technique he designed.

Hiruzen then kicked his staff up before grabbing it with both hands while jumping over 15ft into the air. During this, the 3rd Hokage preformed a backflip in midair while pointing the end of his staff down in a vertical fashion, causing the object to rest against his back. This staff then extended out with alarming speed before rushing towards Orochimaru who managed to sidestep too the right at the last moment.

This allowed Hiruzen's staff to crash against the treebranch that previously held the 3 legendary swords, breaking through the chakra-filled wood with ease before piercing the lake below.

As quickly as it extended, the staff then retracted, but instead of raising back into the air towards Hiruzen, it lowered the 3rd Hokage, pulling him towards the waters surface. During this, Hiruzen began swinging sideways across his staff with both feet extended out, allowing him kick away multiple attacks from Orochimaru.

After landing atop the waters surface, Hiruzen twirled the staff around his left wrist multiple times before gripping it with both hands while allowing it to rest on his shoulders. The 3rd Hokage then began to spin in a counter-clockwise fashion, during this, his staff would extend and retract several times, striking out against all 3 of his surrounding opponents.

As this staff smashed and rammed against the 3 legendary blades wielded by these opponents, It's power forced, pushed and knocked all of them back several feet. At the same time, multiple treebranchs were cut down as a result of this attack. The 3rd Hokage then quickly retracted his staff before leaping 10ft into the air while twirling his weapon around both arms and shoulders. Hiruzen then hurled his staff down in a vertical slice, slamming the end of his weapon against Orochimaru's fabled Sword of Kusanagi.

Suddenly, Tobirama and Hashirama both appeared behind Hiruzen before slicing their swords in to separate fashion, giving no space to dodge. In response to this, the 3rd Hokage gripped his weapon firmly before forcing the object to extend.

This action caused Hiruzen's staff to pierce the lake before jabbing into the roof below, sending the 3rd Hokage over 15ft into the air until he jumped onto a nearby treebranch. After landing, Hiruzen's staff retracted just in time for him to parry multiple strikes and swings directed towards him from the 1st and 2nd Hokage.

This process filled the surrounding treeline with the sound of metal scraping against metal. At the same time, the power of these Kage-level attacks forced the surrounding tree's to crack while the water below rippled and ruptured.

Despite being titled as the greatest living Kage, Hiruzen was far past his prime, a fact the 3rd Hokage openly admitted once he began to pant from exhaustion. During this, a distant Orochimaru began jumping up multiple treebranchs before leaping into the air behind Hiruzen.

Since the 3rd Hokage was so busy parrying and deflecting multiple attacks from Hashirama and Tobirama he was unable to react in time, an side-effect of his extreme age. This allowed Orochimaru to angle the tip of his legendary sword at Hiruzen's back while lunging forward in midair.

"Saru, watch out." Tobirama ordered only for his constant swords strikes to prevent his student from defending.

At this moment, a Yellow and Purple flash appeared in a blur behind the 3rd Hokage, preforming a technique that Tobirama instantly identified as his own. As Orochimaru's sword continued to rush forward, it was abruptly stopped infront of 2 violet ripple-patterned eyes.

These eyes released an overwhelming yet unseen force that quickly gripped down upon the attacking Sanin from all directions. At the same time, a faint glimmer of light flickered infront of these violet eyes before the surrounding treebranchs infront of them began to crack in several location.

Suddenly, Orochimaru and the surrounding treebranchs were all forced back by some unseen force. This force slammed the elite Sanin through multiple pieces and chunks of tree-bark before hitting the distant wall of the Four-Flames Formation. This action caused Orochimaru's outfit to instantly erupt into chakra-fueled flames, flames that quickly burned his pale-skin as pieces of broken treebranchs fell down before crushing his body into the 3ft deep lake.

During this, Hiruzen managed to parry and block the pair of attacking Hokage before knocking each of them back over 5ft, causing them to backflip towards a nearby treebranch. Afterwards, the elite yet partially-exhausted 3rd Hokage allowed his back to rest against the young blond he cared so much for.

"What are you doi-" Hiruzen's words cut-off midsentence once he noticed a Black-inked seal sprawled across his left palm. This seal was Naruto's version of the Flying Thunder God, and it was placed in the same palm that walked Naruto through the village so often as a child.

"Saru, we can't be defeated unless the caster of this jutsu releases it or you seal up." Tobirama explained, aware that his student had already taken the time to examine the technique.

Before the conversation could continue any further, the sound of a throat gagging resonated out from the nearby broken pile of treelimbs. Afterwards, the slime and spit-covered body of Orochimaru slide out from underneath the treebranchs, revealing that his body was completely unharmed.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph... My, my I'm so lucky, I didn't think you would bless me with your power so soon... Naruto." Orochimaru teased before his snake-like tongue shot out from his mouth and began licking his lips.

Instead of replying with words, Naruto's violet eyes merely narrowed and squinted in response. At the same time, the blond attempted to study the surrounding area only for his eyes to be blocked by dense treebranchs in every angle.

Although the Rinnegan allowed Naruto to see chakra, like the chakra network that was coursing through the dozens of nearby trees. It was unable to pierce solid wood or a material of any kind, only the Byakugan had such power.

Maybe it was just an illusion? Naruto asked himself as he continued to study the surrounding area. The blond was referring to the Red chakra network of Tayuya, a network he previously saw through the eyes of his clone but now the dense forest all around him prevented Naruto from seeing anything.

"Oooh? Sarutobi, who is this young Leaf that appears so boldly in your defense." Hashirama asked as he stared at Naruto's bright blond hair, since the latter had his back directed towards the former.

Before Hiruzen could answer, both of his teachers began charging towards the partially-exhausted 3rd Hokage. Although Hiruzen began to prepare himself for combat, Naruto quickly turned around before jumping towards the pair of attacking Hokage.

While the 1st and 2nd Hokage drifted through the air, both of them observed the bright violet eyes possessed by the young blond floating towards them. Unable to control their actions, both Hokage raised their weapons in a slanted vertical fashion before slicing down.

Similar to Orochimaru, the pair of swords and the Shinobi wielding through were each hurled back over 10ft before slamming against distant treebranchs. Since this Hokage were reanimations, each of them were easily able to stand back up before regaining their balance.

"Elder brother, do you see them?" Tobirama asked the 1st Hokage. During this, Naruto landed atop a treebranch in between the battling Hokage.

Since Naruto had no time to rest since his match with Gaara, the entire left portion of his tunic was still burnt off, showing large portions of his left arm, shoulder and torso. This also revealed half of the 8-trigram Seal that was used to restrain the 9-tails.

"Yes... It would appear the legends are true." Hashirama replied while staring into Naruto's violet eyes before abruptly shifting his focus to the seal that was sprawled across the boys stomach.

"Legends favor Konoha then, this child wears the Headband of our village." Tobirama remarked.

"You there. Boy. When I was you're age I was a child-solider... Because of that I will not judge you by age." As the 2nd Hokage spoke, both he and his brother charged towards Naruto.

During this, Hashirama landed atop the treebranch beside the young blond while Tobirama hovered in the air nearby. The 2nd Hokage then used his legendary sword to slice out in a Horizontal fashion, forcing Naruto to crouch down.

At the same time, Hashirama raised his right knee against his chest before launching it forward at Naruto, forcing the blond the cross his arms in an 'X' fashion infront of his chest. Although Naruto managed to subdue to 1-tails, his opponents were far beyond Shukaku in terms of power.

This allowed Hashirama's kick to completely overwhelm Naruto's defense, sending the blond back over 3ft before slamming against the nearby tree. As this happened, the sound of metal scraping metal could be heard in the distance, suggesting Hiruzen and Orochimaru had continued their battle.

Suddenly, Tobirama appeared floating in midair beside the injured blond before once again slicing his blade out in a horizontal fashion. At the last moment, Naruto rolled to the left, causing him to fall down over 10ft while the 2nd Hokage's legendary sword cut into the treebark of his previous location.

As Naruto stood up atop the 3ft deep lake, he barely had time to regain his balance before Hashirama appeared behind him with a blinding amount of speed. The blond had just enough time to turn halfway around before the veteran left foot of the 1st Hokage was dug into the right side of his face.

This powerful kick sent Naruto hurling back over 10ft before he began preforming a series of backflips in an attempt to recover his balance. After 6 backflips, Naruto managed to finally stabilize himself before landing atop a treebranch that rose halfway out from the water.

At this moment, the pair of attacking Hokage each appeared on either side of Naruto with the tips of their weapons pointed down in a slanted vertical fashion. These weapons were then flung downward with great force, attempting to stab Naruto in multiple ankles. These attacks and the pair of Shinobi directing them were then frozen and overpowered by some unseen force, a force that restricted all movement. Both the 1st and 2nd Hokage were then flung back over 5ft by this force, smashing into the nearby trees and causing them to crack in the process.

Afterwards, Tobirama and Hashirama quickly stood up, revealing that the latter had been disarmed by the force Naruto previously released. Because of this, the 1st Hokage clapped both hands together into the Rat Seal.

This action forced multiple flowers and vines to erupt out from the treebranch underneath Naruto, quickly restraining over half of his body. At the same time, Naruto's violet eyes noticed a struggling Hiruzen get caught in distant treebranchs that were also growing, no doubt a side-effect of the 3rd Hokage's exhaustion.

Since Orochimaru didn't want to kill Naruto, he mentally ordered Tobirama to dash across the treebranch, running past the restrained blond in the process. Fueled by his determination to reach Hiruzen, Naruto reached out with his struggling left hand just enough to grab Tobirama's right arm.

After touching the 2nd Hokage, Naruto closed his violet eyes before using the entirety of his unrestrained might to pull Tobirama back in an attempt to give Hiruzen more time. Although Naruto could feel no physical material after pulling, his mind was aware of some transparent, humanoid shade, a shade that wrapped around his left hand before merging with his mind and body.

Suddenly, the sound of a corpse hitting wood before rolling over and falling into the water below could be heard. At the same time, Naruto's mind began to throb and pulsate with great pain, causing the blond to clench his jawline shut while groaning with agony.

During this, hundreds if not thousands of images, words, places and even faces began to float throughout Naruto's mind, images he had never personally seen. Naruto was so focused on the pain these thoughts caused that he failed to notice the shocked expression held across the 1st Hokage's face.

Despite this pain, Naruto was so fueled by his desire to save Hiruzen that he quickly funneled a chakra into his eyes. This chakra then radiated out from Naruto in all directions, breaking the vines that entrapped him while slamming Hashirama against the nearby tree. Naruto then attempted to charged forward only to stumble and fall before being forced to crawl. During this, memories from a life that wasn't his continued to float through the blond's mind, preventing any coherent train of thought or action.

At this moment, a distant treebranch tossed Hashirama his sword as the 1st Hokage leapt in the air before slicing his weapon down in a vertical fashion. Even though he was overwhelmed by intense pain, Naruto managed to roll too the right at the last moment. This action caused the blond to fall down into the 3ft deep lake, partially concealing his entire body since he was only 4ft8". Usually, Naruto would funnel chakra into his hands or feet, allowing him to stand atop the waters surface, but the level of pain he was in prevented this.

After strugglng to stand up, Naruto fell back against a tree before sliding down just in time to avoid a horizontal sword strike from Hashirama. During this entire process, a look of depression and sadness covered the 1st Hokage's face.

"Please, end this young Leaf. I don't know what you did too my brother but you must do it to me." Hashirama pleaded as his left hand gripped the raised collar of Naruto's tunic before hurling the blond over 10ft against a distant tree. The pain floating through Naruto was so intense, that he didn't even notice he was just thrown. After several moments, the 1st Hokage then slowly approached Naruto, creating multiple ripples across the waters surface in the process.

Even though he had no intent to kill Naruto, Orochimaru mentally ordered Hashirama to pick Naruto up by the throat before raising the child into the air with his left hand. This process allowed Naruto to partially regain his sense of reality while grasping down upon Hashirama's left wrist with both hands.

The 1st Hokage then flung Naruto to the left, causing the boy to fly over 12ft before slamming halfway against a treebranch. During this, Naruto's eyes were opened, allowing him to see the ghostly figure his hands ripped from Hashirama's body after being thrown, a figure that merged with his own body and mind.

As a struggling Naruto rested atop a treebranch with half of his body dangling off, the sound of a lifeless corpse striking wood then falling into water below could be heard nearby. At the same time, numerous faces, places, names and images once again pierced and floated through Naruto's mind, images of a life he never personally had.

These images caused great pain, just like before. This pain was so great that Naruto failed to hear the arguing Hiruzen and Orochimaru in the distance. This brief moment felt like years to Naruto as decades of memories drifted through his mind in a matter of seconds.

After struggling to ignore the pain, Naruto managed to pull his entire body onto the treebranch in a crouched fashion while panting heavily. During this, Naruto's ears were ringing as hundreds of memories continued to filled his mind.

"Naruto! Watch out!" Hiruzen's voice rang out before the dazed Naruto raised his head just in time for multiple drops of blood to spray across his whiskered face. This blood partially covered Naruto's nose, chin and whiskers.

"Orochimaru... Konoha is my home... As the 3rd Hokage I am the supporter of that home, I am the central pillar... And I shall protect it!" Hiruzen declared as he stood infront of Naruto with the Kusanagi sword piercing his left lung.

"The Hokage is also the inheritor to the Will of Fire... Someone who must carry and give that will to the next generation... Even if the people of this village are not blood-related, they are _all_ my family." As the 3rd Hokage spoke, he struggled to breath multiple times.

"Even if you kill me, this home will not be broken... Just as I inherited my Will from the 1st and 2nd Hokage, so too will a new Hokage step forward and carry on my Will!" As Hiruzen spoke, the smiling faces of Naruto and Konohamaru each floated through his mind, he was confident in both of their futures.

At this moment, Hiruzen noticed the nearby pair of dissolving Hokage, each of which crumbled into ash before revealing a pair of lifeless Sound ninja. These ninja were Zaku and Kin, the Sound ninja that entered the Chunin Exam as Orochimaru's students.

"Yo-... You sacrificed your own people?" Hiruzen spat under his breathe before Orochimaru flung his sword to the right, hurling the 3rd Hokage off his blade before slamming him against a nearby tree.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph... My own people? I have no people." Orochimaru chuckled, showing that he cared about no one, not even the 4 subordinates that created the Four-Flames Formation.

During this entire conversation, the shocked and traumatized Naruto only understood one word, Orochimaru. It was a name he heard only one other time in his entire life, a name spoken by the very same man who killed Iruka. For several moments Naruto's entire body was limp as his eyes took on a lifeless glare, refusing to move or react, even to sunlight. At the same time, multiple words and statements from different individuals echoed throughout the blonds mind.

As this occurred, over 40 years of memories, experience and love towards the 3rd Hokage drifted through Naruto's mind, giving him thoughts and images he had never personally seen. These thoughts forced Naruto's love for Hiruzen to grow over 3-times, allowing the blond so see him as a Son, Student and Grandfather, no doubt the combination of Hashirama, Tobirama and his own thoughts merged together.

Sarutobi... Our comrades in Konoha are like a part of my own body. The villagers believe in me and I believe in them. The cheerful voice of Hashirama spoke.

That is what the Hokage is supposed to do. As this voice progressed, Hiruzen's blood began to slowly slide down across Naruto's traumatized face.

Saru... Protect those who love Konoha and those that believe in you... Take care of those to whom you can entrust the next generation. Tobirama's voice declared.

Starting tomorrow... You, are Hokage. As these memories unfolded, Hiruzen's blood began dripping atop Naruto's lifeless hands.

Suddenly, Naruto's traumatized eyes instantly saw a transparent Fire Hawk soaring against the nearby treeline. This Hawk soared higher and higher before disappearing into a dense bud of Leaf's. As this Hawk flew, it screeched and chirped multiple times before abruptly cutting-off as it disappeared.

To me... Love is the act of being entrusted to protect others. The voice of Hiruzen resonated throughout Naruto's now empty mind.

I don't want things to change... The memory of Naruto's timid voice echoed, thinking back on a distant conversation with Iruka.

But you can't stop the change... Anymore than you can stop the sun from setting. Iruka's kind voice replied before abruptly cutting-off.

At this moment, multiple blood vessels inside Naruto's brain ruptured, filling his mind with the bright Red color of blood. During this, Naruto's black pupils slowly began to shrink, becoming half of they're previous size. At the same time, Naruto's previous thoughts, fears and desires were all erased, as if his entire mind just emptied itself.

"U-... Hmm?" Orochimaru mumbled as his head turned to the left while both snake-like eyes narrowed. The elite Sanin felt a sudden shift in the air.

"What's the matter, boy? You're too late, you're always too late." As the Sanin spoke, he attempted to gain a reaction from Naruto but it was like the boy didn't even hear him.

 **"Yes... Good."** A deep, dark and demonic voice spoke from inside Naruto's mind.

 **"Hate him..."** The voice encouraged, forcing Naruto's hands to briefly tremble before once again ending all movement.

 **"Curse him...!"** The voice ordered before being followed by a loud rumbling. During this, a single tear fell from Naruto's violet eyes before mixing with the blood that stained his face.

 **"KILL HIM!"** The voice screamed, forcing all trees in a 10ft radius around Naruto to instantly crack and splinter while the water below rippled and ruptured. At the same time, Orochimaru's hair was blown back due to force created from this artificial breeze.

"RaaaaAAAH!" Naruto roared while digging both hands into the treebranch below him, instantly snapping the object while uprooting multiple nearby trees and roof tiles with a blinding, violet light.

The force of this shockwave was so intense that it even unhinged the multiple ayers of stone that paved the roof below, revealing that the Four-Flames Formation extended underneath the roof tiles. This was the only thing that prevented the entire building from collapsing under the weight of Naruto's roar.

Orochimaru, Hiruzen, the lifeless corpses of Zaku and Kin and even the restrained figures of Genma and Raidō were all instantly flung back by this roar. This wasn't like Naruto's usual defense, his surroundings weren't being pushed back by his eyes, they were being overwhelmed just from his chakra.

This scream pierced the very air itself, resembling a fierce demonic howl that wasn't even human yet it somehow escaped from the 12 year old boy. This howl could be heard in all corners of the village, alerting everyone, especially Sasuke who had just returned to the Chunin Arena.

This howl sent each of the Sound 4 into a mental breakdown after dozens of broken trees were slammed against all 4-corners of their technique. The Sound 4 had no idea what was happening inside the densely filled Four-Flames Formation, they could only fill the dark chakra radiating out. Although this chakra was new, Tayuya found it too be somewhat familiar, as if she encountered it before but she couldn't properly identify it.

Even though Naruto's howl destroyed his previous location, he continued to scream while falling and even after landing. The howling blond fill into the 3ft deep lake, upon contact, all the water in a 6ft radius around Naruto began to bubble before evaporating into pillars of steam.

Further and further, Naruto's roar continued to extend, as if he didn't even need to breath. Soon, Naruto's jawline dropped so far that the skin connecting his cheeks began to rip and tear. At the same time, the whiskers on Naruto's face became much more dominate and dark.

Suddenly, the roar halted as Naruto began to grit and grind his teeth together, exerting so much force that his teeth cracked and chipped in several places. As this happened, Naruto dug the finger nails of his right hand in the base of a nearby tree, causing it to instantly crack in multiple places.

This action revealed that Naruto's finger nails had sharpened and grew almost 2 inches in length. As these nails dug into wood, the sound of bones and joints popping multiple times could be heard.

At this moment, a dense Orange chakra-cloak began to ooze out from Naruto before encasing his entire body. Almost instantly after covering his body, multiple waves of violet chakra radiated out from the pulsating pair of Rinnegan eyes. This Purple chakra quickly overwhelmed the Orange chakra, causing Naruto's entire body to become engulfed by an aura of violet. After stabilizing, Naruto began to groan with pain before leaning forward to get down on all 4's, like some type of animal.

The level of heat radiating off Naruto was now so intense that all water instantly evaporated upon direct contact with him or his chakra. This process quickly drained almost the entire battle field of all water.

As this animal-like Naruto twitched and trembled several times, a stream of violet chakra slowly drifted up into the air from his lower back, forming a single tail before it bisected itself and quickly multiplied. Without a moments delay, the violet-covered Naruto quickly prompted himself up like an enraged fox before once again releasing a non-human roar that pierced the very air around him.

This roar shook the surrounding earth in a 100ft wide radius, causing multiple old buildings and trees to instantly break or fall. During this, Kakashi, Sasuke, Tayuya and Lee all stared into the tree-filled Four-Flames Formation, only one of them understood what was happening. At the same time, hundreds of Leaf ninja and citizens began to sweat, many of them were fully aware what that sound meant.

Naruto had 3-tails.


	43. Chapter 43

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **I want every single tailed beast to have a gimmick. (i.e like what happens when you touch them or how they transform) This is why I had everything Shukaku touch dissolve into sand.**

 **Naruto's hand didn't erupt into sand when grabbing Shukaku because he is just the 1-tails, he isn't powerful enough to morph skin. This is also why Naruto's headbutt woke Gaara up but two tons of stone didn't.**

 **Only the 6-9 tails are powerful enough to have an effect on the skin of others. Something that will be explained and written in future chapters.**

 **This chapter brings up a serious problem I have with Naruto as a series - what happens to Naruto's cloths after version 2 of the nine-tails.** **When Naruto goes into version 2 (in canon) his skins melts on a cellular level.**

 **I can't repeat that enough; his skin melts on a cellular fucking level which is why it begins to peel off like a rotten apple.** **With that being said - I never understood why his cloths didn't erupt into flames or disintegrate into ash.**

 **This knowledge will lead me to write an awkward moment... But I would rather write an awkward, realistic moment instead of a 'canon' unrealistic moment.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 43: Snake Vs Fox! 1,000 Years Of Hatred.**

"Did you see sight any Sound ninja?" The Anbu member known as Yūgao asked her fellow teammates.

Yūgao was a 22yr old woman with straight, purple hair that hung down to her waist. As an Anbu member, she wore a porcelain mask at-all-times, a mask that resembled a cat with three red stripes — one vertical stripe on the forehead and two horizontal stripes, one on each cheek.

Instead of the standard Anbu outfit of Konoha, she wore a mixture of black pants and a grey flat jacket with matching armor and metal arm-guards. On her back was a katana strapped against her body in a slanted vertical fashion.

Her most unique aspect were the black arm-sleeves she wore on either hands, sleeves that were quite similar to the ones Naruto used to wear. Each sleeve had grey-metal plating sewn into the backhand and was worn underneath the pair of grey arm-guards, allowing her the block attacks without even drawing a weapon.

Since Yūgao worn no shirt underneath her flat jacket, this allowed her nearby teammates to see the Anbu tattoo of Konoha that was painted into her right bicep with Red ink.

The group of 3 Leaf ninja were crouched atop a pair of dense treebranchs that hung over the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound. Although they were close to a foreign nation, the group of ninja were so elite that they weren't even disturbed by this fact.

"Yes." A quiet and solemn man replied while bowing his head slightly.

He had long brown hair and wore a pair of Black framed yet Cyan-tinted sunglasses that obscured his eyes. His outfit consisted of a long-sleeved tan jacket with a raised collar, similar to something Shino or Naruto would wear.

The remaining portions of his figure was largely obstructed by the low hemlines and overlaying clothes that he favored and wore. His most noticeable feature was a gourd fastened to the back of his outfit which he used to carry around some unknown material.

"Speak up, Muta. You Aburame are always so quite." Yūgao lectured her teammate before earning a brief nod in response.

"Sorry." Muta mumbled in a quiet fashion, similar to Shino.

"This is good, if we move now we ca-...!" The 3rd and unnamed Leaf Shinobi spoke out until physically wincing with pain as a pillar of steam began to pour out from his left palm.

The man had short brown hair with black, almond-shaped eyes and his outfit consisted almost entirely of the iconic Konoha Leaf outfit. However, instead of one hip pouches strapped to his lower back he wore two, In addition to that, he wore a happuri-style forehead protector that framed either his face, very similar to what the legendary 2nd Hokage wore.

"What...?! No..." The unnamed Shinobi muttered under his breathe while staring down into his trembling left palm.

"What? What is it, Yamato?" Yūgao asked her teammate.

"Don't tell me... He weakened the Seal?!" Yamato panicked while abruptly standing up before leaning against the tree behind him. Although he was speaking out loud, Yamato was mainly talking to himself, too shocked to properly think.

As the Jonin stood up, a nearby ray of sunlight flickered down upon his left palm, revealing the Kanji for '3' searing itself into his flesh, creating the steam. While standing, Yamato used his right hand to gripped down upon his left wrist in an attempt to stop the trembling.

"3-tails...!? 3-tails, that's just insane! This is an emergency... I must leave at once, I have to get back to Konoha right away." Yamato declared before jumping down into the forest below, barely giving Yūgao time to protest before he disappeared from sight.

The border between the Land of Fire and Sound was a 2-day travel from Konoha, preventing Yamato from getting there in any reasonable amount of time. But still, the Jonin was determined to try.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Inside the Four-Flames Formation of Konoha._

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph, the power of the 9-tails... Rage summons him forth." Orochimaru laughed as his deformed body rested underneath 3 dislodged trees.

His neck was snapped and twisted at a 345* angle, something no ordinary human could survive. Also, both arms and shoulders were bent and broken in multiple different directions while his lower torso wasn't even visible.

As the elite Sanin laughed, his black hair and the visible portions of his outfit wavered and rustled from the intense chakra-filled breeze that was radiating out from Naruto. Orochimaru could feel the concentrated heat that pierced the air all around him, something most Shinobi would cower at, but not him.

The air... it stings... Genma noticed as he struggled to get free only to notice several dozen tree vines were still restraining him.

"Lord Hokage!" Raidō yelled as he attempted to look for Hiruzen before Naruto's intense chakra forced him down on one knee.

Damnit, Sarutobi...! At this rate... The staff-form of Enma panicked as he struggle to transform, only to fail every time due to the dozens of white snakes restraining him, no doubt the result of Orochimari disarming Hiruzen.

Suddenly, the Sanin opened his mouth before allowing his jaw to unhinge itself. During this, the sound of a throat gagging could be heard as a slim-covered copy of Orochimaru slid out from his previous body. At the same time, Naruto's violet and pulsating eyes focused upon the snake Sanin.

"You're becoming quite the jinchūriki..." Orochimaru complimented while using both hands to wipe off the slim and saliva that covered his outfit. As he spoke, Naruto's jawline clenched while growling multiple times, like some type of animal.

"To already have 3-tails... Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph... I wonder, do you hate me now?" After the Sanin spoke, his Yellow snake-like eyes instantly bulged and widened as Naruto charged towards him with blinding speed.

As the Naruto surged forward, the roof tiles around him instantly burned to ash before filling the nearby air. This process revealed a large portion of the Four-Flames Formation technique underneath the rampaging blond, it was the only thing that kept the roof from collapsing.

The blond then appeared in midair directly infront of the shocked Orochimaru before swiping his chakra-cloaked right hand out in a horizontal fashion, attacking like an animal. Upon making direct contact with the Sanin's face, the surrounding roof tiles were crushed under the weight of Naruto's chakra as his opponent was hurled back.

Orochimaru flew back over 10ft before crashing into a dense pile of 4 fallen trees, all of which were snapped in-half upon impact. At the same time, the distant wall of the Four-Flames Formation behind this pile cracked multiple times, evidence to the force of Naruto's attack.

Damnit...!? What the fuck is going on?! Tayuya panicked.

"More chakra!" Sakon ordered before he and his 3 teammates all began funneling even more chakra into the Four-Flames Formation, healing the previously damaged wall.

"RAaaaAHHH!"A fierce and demonic howl once again escaped from Naruto, causing the entire Chunin Arena to rumble in the process. This rumbling was so intense that several foreign citizens woke up from the previously cast Genjutsu before panicking.

This howl was something that Tayuya couldn't even described, she only knew that it wasn't human. The Kunoichi had never heard such a sound, a sound that pierced the very air around her before ringing in her ears.

"What in the world... Is that?" Sasuke asked himself as he stood in the center of the empty Chunin battleground, a location that was shaking because of the nearby roar.

No...!? Could it be, could the Seal be broken!? Kakashi panicked after easily knocking out two Sound Chunin with his barehands.

No, it's only been weakened, allowing a glimmer of the 9-tails power to leak through... But this puts everyone in danger! I have to stop it. As his thoughts raced, Kakashi unlocked one of the 6 Scroll pouch's that were sewn into the front of his flat jack, 3 on each side of the zipper.

Kakashi's scroll then fell out of his jacket pouch before falling into his right hand. After grabbing the object, the Jonin was easily able to untie the string binding it with 1-finger before throwing the scroll over 10ft into the air.

Even though it's power and chakra have begun to leak out, the Seal still holds... Good, then maybe we still have a chance... Just maybe! While these thoughts progressed, Kakashi cut his left thumb against the sharpened zipper on his flat jacket.

"Guy!" Kakashi screamed, alerting his nearby rival who had just defeated 5 Sound Chunin in hand-to-hand combat.

The previously thrown scroll then landed into Kakashi's right hand before he abruptly swung his arm out in a horizontal fashion, forcing the scroll to unroll itself in midair infront of the Jonin. During this, Kakashi slid his blood-covered left thumb across the entirety of the 6ft long scroll fabric, a fabric covered and adorned with multiple Kanji.

The elite Jonin then quickly crouched down while placing the unrolled scroll atop the ground infront of him. At the same time, he clapped before hands together into the Ram Seal while staring down at the scroll with his 1-visible eye.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Guy proclaimed while jumping above his crouched rival before spinning into a counter-clockwise, allowing his right foot to slam against 3 different attacking opponents.

The force of these kicks were so intense that each of the Sound Chunin instantly had their necks snapped before flying back over 10ft. Afterwards, Guy caught a bundle of 6 Shuriken in midair with his barehands until throwing them back at his opponents before landing.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Kakashi declared while slamming both of his chakra-filled palms against the scroll infront of him, instantly creating a 5ft wide pillar of smoke.

At this moment, a group of over 10 Sound Chunin surrounded the pair of Leaf Shinobi before charging in. Suddenly, 7 Dogs rushed out from the nearby smoke cloud before attacking the Sound ninja.

These dogs varied in shape, size, breed and even outfits, the only thing all of them had in common was the Headband of Konoha, and even that was worn in different ways. Even though the opponents were Chunin, somehow, these dogs managed to completely outrun and overwhelm them.

The largest of these dogs was a massive, intimidating Black bulldog that wore a spiked collar. He had a dark-Blue dog vest with the Headband of Konoha tied around his upper-left arm. While the other dogs restrained or tripped the Sound ninja, this dog ripped off multiple limbs, showering the surrounding area with a significant amount of blood.

"Geez, what a mess." A deep and gruff voice spoke out from atop the scroll, revealing that the smoke cloud had dissipated.

"Pakkun! Finish off the Sound ninja in crowd, we're going to back up Lord Hokage." Kakashi ordered the small miniature pug infront of him.

The dog was small, the small animal Kakashi had summoned and he had brown fur with a dark brown snout and ears. He wore the standard outfit of Kakashi's ninken which consists of a blue vest and the Headband of Konoha, which he wore on top of his head in a similar style to Sakura. He also had a bandage wrapped around his right front leg.

"Understood." Pakkun replied while using he back right leg to scratch his ear. Revealing that the dog could somehow talk.

Without a moments delay, the pair of Konoha's strongest Jonin leapt into the rumbling battleground, determined the save the 3rd Hokage.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, near the West gate of Konoha._

Buildings collapsed in the distance as dozens of explosive tagged-Kunai erupted, filling the surrounding area with dust and debris for over 30ft. Afterwards, a pair of 2 smiling Sand Shinobi leapt out from the dust-cloud before landing atop a nearby roof.

During this, the sound of metal striking metal echoed and resonated across the nearby streets, suggesting multiple battles were taking place. At the same time, numerous Kunai and Shuriken were lodged into the nearby walls.

Suddenly, multiple rooftops and trees were flung through the air as a blood-covered Hydra slowly slithered across Konoha. The 3 heads of this beast were massive, each of which were being rammed repeatedly against all surroundings, crushing many of the nearby homes and shops.

"Boar, Cat... We must stop it here." A Chicken-masked Anbu captain declared as he and both teammates stood atop a shaking building.

The pair of 3 Anbu were covered in blood that wasn't their own, staining their previously Leaf green outfits. As they stood before this rampaging beast and enemy of Konoha, they were steadfast in their resolve and determination.

"Where are our reinforcements?" Cat mumbled from underneath his mask.

"We are the reinforcements." Boar argued while taking 1-step forward.

This is bad, we don't have any summoning's of our own... And I'm almost out of chakra! Chicken panicked while wiping blood off his mask, blood that wasn't his.

"Ninja Art Summoning: Bring Down The House Jutsu!" An unknown yet familiar voice rang out across the nearby rooftops, alerting all 3 Anbu captains.

At this moment, a massive toad appeared in midair above the attacking hydra before falling down on top of the 3-headed beast with all it's weight. The force of this impact destroyed 3 of the surrounding buildings while creating a cloud of debris that radiated out over 20ft.

The weight of this toad crushing down upon the 3-headed hydra was so vast that the scale-covered beasts hissed with pain before instantly erupting into a 30ft pillar of smoke. After the smoke cleared, the group of 3 Anbu captains began observing the large toad before them.

The toad was a giant, easily over 60ft tall which allowed it to tower over most of the nearby buildings. The beast had magenta-colored skin with black markings on it's face, arms, and legs with horn like protrusions on top of it's head.

The most unique thing about the toad was it's outfit, a Black kimono with a white sash around the waist and mesh armor underneath. Also, the beast had a sakazuki-like shield wrapped around it's back and a sasumata held-in-place between the shield.

"Who is that you ask? A man? A myth? A legend?!" The distant figure standing atop the giant toad began questioning the group of Anbu captains. Since this man stood atop the 60ft tall toad, the sun overhead prevented anyone from seeing his face.

"He is a man of great renown and power, a man who is both respected and feared, a man who all ladies love and desire!" As this man spoke, he extended his right hand out while stomping his right foot down multiple times atop the toads head.

"Some say he is only a myth! A hero from old whose deeds are great and whose name is even greater! A vanquisher of evil and the savior of beautiful ladies!" While speaking, he began to slide his feet from side-to-side numerous times, as if he was dancing.

"These tears on my face? These are tears of blood overflowing with rage! I went from Shinobi to Sanin too Sage! The hermit sage of Mount Myōboku, I am Master Jira-...!?" The man found his words cut-off as the beast underneath him shifted slightly, causing him to trip over his shoe before faceplanting into the toad's head.

"Is... Is that?" Boar mumbled to himself.

"The fabled toad Sanin!?" Chicken spoke in disbelief.

"It's Lord Jiraiya." Cat declared.

"Come on! Watch it, Mr. Gamaken! Don't move during such an important entrance, I was in the middle of my speech and everything!" Jiraiya complained while wiping off the stream of blood that poured from his nose, evidence to how hard he fell.

"I'm sorry, I'm quite ungraceful." Gamaken replied in a low and timid tone.

Suddenly, the surrounding area began shaking as a fierce demonic howl erupted from the distant Chunin Arena. This sound caused Jiraiya's once playful expression to shift into a stern and veteran face, one that had obviously seen war.

This unhuman sound was something Jiraiya instantly identified as the creature that murdered his fabled student, the 4th Hokage. This realization forced the Sanin to stand up after wiping the blood off his face, revealing that all ideas of laughter or jokes were gone.

"Mr. Gamaken." Jiraiya spoke in a stern voice while staring off into the distant Four-Flames Formation.

"Right... Ungraceful as I am, here we go!" Gamaken replied before using his powerful toad legs to leap into the air, racing towards the Chunin Arena with all speed.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Four-Flames Formation._

The smell of rubber burning filled the surrounding air as Naruto once again got down on all 4's, like some type of animal. This smell was the result of Naruto's shoes erupting in flames, unable to withstand the heat of his chakra.

During this, the 12 year old boy screamed with a mixture of pain and hatred as the intense heat burned his skin. At the same time, he began digging his sharpened nails into the Four-Flames Formation underneath him.

Usually, the heat of this technique was so intense that it would either burn or resist any direct contact with a material or substance. However, the level of heat from Naruto's chakra began burning the Four-Flames Formation, bathing the area underneath and around Naruto in Purple fire.

While this occurred, the sound of bubbles rupturing could be heard, bubbles created inside Naruto's chakra. Soon, two ear-like protrusions began rising out from the top of Naruto's chakra-cloaked head, fox-like ears.

Suddenly, Naruto's fox-like face glanced up just in time to notice the downcast Orochimaru slowly walking towards him. The snake Sanin then walked calmly for over 10ft as an intense artificial and chakra-filled breeze radiated out from Naruto.

"You're finally starting to act like a jinchūriki, aren't you, boy?" Orochimaru asked before raising his downcast face.

This action revealed that a large portion of the Sanin's face had been ripped off, causing chunks of dead pale-skin to hang off his deformed face. This allowed a brief glimmer into the face underneath Orochimaru's, the face of a 20yr old girl, as if the body he was using wasn't even his own.

"Nhh-... Nhhh...!" Naruto grunted in between the sound of bubbles rupturing inside his chakra.

"I see... Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Orochimaru laughed while raising his left hand to his face before placing his palm against the large mass of dead skin.

"What's wrong, boy?" The Sanin mocked before pulling his left palm from his face, revealing that all his skin had somehow reformed.

This question caused Naruto's jawline to clench while the surrounding roof tiles and trees snapped multiple times. During this, the artificial breeze Naruto's chakra was creating doubled in strength.

"Is that all you've got then?" Orochimaru joked as his hair wavered in the intense breeze.

In response to this, Naruto began to growl several times as the sound of bubbles rupturing inside his chakra grew in volume and density. During this, the zipper to Naruto's tunic melted before popping off.

"Even with the power of a jinchūriki, is this the best you can do?" As the Sanin spoke, Naruto dragged his fingernails across the Four-Flames Formation underneath him, creating several cracks in the process.

"You stand there because _I_ allow it, because _I_ will it, because _I_ do not fear... Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." As Orochimaru laughed, Naruto's tunic instantly erupted into flames.

"AUUUuuuuuah-...!" Naruto groaned as the intense heat of this fire melted his very skin.

"Hmm...?" Orochimaru mumbled while narrowing both of his snake-like eyes.

Soon, Naruto's tunic dissolved into Black ash that floated upward before erupting against the top of Naruto's chakra cloak. This action caused multiple bubbles of ash to rupture atop Naruto's back, creating a cloud of Black smoke that began pouring into the air. At the same time, Naruto's pants became engulfed in flames while the metal section of his Headband began to bubble and rupture. During this, Naruto screamed with a mixture of pain and hatred as his pulsating violet eyes never once broke direct contact with Orochimaru.

"Interesting." The snake Sanin mumbled while smiling from ear-to-ear.

As Orochimaru stared back into Naruto's violet eyes, he could fill the sense of hatred that the boy felt towards him, hatred that radiated through the surrounding air. Suddenly, dozens of bubbles began rupturing near Naruto's lower back before a 4th tail slowly began to protrude out.

At this moment, Naruto's Headband abruptly snapped in half as the fabric and metal both melted into ash before rupturing out from the blonds chakra cloak. As this occurred, Naruto's clenched jawline caused several of his teeth to crack before sharpening and growing into fox-like teeth.

"AAUUuuah-...! AUaAAAH! AUUUUAH!" Naruto groaned in between the intense pain coursing through his entire body.

Suddenly, multiple sections of Naruto's skin began to peel across both arms and hands, revealing a brief glimpse at the solid violet chakra-skin underneath. Moments later, a large portion of skin on Naruto's face also began to peel in several different locations. After several moments, large sections of Naruto's skin had been entirely burnt off before dissolving into ash because of the intense chakra. This skin then bubbled out atop Naruto's chakra-cloak, adding even more Black smoke into the nearby air.

"Well... It looks like I get to play with the 9-tails." Orochimaru joked while licking both lips with his snake-like tongue.

Soon, over half of Naruto's face peeled off, leaving a large portion of chakra-filled violet skin that pulsated underneath. At the same time, large portions of his bangs and hair were burnt before they began to peel off like his skin.

"Uh...!?" The snake Sanin gasped under his breathe while both eyes widened, he had never before felt such chaotic chakra.

"RAAUUAAAH!" Naruto roared, allowing a demonic howl to once again pierce the air.

This roar forced the rooftop below to instantly collapse before sending a pillar of dust and debris up over 50ft into the air after shattering the Four-Flames Formation. Tree's, stone, weapons and even bodies were all hurled back by this extreme force.

During this, a injured Hiruzen rested underneath 2 dislodged trees, both of which were crushing his legs and waist, preventing any escape. Even though the 3rd Hokage was coughing up blood, both eyes were closed as a joyful smile covered his face. Even though thousands of people heard a demonic roar in the air, Hiruzen was the only one to hear something different. The 3rd Hokage listened as the sound of a newly born infant crying resonated throughout his ears.

This was the very first sound Hiruzen ever heard when he saw Naruto, the sound of an infant crying beside his 2 dead parents. Over 12 years ago, Hiruzen spent much effort in an attempt to help the 4th Hokage and his wife, only to arrive after their death, preventing any last message.

Minato... Kushina... He is such a beautiful child. I'm happy for both of you. Hiruzen's thoughts raced, thinking the same thoughts he wanted to say over 12 years ago.

With the image of a young and smiling Naruto floating throughout his mind, Hiruzen was soon overwhelmed by the vast power radiating out from the boy he loved so much. This power collapsed the entire 3-story tower, raining down stone, debris and treebranchs atop any who survived.

During this, Kakashi and Guy approached Sasuke just in time to witness this display of power. Suddenly, a secondary shockwave rippled out from the now collapsed tower, uprooting every single tree and wooden building in a 100ft radius. The force of this shockwave caused all 3 Leaf Shinobi to slide back over 5ft even though each of them were funneling chakra into their feet. At the same time, several uprooted trees crashed and rammed against the nearby Chunin Arena, if it wasn't made of stone, it would have easily collapsed.

As this occurred, multiple Anbu and Leaf ninja were forced to preform various amounts of jutsu to safeguard the nearby foreigners. After several moments, the previously uprooted trees fell atop distant buildings before the shockwave finally stabilized. Afterwards, almost every single foreigner woke up because of the intense chakra filling the air.

"Chakra... He did all that, with _just_ his chakra." Orochimaru marveled after jumping out of a densely packed pile of stone.

The snake Sanin then landed atop a large flat boulder before resting his right hand against a half-burnt tree that was lodged into the nearby stone. Orochimaru's entire left arm and even sections of his torso were burnt off, yet the Sanin acted as if this didn't even matter.

Jirōbō, Raidō, Genma, Hiruzen and Kidōmaru were no were to be seen while a limp Sakon and Tayuya pulled themselves loose from the nearby rubble. As Sakon crawled loose, it became apparent that both his legs were bent and snapped in various different positions, suggesting they were broken.

After standing, it took all of Tayuya's might to pull her right arm free from a pair of rocks before the arm fell limp to her side. The Red-haired Kunoichi tried multiple times to move her right arm but constantly failed, suggesting her arm was broken.

At this moment, a deep and dark growling rumbled out from the center of the collapsed tower, garnishing the attention of Sakon and Tayuya, causing the latter to fall down on both knees after catching a glimpse of this new beast. The pair of Sound ninja both became overwhelmed by fear as each of their eyes bulged in horror.

Suddenly, the sound of fire burning resonated out while 4 violet chakra tails waved and swished through the air in multiple different directions. Afterwards, the jawline of this beast opened before the growling increased in density and volume.

Soon, this new beast garnished the attention of the nearby Sasuke, Kakashi and Guy. While the young Uchiha stared at this beast with a mixture of fear and confusion, the two Jonin glared at the creature as if they saw it before.

"RAAAUUAH!" A demonic howl escaped from this new 4-tailed humanoid while the beast tilted it's face to the sky, forcing it's roar to echo out for several miles. The eyes of the Rinnegan and several strands of violet hair was the only part of Naruto still left.

His skin was violet and appeared to be alive, causing it to endlessly shift and move, evidence to the sheer amount of chakra coursing through his body. During this, his Rinnegan eyes were constantly pulsating, sending multiple ripples throughout his body and his fox-like ears.

This roar terrified the now awake foreigners, caused thousands of them to rush out of the arena like a panicked mob. Since many of the Leaf Shinobi were busy fighting back Sound ninja, they were unable to prevent this.

Kakashi and Guy then attempted to surged forward only to be blocked by a snake-masked Anbu surrounded by 6 Sound Chunin. This action stopped the pair of Leaf Jonin in their tracks while the ground underneath them continued to shake because of the nearby roar.

"It's amazing... Isn't it? The power of the jinchūriki." The snake-masked Anbu asked while the ground below shook violently.

"It would be best for everyone if you all stand aside, this isn't a battle between ninja anymore..." As the Anbu spoke, he raised his left hand to his face before slowly pulling the snake-mask off.

"Ka-Kabuto!?" Sasuke stuttered while staring at the face of the now unmasked Anbu member.

"This is some type of epic battle between two monsters." Kabuto replied while dropping his Anbu mask to the ground.

At this moment, Sasuke's 1-tomoe Sharingan caught a glimpse of the violet eyes that the 4-tailed beast infront of him possessed. These eyes caused the smiling image of Naruto to instantly drift throughout the Uchiha's mind.

Naruto...!? Sasuke panicked internally as Naruto's laughter rang through his ears.

"I never imagined he would go this far, becoming that thing just to save the 3rd Hokage." Kabuto admitted as the ground beneath him continued to shake.

I want to protect everyone, no matter what, that is my dream. The memory of a distant conversation with Naruto drifted through Sasuke's mind, the memory of team 7s first meeting atop the Konoha Academy roof.

I haven't given up so neither can you! I swear that I'll keep my promise, no matter what. The memory of a conversation during the Land of Waves floated through the Uchiha's mind.

If I say I'm going to do it then I will, okay? Don't forget, my Way of the Shinobi means... I always stand behind what I say. As these memories progressed, Sasuke's crimson eyes began to tremble and pulsate.

"Now the boy is gone and only a monster remains... What a pathetic and pitiful child." Kabuto mocked as Kakashi and Guy both entered a Taijutsu stance.

Naruto... Sasuke thought as countless memories of his friend visiting the Uchiha compound drifted into his mind.

These thoughts forced both of Sasuke's hands to tremble while his Sharingan eyes pulsated. As the ground below continued to rumble, a single tear soon fell from the Uchiha's eyes before both of them began to swirl and rotate.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Sasuke ordered Kabuto while slamming both hands together into the Snake Seal before weaving through the Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals.

During this, the 12yr old Uchiha inhaled a significant amount of air while arching his back slightly. At the same time, his 1-tomoe Sharingan finally stopped rotating, revealing that Sasuke now possessed the 2-tomoe Sharingan. The Uchiha then exhaled a condensed and chakra-filled ball of fire that doubled in size as it scorched a path towards Kabuto. As this occurred, both Kakashi and Guy were forced to take multiple steps back because of the intense heat that Sasuke's jutsu was releasing.

Damnit...! Where is Yamato?! We need him! Kakashi panicked as Naruto's demonic roar continued to echo throughout Konoha.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, over 200 miles North of Konoha._

4-tails...!? This is bad! This is really, really bad! Yamato's thoughts panicked as the elite Jonin dashed through the forest with all the speed that his legs could muster.

His Shinobi shoes stomped atop grass, dirt and even broken treebranchs as he funneled all chakra into his feet, attempting to increase his speed. As the Jonin surged through the forest, he held his trembling left hand infront of his panic-filled face. This revealed the Kanji for the number '4' seared into the flesh of his left palm, creating steam as he ran.

This Jonin moved with such speed that he appeared like a blur of Leaf's dashing through the forest on his journey to save Konoha. However, despite his speed, Yamato was already too late.


	44. Chapter 44

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 44: A Friend In Need! Demonic Rampage Continues.**

A crouched and panting Gaara was sprawled across a rustic treebranch, overlooking the village of Konoha. Fully exposed to view, Gaara watched as dozens of fires spread across Konoha, magnified by smoke.

Well love is... The hearts desire to serve someone who is precious to you, to watch over them... Like my sister did, for you Gaara. The voice of Yashamaru gently resonated through Gaara's mind.

This memory gave Gaara the strength to stand, using one hand to prop himself against a nearby tree. Moments ago, Naruto's clone erupted into a puff of smoke, leaving Gaara alone with his thoughts.

You had me worried, Gaara. Naruto's voice rang through Gaara's ears.

Because I know how you feel... You're lonely and it hurts inside, but I'm here for you. As these words progressed, Gaara swelled with chakra.

But now there are others... Other people who mean a lot to me, and I care more about them then I do myself. These words gave Gaara a sense of determination and purpose, erasing his previous confusion.

Because they saved me from myself. They rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me for who I am. Dampened by streams of sand, portions of nearby earth merged into a new gourd for Gaara.

Naruto, perhaps I... Someday could be your... Thinking these thoughts, Gaara crossed both arms in front of his chest.

Friend. This thought was quickly muffled by an explosion of sand, concealing everything from sight.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"What... What the fuck I-..?" Mumbling these words, Tayuya stuttered mid sentence.

Startled by a pulsating humanoid of violet chakra, Tayuya pulled both knees against her flat chest. Unable to run, Tayuya was pinned in place by dense chakra, polluting the air.

"Hmphhmphhmph... You stand as a God." Orochimaru chuckled.

Without warning, Naruto's violet tails ruptured and contorted, bubbling into four separate Naruto's. These harsh silhouettes of chakra quickly swiped their claws out, unleashing a barrage of flame-filled tornado's.

Instead of reacting with fear, Orochimaru leisurely smiled before turning around and running away. Caught off guard by Naruto's abrupt display, Tayuya and Sakon were swept off their feet.

Eventually, Sakon collided against a stone wall with extreme force, cracking the thick rock. At the same tim, Tayuya was flung through the air, landing in an abandoned section of the Chunin arena.

Breaking her right shoulder against a stone staircase, Tayuya bite her lip before screaming under her breath. Without a moments delay, a rampaging Naruto charged through this arena, using his Rinnegan eyes to trail after Orochimaru.

As Naruto stalked Orochimaru for several miles, the ground burned to ash with each step, cracking the earth. Surging down a barren street, Naruto growled as several thousand snakes slithered towards him.

The number of these snakes were so high that Konoha rumbled, slithering through trash and debris. Unhinging their jawlines, each of these snakes abruptly spewed a sharpened blade from their mouths.

"GruuuuuUAH!" Naruto shrieked, raising his right claw in a jagged and rapid motion.

Undaunted by the sound of his own snapping bones, Naruto's body could barely withstand the weight of such chakra. Tearing his muscles with each movement, Naruto howled with agony.

Inspired by these demonic streams, Tayuya leap to her feet before limping towards an iron railing. Looking over the side, Tayuya's brown eyes bulged with shock, causing her pale hands to tremble.

Suddenly, Naruto slammed his right claw against the earth, instantly creating a mountain-sized pillar of violet chakra. Scorching everything in view, this attack burnt trees, houses and several corpses into ash.

Startled by this display, the floor beneath Tayuya was suddenly cracked in multiple places. Ignoring this revelation, Tayuya held one hand in front of her squinting eyes, barely able to see.

The force of that shockwave...!? From just a single blow of it's hand.., I can't get any closer! Tayuya panicked.

Naruto had managed to isolate himself and Orochimaru inside an ash-filled crater beside the Chunin Arena. Instead of continuing his retreat or even preparing to attack, the snake Sanin just laughed with joy.

"RAUUAAAH!" Naruto once again roared before shoving his sharpened claws into the ground beneath him, forcing the earth around him to crack multiple times before burning to ash.

"Uh-...!?" Orochimaru gasped while his snake-like eyes glanced down to his feet, allowing him to notice several minor cracks in the earth beginning to form.

"Hmph." The Sanin laughed before jumping 10ft forward, allowing him to dodge a pair of 2 massive, violet chakra hands that erupted out from the ash-filled earth. Even though he was missing a left arm, he was still completely calm and confident.

As these hands reached over 20ft into the air, 3 other hands sprouted out from them before reaching towards Orochimaru. The snake Sanin was easily able to dodge and evade these fast hands, causing them to stab into the earth before burning it with Purple fire.

"Kakashi! There's something you're not telling me about Naruto, tell me what's happened to him!" Sasuke demanded to know after defeating 2 Sound ninja before directing his 2-tome Sharingan towards his teacher.

During this, Guy snapped 2 separate necks while Kakashi knocked out 2 Sound ninja before turning his attention towards the rampaging Naruto in the distance. Enough though they were miles away from the battle, all 3 of them could feel the intense chakra.

"Sasuke... No matter what happens, don't worry. It was because of this moment, exactly for this moment.." Kakashi replied while using his left hand to slide his Headband up slightly, revealing his 3-tomoe Sharingan.

"That Lord 3rd Hokage chose me, to lead this team." While speaking, Kakashi's 3-tomoe Sharingan began to spin and rotate with his back directed towards Sasuke.

"Kakashi! I'm going to track down that kid disguised as Anbu!" Guy proclaimed before earning a brief nod from his rival, allowing him to dash out from the Arena before entering the battlefield that Konoha had turned into.

"Sasuke... Pay close attention, I'll show you what a Sharingan can really do." Kakashi declared before his 3-tomoe Sharingan shifted and grew into 3 triangles wrapping around his pupil.

As this occurred, intense rumbling could be heard in the distance as Orochimaru continued battling the 4-tailed Naruto. The snake Sanin was battling an opponent that barely anyone in existence could survive against, and he was laughing during the battle.

Is that thing... Made of chakra...? For someone, or something to be subjected too that much chakra... How... How is it even still alive? Tayuya asked herself while observing the 4-tailed humanoid from a distance.

Each time the elite Sanin dodged and evaded a claw, several others extended out from that arm before continuing to reach out. This concentrated attack forced Orochimaru to flip, twist and slide for over 2 minutes without even becoming fatigued. Suddenly, Orochimaru jumped to the right before landing atop the ash-filled ground and sliding over 5ft. During this, the Sanin extended his right hand towards the attacking chakra hand, this caused a group of 4 white snakes to slither out from underneath his sleeves.

Each of these snakes then attempted to restrain the attacking chakra hand by wrapping around it, only to instantly dissolve into white ash upon contact. This allowed the violet chakra hand to cut Orochimaru in-half at the waist. This attack forced Orochimaru's bisected upper torso to fly over 10ft into the air while his legs feel down on both knees. During this, the rampaging 4-tailed Naruto retracted his chakra hands while growling.

At this moment, before Orochimaru's torso could even hit the ground, hundreds of white snakes shot out from both his lower and upper bodies. These snakes quickly wrapped around one another before pulling the once-bisected pieces of Orochimaru back together. After reconnecting his body together, it became apparent that the Sanin's upper torso was facing the wrong way. Orochimaru then once again preformed an unhuman feat by slowly rotating his upper torso and spine, allowing him to turn his entire body above the waist in a 360* fashion.

During this, the sound of bones snapping and slime sliding across a wet-surface could be heard. Afterwards, the intensity of Naruto's growl grew once he noticed the joyful smile on Orochimaru's face. Naruto then once again roared a fierce demonic howl before slamming his sharpened claws into the ash-filled ground beneath him. Suddenly, massive portions of earth and rock were instantly uprooted before being lifted over 20ft into the air and held-in-place by a series of tree-roots.

These sections of dense stone were lifted from the earth by several violet chakra hands that Naruto had previously plunged into the ground. In response to this powerful and Godly display of chakra, Orochimaru merely laughed while standing in the newly created canyon.

Orochimaru's legs then morphed into the tail of a white snake before the Sanin slithered across the battlefield with almost blinding speed. As the Sanin approached Naruto, the latter growled multiple times in response. The Sanin then cocked his right arm back before slamming his fist against Naruto's face, forcing the latter to recoil as Orochimaru's pale-skinned hand erupted into Purple fire. As Naruto's face and upper body was knocked back, an exact copy of Naruto extend out from the boy's left shoulder before towering over Orochimaru.

This copy of Naruto then swiped out with his right claw in a horizontal fashion, cutting off the Sanin's legs below his knees. An action that stained the surrounding area and Naruto's face with white blood, blood that boiled into ash on contact.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." Orochimaru laughed as he fell to the ground.

The Sanin was missing 2 legs and his entire left arm while his right hand was engulfed in Purple fire, but it didn't even bother him. At this this moment, Naruto's right chakra foot slammed against the side of Orochimaru's face, scorching it with Purple fire while the surrounding earth cracked.

"RAUUAAAH!" Naruto released a demonic howl while raising his fox-like face to the sky.

As Naruto roared, dozens of Blue and Red orbs oozed out from his violet chakra body. During this, his right foot continued to dig against the laughing Orochimaru. These bundle of orbs floated through the air for several moments before they began to funnel and focus themselves infront of Naruto's mouth.

All 4 tails then reached over Naruto's skull while pointing towards these Blue and Red orbs, allowing them to merge into a massive dark violet orb. His tails were allowing Naruto to focus and funnel even more chakra into this attack. After completely merging all the previous orbs together, the violet orb infront of Naruto's face was over 1ft wide in diameter. Suddenly, the orb instantly shrunk and condensed itself into the size of a jawbreaker, crushing the surrounding earth down in a 5ft radius, like a miniature crater.

"I see... No mercy, you truly are a jinchūriki." Orochimaru remarked before his jaw suddenly unhinged, allowing an entirely fresh and unharmed body to slither out before racing over 20ft across the battlefield.

The Sanin's previous body crumbled into white ash underneath Naruto's right foot before the latter stopped moving entirely for several moments. During this, Tayuya continued to observe the battle from afar, shocked that someone could push Orochimaru this far.

Naruto's chakra jawline then cracked slightly before unhinging his entire jaw halfway through his skull. The fox-like mouth of Naruto then stretched forward before biting down upon the hovering violet orb, catching the object with his sharpened teeth before shallowing.

That attack... It's just like before, during that match between Gaara and Jackass. Tayuya thought as she remembered the last match of the Chunin Exam, since she was in the Kage observation deck, she had a great view.

This action caused Naruto's violet body to instantly collapse into the burnt, ash-filled ground below him. At the same time, Orochimaru managed to slither 80ft away from his 4-tailed opponent before turning around.

It's like before, but... Different, this is much more powerful... So much power. Tayuya awed internally.

How ever do you plan on fighting me... Weight down by such dense chakra. Orochimaru asked himself while marveling at the power of the 9-tails.

Suddenly, Naruto's chakra body erupted and grew almost 4-times in size, like some type of engorged animal. This action crushed the surrounding earth in a 10ft wide radius, forcing Naruto's entire body to dig into the ground below.

"Uh-...!?" Orochimaru gasped as his yellow eyes widened with shock.

Naruto then tilted his engorged face upward as his mouth fell halfway open, allowing pillars of steam and heat to pour out from his insides. Afterwards, Naruto began arching his neck back several inch's while the amount of steam pouring from his mouth increased in density.

Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph... So, that's his plan? The snake Sanin concluded while raising both hands to his face before biting down on his thumb.

At this moment, Naruto leaned his fox-like face forward before a chaotic amount of Purple chakra erupted forth. This chakra shot out like a condensed beam of heat and power, cutting through solid earth on it's path towards Orochimaru. The force of this attack sent multiple shockwaves through the air.

In response to this, the snake Sanin raised both hands into the air before abruptly crouching while slamming his palms against the ground. This action forced several lines of scribbled Kanji to shoot out from each of his hands, forming 2 circles on the ground as Naruto's attack continued to rush forward.

"Summoning Jutsu: Five-layer Rashomon." Orochimaru declared in a calm and confident tone.

Suddenly, large portions of earth in a 30ft wide gap infront of the snake Sanin all ruptured and crumbled before 5 massive, multi-colored gates shot out from the ground. These gates varied in color and shape but all of them had the distinct faces of a dragon painted against the large material.

As these gates stood fully atop the ground, the sound of chains and large balls of iron striking one another echoed throughout the battlefield. During this, Naruto's condensed beam of chakra rushed through multiple layers of stone as it surged towards Orochimaru.

Upon contact, the entire section of Rashomon instantly became engulfed in a bright violet light as nearby tree's, homes and even animals instantly dissolved into ash. The collision of this attack sent multiple shockwaves throughout the entire village, uprooting several houses in the process.

The power of this attack extended even further, shaking the entire earth in a 200ft wide radius as the pillar of violet light grew in density. This violet light continued to extend even further, stretching up towards the very sun while everything in it's path was turned to ash.

This battle is too intense...! I can't believe it, it's unlike anything I've ever seen! Tayuya concluded as the breeze radiating out from this attack forced her to close both eyes.

This attack was so deadly that both Kakashi and Sasuke jumped atop a nearby tree, allowing them to stare off into the distant battle. For what felt like minutes, multiple secondary shockwaves resonated out from this attack before the previously created pillar of dust and debris finally cleared.

After settling, it became apparent that a massive 100ft wide crater was cut into the village of Konoha on each side of the previously summoned Rashomon. Where the gates once stood, 5 different layers of dirt rested, each of them separated in height by a foot of earth. Behind these separated sections of earth was the lifeless body of Orochimaru, who was contorted upside down with his head and shoulders lodged into the ground. Each of the Sanin's legs were snapped and twisted in multiple different angles.

Naruto's fox-like face then contorted into an expression of rage and pain while his Rinnegan eyes narrowed. Every second that Naruto stared at Orochimaru, his rage and hatred grew.

"What... What on earth just happened?" A distant Sakura asked while escorting Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon back to the Chunin Arena.

What I saw just now... Was definitely Lord Orochimaru's Five-layer Rashomon... Destroyed in the blink of an eye, I never imagined power like this existed. Tayuya thought, unable to comprehend the vast displays of chakra infront of her.

At this moment, the ground underneath Naruto rumbled before the legendary blade of Kusanagi shot out from the earth. This forced Naruto's Rinnegan eyes to twitch as the legendary blade was hurled into his stomach. Unable to pierce through, the attack instead lifted Naruto over 30ft into the air, an action that greatly shocked both Sasuke and Kakashi. Afterwards, Orochimaru's head shot out from the ground, revealing that the sword of Kunanagi was extending out from his mouth.

"Bluuuah-...!" Orochimaru gagged as his neck rose 50ft into the air before tilting the blade of Kusanagi down.

This attack flung Naruto into the ground before shoving he over 60ft through houses, tree's, streams and even stone before piercing the distant side of the Chunin Arena. The only thing that kept Naruto from going any further was half of a tree that lodged itself against a pillar of stone inside the 'Wind' section. If this was a normal tree, it easily would have snapped under the weight of Orochimaru's attack, suggesting it was one of the tree's Hashirama created.

The force of this attack filled the 'Wind' section with debris as multiple shockwaves resonated out, affecting the nearby Tayuya who fell down on 1-knee. The power of these shockwaves were so intense that it took Tayuya several seconds to open her eyes, only to be filled with terror when she did. The 4-tailed violet humanoid was lodged against a pillar of stone held in place by wood, barely 10ft infront of her.

In the distance, the head of Orochimaru hovered in midair as the blade of Kusanagi was extending out his mouth all the way to Naruto, blanketing half the village in his shadow. Even though their was a sword lodged against his chest, the chakra-cloaked Naruto became completely lifeless without moving a muscle for several moments.

Soon, Orochimaru began applying more pressure to his sword, attempting to pierce Naruto but instead only pushing the boy further into stone. As the legendary sword of Kusanagi continued jabbing itself into Naruto's torso, his violet chakra skin bulged multiple times.

Even the legendary blade of Kusanagi can't pierce him...!? Orochimaru panicked, never before did he encounter an opponent that was immune to his fabled sword. During this, Tayuya stared at the 4-tailed creature with a mixture of awe and fear.

Suddenly, Naruto's Rinnegan eyes trembled before jolting to the left, allowing them to focus and narrow upon Tayuya, causing the latter to glance back into his hypnotic gaze. This action allowed the Rinnegan to pierce Tayuya's mind before throbbing multiple times, forcing the red-haired Kunoichi to fall back against a nearby wall.

At this moment, dense and dark clouds began forming overhead before multiple strikes of lightning began striking Naruto. Upon contact, this lightning instantly morphing into bubbling Purple fire that engulfed and consumed Naruto before slowly surging out from his lower back, forming a 5th tail.

"RAUUAAH!" Naruto roared as his left claw gripped the blade of Kusanagi before snapping it in half.

The force of this roar combined with the power of Kusanagi breaking sent an overwhelming shockwave out in all directions, forcing Tayuya back through a solid stone wall before she fell over 20ft to the ground.

"What's... What's going on out there? Is anyone even alive?" Lee asked himself after he finished escorting the last foreigner out of the stadium.

As this roar echoed throughout Konoha, Orochimaru hung his extended neck over a large portion of ash-filled earth before unhinging his jaw. At first, a right arm shot out from his mouth followed by a left arm and finally the head of a brand new body that fell atop the ground. This body was covered with slim and saliva but that didn't stop the Sanin from laughing multiple times as he stood up. Any average Shinobi would be overwhelmed with fear, but he was filled with pure delight.

He broke the sword of Kusanagi... With his barehands? Orochimaru asked himself, attempting to make sure what he saw actually happened.

"It seems... Play-time is over." As the Sanin spoke, he was unaware that Naruto was already charging towards him.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 170 miles North of Konoha._

"5-tails...!? 5-tails, how! How could this happen!?" Yamato panicked as he dashed across multiple portions of earth, grass and water on his race towards Konoha.

While the Jonin ran, his entire left arm trembled and twitched as a pillar of steam poured out from his left palm, a palm with the Kanji for '5' seared into it's flesh. Yamato was determined to reach Konoha in time, but every moment that past only fueled more rage to the 9-tails.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Inside Konoha._

Orochimaru turned around just in time for his yellow eyes to widen as Naruto hurled his right fist into the Sanin's face. The power of this attack instantly snapped Orochimaru's neck in a 160* fashion while forcing the Sanin to flip, twist and fly back over 60ft before crashing it a distant grove of trees.

"Ungraceful Water Style: Water Pistol." Gamaken mumbled after crashing down into the ash-filled earth barely 20ft away from the 5-tailed Naruto. The toad then managed to slam both aquatic hands together before weaving through the Ram, Bird, Boar, Monkey and Ram Seals.

Because of his increased size and aquatic toad-like body, the 60ft tall toad was able to inhale an indescribable amount of air, almost draining all air from the surrounding wind itself. The massive toad then exhaled, releasing a wave of high speed water from his mouther with extreme precision and force.

This powerful technique then collided against Naruto's body, creating multiple pillars of steam that rose into the air, a react from water meeting intense heat. However, instead of being overwhelmed by this jutsu, Naruto merely roared a fierce demonic howl in response.

"Don't hurt him!" Jiraiya ordered while jumping into combat, ready to subdue the 9-tails chakra.

"RAAAUUUAAAH!" Naruto's roar grew in ferocity and power at the last moment, forcing Jiraiya to fly back before landing atop Gamaken as his 5-tailed student surged off towards Orochimaru.

"Damnit! Mr. Gamaken!" Jiraiya panicked, earning a brief nod from the toad in agreement.

"Right, please forgive me, I'm ungraceful." Gamaken replied before trailing after the rampaging Naruto.

As the enraged Naruto charged forward on all 4's like some type of animal, the ground underneath him collapsed before plummeting down over 10ft. During this, Orochimaru jumped out from the nearby ground before slamming both pale-skinned hands into the Tiger Seal.

The elite snake Sanin then weaved through the Rat, Horse, Snake and Dragon Seals before clapping before hands together while inhaling a vast amount of air. As this occurred, Naruto glared up towards Orochimaru, revealing that his violet eyes were filled with hatred.

"Water Style: Severing Wave!" Orochimaru declared before exhaling a high pressured stream that was powerful enough to cut cleanly through rock and stone before impacting Naruto.

At the same time, the nearby Jiraiya jumped off from Gamaken's head before clapping both hands into the Snake Seal. The toad Sanin then weaved through the Boar, Rat, Dragon, Boar, Dragon and Tiger Seals before slamming both palms onto the ground as he landed.

"Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap." Jiraiya proclaimed as the surrounding area between him, the 5-tailed Naruto and Orochimaru all became encased in a narrow and slim-cover hallway. No doubt this was the result of Space-Time ninjutsu.

After several moments, the rampaging and enraged Naruto was concealed by layers of skin, leaving the pair of Sanin alone in the hallway. The surrounding hallway was oddly shaped, resembling the insides of an animal or creature.

"It's been a long time, Orochimaru." As the toad Sanin spoke, his former teammate and friend grew infuriated at his arrogance.

"You fool! You can't contain his power!" The snake Sanin lectured Jiraiya before multiple violet chakra hands erupted out from the skin-made floor.

Impossible! This is the stomach of the great Gamaguchi! The legendary toad that breathes fire, no source of heat can be too great for him to withstand!? Jiraiya panicked as even more chakra hands shot out from the ground before grabbing the nearby roof and walls.

"RAAUUUAAAH!" Naruto demonic roar echo through the freshly created hallway after tearing multiple chunks of flesh that made of the floor.

Both Orochimaru and Jiraiya could feel the intense heat radiating off of Naruto, forcing each of them to take several steps back. The toad Sanin would barely believe what his elderly eyes were seeing, he never imagined Naruto would go this far, to already have 5-tails was insane.

Suddenly, one of Naruto's tails morphed into a hand before lunging out over 10ft, allowing it to grab and squeeze down upon Orochimaru's throat. Upon contact, the snake Sanin's entire neck was engulfed in Purple flames before it was soon snapped under Naruto's pressure.

After his neck was broken, Orochimaru's entire body dissolved into hundreds of white snakes, some that attempted to restrain Naruto while others fled. Any snake that touched Naruto abruptly crumbled into white ash from the intense heat. During this, Jiraiya slammed both hands together into the Ram Seal while crouching down, slamming his right knee into the slim-covered floor of his previous jutsu. This process forced multiple sections of skin and flesh to grow, entrapping several of the fleeing white snakes.

"I won't let you get away! Not this time, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya declared before his voice was overwhelmed by the demonic howl Naruto released after hearing the snake Sanin's name.

Although Jiriaya had managed to successfully summon the legendary stomach of Gamaguchi, the level of heat from Naruto's chakra was too intense. Soon, section of flesh and even corrosive acid were melted away by Naruto's chakra.

"RAAUUAAAH!" Naruto's demonic howl increased in density and power, shaking the entire stomach that Jiraiya summoned.

At this moment, dozens of violet chakra hands erupted out from Naruto, piercing the nearby walls and impaling the numerous white snakes that attempted to hide. Even though Naruto had 5-tails, he didn't even attack or focus upon Jiraiya, he only saw Orochimaru. Suddenly, a fully intact Orochimaru phased out from the skin below Naruto while reaching out with his right hand. The snake Sanin had a violet bundle of fire burning on each of his fingertips as he continued to reach out towards Naruto.

"Five Pronged Seal!" Orochimaru screamed as he attempted to strengthen the seal on Naruto's stomach.

At the last moment, Naruto's left claw dug itself into the Sanin's attacking hand, bathing it in chakra-filled Purple fire while stopping the attack. Without a moments delay, Orochimaru's right hand was snapped in-half as the amount of heat and power pouring from Naruto only increased.

"RAAAUUUAAAH!" Naruto once again roared, creating a wall of violet light all around him that abruptly shot out, erasing everything in a 50ft wide radius, bathing it all in violet light.

During this, a distant Sasuke and Kakashi stared at this wall of light in disbelief, the former was unable to believe such power existed while the latter was waiting for his chance to subdue Naruto.

Before this wall of light even dissipated, multiple bolts and arcs of lightning began striking Naruto's previous location. During this, the dark and dense clouds overhead became even more twisted, completely devoid of any light. Suddenly, pillars of Purple fire began pouring down from these dark clouds before rushing towards Naruto's previous location. As this occurred, the wall of light from Naruto's last attack continued to grow and expand, preventing either of the nearby Sharingan-users from seeing anything.

After several minutes, the wall of violet light finally stabilized, revealing that Jiraiya was missing while Orochimaru's body was lodged into a distant tree. Half of the snake Sanin's upper body was gone with a massive chunk of his right arm was burnt off, but that didn't stop him from calmly dislodging himself from the tree.

"Fire Style: Flame Bomb!" Jiraiya screamed as his head popped out from the nearby shadow of a tree.

"Uh-...!?" Orochimaru gasped before leaping up over 20ft, allowing him to barely dodge the toad Sanin's powerful attack. After missing its target, Jiraiya's powerful Fire Style erupted into a pillar of Black smoke and oil upon impact with a distant tree.

"Wwuuuuuuuuah!" Jiraiya basically whistled while inhaling a vast amount of air. This process allowed the Sanin's shoulders, arms and lower torso to pop out from the nearby shadow before returning to their normal size.

"Toad subjugation: Art of the Manipulated Shadow, huh?" Orochimaru chuckled after observing his former teammate from a nearby treebranch.

Before the pair of elite Sanin could continue battling, a fierce demonic roar echoed out from Naruto's previous location, shaking the entire earth in a 300ft wide radius. During this, the sound of bubbles rupturing and bones snapping could be heard. At this moment, the pillar of debris created from Naruto's previous roar finally stabilized. Afterwards, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Kakashi and Sasuke all stared at the new creature infront of them with an expression of horror.

Gusts of chakra-filled wind radiated out in every angle, melting and burning anything in a 20ft radius around this new beast. At the same time, multiple strikes of lightning echoed throughout the dark and dense clouds overhead. This new creature infront of them was lined by a solid white skull, spine and 2 arms that were attached to a bright, violet chakra body. These sections of bone gave the violet creature a fox-like skeleton system, giving it 2-front paws that rested along side its chakra hands.

During this, Naruto's fox-like face could be seen panting pillars of steam from in between the mouth of this newly created skull. At the same time, the amount of lightning overhead grew in density and volume. As this occurred, 6 tails waved and swished through the air behind this animal-like Naruto, greatly alarming Kakashi. Despite his power and prestige, even Orochimaru was taken back by this new form, he could feel Naruto's hatred floating through the very air.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmphhmph... Look's like I've bitten off more than I can chew." Orochimaru joked while licking both lips with his snake-like tongue.

"Mr. Gamaken, go, you'll only get hurt if you stay." Jiraiya ordered the distant 60ft toad.

"Right, please forgive me for being ungraceful." Gamaken replied before erupting into a pillar of smoke.

The toad Sanin knew what was about to happen, if he didn't stop Naruto soon, the boy would fully transform into the 9-tails. Fueled by love and determination, Jiraiya was ready to show Konoha how he earned the title of 'Sage'.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 150 miles North of Konoha._

"Damnit...! Damnit...! Damnit!" Yamato panicked while running full speed back towards his village.

As the elite Jonin ran, the Kanji for '6' was searing itself to the flesh of his left palm. Not once in 12 years did this happen, but now the Seal was breaking down, allowing massive amounts of 9-tail chakra to pour out.

"6-tails... This is bad, this is really bad!" As he spoke, the pillar of steam rising from his left palm increased in density while his entire left arm twitched and trembled.

Yamato appeared like a blur of Leaf's dashing through the forest on his journey back to Konoha. Unaware, that he was already too late.


	45. Chapter 45

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Brendanclay2009 - Thank you!**

 **Joe - Here's 2 more chapters for you, enjoy.**

 **naes151 - I've read a lot of stories about Naruto going 9-tails during the Konoha Crush, forcing Orochimaru to escape and I never really understood why.**

 **Orochimaru is beyond anything the Leaf have to offer, I personally argue he footstomps Jiraiya (In base or Sage Mode) and with that being said, I can't think of any reason for him to retreat, even in canon.**

 **In canon, he wanted to take Sasuke's Sharingan while in this story he wants Naruto's Rinnegan, in both cases I see him just dicking around until he can gets what he wants. With all this in mind, I consider Orochimaru one of my favorite villains and the main villain to my season 1 (Chapters 1-46)**

 **Orochimaru is always calm and in control, that's why I love him, he can look at a 6-tailed Naruto and still find a way too genuinely laugh.**

 **tenellis - Here is 2 more chapters, let me know what you think.**

 **biginferno - She will indeed, I injured Tayuya because the results of that fight (just being there and watching it) will have a great impact on her development as a character.**

 **I wanted the side-effects of being near such an intense battle (A Sanin-level battle) to be more than just cuts and bruises. I wanted the results to matter, to actually feel realistic. Too feel like such high-level combat actually had side-effects.**

 **ShadowDeathSkull - Thank you so much for pointing out that terrible mistake.** **By the time you read this, it will be fixed.**

 **anonymouse47 - That really means a lot to me and I'm glad you took time out of your day to tell me that. Thank you.**

 **Ishimaru Taiki - Thank you, let me know what you think about these 2 chapters, I'm always down for some criticism.**

 **GunBlade2018 - I did take a lot of inspiration from the canon Naruto vs Pain fight, and the canon Naruto vs Orochimaru fight. I wanted to write a battle depicting Orochimaru in his prime, no body restriction like in canon.**

 **This battle is something I can point back at and say 'This, this right here is Orochimaru's most powerful display of strength, the dude saw a 6-tailed Naruto and laughed'.**

 **I think that's one of the reasons Orochimaru is so badass, he almost can't even die. You're basically stuck to either Sealing or just pulling his soul out, he can't be killed in combat. (Except by a tailed beast bomb or Deidara's C-0 explosion.)**

 **In regards to your 2nd review, you are correct about Yamato, I try to sprinkle in some foreshadowing when I can.**

 **Tobiusolider - In theory, Kakashi should be able to use his MS to subdue the 9-tails chakra inside Naruto, correct.**

 **However, in the flashback that depicts Madara confronting the 9-tails and in the flashback of Obito attacking Konoha, both instances depict these two MS-users staring directly into Kurama's eyes.**

 **This means that Kakashi would have to atleast get close too Naruto before staring in his eyes, something he is unable to due because of the intense heat from Kurama's chakra. Also** **, even if Kakashi was able to get near Naruto, Naruto has the Rinnegan, making him immune to all Genjutsu.**

 **I have stated before that Naruto is in control of this rampage (atleast in terms of funneling his rage towards Orochimaru).** **Because of this, Kakashi can't just subdue the 9-tails chakra. Naruto is basically already doing that with his Rinnegan, which is a superior Doijutsu compared to the Sharingan.**

 **Again, in theory, Kakashi should be able to subdue the 9-tails, that's actually why I wrote the line of him saying 'this is the reason I was chosen to lead this team'. However, neither Kakashi or any of his superiors knew Naruto was immune to Genjutsu.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 45: Might Of The Toad Sage! The Edge Of Chaos.**

Intense currents of chakra-filled wind rippled out from a growling 6-tailed Naruto. At the same time, a series of dark and twisted clouds hovered over Konoha, preventing any source of sunlight.

"Right then... Let's get started." Jiraiya spoke before clapping both hands together into the Tiger Seal. Afterwards, the toad Sanin began inhaling a significant amount of air, causing his shoulders to rise.

I have to subdue atleast 3-tails before I can even get close to him, but I can't hurt him either... That only leaves... As these thoughts raced through Jiraiya's mind, he failed to notice Orochimaru observing him from atop a nearby treebranch.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullets!" The toad Sanin declared before unleashing several dozen condensed and chakra-filled balls of water that flung towards the growling 6-tailed Naruto.

"Hmphhmphhmph, I'll play along, _Jiraiya_..." The 1-armed Orochimaru laughed while raising his left hand to his face before weaving through the half-Tiger, Snake and Dog Seals, preforming 1-handed Seals.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Strike." As the snake Sanin spoke, he extended his left arm towards Naruto, using his index and middle fingers to point at the 6-tailed boy.

This declaration created a fierce current of Lightning that shot out from Orochimaru's fingertips before combining with Jiraiya's previously cast Water Style jutsu. This action merged two Sanin-level techniques into one, creating an electrified barrage of water bullets that were linked together by arcs of Lightning.

"GruuuaAAH..." The 6-tailed, bone-covered Naruto growled as everything in a 10ft radius was engulfed in Purple fire.

Suddenly, Naruto dug his front claws into the burnt ash underneath him while he continued to growl. During this, Naruto's Rinnegan eyes twitched and narrowed multiple times while observing the approaching combination of jutsu.

"Raauh!" As Naruto roared, he unhinged the jawline of his new-formed skull while the amount of steam pouring from his chakra mouth increased in density.

At this moment, a rotating sphere of chakra-filled air shot out from Naruto's mouth before hurling through the air and smashing against the barrage of electrified liquid bullets. Upon contact, a fierce shockwave rippled out in all directions followed by a bright violet light.

This shockwave was so intense that it even flung Naruto back over 30ft, forcing everything he touched to instantly burn with Purple fire before dissolving into ash. At the same time, all nearby ash, trees, stone and houses in a 60ft radius were broken multiple times before being pushed back by this shockwave.

As this shockwave resonated out, both Sasuke and Kakashi were forced to funnel chakra into their feet just to retain their grip. During this, they each held an arm infront of their face while narrowing both eyes, even Kakashi with a Sharingan beyond the 3-tomoe could barely keep his eyes open.

In response to this shockwave, the toad Sanin quickly clapped both hands together into the Tiger Seal before weaving through the Hare, Boar and Dog Seals. Afterwards, Jiraiya crouched down by while slamming both palms and his left knee into the ground.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" Jiraiya declared, forcing a 15ft tall, 5ft wide and 20ft long earth wall to erupt out from the ground.

This style of wall was far different from Sakura's or Hiruzen's. This wall was adorned with the sculptures of five half-naked women, the five most important female models in the entire world, one from each of the great Shinobi nations.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph." Orochimaru laughed from atop the nearby treebranch.

As the snake Sanin finished laughed, he raised his left hand to his mouth before biting into his thumb, index and middle fingers. Afterwards, Orochimaru jumped on too Jiraiya's newly created wall before slamming his left palm atop it's surface.

"Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon." As the snake Sanin spoke, 3 multi-colored gates erupt out from the ground infront of Jiraiya's earth wall.

After these gates rose over 20ft above the earth's surface, the sound of multiple chains and iron balls striking one another could be heard. During this, Orochimaru laughed several times.

As the shockwave from Naruto's previous attack finally impacted this Sanin-level defense, all 3 Rashomon were quickly uprooted before being flung back in a violet blur. As this occurred, Orochimaru's yellow, snake-like eyes bulged with shock before he was hurled back over 30ft, crashing through the wall of a distant house.

At the same time, several sections of Jiraiya's wall were broken off by this intense shockwave before it finally began to stabilize. Afterwards, the toad Sanin quickly stood up before running around his half-broken wall to examine the front.

"Oh, good... She's my favorite." Jiraiya mumbled to himself while stroking a pair of stone breasts that were sculptured into his wall. These pair of breasts belonged to the only remaining model that survived the force from Naruto's shockwave.

The elite toad Sanin then quickly turned around as a stern expression once again covered his face. After several moments the debris from the previous shockwave finally disappeared, allowing Jiraiya to see Naruto crouched down on all 4s in the middle of a 60ft wide and 20ft deep crater.

The ground infront of Jiraiya was loose and crumbling, forcing him to take jump up just in time before the earth underneath him broke off and fell. After landing atop his broken earth wall, Jiraiya crouched down on one knee while observing the growling 6-tailed boy that was his Godson.

At this rate... Konoha will be... Where are you, Old Man? Jiraiya thought as he glanced at multiple burning buildings and smoke clouds in the distance before settling upon the stone face of the 3rd Hokage.

Great Lord Elder... I wonder, is this the moment of selection you talked about? As these thoughts raced, the toad Sanin rolled up both sleeves to his elbows, revealing the entirety of his forest-green gauntlets worn underneath.

Jiraiya then raised his left palm to his mouth before biting down into the upper-portion of his wrist, drawing a significant amount of blood. Afterwards, the toad Sanin quickly dipped both of his index and middle fingers into this puddle of blood before placing 2 fingers under each eye, beside his iconic tears of blood'.

The toad Sanin then dragged his fingertips down in a curved-fashion from his eyelids to the tears of blood that draped across each side of his face. Afterwards, Jiraiya loudly clapped both of his flat and blood-covered palms together while crouching down slightly.

I have no choice... I'll have to use Sage Mode! Jiraiya concluded before the ground underneath him crumbled and snapped as Naruto charged up the crater before surging past the toad Sanin.

As the 6-tailed Naruto charged forward, everything he touched instantly erupted into Purple fire before dissolving into ash. The only person Naruto could even think about was Orochimaru, his rage blocked out anything else. The nearby toad Sanin quickly followed his rampaging Godson while both hands were continuously pressed together infront of his chest. Jiraiya had finally found his moment, the moment of selection that he pondered in his mind for over 40 years, and he was determined to make the right choice.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the center of the Residential District._

"Come on you two, stay close." Sakura ordered the 2 children behind her while carrying an unconscious Konohamaru under her left arm.

Back at the Academy, Sakura would never have been able to carry so much weight with 1-arm, let alone a child. However, the rigid and stern training under Haku had forced Sakura to become much more tone and fit, allowing her to accomplish more physically demanding tasks.

Although the freshly-made Chunin was ordered to escort any survivors back to the Chunin Arena, the foul roar from earlier forced her to change directions. Instead, Sakura was escorting all three children she was left with back to her house, intent to hide them in a secret cellar her parents built underground.

Sakura was confident enough to walk across a large and barren street while barking at Udon and Moegi to stay close. After several moments of walking, the pink-haired Chunin abruptly froze after noticing over 12 Sound ninja blocking the road infront of her.

"Well, well... Look what we have her-...!?" A Sound ninja spoke before his words were cut-off midsentence as the previous loud and demonic howls once again began to echo across Konoha.

Suddenly, a figure dashed through the group of 12 Sound Shinobi that barely any of them could even notice. The only thing these ninja noticed was a 1-armed pale-skinned man moving at speeds far beyond Jonin-level.

Moments afterwards, a 6-tailed violet and bone-covered Naruto charged across the road. The heat from his chakra was so intense that it severely burned many of the nearby Sound Shinobi.

"RAAUUAH!" Naruto roared, creating a shockwave that rippled out from his chakra-body.

This shockwave cracked the surrounding earth while forcing all Sound ninja to fly back over 20ft. This shockwave even flung Sakura and the 3 children she escorted back, causing them all to smash against a distant foodcart filled with cabbages.

As Naruto continued charging down the streets, the shockwaves from his footsteps broke several dozen houses while burning multiple others. His rage was too vast to comprehend while his hatred was fueled by the demon inside him.

At this moment, Naruto completely stopped moving as his Rinnegan eyes focused and narrowed upon the smiling Orochimaru who stood on the road infront of him. The sight of this Sanin forced the heat from Naruto's chakra to grow while the Purple flames around him doubled in size.

"Play time is over, boy... I'm going to drag you back to my hideout before ripping those beautiful eyes out." Orochimaru spoke while licking both lips with his snake-like tongue.

"Just imagine the jutsu I can create with those eyes." As the snake Sanin spoke, his 6-tailed opponent growled in response, causing pillars of steam to pour out from his jagged chakra-mouth.

"I wonder... do you understand what I'm saying?" After Orochimaru asked this question, Naruto's chakra jawline instantly unhinged as he raised his demonic face to the dark sky overhead.

"RAAAUUUAAAHHH!" Naruto roared as the bones around his chakra-body began to glow with a bright Purple aura.

The force of this roar was so powerful that it rippled out like an earthquake, shaking everything in a 500ft radius. As this demonic earthquake continued to rumble, several dozen buildings, homes and stores collapsed under the weight of Naruto's chakra.

As Orochimaru stood barely 15ft away from the howling Naruto, the air around him became dense and heavy. The weight of this air was impowered by Naruto's demonic chakra, forcing the surrounding light posts and mailbox's to bend as nearby houses collapsed.

As this roar continued to echo out, a swirling vortex of dense wind began rotating around the howling Naruto. Instead of reacting with fear, Orochimaru merely laughed at this display of power.

An average ninja would have been crushed or killed just from the weight of this roar, but Orochimaru wasn't even human anymore. Suddenly, dozens of Blue and Red orbs began to once again shot out from Naruto's chakra body.

These orbs flooded out in much greater density than the last time Naruto released them. Also, these orbs began to hover and rest around the 6-tailed boy with much greater speed than before.

"Uah-...!?" Orochimaru gasped after finally realizing what Naruto's next attack would be.

After understanding the sheer danger of this situation, the snake Sanin turned around before he quickly began running away. Unlike before, Orochimaru wasn't attempting to create space, he was actually running out of fear.

The snake Sanin already displayed his greatest defense, the five-layer Rashomon, a technique that 4-tailed Naruto easily managed to destroy with a tailed beast bomb. That's why Orochimaru had to run, he could do nothing to prevent a 6-tailed beast bomb.

No! Kakashi panicked from atop a treebranch as his Mangekyō Sharingan examined the intense amount of chakra building up infront of Naruto's mouth.

Kakashi had completely ran past Sasuke, proving that the elite Jonin was far superior than his student in terms of speed. At the same time, Jiraiya was no where to be seen.

The orbs around Naruto then began to funnel and gather infront of his jagged chakra-mouth before they merged together, creating a dark violet orb. Soon, this dark orb was over 2ft wide in diameter, much larger than the previous orb Naruto created when he had 4-tails.

This orb then shrunk down to 6in in diameter, creating a 3ft deep and 10ft wide crater all around Naruto, because of his chakra's weight. Unlike before, Naruto didn't eat or swallow this orb, instead it hovered infront of his chakra-mouth for several moments.

As this violet orb hovered, multiple pillars of steam poured out from Naruto's jagged mouth. Even though the Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't see the chakra network, Kakashi's eye still allowed him to see the massive current of chakra swirling around Naruto.

"BlueaAH!" Naruto growled before launching this violet orb forward, creating multiple shockwaves that rippled through the air as this chakra-filled attack surged towards Orochimaru.

As this orb soared through the air, it uprooted and crushed the earth underneath because of it's power. At the same time, shockwaves from this attack blew several currents of dense chakra-filled wind against the nearby houses that lined the road.

Soon, Naruto's attack surged over 40ft in distance before Orochimaru abruptly dissolved into several white snakes that slithered in multiple different directions. This action caused Naruto's violet orb to hurl past the escaping snake Sanin before surging towards the distant Hokage Monument.

At this moment, Kakashi dug his left hand into the tree that held up the treebranch he stood on. During this, the elite Jonin pressed his other hand against the right side of his face, concealing his normal eye while his Mangekyō Sharingan glared at the hurling tailed beast bomb.

Obito, the eyesight you have given me, your eye... Will save Konoha! Kakashi concluded as all three triangles wrapping around the pupil of his Mangekyō Sharingan began to rotate and swirl.

Suddenly, Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan bulged as the veins connected to his eye were flooded with blood. Afterwards, the Jonin's field of vision shot across several dozen streets and houses before focusing upon the distant tailed beast bomb.

This tailed beast bomb continued to surge towards the Hokage Monument atop the distant cliffside, crushing all earth, trees and homes underneath it. However, at the last moment, the center of this violet orb began to rotate and swirl.

Soon, this rotation grew in density before the entire tailed beast bomb vanished in midair. Even though Naruto's attack vanished, multiple shockwaves of air radiated out from its previous location, smashing against the 4 stone and stern faces that covered the Hokage Monument.

Afterwards, Kakashi quickly lost his balance before leaning forward, causing him to fall off the treebranch. The elite Jonin also lost a vast portion of his chakra, as if the using the Mangekyō Sharingan was almost too much to bare.

Before Kakashi even hit the ground, a cloaked and black-haired individual appeared directly below him. This individual was able to catch half of the exhausted Jonin on his back, even though both of Kakashi's legs were draped across the ground.

"Is that the true power of the Sharingan? Looks like you can barely handle the power of my clan." Sasuke remarked in a bold and proud tone, clearly filled with pride for his clan.

Instead of responding with words, Kakashi panted heavily, gasping for each breathe of air while struggling to keep his eyes open. During this, his Mangekyō Sharingan began to recede and fade back into the 3-tomoe Sharingan.

"Find... Lord Jiraiya..." Kakashi mumbled from in between his gasps for air.

"Yea, sure, whatever." Sasuke replied while laying the exhausted Jonin against the nearby tree before jumping up over 20ft, landing on a partially collapsed rooftop.

As the young Uchiha stared out across the village of Konoha, a massive white snake with 8 heads and 8 tails erupted into existence before striking the nearby houses. Unlike a summoning technique, this snake didn't create a cloud of smoke, something Sasuke found odd.

Sasuke was unaware that this massive serpent was Orochimaru's greatest and strongest snake-related technique, a transformation infused with the power of Snake Senjutsu. Unlike Jiraiya, Orochimaru didn't have the physical strength to enter Sage Mode, forcing him to utilize different methods of Senjutsu.

After this massive 8-headed snake destroyed the nearby houses, it became apparent that it was actually attacking Naruto, and surviving. Usually, any average snake would have burned into ash upon contact with Naruto's chakra, but this massive serpent was infused with Senjutsu, giving it unique qualities and power.

The size of this snake dwarfed even larger than Gamaken, the toad Jiraiya previously summoned, causing the 8-headed serpent to tower over the Konoha horizon. As this creature repeatedly struck Naruto, it was able to knock the rampaging 6-tailed boy back into a 2-story apartment building, sending dust and debris in multiple directions.

During this, the observing Sasuke managed to sneak around several rooftops before hiding behind a pile of collapsed trees beside the building. This allowed the young Uchiha to notice a series of Purple fires that erupted across multiple rooms inside the apartments.

"RAAUUAAH!" Naruto once again roared a fierce, demonic howl that shook the very earth of Konoha.

The shockwave from this roar sent several pierces of broken wood and debris out in all directions, forcing Sasuke to slide back over 10ft, crossing an entire street. As this occurred, Sasuke's cloak of the Uchiha Police Force wavered intensely in the chakra-filled shockwave.

As this shockwave continued to resonate out, Sasuke crouched down beside a partially collapsed building while funneling chakra into both feet, attempting to keep his balance. After several moments, the shockwave and roar finally stabilized, allowing Sasuke to hear a pair of wooden sandals stomping across a nearby partially rooftop.

" _Lad..._ Why do you always summon us at such rowdy times, this dark sky and roar can't be pleasant." An elderly and grandma-like voice spoke out, although Sasuke couldn't see who was speaking.

"Now, now Ma, you just let him be, you hear me? I'm sure Jiraiya-boy has his reasons." Another elderly yet grandpa-like voice replied, confusing Sasuke, since he only heard one pair of footsteps.

"You can just shut your trap, Pa!" The elderly Ma barked out.

"I know it's been awhile, and I do apologize for the circumstances... Boss, Ma'am." The voice of Jiraiya humbly apologized as his heavy footsteps continued to stomp across the partially collapsed roof.

"But Lad, I thought you hated taking this form? Said it would make you unpopular with the ladies?" Pa replied.

"I had no choice, our opponent is the 9-tails, and his jinchūriki possesses the Rinnegan." Jiraiya responded, forcing Ma to gasp with shock.

"The pupils of Six Paths...?" Ma mumbled under her breathe.

" _Really?!_ It actually exists? Well then you're right, you had absolutely no choice." Pa declared before Jiraiya arrived at the edge of the rooftop, allowing Sasuke to finally see the elite toad Sanin.

Jiraiya's face was covered in a series of warts while his nose was much larger than any Human nose. Also, Jiraiya's eyes had taken on a much more toad-like appearance while he now had a white goatee adorned across his lower face. Although Sasuke couldn't notice it, Jiraiya also maintained a toad-like posture while his concealed teeth became sharp and honed. This was the result of power Sasuke had never seen before, the power of Senjutsu.

The most odd thing that Sasuke noticed were the pair of cloaked toads that sat on Jiraiya's shoulder, one of each side. Toads that shocked the young Uchiha after he realized they were the pair of elderly voices.

Sasuke quickly identified these toads as Ma and Pa before he began observing their features. Pa was a small Leaf-Green toad with a white-haired mohawk, very thick eyebrows and a matching small Goatee.

Ma had a lime-Green face with Purple lips while the top of her head looked as though she was wearing a hair net with hair-rollers underneath, giving her an 'old woman' look. While each of these toads looked vastly different, they both wore an identical high-collared Black cape.

Suddenly, Orochimaru's massive 8-head serpent slithered across the collapsed 2-story apartment building, crushing everything in its path. Afterwards, the central head of this beast tilted it's mouth up before unhinging it's jawline.

This process allowed the slime-covered snake Sanin to pop out from the beasts throat before resting atop it's tongue. During this, Orochimaru laughed multiple times, content with all the fun he was having.

"Wait a moment, isn't that...?" Ma asked, fully aware of Jiraiya's childhood friend and former teammate.

"It appears Orochimaru is mixed up in this aswell, right Jiraiya-boy?" Pa questioned, earning a brief nod of approval from his student.

"You know, someday you really gotta start being able to enter Sage Mode by yourself, Jiraiya-boy." As the elder toad spoke, a distant Orochimaru began to smile while staring at the toad Sanin.

"Compared to the two of you, I'm still just an amateur, so please lend me your aid for just a little while." Jiraiya pleaded before jumping down into the street below, crushing a small crater into the earth on impart.

"Is this the true appearance of _The Toad Sage?_ I must say, I'm not impressed at all." Orochimaru mocked as his snake-like tongue draped across both lips.

"Is that Snake Sage Mode?" Ma asked as she observed Orochimaru and the massive 8-headed serpent he was attached too.

"No, similar to Jiraiya-boy, Orochimaru is unable to attain _true_ Sage Mode." Pa explained.

True Sage Mode? Sasuke asked himself as he hide beside a nearby wall.

"So, where is this opponent then? The one with the pupils of Six Paths?" Pa asked as his toad eyes glanced in multiple different directions.

"His eyes must be degrading with age, I don't see anything." Ma replied.

At this moment, multiple violet chakra hands shot out from the earth around Orochimaru's 8-headed serpent. This action collapsed the ground underneath Orochimaru, entrapping him in a large crater.

"Let's begin! Sage Art: Swamp of the Underworld!" Jiraiya declared after clapping both hands together before weaving through the Boar and Tiger Seals.

Afterwards, the toad Sanin quickly crouched down before slamming both of his wart-covered hands against the ground beneath him. This caused all earth around the crater to morph into mud that surged in before enveloping both Naruto and the massive 8-headed serpent. This mud was infused with toad Senjutsu, preventing Naruto's chakra from overwhelming the technique. Also, because this jutsu forced the mud to become so dense and concentrated, even Orochimaru found it difficult to move.

"Well, that was easy, now I can get back home and get dinner started." Ma proclaimed, forcing Jiraiya to narrow both of his toad-like eyes.

"Jiraiya-boy, why do you have to fight such an extreme opponent anyway? And why go so far as to summon us?" Pa asked, earning a brief period of silence from his student in response.

"This opponent is one of my students." Jiraiya replied, causing both Ma and Pa to gasp in shock as their toad mouths fell open.

"I never heard one word of this Jiraiya-boy... So, is he the _one_?" Pa asked while leaning his toad face against Jiraiya's.

"Yes." Jiraiya answered in a stern and heavy voice, the voice of a man who carried much weight on his shoulders.

"The Child of Prophecy!? Then, why are you battling him, Jiraiya?" Ma questioned.

"I think this is the moment of selection that the Great Lord Elder foretold, the moment that would bring about a great creator, or a greater destroyer." Jiraiya explained, causing Pa to nod his head while Ma rolled both her eyes.

"In that case, it's your duty to Seal the 9-tails and save your student." Pa commented.

"You're both crazy, that prophecy is nothing more than a senile old geezers rant." Ma proclaimed before she, Pa and Jiraiya all felt a sudden shift in the air, like something was wrong.

For the first time since his rampage began, Naruto was finally restrained and unable to escape. Even though Jiraiya managed to restrict the power of a 6-tailed Naruto, he could still sense something sinister and foul in the air.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside Naruto's subconscious._

"Why...? Why won't he die?" Naruto asked as he drifted down through a black ocean.

The blue sky and water that usually existed in Naruto's mind were entirely gone, replaced with dark and twisted clouds that hovered over an endless black sea. The water that filled this black sea was thick and twisted, Naruto could feel a deep sense of hatred and rage just from touching this dark liquid.

"Die, die, die, _die... Die."_ As the young blond spoke, he continued to sink even deeper into this black sea before landing on his knees atop a thick metal bar, one of several that lined the bottom of this ocean.

Because of the pitch-black color of this ocean, the only source of light in the entire place was Naruto's eyes. Suddenly, a pair of massive, crimson fox-like eyes flickered into existence underneath the metal bar Naruto rested on, painting the black sea with an aura of Red.

"You think I'll accept this?! This joke!?" As Naruto spoke, the surrounding water began to bubble and rupture. After speaking, a large burst of fire erupted out from the Swamp that contained Naruto's real body. Afterwards, multiple bubbles began forming atop the muddy-surface, an action that greatly alarmed the nearby Jiraiya.

"I'll never fucking accept it!" While screaming, Naruto dug his fingernails into the paper Seal below, a Seal that rested atop the same metal bar he sat on. Naruto was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't even notice the pair of demonic eyes below.

"I hate this, I hate him, I hate _him._ " As the boy repeated these words, the twisted image of Orochimaru floated throughout his mind, filling him even with even more hatred.

 **"Destroy him, erase everything you hate, wipe all of it from existence."** A demonic voice from below encouraged before a twisted and jagged smile formed in the dark water underneath Naruto.

 **"He killed Iruka! He killed Hiruzen! Everyone you love is dead because of him!"** As this voice spoke, Naruto didn't even look down at the demonic creature that was speaking, he was too overwhelmed by hatred to care.

At this moment, the dark Kanji around Naruto's 8 Trigram Seal began to dissipate as the central swirl rotated multiple times. Soon, this swirl resembled a Black hole with tons of dark ooze pouring out from the Seal, mixing with the nearby Red-tinted water.

 **"Yes! You're doing fine."** The voice encouraged as the dark ooze from Naruto's Seal began leaking into the demons cage.

This ooze continued to pour out from Naruto's Seal at an alarming speed, an action the demon below greatly enjoyed. During this, Naruto's Rinnegan eyes trembled and pulsated multiple times.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 130 miles North of Konoha._

"7-tails... This is bad, this is really, _really_ bad!" Yamato panicked as he ran full-speed through a forest, causing his short hair to waver in the breeze.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside Konoha._

Seven violet chakra tails shot out from Jiraiya's Senjutsu-filled swamp, causing the muddy-surface to bubble intensely in multiple locations. Naruto's chakra was now so powerful that even Senjutsu could barely restrain him.

"I can't believe it's this strong..." Jiraiya mumbled to himself, awed at the power infront of him.

"RAAUAAH!" Naruto roared as his half-chakra, half-bone jawline erupted from the muddy swamp before howling into the dark sky overhead. As Naruto screamed his fierce demonic howl, multiple portions of his body were covered with Senjutsu-infused mud.

Suddenly, sections of flesh began forming in between Naruto's bones and his chakra-body, merging them together in several different areas. This flesh was the result from forming a 7th tail, soon, the 9-tails would be completely recreated.

As Naruto's roar continued to erupt, a condensed pillar of Purple fire shot out from his jagged mouth before rising over 30ft into the air. This pillar covered a huge portion of Konoha in a fiery shadow before miniature fireballs shot out in multiple places, raining flames down upon the Leaf Village.

Because Jiraiya was in Sage Mode, he could sense and feel all nearby Nature energy and chakra, allowing him to feel the twisted chakra that Naruto was releasing. This chakra was far more dark and foul than anything Jiraiya ever felt, it was on an entirely separate level.

Great Lord Elder... Is this, my moment of selection? Jiraiya once again asked himself, cautious of his own destiny.

Jiraiya was determined to end this here and now, fueled by love towards his Godson. Even though the toad Sanin felt like he failed Naruto, it was a realization he refused to accept. The toad Sanin always watched over Naruto from a distance, paying for the boys rent, food and housing before Iruka showed up, however, Jiraiya now had to intervene in person and subdue a fully-power 7-tailed Naruto.

Any average Shinobi would have ran or hid at the prospect of fighting such a powerful opponent, but Jiraiya didn't even flinch. Jiraiya was responsible for naming Naruto, and now he felt responsible for containing Naruto. The Sage of Mount Myōboku had always lived a carefree and joy-filled life, but now he felt only regret for allowing Naruto to progress so far into the 9-tails state.

This was Jiraiya's moment, the moment to prove that the Hermit Sage still had a feel tricks up his sleeve, the moment of selection.


	46. Chapter 46

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: In canon, there are 2 types of Sage Mode, Toad and Snake. However, in this story there will be 6, I feel like 6 is a symbolic number because of the 6 Paths of Pain/Sage of 6 Paths. (And 6 is subjectively the best number)**

 **Slug Sage Mode (Tsunade) is an obvious thing I will be writing, but I will not explain the other 3 I'm creating/writing for the sake of spoilers. Just know they will be realistic.**

 **Sage's will be a big deal in this story, I'm writing it to where Senjutsu protects the user from certain levels of tailed beast power. That is why the Sage of 6 Paths was so powerful, he mastered all 6 forms/styles of Sage Mode. He was on his own level.**

 **I have a very low opinion of myself and everything related to me, by that logic, please let me know if you consider this chapter to be dog-shit.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 46: The Moment Of Selection! Blood-line Revealed.**

"So that's the Rinnegan, huh? It certainly does look like the eyes mentioned in legend." Ma proclaimed while observing Naruto's violet, ripple-patterned eyes.

During this observation, Naruto finally stopped roaring, causing the pillar of fire erupting from his mouth to halt. Afterwards, Naruto stabbed each of his tails into the earth around Jiraiya's swamp, allowing the rage-infused blond to pull himself free with sheer might.

"What nasty eyes... I can't believe _he_ is the Child of Prophecy." Pa commented as he stared at Naruto's violet eyes, eyes filled with rage and hatred.

"As his teacher, it's my duty too take him down, I must restrain the 9-tails." Jiraiya replied as Naruto finally pulled himself completely free from the toad Sanin's swamp.

Everything Naruto touched instantly erupted into Purple fire before dissolving into ash. This process covered a large portion of the street around Naruto with bright, violet flames. As these flames burned, the 7-tailed boy growled while shaking his chakra-head from side-to-side, visually searching for Orochimaru.

"Let's wrap this up quick, I need to get home. I have to cook up so dinner." Ma exclaimed.

"Ma! This battle is much more important than some _dinner_! Stay alert, this is the ultimate Visual Jutsu." Pa explained.

"I don't care! Don't you dare mock a house wife's dilemma of what to cook day-in and day-out! There is nothing more stressful than standing infront of a hot stove every day!" Ma complained.

"I'm only trying to look out for you!" Pa argued.

"And whoever asked you too look out for me?!" Ma continued to complain.

At this moment, the 7-tailed Naruto surged forward, rushing down across the street away from Jiraiya, suggesting he finally found Orochimaru. As Naruto charged, the force of his footsteps interrupted the conversation that the pair of toads were having.

Suddenly, Jiraiya appeared over 10ft infront of Naruto with speed far beyond Kage-level. Afterwards, the toad Sage charged at his Godson before jumping into the air and slamming his right shin against Naruto's partially flesh-covered skull.

This kick was empowered by toad Senjutsu, however, Naruto's chakra was so vast that instead of forcing the boy back, it only stopped him from moving forward. At the same time, the lower portion of Jiraiya's right pants-leg erupted into Purple fire, his skin was infused with Senjutsu but his cloths weren't.

Enraged that someone stood in between him and Orochimaru, Naruto sliced his right chakra-arm up in a vertical fashion, an arm with a fox-like skeleton arm attached too it. Against an average Shinobi, this attack would have easily bisected them, but Jiraiya was able to sense danger through Sage Mode, allowing him to side-step too the left at the last moment.

After dodging this attacking, the toad Sage jumped back over 10ft before tearing the portion of burnt fabric loose from his right leg. Afterwards, Jiraiya loudly clapped both hands together into the Snake Seal.

"Sage Art: Art of the Raging Lion's Mane!" Jiraiya proclaimed before his Senjutsu-infused hair grew and shot out like multiple ropes that wrapped around and restrained Naruto.

During this, Naruto's growl grew in density and volume, enraged at the concept of Orochimaru getting away. Each moment that past only fueled more rage into Naruto, rage that was too powerful to contain. Soon, even Jiraiya's Senjutsu empowered hair began to burn and melt, Naruto's rage had the side-effect of adding more power to his chakra. This was something that the pair of toad Sages never experienced, never before had any being or creature overpowered Senjutsu.

This display of power forced Jiraiya to retract the remaining portions of his hair before jumping back onto a nearby collapsed roof. As the Sanin's hair receded, it retained it's sharp and spikey exterior.

"I'll finish this in one move, boy bring the Water and Pa, your Wind Style!" Ma ordered while pressing both of her flat webbed hands together

"Yes Ma'am!" Jiraiya replied with vigor before clapping both hands together into the Dog Seal as Pa pressed both his webbed hands into the Ram Seal.

At this moment, all 3 Sages began inhaling a staggering amount of air, causing each of their cheeks to puff out as Jiraiya arched his back slightly. During this, Naruto's Rinnegan eyes twitched, even in his enraged state, his could see the intense chakra build-up in Jiraiya's attack.

"Sage Art: Wind Water Rage Jutsu!" As the elite toad Sanin spoke, currents of condensed wind shot out from Ma and Pa's mouth while a wave of water erupted from Jiraiya's.

These 3 displays of jutsu than combined together, creating a fierce cooperation Ninjutsu of a giant 20ft tall water wave empowered by currents of dense wind. As this water ejected itself off the rooftop before surging towards Naruto, the level of Senjutsu in this attack caused the ground underneath to crack.

As this attack collided against Naruto, multiple pillars of stream instantly poured into the air before the water completely drowned the 7-tailed boy. Afterwards, 7 tails shot out from the water wave before slashing out in several different directions, disrupting the Sage-level technique with ease.

"Do you think it work?" Ma asked. The pillars of stream created from Jiraiya's attack were so vast that it completely prevented any of the 3 Sages from seeing Naruto.

Soon, a deep and demonic growl could be heard from behind this pillar of steam, alerting Jiraiya that Naruto was still enraged. After several moments, the steam finally dissipated, revealing a 7-tailed Naruto who was on all 4s, like a fox.

"Jiraiya-boy, we must Seal the 9-tails chakra." Pa proclaimed, causing his student to nod in agreement.

"Right, than we'll have to get close..." Jiraiya replied while kicking both his sandals off before getting down on all 4s, similar to Naruto but instead the Sanin maintained a toad-like posture.

Suddenly, both of Jiraiya's hands bulged and grew in size, forcing his gauntlets to fall off before revealing the webbed-fingers now underneath. At the same time, his feet took on the same traits and prosperities, all of which were covered in warts.

"Let's go." Pa ordered, fully aware of what his student planned.

This declaration forced Jiraiya to charge forward with such speed that the roof underneath him instantly broke and crumbled. During this blur of speed, Pa pressed both webbed hands together before weaving through the Boar, Dog and Ram Seals.

"Sage Art: Ripping Wave!" Jiraiya screamed as he appeared behind Naruto before shoving his right webbed hand towards his Godson. The Sanin was so fast that he outran his falling sandals.

Soon, a spiral of water swirled into existence in the center of Jiraiya's palm before it quickly spread out and covered his entire palm-hand. The toad Sanin then reached out and grabbed one of Naruto's tails with this water-covered hand, attempting to drown it at the base.

Before this jutsu could even take affect, Naruto's remaining 6 tails quickly swished in multiple different directions, forcing Jiraiya to release his grip before jumping back 5ft. Before the Sanin could plan his next move, Naruto swiped his left arm out his a horizontal fashion. While swiping, Naruto's left chakra arm grew and extended, allowing it to surge out over 5ft. In a remarkable display of Senjutsu enhanced reaction time, the toad Sanin was able to parry this strike with the back of his toad-like right hand.

"Sage Art: Mud Wave Jutsu." Jiraiya declared as Pa and Ma clapped both their hands together into the Snake Seal before the toad Sanin crouched down while slamming his left palm into the ground.

This technique forced the entire earth in a 30ft radius to rupture and rubble, deeply unbalancing Naruto as Jiraiya used his Senjutsu-enhanced reflexes to remain unaffected. The power of this rumbling was so great that it even forced Naruto to fall down, giving Jiraiya time to act.

At this moment, Jiraiya jumped over 10ft into the arm while positioning his right, toad-like hand infront of his face. During this, Naruto's Rinnegan eyes twitched after noticing Orochimaru was directly nearby, as if the snake Sanin was watching the battle.

"RAUAH!" Naruto roared as he rested atop a pile of burning ash, cracking the surrounding earth and forcing Jiraiya to backflip in midair before landing sideways on a collapsed wall.

Naruto's tails quickly helped the boy stand up before he surged out towards Orochimaru, the only person he even cared about at this moment. Afterwards, the elite toad Sanin quickly followed in pursuit, determined to make to right path in his destiny.

Is... Is this what it means to be a Sage...? Sasuke asked himself as he finally stepped out from his distant hiding spot, allowing him to fully survey the battlefield.

The prospect of becoming a Sage energized Sasuke's entire mind, his goal was always to achieve great power, enough power to kill a certain individual in his life. However, Sasuke always found it difficult to locate power, atleast in terms of jutsu or technique's that would be useful against that certain person, against his brother.

But what Sasuke just witnessed was a display of power that would echoes throughout his mind for weeks, the power of a Sage. For the first time in years, the young Uchiha finally felt like he had a path to follow, his own path, the path of a Sage.

While Sasuke daydreamed of power, he noted that he would never be a toad Sage, he couldn't care less for toads. This thought allowed Sasuke to remember the pair of toads calling Orochimaru a failed snake Sage, forcing him to wonder what a _true_ snake Sage would look like.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The enraged Naruto charged through buildings and tore down trees in his path as his trailed after the snake Sanin. During this, the Senjutsu-infused Jiraiya followed his Godson with Sage-level speed.

Suddenly, the ground underneath Naruto collapsed before he fell into a 10ft deep pit filled with hundreds of white snakes. Snakes that quickly attempted to slither and wrap around Naruto, only for all of them to burn into ash after touching him.

Moments after this, Orochimaru jumped out from the nearby ground while clapping both hands into the Monkey Seal, revealing that he regrew his right arm, cloths-and-all. The elite snake Sanin then weaved through the Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse and Dragon Seals before inhaling a vast amount of air while arching his back slightly.

"Water Style: Mouth of the Serpent!" Orochimaru spoke before regurgitating a spinning column of water out his mouth.

This column of water swirled and twisted atop the ground infront of Orochimaru's feet before it began to grow. Soon, this water morphed into an 10ft tall Water Snake that quickly dived into the freshly made pit, feeling the air with steam after it collided with Naruto.

This Water Snake swallowed Naruto before a rushing current of water began swirling inside the pit. However, since this water wasn't infused with Senjutsu, it quickly bubbled and evaporated into steam.

"Sage Art: Earth Wall." Jiraiya exclaimed as Pa weaved both his hands through the Tiger and Hare Seals while Ma preformed the Boar and Dog Seals. Afterwards, the toad Sanin slammed his left, toad-like foot into the ground.

This action forced the earth underneath Naruto to shift upward, rising him up after 15ft. At the same time, Jiraiya appeared behind his Godson with Sage-level speed while reaching out with his right hand.

"Sage Art: Massive Rasengan!" As the Sanin spoke, a swirling orb of blue chakra rotated into existence in his right palm before quickly growing over 20ft in diameter. This orb was filled was hundreds of different chakra-currents, all of which were spinning in separate directions.

The combination of these two Sage-level technique's used together raised Naruto into Jiraiya's fierce Rasengan attack. Although the toad Sanin would never hurt his Godson, he figured the Rasengan could possibly knock him out and end the battle.

Once this orb collided into Naruto's back, an overpowering shockwave of blue chakra rippled out in all directions, forming a mountain-level explosion and crater. This shockwave shook vast portions of Konoha as several of the nearby houses were uprooted and flung back.

The force of this explosion was so great that it took several minutes for the smoke and debris cloud to finally clear. Once cleared, this revealed a smiling Orochimaru who stood atop a cliffside of the newly-created crater.

Seconds after Orochimaru came into view, Naruto instantly upon atop the cliffside barely 10ft away from the smiling Sanin. Similar to everything else he touched, the ground instantly cracked and burned with Purple fire after Naruto landed.

Moments later, Jiraiya appeared directly infront of the 7-tailed Naruto, moving at Sage-level speeds. During this blur of speed, Jiraiya's right fingertips were each covered in violet fire

I have no choice... I'll have to place an Odd number Seal over his Even number Seal, that should restrain enough 9-tails chakra for me to focus on Orochimaru! Jiraiya's thoughts raced as he used his Senjutsu-infused reaction time to reach for Naruto's Seal.

"Sage Art: Five Pronged Seal!" The toad Sanin declared as his continued reaching for Naruto's Seal.

At this moment, the insignificant portions of flesh that connected Naruto's chakra-body and bones instantly grew and extended with the speed of a violet flash. At the same time, 8 tails began swishing and waving behind this now fully-fleshed, fox-like Naruto.

Naruto now resembled a miniature version of the 9-tails fox, the only thing missing was Orange-fur and the 9th tail, he even had a fox-like snout. The oddest thing about this form were Naruto's 8-tails, all of which were still made up of violet chakra while everything else was covered in flesh.

With this instant surge of power from having 8-tails, Naruto side-stepped to the right at the last moment, dodging Jiraiya's Sage-level attack. During this, Naruto raised his left claw into the air before slicing down in a vertical fashion, moving at speeds far beyond Sage-level.

This action filled the surrounding air with blood as Jiraiya's severed right forearm fell to the ground. Before the Sage could even react, Naruto once again released a fierce and demonic howling, creating a shockwave that pushed Jiraiya back over 50ft, slamming through distance walls, buildings and trees.

As Naruto roared, he turned and snapped his jagged fox-mouth in multiple different directions. The shockwaves from this roar were so powerful that several tornados swirled into existence, tearing apart the nearby buildings and trees.

One of these tornados spun into existence with such speed that it even caught the observing Uchiha before violently spinning him through the air multiple times. Afterwards, this chakra-infused funnel of wind slammed Sasuke through a nearby wall, knocking him out in the process.

Naruto had been pushed to the very limit of the 9-tails power, a limit that any non-Uzumaki would easily die from. There was only one final step to attain, to grow the 9th and last tail, too finally break the 8 Trigram Seal.

"Water Style: Water Shuriken Jutsu." Orochimaru spoke from atop a nearby partially collapsed building before clapping both his flat palms together. During this, the Sanin inhaled such a vast amount of air that his pale cheeks puffed out.

Suddenly, Orochimaru opened his mouth before his jaw unhinged itself, allowing his tongue to hang loose infront of his torso. Afterwards, several dozen rotating Water Shuriken shot out from his throat before hurling through the air towards Naruto at Sanin-level speed.

Because this attack wasn't infused with Senjutsu, all of these swirling Water Shuriken evaporated into pillars of steam in midair. This failed attack allowed Naruto's Rinnegan eyes too once again focus upon Orochimaru, feeling him with rage and hatred.

At this moment, all 8 of Naruto's tails expanded and shot out like daggers, each of them racing towards Orochimaru with speeds beyond Sage-level. During this, Orochimaru dissolved into several hundred white snakes that slithered in multiple different directions.

At the same time, a 1-armed Jiraiya leapt on a nearby rooftop before using his Senjutsu-ehanced speed to barely dodge Naruto's tails. Usually, Senjutsu gave the ability to sense Nature enegry, chakra and by default danger, but Naruto had evolved far past Sage-level, 8-tails was just too much.

As the injured toad Sanin stumbled to dodge Naruto's multiple attacking tails, several buildings and rooftops were crushed with such speed that Jiraiya could barely react. As the elite Sanin struggled to survive, a steady steam of blood was leaking out from his right arm, staining the partially collapsed roof below.

"Lad! You're injured!" Ma proclaimed as Jiraiya jumped up just in time to avoid the roof from collapsing beneath him.

"I'm well aware of that..." Jiraiya mumbled under his breathe as several dozen pieces of broken rooftile hovered in the air around him.

"Jiraiya-boy! Just give up already! 8-tails is too much!" Pa ordered, clearly concerned about his student.

"I must find a way to Seal him - even if I die." Jiraiya concluded while gripping down on his partially severed right arm, attempting to stop the blood flow.

I already failed you, Minato... I will not fail your son. As these thoughts raced through Jiraiya's mind, his toad-like eyes bulged after noticing Orochimaru jump atop a nearby roof before running past him.

This retreat caused Naruto to chase after Orochimaru, running through the entire building that Jiraiya stood on, creating multiple Purple fires in the process. After charging through the now broken building, Naruto roared while hurling his right, flesh-covered claw forward, attempting to strike the ground to unbalance his prey.

However, at the last moment, a Senjutsu-enhanced Jiraiya appeared directly infront of Naruto, catching the boys demonic attack with his barehand. Seconds later, Naruto swiped his left claw out in a horizontal fashion, attempting to bisect Jiraiya in a similar fashion to Orochimaru.

In response to this, the toad Sanin raised his right knee into the air, allowing him to parry Naruto's attack with his Senjutsu-enhanced skin. Afterwards, one of Naruto's tails lunged out towards Jiraiya's face, who still had Naruto's right claw restrained in his left hand.

In a remarkable display of Sage-level speed, Jiraiya raised his right leg even further before kicking his foot against Naruto's left claw. This action caused the toad Sanin to preform a cartwheel in midair, allowing him to kick away Naruto's tail with the bottom of his Senjutsu-enhanced foot.

During this midair rotation, Jiraiya used his grip on Naruto's right claw to twist and contort his Godsons demonic hand downward. At the same time, the toad Sanin landed on his right foot before extending his left leg out, kicking the 8-tailed Naruto directly in the face.

"Boss! Ma!" Jiraiya pleaded, earning a brief nod from the pair of toads resting on his shoulder.

"Right, Pa bring your Water Style." Ma ordered while pressing both webbed hands into the Horse Seals

"Yo." Pa replied while clapping both webbed hands together into the Dog Seal.

As this conversation unfolded, Naruto's Rinnegan eyes twitched and trembled multiple times, enraged that Orochimaru was getting away. At this moment, fueled by rage and hatred, Naruto used his right claw to grip Jiraiya's left hand before pulling the toad Sanin close.

At the same time, Naruto swiped his empowered left claw out before striking Jiraiya directly in the chest. This attack instantly tore through the Sanin's cloths before carving a 6in deep crater into his chest, erasing a large portion of his Senjutsu-enhanced skin.

During this attack, Naruto released Jiraiya from his grip, forcing him to fly back over 100ft while slamming through multiple walls, trees and buildings. The force of this attack left a massive trail of smoke and debris across Jiraiya's path.

Although Naruto just struck someone who loved him, he was too overwhelmed by hatred to even care. Naruto finally reached the last moment, the moment when he would grow the 9th tail.

"RAAAUUAAH!" Naruto howled, causing his demonic roar to pierce the entire village of Konoha.

As the shockwave from this roar resonated out, everyone in Konoha could feel the sense of rage and hatred that filled the air. Naruto's power was so dark and twisted that even Non-Shinobi Citizens could sense his foul chakra.

This demonic roar was the harbinger of the end, a sign that the final tail was about to emerge. This was it, the pinnacle of rage and hatred that would end Konoha, the very end.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, 115 miles North of Konoha._

A terrified and panting Yamato fell down on both knees after he stopped running beside a grove of trees. As the exhausted Jonin gasped for each breathe of air, his right hand was wrapped around his trembling left wrist.

"Damnit... 9-tails, it's too late...!?" Yamato struggled to speak in between gasps of air.

" _How!?_ How could this happen!?" The elite Jonin asked himself as the pulsating Kanji for '9' seared itself into his left palm. This Kanji was so hot and painful that Yamato's entire left palm was blood Red.

This was a moment that Yamato was destined to prevent, the moment of Naruto unlocking the 9th tail, a moment he failed to stop. This realization filled the Jonin with despair, fully aware that the 9-tails was free.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Inside Naruto's Subconscious._

 **"Now, come here... Yes, come closer... Rip this Seal off."** A demonic voice encouraged, causing Naruto to stand up before limping across the Seal-covered metal bar.

As Naruto walked, each step was jagged and stiff, suggesting it was hard to move. During this, Naruto downcast his head while walking, allowing his Rinnegan eyes to gaze at the Crimson fox-like eyes below.

Soon, Naruto reached the edge of this Seal before quickly turning around and once again falling down on both knees. Afterwards, Naruto dug his right index and middle fingers against the edge of this Seal, uprooting it slightly.

 **"Yes... Break the Seal, break it and I shall give you power, power to crush Orochimaru and avenge your loved ones."** As this voice spoke, Naruto's Rinnegan trembled and twitched multiple times.

 **"Break the Seal and you can destroy Orochimaru, you can destroy anything that stands in your way... But you must break the Seal!"** As this demonic voice roared, Naruto began pulling back on the Seal, slowly tearing it off.

At this moment, a pair of hands grabbed Naruto's right wrist, preventing him from breaking the Seal. At the same time, a separate pair of hands gripped both his shoulders in a loving fashion.

These hands quickly snapped Naruto back into reality, causing the water around him to instantly become purified and solid Blue. At the same time, the dark clouds overhead began to part and dissipate, allowing the sun to illuminate the new blond figure that stood infront of Naruto.

This allowed Naruto to notice he was actually wearing cloths now, cloths he wasn't wearing in real life. However, the zipper of his tunic was completely broken off, revealing the broken 8 trigram Seal sprawled across his stomach.

The blond figure he stared at was eerily similar to Naruto in terms of physical appearance; both had spiky bright blond hair. However, the man infront of Naruto also had jaw-length bangs framing either side of his face.

His outfit consisted of the Konoha green flak jacket with extra-long sleeves and two bands on both of these sleeves. Wrapped around both sides of this outfit was a short-sleeved long white haori, closed in the front by a thin, orange rope. The bottom portions of this haori were decorated with Red flame-like motifs on the edges. Also, he wore Sapphire Blue pants and Sandals with a matching Konoha headband, all of which were the same color as his piercing Blue eyes.

Suddenly, the pair of hands on Naruto's shoulders slid forward before two arms wrapped around his neck in a motherly fashion. During this, Naruto could feel a chin resting atop his head as someone began leaning against his crouched back.

"I'm still upset he got your hair, instead of mine." A female voice spoke out from behind Naruto.

"It's a fathers right to dream, isn't it?" The man infront of Naruto joked before releasing the boy from his grip.

 **"You...!?"** The demonic voice from below screamed.

"The 4th Hokage..." Naruto mumbled under his breathe.

"Naruto... I infused a portion of our chakra into your Seal. This chakra triggered when you sprouted the 8th tail, allowing both of us to visit you here and now." The 4th Hokage explained while smiling towards his son.

"Truth be told... I never wanted this to happen, because I never wanted to see _you_ again, 9-tails." As he spoke, the 4th Hokage glanced down, staring at the demonic and twisted fox face that was glaring back at him.

 **"MmmmmMM - 4th Hokage, come here! I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!"** The voice from below howled.

"Well if that's the case, I think I'll just stay up here." The 4th Hokage joked in a kind and gentle voice.

"Speak for yourself, I was looking forward to seeing the young man that my son had grown into, ya'know?" The female from behind Naruto spoke out.

After speaking, the women tightened her hug around Naruto's neck while gently leaning forward, shoving her nose into his blond hair. Afterwards, the women began breathing in through her nose, clearly smelling Naruto's hair.

This action caused her own hair to fall loose infront of Naruto's face, concealing his face with long, bright Red hair. Hair that filled Naruto's mind with the brief image of Tayuya before his thoughts became interrupted.

"Mmmm... Watermelon Shampoo? I used Strawberry myself, even made Minato wash his hair with it." As she spoke, she continued to smell Naruto's hair.

"A feared Shinobi is a good smelling Shinobi, but really Kushina, do you have to harass our son so much." The 4th Hokage remarked as the smile on his face grew even wider.

"Anyway, how have you been?" Kushina asked Naruto, completely ignoring Minato.

At this moment, Kushina unwrapped one arm from her son before she gently stroked his blond hair multiple times. At the same time, she began nuzzling her face against Naruto's whiskers in a motherly fashion.

"I hope you didn't develop any weird way of talking, like I did. I was born impatient so I talk fast and sometimes weird expressions come out. I try to control it but I slip up when I'm excited, like right now, hmhmh." As she spoke, Naruto's hands began to tremble.

"But enough about me, lets talk about you. I hope you didn't end up with any of the weird traits that I have." While speaking, she failed to notice Naruto biting down on his quivering lower lip.

Soon, Kushina stopped petting her son before once again wrapping both arms around his neck as she continued to hover behind him. During this, Minato smiled while looking down at the image of his wife and son.

"Anyway, incase you didn't notice, I'm your Mot-..." Kushina's words were cut-off midsentence as Naruto pulled both her hands close to his heart while hugging her arms.

"I've thought about you... I've thought about you for so long, ya'know Mom?" Naruto cried as several tears fell from his violet eyes, falling onto his mothers arms.

While these tears fell, Naruto's shoulders began trembling, causing his mother to hug him with even greater affection. As she hugged her son, a loving smile bloomed across Kushina's face.

"You just said ya'know... You sure are my son." Kushina spoke words filled with love.

Although Kushina could feel Naruto's tears hitting her arms, she was unaware of the violet eyes that her son possessed. However, Minato had been observing Naruto's Rinnegan since the moment they arrived, he just didn't want to waste any precious time.

"Like I said before, he is _our_ son." Minato repeated, causing Naruto's violet eyes to bulge as tears continued to fall from them.

"Lord 3rd Hokage didn't tell you anything, did he? I guess he wanted to suppress all knowledge of the 9-tails." As the 4th Hokage spoke, Naruto tore himself away from his mothers arms before standing up.

"If people found out you were my son, if anyway knew, you would have been put in grave danger." As he spoke, Naruto downcast his head, allowing him to briefly stare at the demonic fox below.

"Dad..." Naruto mumbled, causing Minato to lean forward, eager too hear what his son had to say.

At this moment, Naruto buried his right fist into Minato's stomach with an alarming degree of strength. The force of this blow was so intense that it caused the 4th Hokage to groan as spit flew out his mouth.

"Why would you ever want to Seal the 9-tails inside your own son!?" Naruto screamed as even more tears began to stream out from his eyes.

"Do you have any _idea_ what I went through because you did that!? All of the grown ups just looked at me with contempt or with fear and I couldn't even make any friends!" As he screamed, he raised both clenched fists to his jawline.

"I just wanted people to accept me, or atleast not hate me, so I tried to stop taking up space! I got real quiet and I stopped bothering people, because I know they wanted nothing to do with me!" As Naruto spoke, his mother began frowning behind him, fully aware of the terrible life forced on her son, the same life that was forced on her.

"That was all your fault! Every time they looked at me with hatred or fear, each time they refused to talk to me, or even ignored my existence! Everything they did was because of you, you made them hate me!" While the boy criticized his father, the demonic fox below began to smile.

"Then I met Lord Old Man and Iruka, and I was happy! But just when things were looking up I lost the man who raised me for half my life, so then I had to start training harder than ever before!" While Naruto continued to lecture his father, a sad expression grew across Minato's face.

"I got stronger, but I couldn't stop anyone from killing my loved ones, and I failed him... I failed the Old Man..." After speaking, Naruto brushed his left forearm across his tear-covered face multiple times.

"Damnit... Am I supposed to be happy or sad? I don't even know." The 12yr old Chunin mumbled while tears continued to stream from his now concealed eyes.

"Naruto... How old are you?" Minato asked with a kind and gentle voice.

"Twelve..." Naruto mumbled in between his tears.

"I see... Twelve already, it must have been hard for you Naruto, to be alone for so long. I'm _sorry_ , I really am... But I suppose it means little for me to apologize now, after everything I put you through." Minato replied.

"Since you asked, I Sealed the 9-tails inside of you because I believe you alone could restrain it's power. I did it _because_ you're my son." After speaking, Naruto abruptly lowered his forearm, revealing a disgusted and anger look that covered his face.

"That's great! Other kids get left-over cloths or a family-dagger, but I got a demon Sealed inside me! Thanks dad!" Naruto complimented in a sarcastic tone, causing his father to frown.

"Did you know about this? Did you want me to live like a freak too?" Naruto asked his mother after turning around, allowing him to finally take in her features.

She had a slender, but feminine build with fair skin and pale-violet eyes. The trait Naruto admired most was her long Red hair that fell to her waist with shoulder-length strands that framed both sides of her face and a black clip that parts her hair to the left.

Her outfit consisted of a high-collared, sleeveless white blouse under a long, loose-fitting Leaf-green dress with a wristband on her left wrist and standard Blue Shinobi sandals.

" _No_! Of course not, I begged Minato not to do it. Believe me son, I know how bad it is to live as a jinchūriki." Kushina comforted her child.

"Your mother wanted the 9-tails to die with her, allowing me to live and watch after you, but... As the Hokage, I had to ensure the balance of power between nations was maintained, the Leaf couldn't loose the 9-tails." Minato explained.

"If we did, the other great nations would see the Leaf Village as weak, causing a 4th Shinobi War to break out. I _had_ too Seal the 9-tails inside of you, Naruto, there was no other way." As he spoke, his words only further enraged his son.

"It's always about the balance of power! I've seen this world through the eyes of two Hokage and it's disgusting! You treat jinchūriki like animals and it's disgusting, this Shinobi world is _disgusting_!" Naruto declared, adding to his fathers sad expression.

"To be a Ninja means you must confront hatred, and everyone of us must battle against that hatred." Minato replied.

"I'm confronting my hatred right now, I _hate_ you. You may have been a great Hokage, but you're a terrible father." Naruto argued, cutting an emotional wound in Minato's heart.

Before this conversation could advance any further, Minato's arms and legs began to fade, alerting the 4th Hokage that his chakra was beginning to fade. This process caused Naruto to turn around, allowing him to notice that his mom was also beginning to fade.

"We have to go now, son." Kushina replied in a soft tone, attempting to cool to air between her husband and son.

"I understand if you hate me, son. But please know, I will always love you, its a fathers job to unconditionally love his child." Minato explained as a bright smile bloomed across his face.

Before Naruto could even reply, both Kushina and Minato surrounded him before wrapping each of their fading arms around their child. During this, Kushina nuzzled her face against Naruto's multiple times.

"I'll rebuild your Seal now... But, this will be the last time, son." As Minato spoke, he pressed his fading right hand against Naruto's stomach before twisting it in a clockwise fashion.

This action caused the once solid Black hole that covered Naruto's stomach to spiral and rotate before the Seal slowly reformed. This process resealed a significant amount of Naruto's chakra, causing him to fall into an even tighter group hug from his parents.

"Is there anything you want to tell me, son?" Kushina asked while using her right hand to play with Naruto's whiskers.

While she harassed her son, Kushina smiled while staring into his violet, ripple-patterned eyes, eyes she never expected him to have, but she didn't want to waste time asking. As Naruto glanced back at his loving mom, his lip quivered multiple times while he struggled to find words too say. Although Naruto always thought of Iruka as his father, allowing him to experience fatherly-love, he never before felt a mothers-love.

Naruto wasn't the best with words, it was one of the many reasons he stopped talking a lot as a child, but right now he felt the desire to say something. Since the young blond never had a mother, he used to practice what he would say if he ever had one, giving him an idea of what to say.

"Don't worry about me! I'm eating properly and I grow everyday!" Naruto replied while closing both eyes as a wide smile grew across his whiskered-face.

"I eat tons of diverse food! Like Chicken Ramen, Beef Ramen, Shrimp Ramen, Sakura made me try Vegan Ramen once - I didn't like that." As he spoke, both of his fading parents began to smile.

"Oh! But I don't just eat Ramen though... And, and I try to shower everyday! Sometimes I even go to the Leaf Hot Springs once in a while, that really keeps me warm." While speaking, Kushina rested her fading head atop Naruto's left shoulder.

"What else, what else..." Naruto mumbled after finally opening his eyes with a wide smile still upon his face. He completely forgot about the brief display of hatred he directed towards his father.

"I don't really sleep that much anymore... But when I'm awake, I always make sure to be productive. Also, I've made a few friends, not many really, but I trust all of them. And... " His words cut-off midsentence as he pondered what to say next.

"Oh, I was really, really awful at school, but I never got too depressed about it and my teacher said I had more confidence than anyone else." While speaking, tears of joy began streaming from his Rinnegan eyes.

"I was never really that good at Kenjutsu... But everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so I try not to get too depressed when I can't do something well." After speaking, Minato and Kushina each lost both their arms and legs while their torso's began to fade.

"I have a lot of respect for my teachers and the elderly. I even have this new teacher, Jiraiya-Sensei, he taught me all about these 3 Prohibitions of the Shinobi, and he says I'm doing pretty good." As he spoke, both his parents began smiling even wider at the mention of Jiraiya's name.

"And, and... You remind me a lot of this girl I know, I think you would like her, you both have the same color hair. And... Um, uh..." Naruto soon lost the ability to speak, unable to think of anymore words

At this moment, Kushina kissed her son's left cheek while Minato rested his chin atop Naruto's head. Soon, both of Naruto's parents completely faded away, ending the love-filled family hug.

"We love you, son." Both voices of Minato and Kushina spoke out before Naruto was overwhelmed by a bright light, forcing him to wake up.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Inside Konoha._

The previously 8-tailed Naruto erupted into a 10ft wide pillar of smoke as the demonic roar finally stopped, cascading Konoha with silence. Afterwards, it took several moments for the smoke cloud to dissipate and fade, revealing a naked Naruto sprawled across the ground in the fetal position.

Naruto felt like his skin was on fire, causing him to dig his torn nails into multiple sections of his flesh. During this, the boy groaned intensely with pain and agony, clearly a side-effect from progressing so far towards the 9th tail.

Although Naruto couldn't pinpoint the focused of this pain, it was the result from his skin reforming on a cellular-level, sending shockwaves of agony through his body. This pain was so intense that Naruto didn't even noticed as a laughing Orochimaru slowly approached him.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph... I knew you would get tired out eventually, no one can handle that much power." Orochimaru chuckled as he towered on the agonizing blond infront of him.

Naruto was in so much pain that it took several moments to even hear Orochimaru, forcing him to strain just to open his violet, ripple-patterned eyes. At this moment, the snake Sanin reached down with his left hand before picking up Naruto by his throat.

Usually, Naruto could funnel chakra into his eyes to repel Orochimaru, but he was in too much pain to even think. This allowed the snake Sanin to hold a naked Naruto suspended in the air with 1-hand.

"I'm glad Jiraiya helped me get this far, hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." As the Sanin spoke, he tightened his grip on Naruto's throat.

At this moment, Naruto attempted to raise his arms only to fail because of the intense pain coursing through his body. During this, the image of Jiraiya floated through Naruto's mind, filling him with regret, fully aware of the terrible things he did while transformed.

Naruto was alone and helpless, just like his childhood. The boy knew his previous rage injured everyone that would help. Kakashi couldn't even move, Sasuke and Sakura were knocked out while Jiraiya was no where to be seen.

This was the first time in years that Naruto was truly alone, and he could sense it, filling him with despair. Suddenly, Orochimaru's grip on Naruto's throat tightened as the Sanin reached out with his right hand.

"At last... I have it, the Rinnegan!" While speaking, Orochimaru's hand surged forward, barely inches away from Naruto's eyes.

At the last moment, a spiraling vortex of sand built up in between Orochimaru's hand and Naruto's face. Afterwards, this vortex exploded, forcing the Sanin to slide back over 10ft as Naruto fell to the ground.

After falling, a blanket of sand enveloped half of Naruto's body while an unknown pair of feet began walking across the nearby ground. This figure then slowly walked directly infront of Naruto, standing in between him and Orochimaru.

"You will not touch him again." Gaara declared while crossing both arms infront of his chest.

This act greatly confused Naruto, who was still trembling from intense pain. As this agonized blond stared at the Sand Shinobi infront of him, he didn't understand why anyone would try to help.

Against any average Shinobi, Gaara would be a fierce opponent. However, Orochimaru evolved beyond most Shinobi decades ago. This gap in power allowed the snake Sanin to shot out from the ground behind Gaara.

At the same time, the previous Orochimaru infront dissolved into dozens of white snakes. This realization forced a shock Gaara to turn around just in time for the snake Sanin to bury his pale right fist against the Genin's face, knocking him down.

After landing, the nearby swarm of white snakes quickly overwhelmed Gaara, restraining him to the ground and concealing him from view. During this, a smiling Orochimaru approached Naruto before once again picking him up by the throat.

As the elite snake Sanin held Naruto suspended in the air, his snake-like tongue licked both of his lips multiple times. After staring at Orochimaru for several seconds, the filling of pain inside Naruto was slowly replaced with rage and hatred.

This intense build-up of rage allowed Naruto to finally raise his right hand before shoving it towards Orochimaru's face. After grabbing the Sanin, Naruto dragged his torn fingernails into his opponents face.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph... Pathetic, absolutely pathetic." Orochimaru proclaimed before once again reaching for Naruto's Rinnegan with his right hand.

"Uh-...!?" As the snake Sanin gasped, his hand froze in midair while his yellow, snake-like eyes bulged

At the same time, Naruto dug his nails even further into the left side of Orochimaru's shocked face. Afterwards, Naruto pulled his clenched right hand back, dislodging a Purple yet spirit-like version of Orochimaru. This spirit form of Orochimaru quickly surged into Naruto's body before merging with his mind and soul. During this, the real snake Sanin dissolved into a pile of white ash, forcing Naruto to fall on both knees with a heavy thud.

This action sent several dozen shockwaves of pain and agony through Naruto's body as hundreds of separate memories floated through his mind, memories that weren't personally his. This agony combined with the cellular-level of pain erupting from his skin was too much for Naruto too bare.

This level of pain was so intense that Naruto didn't even notice the nearby pile of white snakes dissolving before Gaara slowly stood up. Soon, Naruto dug his own fingernails into his skull while his entire body trembled and pulsated.

Suddenly, the rapid display of memories drifting through his mind overwhelmed Naruto, forcing him to past out. While the blond fell, he fell face-first into a newly created pile of sand as Gaara slowly approached.

For the first time since the Land of Waves, Naruto was asleep. However, the young blond couldn't even fathom the amount of chaos that filled Konoha. Chaos that would only grow and evolve by the time he woke up.


	47. Chapter 47

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Tenellis - I did not see that fight as Jiraiya protecting Orochimaru in any way, shape or form.**

 **Every scene I wrote about Jiraiya and Orochimaru working together was Jiraiya attempting to contain Naruto while Orochimaru just joked around. If Jiraiya did nothing then Naruto would literally destroy almost all of Konoha.**

 **He was not protecting Orochimaru, he was trying to contain Naruto and limit damage to Konoha, before he could focus on Orochimaru. I understand there are scenes where Jiraiya blocked attacks directed towards Orochimaru, but those attacks would also harm Konoha.**

 **Life is full of different perspectives and points of view, because of this, I understand if you think Jiraiya was helping Orochimaru. However, just know that when I wrote those scenes, that was not what I envisioned.**

 **GunBlade2018 -** **I will explain snake Sage Mode in an Arc devoted to Sasuke in the future, but for now I'll just say no, Naruto can't do all the weird snake shit Orochimaru did.**

 **I should note that just because he absorbed Hashirama's soul doesn't mean he can use Wood Style, that is a bloodline limit. But he is aware of Madara, Nagato and Danzo.**

 **Everything Hashirama, Tobirama or Orochimaru experienced is by default Naruto's own experience now, everything.**

 **anonymouse47 - In time, more details of his fate will be revealed, but for now, I can't say anything because of spoilers. I will say, your meme fits him perfectly.**

 **Born2BeGodLike - I'm sorry this story is too long for you. As I stated in chapter 1, if you only care care about TayuyaxNaruto then just skip to chapter 30, but you won't understand a lot of the lore.**

 **With that being said, I'm glad you consider my fic to be great and I apologize for the TayuyaxNaruto romance being so long, but I have to develop their characters.**

 **I know you'll never see this, but this Arc (The Naruto Retrieval Arc) is when Tayuya develops a crush on Naruto. Similar to how Kushina fell in love with Minato.**

 **Mitchell William Hall - As I stated before, I plan for Sakura to be the Jiraiya of this story, with no permanent love interest.**

 **However, if you're question is... Who is the most likely candidate for a Sakura shipping? Then the answer is SakuraxSakon, that is the only possible Sakura romance I will write in this story (Not confirming, just saying it's the only option.)**

 **Since Sakon has his Manga hair color in this story (Blue) I love the concept of Sakura and Sakon dating. The idea of a Blue-Haired boy kissing a Pink-haired girl gives me fond memories of my childhood.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 47: Memories From Days Long Past! The Mysterious Foundation Appears.**

 _10:32am_ Saturday _, March 23rd, 12SSP._

Several bright rays of Sunlight illuminated a row of marble gravestones that were neatly organized in a tree grove on the outskirts of Konoha. This was a small yet well-known graveyard for citizens of the Leaf Village, a place where non-Shinobi or unidentified bodies were buried.

Each gravestone had 2 separate names carved into a raised stone plaque with 2 flower containers resting at the bottom of the stone. As this bright light continued to shine, it irradiated many of the Kanji scribbled on a nearby gravestone, blocking out any knowledge of the names.

Suddenly, a pair of pale-white hands reached out before placing a neatly packaged bundle of flowers atop this gravestone, showing respect and love to the unknown individuals buried here. Afterwards, the sunlight from above illuminated this unknown person, revealing a small 12yr old boy crouched infront of the gravestone.

This boy had ragged and loose shoulder-length black hair with jaw-length bangs framing each side of his face. Also, his pupils were a noticeable yellow and snake-like with Purple slits painted around each eye.

His outfit consisted of a pale-white knee-length Kimono with a Purple sash tied around his waist. The collar of this outfit was dark Blue with multiple Purple tomoe symbols sprawled across the fabric. Underneath this, the boy wore an armored-mesh undershirt lined with a Purple collar and Black Shinobi sandals.

"Huh...?" The boy mumbled before reaching out from his left hand, allowing him to pick up the white remains of a snake that shed it's skin beside the gravestone.

"Hm?" A 22yr old man hummed from behind the pale boy, both of which visited the graveyard together.

His outfit was a dark Blue waist-length Kimono with short-sleeves, allowing portions of his armored-mesh undershirt to protrude out. This Kimono was held in place with a pale-Yellow sash, matching the pale color of his collar, revealing sections of mesh-armor that covered his chest.

Underneath this, he wore a pair of matching dark Blue pants that ran half-way down his shins, allowing sections of armored mesh to extend out towards his ankles. Below this was a pair of Black Shinobi sandals. Finally, his skin was extremely tan while his hair was dark Brown and spikey.

"Sarutobi-Sensei... What is this?" The young boy asked as he stood up before revealing the white skin he held.

"Oh... That's a very lucky find, Orochimaru... It's the skin of a White snake." The young Hiruzen answered while smiling at his student.

"I've never... Seen anything like it before." Orochimaru replied in a soft and gentle tone, causing his teacher to chuckle slightly in response.

"It's a rare thing that you almost never see." Hiruzen explained as the smile on his face continued to grow.

"Why is it White?" Orochimaru asked while the sun illuminated his innocent face.

"No one really understands such things... But in ancient times, the White snake was seen as a symbol of good luck and renewal." Hiruzen explained, causing Orochimaru to observe the pale-White skin he held.

"It must be some sort of Karma for you to find it here... Next to _them._ Maybe someday... You'll learn more about them when you grow up?" As he spoke, Hiruzen was fully aware that all knowledge of Orochimaru's parent were lost to history, a side-affect from the almost 10-year long World War.

As the innocent and kind Orochimaru held this piece of well-preserved snake skin in his left hand, a sudden breeze blew in from the South. This action caused the skin to rustle and waver in the young boys hand as his gentle mind processed the true meaning of Hiruzen's words.

"Sarutobi-Sensei... Why, why is the world at war?" Orochimaru asked while tilting his pale-face up before glancing at the pair of faces sprawled across the Hokage Monument.

For 8 years the fierce Shinobi World War ravaged all 5 great nations, even destroying several minor nations. This war was far more intense and brutal than anything the Warring States Period displayed, showing that the creation of Shinobi nations only increased existing conflicts.

"This world may be ravaged by war, but make no mistake... The _true_ war has never been one waged by Clansmen or Samurai or Shinobi... They are but crude ideals, obstacles against which we test ourselves." Hiruzen explained before birds began chirping in the distance.

"The _true_ war is waged in the hearts of all living things... Against our own natures; good or evil, that is what shapes and binds our world together, not these creations of man." As he spoke, Orochimaru continued to observe the stone faces of Hashirama and Tobirama.

"A cultures teachings; and most importantly the nature of it's people, achieve definition in conflict." After speaking, Hiruzen smiled at the curious face of his student.

Hiruzen always held Orochimaru with high-esteem and respect, clearly suspecting that one day, the boy could become a great Hokage. However, the elite Sarutobi clan member was unware that this moment would live on through his students mind, forever.

* * *

 _2 weeks later, Saturday 8:49pm, June 7th, 12SSP._

"Geez... Jiraiya" Hiruzen mumbled before lightly striking his white-haired student atop the head, angered that his young student brought naked-women magazines to the training ground.

Despite his age, the boy had solid-White hair that was extremely spikey. His eyes were Black while he had odd Red-lines painted across his cheeks, extending out from the corner of his eyes. Also, he was fair-skinned.

His outfit consisted of a pale-green knee-length tunic with a Leaf-Green sash tied around his waist, matching his collar. The sleeves and lower-portions of this tunic were covered in Red-flame designs and motifs. Underneath this, the boy wore an armored-mesh undershirt with ankle-length Black pants, matching his Shinobi sandals.

"Sarutobi-Sensei." A female voice spoke out while entering the training ground, garnish the attention of Hiruzen and his 2 students.

She was 12 years old with ear-length blond hair that parted above her forehead before being tied into a bushy ponytail in the back. Her skin was more fair than Orochimaru's but less tan than Jiraiya's while her eyes were Brown and her fingernails were painted Red.

She wore a short thigh-length Kimono that was a unique Teal color with a lavender sash tied around her waist, matching her collar and the pair of arm warmers she wore. Underneath this, she wore an armored-mesh undershirt with no visible pants and Blue Shinobi sandals.

Upon direct eye contact, Jiraiya boy abruptly smile while his jaw fell open from shock. Instead of looking at the girls eyes, he was staring at her revealing legs and fair-skin, even at such a young age he was still a man of culture.

"This is Tsunade. She'll be the 3rd member of our team." Hiruzen explained, causing Jiraiya to smile even wider.

"Also-...?" While speaking, Hiruzen was cut-off midsentence as Jiraiya rushed past him before confronting this new girl.

"Hey there, I'm Jiraiya. You can write me all the love-letters you want later, for now it's nice to meet you." The white-haired boy proclaimed while offering his right hand out for a hand-shake.

At this moment, Jiraiya closed both eyes while smiling from ear-to-ear, confident that the sexy babe infront of him would submit to his will. However, Tsunade suddenly clenched her right fist before lodging it against Jiraiya's stomach, forcing the boy to fly back over 20ft before slamming into a distant tee.

"Don't screw with me!" Tsunade screamed, causing Hiruzen to make a mental note at how powerful she was.

 _5 minutes later._

"For this test, there are two bells... And since there are only two bells..." Hiruzen explained by holding a pair of small bells infront of his 3 students.

"That means a person will end up tied to one of these logs?" Orochimaru mumbled with a quiet voice, earning a smile from his loving teacher.

"Very good, Orochimaru... As brilliant as ever." Hiruzen replied, evidence to the high-levels of respect for his student.

"Alright, let's get this started!" Jiraiya declared before jumping back over 5ft, eager to look cool infront of Tsunade.

"Ninja Art: Shuri-... Shadow...?" While mumbling, the boy pressed both hands into the Ox Seal before losing his train of thought, unable to properly preform the technique.

"Hm?" Orochimaru mumbled to himself, curious to see what Jiraiya was attempting to do.

"Shuriken Whatever Jutsu!" Jiraiya screamed dramatically before pulling 6 Shuriken from his Kimono and throwing them into the air.

Instead of rushing towards Hiruzen or even making an offense tactic, the Shuriken fell harmlessly to the ground beside Jiraiya's feet. This action forced Tsunade and Hiruzen to both fall face-first into the ground while Orochimaru smiled timidly.

Suddenly, Orochimaru reached into his own Kimono before pulling out a single Shuriken that he quickly threw towards Hiruzen. During this, the pale boy weaved through the Ox, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake and Tiger Seals, displaying great knowledge for such a young age.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu." Orochimaru basically whispered in a quiet and timid voice, forcing the previously thrown Shuriken to multiply, growing from 1 from to 16.

This display of chakra control and concentration greatly impressed Hiruzen, causing him to stand up just in time too dodge the multiple attacking Shuriken. This was a day Orochimaru would never forget, the day he first meet his teammates.

* * *

 _1 month later, Saturday 9:13pm, March 3rd, 12SSP_

A 12yr old Jiraiya poked his head out from behind a nearby alleyway, a place that lead to the backwalls of the Konoha Hot springs. As he poked out, he glanced in multiple directions, suggesting he was searching for someone or something.

"Orochimaru...! The coast is clear." Jiraiya whispered quietly before smiling as he waved for his friend to approach.

This action signaled for Orochimaru to tip-toe out from the nearby treeline before quietly running across the street, allowing the pair of friends to disappear behind the Hot springs. Afterwards, an elderly women walked out from the Hot springs entrance before glancing around the street.

"I wonder what that was...? Probably just that cat from up the street again." The elderly lady concluded before returning to her job inside the Hot springs.

As she walked back to her position, she was unaware that a pair of underaged boys were spying on the Konoha Hot springs, observing several of the fully grown women.

"Jiraiya... What are you doing?" Orochimaru asked in a kind and innocent fashion, confused why his friend dragged him here.

"Ooooh...! What a sight!" Jiraiya mumbled while staring in between the planks of wood that made-up the backwall to the Hot springs.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru stood directly behind the Bathing section, allowing the former to glance and observe multiple naked women, all of which were covered in water and sweat.

"Boobs... Lots of boobs, I can almost see _everything_ , this is great." As Jiraiya spoke, Orochimaru continued to stand behind him, filled with confusion.

"Is this what you wanted me to see?" Orochimaru asked.

"Yea, yea... Come take a look, It's great!" Jiraiya remarked while observing the naked women.

"I'm leaving..." Orochimaru proclaimed in a soft voice, knowing full-well that Jiraiya was doing something wrong.

"Shusshh... Don't talk so lou - OH! Lot's of butts too, I'm seeing some butts." Jiraiya screamed with excitement before Orochimaru closed his snake-like eyes and quietly walked away.

Jiraiya was so busy observing the naked women that he failed to even notice Orochimaru leaving, allowing several moments to pass as he giggled to himself. Afterwards, a elderly-women began to quietly sneak up on the giggling boy.

"Hey, Orochimaru... One day all of the ladies will be mine, not just Tsunade, so you might want to see this while you can." Jiraiya encouraged, expecting the noise behind him to be his close friend.

"Pervy brat!" The elderly women screamed before dumping a bucket of hot water onto Jiraiya's head.

"HOT! HOT! HOT! Aw c'mon, hot water, really!?" Jiraiya screamed in agony before taking one last glimpse at the naked women and running away. During this, the women giggled multiple times, confident that she taught the young boy a lesson.

As the pain-filled Jiraiya ran away, he already began making plans for that next time he could look at a naked girl. However, there was one girl Jiraiya wanted to see naked above all others, Tsunade, and the naked women he just saw gave him a great idea.

* * *

 _3 months later, Wednesday 10:21am, September 11th, 12SSP._

A mischievous Jiraiya stood beside a kind and innocent Orochimaru, both of which were underneath a light post that paved a road inside the park of Konoha. Because of the late time, several moths flew overhead, dancing around the bright light post.

"This is the plan... You disguise yourself and make a move on Tsunade." Jiraiya proclaimed before crossing both arms infront of his chest.

"Then... I'll appear just in time and chase you away. And Tsunade will say, 'Oh Jiraiya, you're so amazing and smart, I love you.' It'll be great." As he spoke, Jiraiya closed both eyes while nodding his head multiple times, assuring himself that the plan would work.

"What's the point to all of this? I don't understand." Orochimaru asked with a gentle voice, confused with his friends plan.

"It has a deep significance to me... _Very deep significance."_ Jiraiya replied, being very dramatic with the last 3 words before he shoved his smiling face next to the confused Orochimaru, who slowly closed both eyes in response.

"She's close by..." Orochimaru explained before quickly placing a mask over his face, one that Jiraiya bought just for his plan.

"Right! Let's go!" Jiraiya encouraged before he ran down the street and disappeared while his best friend hid behind the nearby bushes, allowing several moments to pass by.

"Damnit! If... If only... I folded back then." Tsunade complained while walking through the park of Konoha by herself.

"Nah... Gambling isn't that simple... That was that and... Probably...?" As she spoke, it became apparent that she was returning home from a late night gambling match, something she lost.

"It was the snap, yeah, I'm sure of it." While speaking, she twitched and closed each of her right fingers multiple times, practicing how to throw dice.

"That moment decides whether you win or lose... Yeah, the snap-...!? Huh?" She found her words cut-off midsentence as an unknown man appeared infront of her.

He wore a dark-Green mask that resembled a Chameleon with shoulder-length black-haired that framed each side of his face. His outfit consisted of the iconic Anbu attire, something that would usually frighten a child but not the girl infront of him.

"Who are you? I'm in a bad mood right now." The girl declared while clenching her right fist shut, crushing the pair of dice held there into dust.

After speaking, a tense period of silence followed, something that appeared to stretch on for minutes. Afterwards, the masked figure abruptly entered a Taijutsu stance, further enraging the young girl.

"If you try anything... I'll kill you!" As the girl screamed, the masked figure infront of her panicked before taking multiple steps backwards.

"Hu-...?! Uh... Um..." The timid voice of Orochimaru mumbled from behind this mask, filled with regret for the situation Jiraiya placed him in.

"AaaaaaaAAUUUAH!" The girl screamed while kicking her left foot high into the air, way above her head before slamming it down.

This action crushed the earth underneath this girl before surging out into a 20ft long ravine. Forcing a large portion of the road to cave in as her would-be-assassin disappeared from sight.

"BleeuaaaaAAAHHHH!" Orochimaru grunted in agony as several boulders and rocks landed atop his young body before a large cloud of debris concealed him from view.

"Tsunade! A-Are you alright?" Jiraiya screamed as he pretended to innocently run towards his crush.

"I'm here now, so... Don't worry...?" As he spoke, his train of thought became cut-off after noticing the large crater in the road.

"Huh? What're you doing here?" Tsunade demanded to know, causing Jiraiya to sweat intensely while smiling in an innocent fashion.

"Actually... I mean, you see... You're... Looking... Awfully Sexy..." Jiraiya replied under his breathe while blushing vividly.

"Hey, Jiraiya... I'm leaving." Orochimaru replied in a kind voice after crawling out from the rock-filled crater before walking past his best friend, not even removing his mask.

"HuhuhuhahaHAHAHAAHAH!" Jiraiya chuckled out while holding the side of his face with his right hand as he blushed intensely.

"Just what are you guys up too?" Tsunade first asked in a serious tone before her expression became much more joyful and kind, causing her to smile at her teammates.

During this, Jiraiya continued to laugh and chuckle endlessly, too shy to confess his love but eager to find anything to continue the conversation. Although neither of these Shinobi knew it, this was a day that Orochimaru would never forget, the day of Tsunade's wrath.

* * *

 _16 years later, Thursday 11:21pm, August 2nd, 28SSP._

"It gets so cold when night falls." Tsunade exclaimed as she and her 2 teammates sat beside a fire under the late night sky.

Over 3 weeks ago, the 2nd Shinobi World War began, creating chaos and fear that ravaged the entire Shinobi world. Unlike the 1st Shinobi World War, the group of 3 friends were now old enough to be solely deployed into combat.

"They won't attack us tonight." Jiraiya exclaimed while staring into the burning embers, confident in his prediction.

Soon, several moments began to pass, filled only by the sound of flicking embers while the fire continued to burn. During this, Jiraiya closed his eyes as if he was deep in thought before dramatically opening them as a smile grew across his face.

This group of 3 friends were now all fully-realized Jonin, each of them were elite and well beyond many of the students they went to school with. All of them wore the same iconic Anbu outfit which was colored grey with the Headband of Konoha tied around their foreheads, except Jiraiya who had his tied around his left bicep.

"Hey... Why don't we talk about our dreams tonight?" As he spoke, the smile on his face grew even wider.

"Dreams?" Orochimaru asked in a quiet tone, still timid like in his childhood.

"If you have any dreams, that is." Jiraiya pointed out.

"I thought you only think about pervy stuff, like what I'm wearing underneath this outfit." Tsunade remarked, forcing Jiraiya to blush intensely.

"I must admit, Jiraiya, it's an interesting topic for you to bring up." As she spoke, Orochimaru raised his snake-like eyes to the sky before staring at the moon.

"Well then, let's start you with, Tsunade." Jiraiya encouraged, filling the surrounding fire-place with a brief period of silence.

"Me...? I want to see the world from one corner to the other, I want to see everything." Tsunade replied while closing both eyes and smiling as she downcast her face slightly.

"The world, you say?! That's a bold dream!" Jiraiya declared, causing his crush to giggle in response.

"I'm going to win at every casino there is... So what's your dream?" Tsunade asked while glancing at Jiraiya.

"My dream is, perhaps... To protect you during your travels." Jiraiya replied, each of his words filled with love and honesty.

"No thanks." Tsunade answered with a deadpan expression and voice, breaking Jiraiya's heart as he began to frown while sniffling intensely.

Afterwards, an extended period of silence spread over the group of 3 friends, pierced only by the sound of embers burning. Soon, Jiraiya regained his composure before glancing to the left, allowing him to observe his best friend, Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru! Open up and talk about yourself for once in a while, you're always so quiet and reserved." Jiraiya spoke out as his best friend continued to stare up at the moon overhead.

"Dreams... I don't have a dream." Orochimaru answered in a quiet tone, without even looking away from the moon, causing his friend to chuckle in response.

"As usual... You're such a boring guy." Jiraiya remarked after he finally finished laughing.

"Leave him alone! To each his own." Tsunade retorted, always quick to come too Orochimaru's defense.

"Besides, there are certain things that people want to keep secret." As he spoke, she was unaware of the thoughts swirling through Orochimaru's mind.

"I want people to stop dying..." Orochimaru explained in a soft and gentle voice, creating a brief period of silence between the group of friends.

"Oh!? Such a noble goal, for what purpose?" Jiraiya remarked, happy to see his friend so talkative for once.

"For what purpose...?" Orochimaru repeated before quietly looking down at the fire, losing himself deep in thought.

"I've never thought about such a thing... But why do people die? What purpose does that serve?" While speaking, both of his teammates began to smile widely, happy with Orochimaru's display of wisdom and innocence.

"I see... That's so like you." Jiraiya chuckled in response.

"You know me better than anyone, Jiraiya." Orochimaru replied with a gentle voice.

"Oh! I just got a great idea!" Jiraiya exclaimed with excitement while his eyes bulged.

"Wouldn't it be great to write about what we see and hear on our world travels, Tsunade?" While speaking, the white-haired Shinobi began blushing intensely.

"You can go by yourself." Tsunade retorted, causing Jiraiya to downcast his face, filled with depression.

"That would be so..." Jiraiya mumbled before glancing at Orochimaru, causing his friend to nod in response.

"Lonely..." While speaking, Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade, causing her to also nod in response.

At this moment, Orochimaru suddenly kicked dirt over the fire, clouding the surrounding area with darkness as multiple footsteps could be heard in the distance. Afterwards, 3 Mist Jonin shot out from the nearby treeline before hurling 6 Kunai towards the group of friends.

"Hehehahahah!" The leader of these Mist Jonin laughed as 3 Kunai pierced Orochimaru's torso before the latter quickly erupted into smoke, revealing a small tree-log in his place.

"Uh...!?" The group of Mist Jonin gasped in unison as Tsunade appeared beside them, her eyes filled with rage.

"ChhaaaAA!" Tsunade screamed while hurling her right fist against the face of an attacking Mist ninja, instantly shattering his jaw on impact as blood filled the air.

During this, the nearby Jiraiya clapped both hands together before weaving through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals. At the same time, he inhaled a staggering breathe of air, forcing his cheeks to puff out back his back arched slightly.

"Fire Style: Flame Bombs!" Jiraiya declared before exhaling a condensed bullet of fire filled with oil. Upon impact, this technique instantly burned the 2 remaining Mist Shinobi before several others began flooding out from all directions.

"They're coming one after another!" While speaking, his best friend Orochimaru easily defeated a pair of Mist Shinobi by transforming both arms into white snakes.

"Yeah." Orochimaru spoke out in agreement while counting over 20 Mist ninja.

"I'll pulverize them!" Tsunade screamed before slamming her right fist into the ground, creating a massive 30ft wide crater, forcing each of her teammates to jump back.

As the group of friends continued to fight together, it created a night that Orochimaru would never forget, the night when he began to dream for a better future.

* * *

 _1 week later, Thursday 10:17am, August 9th, 28SSP._

"Dreams... Oh! That sounds neat." A young boy replied as he sat atop the railing of a rooftop in Konoha, surrounded by Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade.

He had short light-brown hair with green-grey eyes and distinct blushes on his cheeks. For his attire, he wore a dark teal poncho top with light green pants and the iconic Blue Shinobi sandals.

"I tell you what sounds neat..." Jiraiya replied while crouching down beside the boy.

"You should convince your sister to go on a date with m-...?!" Jiraiya's words were cut-off midsentence as Tsuande slammed her clenched fists into his jawline, forcing him the fly across multiple rooftops.

"Hey! I want to be like grandpa someday... I will be honored with the title of Hokage, because being Hokage is my dream." The young boy spoke, not even reacting to the fatal blow Jiraiya just felt.

"Well then, Nawaki... You might as well take this necklace then, as a happy birthday present, twerp." Tsunade replied with a smile before slowly removing her bright green diamond-like necklace, the necklace of the 1st Hokage.

"It's not just a necklace...!" Nawaki protested before his sister gently kissed his forehead while placing the necklace around neck.

"It's grandpa's treasure, just like this village! I'll protect both of these things! Because I am the grandson of the 1st Hokage, the founder of Konoha!" As he spoke, the nearby Orochimaru smiled in a timid fashion, happy to see someone so young with bright hopes for the future.

* * *

 _The Next day 11:27am, between the border to the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain._

4 white snakes slithered out from Orochimaru's left sleeve before biting into a stunned Earth Shinobi, forcing him to fall to the ground, filled with poison. The elite snake Jonin was ordered to lead an assault into Earth territory, forcing him to lead his 4-man team through the land of Rain.

After paralyzing his opponent, Orochimaru stared up at the dark, foreboding clouds overhead, clouds that made the entire world seem dark. As a result of Orochimaru's fear for death, he himself was leading the advancement into enemy land, unwilling for anyone else to endanger themselves.

While the snake Jonin stood deep in thought, he barely noticed as Nawaki raced past him, it was the very 1st mission the young 12yr old was ever assigned. Afterwards, Orochimaru's other 2 subordinates rushed past him, mistaking their leaders hesitation as a sign to advance.

Orochimaru had just enough time to downcast his face, allowing him to glance at Nawaki's back as the boy exited the treeline before approaching a distant hill. Afterwards, Nawaki jumped over 10ft into the air before landing on the opposite side of the hill, triggering an explosive tag that erupted into a 20ft tall pillar of fire.

"Uh...!?" Orochimaru gasped as his yellow, snake-like eyes bulged with shock while his jawline fell open. During this, his 2 remaining subordinates both fell to the ground from the shockwave of the explosion.

Orochimaru was fully aware of the fatal injuries Nawaki sustained from such a serious explosion, causing him to rush past his remaining subordinates, eager to save Tsunade's brother. At the same time, this action forced his fear of death to grow.

* * *

 _6 hours later, outside a field hospital inside the Land of Rain._

Orochimaru stood on the front porch of a small wooden hospital, one built solely for field surgeries and the storage of bodies. Strangely, the snake Jonin now wore a much more humble and respectful outfit, instead of his iconic Leaf Shinobi attire.

He wore a dark Blue waist-length Kimono that matched his ankle-length pants. This Kimono was tied shut with a Purple sash, one that matched his collar. Underneath this, he wore an armored-mesh undershirt, showing a small portion of his pale chest.

As Orochimaru stood quietly on this porch, he listened to the sound of constant rainfall from outside while 3 Leaf doctors discussed Nawaki's injuries. Soon, a pair of footsteps stomping across the distant muddy ground could be heard before a panicking Tsunade raced up the front porch.

"Where is he...!?" Tsunade panted, gasping for each breathe of air, she arrived as fast as possible.

In response to this question, Orochimaru downcast his pale-face, allowing the sound of rainfall to fill his mind. The snake Jonin was so wise that despite rain covering Tsunade's face, he could still tell she was crying.

"I wasn't quick enough, Tsunade..." Orochimaru replied before reaching into his Kimono and pulling out the 1st Hokage's necklace with his right hand.

"We're at war... After all." After he spoke, Tsunade snatched the necklace from his hands before rushing into the hospital, only to scream with horror when she realized how badly Nawaki's body was mutilated.

This day filled Orochimaru with despair and regret, forcing him to forever remember this moment. No longer would the elite snake Jonin sit around and just wait for death to happen, he would find a way to prevent death, so no one would ever suffer Tsunade's pain.

* * *

 _2 months later, October 11th 8:47pm, 28SSP. deep inside the Land of Rain._

Tsunade's team has been...!? Orochimaru's thoughts raced as he dashed across multiple rain-covered treebranchs that dotted the Land of Rain.

Three weeks have past since the legendary battle between team Hiruzen and Hanzo the Salamander, a great Shinobi from the Land of Rain. As a result for being the only 3 to survive this battle, Hanzo gave each of these Jonin the title of Sanin, showing his vast respect for their skills.

This promotion gave Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru much more power and prestige, allowing them lead 4-man teams of Jonin, instead of just Chunin. However, it meant the group of friends were now separated, filling Orochimaru with fear after he heard Tsunade's group was attacked.

As the elite snake Sanin surged across the treebranchs, he heard the loud cries of Tsunade in the distance, forcing him to move with even greater speed. At the same time, multiple thunder strikes could be heard from overhead, evidence to the heavy storm that was ravaging the land.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! I said, stop, Dan!" Tsunade screamed in panicked as she sat crouched over a bleeding teammate, attempting to stop his extreme loss of blood. As the slug Sanin continued funneling chakra into her hands, they both were engulfed with a bright green aura. During this, she held both of her hands against the blood covered torso of her comrade.

"I... Can't... Die... Here..." Dan mumbled before coughing up puddles of blood, staining Tsunade's face and hands.

At this moment, Orochimaru appeared atop a nearby treebranch, giving him a perfect view of the blood pouring from Dan's chest. Soon, despite Tsunade's protests, Dan began to close both eyes while blood continued to leak from his chest.

"That's enough... He's dead." One of Tsunade's remaining teammates attempted to comfort her, instead forcing her to scream with pain as she cried, a scream the pierced Orochimaru's very soul.

For his entire life the snake Sanin was always cautious and fearful of death, filling him with the desire to prevent it. However, this sudden loss of someone so important to his friend triggered a dark shift in Orochimaru.

From this moment on Orochimaru didn't fear death, instead he hated it, cursing the very idea that someone was born just to die. This was a very crucial moment in Orochimaru's philosophy, a moment that allowed him to see just how disgusting the Shinobi world truly was.

* * *

 _1 month later, Wednesday 10:39am, November 7th, 28SSP._

Tsunade, Orochimaru and Jiraiya were all walking down a stone bridge deep inside the Land of Rain. As a result of Dan's death, the 3rd Hokage ordered the 3 Sanin to be regrouped together. While this group of friends walked, the constant rainfall was heavy, filling the bridge with the sound of water hitting stone as they walked.

Behind these Jonin walked 3 kids, each wore a pair of mix-matched cloths that were torn and ragged, as if they pulled them out of the trash. Since it was the Land of Rain, these child all wore a special collar around their necks that was attached to a bucket resting against their backs, allowing them to collect rain water. As these children trailed the group of Sanin, Jiraiya hummed loudly, fully away that their were being followed.

"We already gave you food! What are you following us!?" Tsunade snapped while turning around to confront the group of children.

Suddenly, the pair of boys in the group stopped walking as the Purple-haired girl took multiple steps forward. Soon, Tsunade began to tense after noticing the girl concealed both hands behind her back.

At this moment, the young girl extended her right hand forward, causing Tsunade to flinch before attempting to strike the child, only for Jiraiya to grab her shoulder at the last second. Jiraiya saw what no one else did, he saw the beautiful paper flower held in between the girls rain-covered hands.

"Thank you for feeding us." The girl spoke in a quiet yet kind voice.

"It's origami... She folded it from bread paper." Jiraiya mumbled his train of thoughts out loud, amazed that a young girl could preform such a feat in this harsh, war-torn land.

"This is Konan and I'm Yahiko... Please, teach us Ninjutsu." The distance orange-haired boy requested before taking multiple steps towards the Sanin.

This group of kids were all orphans, each of them a result from the constant victims of the 2nd Shinobi World War. However, despite such bad fortune, Yahiko was determined to turn things around.

"Shall I kill these children?" Orochimaru asked with a sad face, depressed at the idea of allowing children to live and suffer in such a harsh world.

"I've seen countless war orphans like this, and it's inhumane... They're better off dead." As he spoke, Yahiko took multiple steps back while a look of shock covered Jiraiya's face, never before had Orochimaru suggested such a cruel thing.

"That's enough, Orochimaru." Jiraiya remarked, unwilling to tolerate such violence towards children.

"Are you sure...? It would be a pity not to kill them when we have the chance." Orochimaru explained while staring at a distant pale-skinned and red-haired boy. This boy didn't even speak while his eyes were concealed behind red bangs.

" _Pity_...? It is pity that should stay your hand... Many that live desire death, and some that die deserve life... Can you give it to them, Orochimaru? Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement, even the very wise can not see the future." Jiraiya responded, causing his snake-like friend to frown.

"Orochimaru, you and Tsunade can go head back to the village now... I'll stay here and look after these children." As he spoke, Tsunade's mouth fell open in shock.

"My heart tells me these children have some part to play in this world, yet for good or ill... Only time will tell." After speaking, Jiraiya approached the group of kids before crouching down and smiling towards them.

"It's the least I can do." As he spoke, Jiraiya was unaware that this moment would live on forever through Orochimaru's mind, a moment of pity.

After turning around, Orochimaru slowly began walking away, beginning his long journey back home. Suddenly, the surrounding rain increased in density and volume before the sound of rainfall overwhelmed his ears and vision, forcing Naruto to wake up.

* * *

 _10:47pm Thursday, June 15th, 58SSP._

Before Naruto even opened his eyes, he could smell the stench of burnt wood and flesh, forcing both of his Rinnegan eyes to shoot open. Afterwards, he began observing the distant village of Konoha that rested on the horizon. Despite the several hours that past since Naruto was last awake, the Leaf village was still filled with chaos. Over half the village was crushed or destroyed while a majority of the remaining buildings were engulfed in flames.

After several moments, Naruto quickly noticed he was half-way submerged in a bed made of sand. Because of his frequent childhood habit of disappearing into the woods of Konoha, Naruto knew he was resting atop a small cliff on the outskirts of the village.

Suddenly, a loud series of thunder strikes rumbled in the dense clouds above Konoha, allowing Naruto to notice the heavy storm raging upon his village. This thought was followed by the realization that it was raining, something Konoha hadn't experienced since Iruka's death. However, even though it was pouring down rain all around Naruto, he noticed that he wasn't personally getting wet. This knowledge forced the half-naked blond to glance up, allowing him to notice a dense canopy of sand hanging across the treebranchs overhead.

At this moment, an intense throbbing pain erupted throughout Naruto's mind, forcing him to groan with agony while digging his clenched nails against his skull. During this, several dozen memories from Orochimaru continued floating through his mind. After this pain finally stabilized, Naruto noticed his headband was missing while his hair was much shorter. Because of Naruto's previous rage in the 9-tails state, vast portions of his bangs were burnt off, leaving him with short and spikey hair that barely covered his forehead.

Afterwards, Naruto quickly noticed that he was completely naked beside the sand that concealed his body, leaving him with no nearby cloths to wear. Having no cloths wasn't something Naruto really care about, but the loss of Iruka's headband was a heavy weight on his heart.

Soon, Naruto noticed a depressed Gaara sitting atop the distant edge of the cliffside, allowing rain to fall upon his concealed face. After this, the blond saw a pair of Black pants resting against a nearby treebranch, not doubt a gift from Gaara. Naruto was then quickly able to regain his balance before pulling himself loose from the sand and standing up. After stretching, the blond rushed for the pair of pants before quickly putting them on, noticing they were loose-fitting and comfortable.

Naruto then began walking towards Gaara, an action that subjected both jinchūriki to the harsh rainfall of Konoha, cascading heavy rain drops down on them. After several moments, Naruto stood directly behind Gaara, who was staring out blankly at the burning village of Konoha. What followed was a brief period of silence, pierced only by the sound of rainfall.

"I wish this demon was never sealed in me... I wish my life never happened." Gaara proclaimed with a blank expression upon his face, not even reacting to the endless rain drops that struck him.

Very few people could properly understand the painful life of being a jinchūriki, the life of being feared and ignored like some type of freak or demon. However, Gaara and Naruto shared a bond that barely anyone else does, they were both jinchūriki. This realization caused Gaara to be much more kind to the blond, fully aware that Naruto truly understood his suffering.

"It makes me wonder... What kind of truth does this world hold?" As he spoke, Naruto used his enhanced memories to search through decades of experience.

"There is no truth in this world; there is no great revelation, no great secret... There is only you. " Naruto replied before crouching down beside the depressed Gaara.

In response to this, Gaara glanced to the left, allowing Naruto to look into his pale-Green eyes. Anyone else who looked at these Rinnegan would've been hypnotized or dazed, but Gaara felt relaxed for the first time in years.

"Today... You've made a strange choice, a unique choice." Naruto spoke, referring to how Gaara saved him.

"You are beautiful to me, Gaara... A dead spot in this world, an emptiness in which it's will might be denied." As he spoke, Naruto gently smiled at Gaara.

"Through you, _I_ see the potential for this world to die... Because I _hate_ this world... I hate that it seems to have a will." While speaking, Naruto's face became enraged.

"That it would control us to achieve some measure of balance, when countless lives are lost... It's disgusting." After he spoke, another intense series of throbbing pain erupted throughout Naruto's mind, forcing him to face-plant into the ground while groaning with agony.

During this, Gaara quickly stood up before trying to help Naruto. At the same time, the image of a half-bandaged elderly face drifted through Naruto's mind, followed by the memories of everything Orochimaru accomplished in the past year. Instead of filling Naruto with empathy or knowledge, these memories once again filled him with pure rage, allowing him to ignore all the previous pain in his mind.

Suddenly, Naruto stood up with such force and speed that the ground slightly cracked underneath his feet, confusing the nearby Gaara. As rain continued to stain Naruto's enraged face, his mind began replaying Orochimaru's entire life in a matter of seconds, allowing him to finally understand who ordered the Uchiha clan to be massacred. This very same person also worked alongside the snake Sanin to help invade the Leaf Village, causing Naruto to blame this man for Hiruzen's death.

The name of this man quickly seared itself into Naruto's mind, forcing him to clench both fists tight in rage while grinding his teeth together. He could not believe such a man was allowed to live inside Konoha, he would not allow such a man to live.

Danzo! Naruto practically screamed the name inside his mind. The endless knowledge from Orochimaru's life allowed Naruto to accurately blame this man for a vast majority of Konoha's problems.

Without speaking, Naruto quickly reached out and gripped Gaara's left shoulder. Usually, his sand would react and prevent such an action on it's own free will, but here it did nothing, evidence that even the sand itself trusted Naruto.

After touching Gaara's shoulder, the pair of jinchūriki quickly disappeared in a flash, using the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport in the blink of an eye.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside Naruto's backyard, beside the large maple tree._

The pair of jinchūriki each appeared together in the center of Naruto's backyard, barely a few feet away from the pond. Afterwards, Naruto began walking towards his house while Gaara noticed a distinct seal scribbled into the treebark behind him. Usually, Naruto was unable to teleport other objects or living creatures while using the Fly Thunder God technique, but the memories of Tobirama allowed him to effectively master this S-rank jutsu, bypassing his previous handed-cap.

While the half-naked Naruto continuing walking for his house, several dozen Kunai were abruptly thrown at the pair of jinchūriki, both of which were instantly protected by a wet wall of sand. While Gaara was a powerful opponent, constant rainfall was arguably his greatest weakness, making a prolonged fight in the current weather a bad idea.

At this moment, 12 separate masked Anbu members appeared atop the treeline that surrounded Naruto's backyard. Instead of wearing the iconic Anbu outfit, each of these ninja wore a solid Black robe that concealed they're arms and legs, giving off an eerie purpose. Some of these Anbu wore their hoods pulled partially over their unique masks while others allowed their hair to waver in the rain-filled breeze.

"They're both together..." A Rhino-masked Anbu member spoke into the earpiece in his right ear, reporting knowledge to some unseen person.

Although Gaara suspected these people to be members of the normal Anbu, Naruto knew exactly who they were because of Orochimaru's knowledge. These were members of the underground foundation, an elite Anbu unit that was supposedly dissolved after the Uchiha Massacre but somehow limped along in a hidden corner of Konoha.

"For over a century I have watched in darkness... In silence, pierced only by shrieks of war while the innocent beg for aid... My dream has become a waking nightmare." Naruto proclaimed, using his enhanced memories to experience over 100 years of world history in a matter of seconds.

"This twisted Shinobi world is beyond redemption... The only answer to corruption is _destruction_ , and that begins now." As he spoke, a Black chakra-rod phased out from his right palm before he squeezed down on this weapon, causing his muscles and joints to pop.

The time of an innocent Naruto had finally past, inspired by the failed dreams of Hashirama, Tobirama and Orochimaru, he finally realized just how disgusting this Shinobi world was. At this moment, an intense series of lightning strikes erupted from the clouds overhead, a sign that Naruto's _true_ rage had only just begun.


	48. Chapter 48

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: As I have stated before, all evidence from Part 1 Naruto (which is the priority in terms of lore) suggests Tobirama is the weakest Hokage. With that being said, he is still a Kage-level opponent.**

 **I understand the lore behind the Kinkaku force, they attacked the 2nd Raikage and Hokage, leaving the latter for death before they were banished. This means that in canon, by the time they confronted Tobirama, they weren't loyal to Kumo.**

 **However, I'm doing away with that plotpoint, this is the first time Tobirama fights them and the group is still loyal to Kumo. Infact, they're the strongest remaining unit and the only reason Kumo can continue this long war.**

 **Finally, in regards to Kinaku and Ginkaku... I have no problem with them having 9-tails chakra, since they ate Kurama's flesh. But they shouldn't be able to transform into tailed beasts.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 48: A Hokage-Level Sacrifice! Retribution Begins.**

 _5:25pm Tuesday, February 2nd, 14SSP. The Northern border of the Land of Fire._

"We're surrounded." Tobirama declared as he sat crouched in a small tree grove with his right index and middle fingers pressed against the ground below.

"There are... 20 of them, judging from they're tracking skills... I'd say they're from the Hidden Cloud Village, the highly skilled Kinkaku unit." As the 2nd Hokage spoke, he slide his fingertips across the grassy-covered ground multiple times.

"There are only 7 of us including you, Lord Hokage... We're completely outnumbered." A nearby crouched Leaf Jonin spoke out, clearly hesitant and afraid.

"Homura! Don't be such a coward!" An adjacent Leaf Kunoichi mocked her teammate before directing both eyes towards the Hokage.

"The enemy hasn't pinpointed our position yet... We should lie in wait until we can find an opportunity to break through." As she spoke, multiple beads of sweat began to stain her face, fully aware that her plan would fail.

"It's not use, Koharu... One of us will have to divert their attention." A nearby Uchiha clan member spoke out, someone who possessed both 3-tomoe Sharingan.

"A decoy, Kagami...? It means certain death... So who?" A rather large man remarked, his large size suggested he was from the Akimichi clan.

This question forced a calm Tobirama to narrow both eyes, examining each of the 6 Shinobi crouched infront of him. Enough though the 2nd Hokage was completely cut-off without any means of escape, he was still confident, not for himself but for the future of Konoha.

What followed was a tense period of silence pierced only by the chirping of distant birds. During this, one of these Shinobi began having a mental breakdown, unable to withstand the certain situation.

I am a Shinobi... I've decided that I will die on the battlefield like a proper Shinobi. A fair-skinned man thought before glancing to the left, observing his close teammate.

Hiruzen... What are you thinking right now? Are you prepared to make that sacrifice? As these thoughts raced, the man began clenching both fists against his knees.

Soon, the unnamed man attempted to volunteer before realizing his voice wouldn't allow him to speak. At the same time, the muscles in his right arm began to pop as he tried to raise his hand, only for his arm to refuse movement.

Go ahead... Say it! That I'll... I'll-...! What's the matter? Why can't I say it? While these thoughts raced, his right arm began to tremble.

"I will go." A 24 year old Hiruzen declared, shocking his nearby teammates.

"Sarutobi..." Kagami awed at Hiruzen's self-sacrifice.

"Hiruzen, you'll...!" Homura attempted to argue before cut-offing his words midsentence, unwilling to finish his statement.

"Heh, Don't worry... I may not look it, but I know I'm better than any of you, I won't die." Hiruzen reassured his teammate and friend, knowing full well that it was a suicide mission.

My trembling... stopped, damn it! I'm such a coward! The fair-skinned man concluded while down casting his face in shame.

Somewhere deep inside my heart... I feel relieved. As these thoughts raced, his right hand clenched down tightly on the fabric of his pants.

"Hey, Danzo." Hiruzen spoke out before gently grabbing his friends left shoulder.

"Look after the others for me, I know you'll protect the vi-..." While speaking, Hiruzen's words became cut-off midsentence as Danzo slapped his hand away.

"Shut up! I was going to volunteer! Don't try to steal the spotlight, I'll be the decoy!" Danzo argued, causing his teammate to frown.

"Danzo..." Hiruzen mumbled in response, unwilling to send Danzo to his death.

"My father and grandfather both died on the battlefield as Shinobi... Self-sacrifice is a Shinobi rule!" Danzo declared before once again down casting his face in shame.

"I will go and be the decoy, of course. You all are the young Wills of Fire that will be defending our village in the future." Tobirama remarked, shocking Danzo.

"No! You're the Hokage! There is no greater Shinobi in our village than you!" Danzo protested.

"Danzo... You're always competing with Saru over one thing or another, but what's necessary right now is for you to unite and work together as comrades." Tobirama lectured his student, forcing Danzo to once again lower his face with shame.

"Don't not make this a personal fight... The fact is, you took too long to reach a decision. You must look at yourself rationally and know yourself, otherwise you'll place your comrades in danger." As he spoke, Danzo was filled with humiliation, disappointed in himself.

"In any case, Danzo and Saru... You two are still young so don't be hasty, your time will come but until that time, stay alive." After speaking, Tobirama slowly stood up, allowing him to tower over his 6 students.

At this moment, a stiff breeze blew in from the South, forcing Tobirama's white-hair to waver in the wind. During this, the 2nd Hokage continued staring down as his crouched students, all of which were bowing their heads in respect.

"Saru..." The 2nd Hokage spoke out, causing his student to slowly raise his face.

"Protect those who love Konoha and those that believe in you... Take care of those to whom you can entrust the next generation. Starting tomorrow... You, are Hokage." After speaking, these words left his students utterly shocked, especially Danzo.

"This is my final request, Saru... Take care of the Hidden Leaf." After he spoke, Hiruzen quickly bowed his head in respect for his Hokage.

"Yes, sir!" Hiruzen remarked while holding his right hand over his heart. During this, the nearby Danzo began gritting his teeth together.

You always get ahead of me! Danzo complained mentally, unable to accept that Hiruzen was the next Hokage.

Without saying another word, Tobirama turned around before walking off into the forest, the last time he was ever seen alive. As the 2nd Hokage walked, he made as much noise as possible, stepping on Leaf's and snapping treebranchs in an attempt to draw attention.

During this, a faint ray of sunlight illuminated Tobirama's back as he walked, revealing his iconic sword strapped against him in a slanted vertical fashion. Suddenly, the 2nd Hokage stopped walking mid-stride after he noticed a tripwire sprawled across the ground.

At this moment, a barrage of Kunai were thrown at Tobirama from all directions, preventing any means of escape. In response to this, the 2nd Hokage clapped both hands into the Tiger Seal before weaving through the Snake, Rat, Snake and Tiger Seals.

"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" Tobirama declared before exhaling a short yet condensed stream of water that began swirling around his body, creating water where none previously existed.

Soon, this swirling wall of water completely concealed the 2nd Hokage from view, protecting him from several dozen Kunai. Afterwards, Tobirama loudly clapped both hands together while funneling chakra into his next attack.

"Water Style: Water Shockwave!" After yelling, the swirling wall of water around him began sprouting up multiple times, transforming into a 20ft tall pillar of water.

Suddenly, this pillar began erupting and exploding from the top, shooting out multiple waves of water that began rushing against the nearby trees. At the same time, the wall surrounding Tobirama shot out in all directions, uprooting multiple trees in a 30ft wide radius.

"Well, well, it's the 2nd Hokage... When you die, Konoha will be forced to enter peace talks." An unknown man proclaim as he stood atop a treebranch, allowing multiple waves of water to rush underneath him.

He was a burly shinobi with a muscular build and towering stature. His eyes were sky Blue with Black-colored sclera. His skin was grey and resembled ash while his hair was blond with prominent dark tips that ran half-way down his back.

The most prominent feature was the presence of two distinctive horns that emerge from the abundant hair on his head. Also, there was a set of 3 whiskers adorning each of his cheeks, whiskers very similar to Naruto's.

His outfit consisted of the standard Kumogakure flak jacket that was black on the edges and worn over a Purple, high-collared, sleeveless uniform. On his forehead, he wore a Purple headband of Kumo and a pair of matching wrist-guards. Also, the Kanji for "gold" (金) was tattooed on his exposed left bicep.

"Now we can get vengeance against the Leaf Village, brother." A nearby man spoke out before revealing himself atop a treebranch.

Like his brother, the man was quite a burly shinobi, albeit smaller than his sibling. He had light-Greens eyes with Black-colored sclera while his skin was grey and resembled ash.

Similar to his brother, he possessed long hair that ran down to the middle of his back, instead of blond, he had silver hair with several prominent dark tips on the end. These features were followed by the prominent presence of two distinctive horns on his head. Similar to his brother and Naruto, there was a set of whiskers framing his face.

His attire was comprised of the standard Kumogakure flak jacket with Black on the edges, worn over a Purple, high-collared, sleeveless uniform, with a Purple Kumo headband that matched his pair of wrist-guards.

Finally, the kanji for "silver"' (銀) was tattooed on his exposed right bicep. Along with this, he carried a large gourd around his neck, the legendary gourd known as Benihisago attached by the revered Kōkinjō rope.

"Vengeance against the Leaf?! You worthless maggot!" Tobirama mocked the Kinkaku unit after his previously created water technique began to fade.

Suddenly, Tobriama used his right hand to grip the Blue hilt of his sword before unsheathing the blade. As this sword was pulled loose, a signifcant amount of Blue chakra resonated out from the blade, filling the surrounding air.

This chakra was so intense that it forced the ground underneath Tobirama to crack multiple times. At the same time, 18 other Kumo Shinobi appeared atop the surrounding treeline, avoiding the multiple trees that Tobirama's Water Style uprooted.

"You want my blood!? Come, vermin." As the 2nd Hokage spoke, 8 separate Shinobi jumped towards him, each of them were the strongest remaining Jonin of Kumo.

Because of the earlier time period that was similar to the Warring States Period, these Shinobi all carried a sword, fighting with Kenjutsu. At the same time, over 6 of the remaining Shinobi on the nearby treebranchs unsheathed a bow before crouching down, preparing to fight with Kyūjutsu.

At this moment, multiple chakra arrows began forming in between these bows before this set of Shinobi quickly released their strings, launching multiple attacks at the 2nd Hokage. As these arrows flung towards Tobirama, he parried multiple Jonin-level attacks from the surrounding Shinobi.

In response to this attack, Tobirama crouched down, dodging 3 separate sword strikes before reaching out with his left hand and grabbing a Kumo Shinobi by the stomach. Afterwards, the 2nd Hokage quickly pushed this Shinobi over 10ft backwards, revealing a freshly made Flying Thunder God Seal sprawled across the mans stomach.

"Flying Rajin Strike!" As Tobirama spoke, he instantly disappeared in a blur, forcing his previous attackers to jump back as multiple chakra arrows pierced his previous location.

During this, the elite 2nd Hokage bisected a unsuspecting Kumo Jonin, unable to react too such high-level Space-Time Ninjutsu. This action covered Tobirama's blade with blood before 7 different Shinobi lunged for his back.

At the same time, all 6 Shinobi atop the surrounding treebranchs prepared for another volley of arrows. During this, the Gold and Silver brothers laughed from a nearby treebranch as 4 young Shinobi bodyguards stood around them.

In response to these attacks, Tobirama quickly turned around before parrying 4 separate strikes with his sword from multiple angles. Afterwards, the Hokage wrapped his left forearm around 2 sword thrusts before pulling them to his side, harmlessly bounce off his chest-armor while slicing several cuts into this arm.

Suddenly, a sword sliced vertically through the air at Tobirama's face, forcing him to side-step to the right, causing the attack to bounce off his shoulder-armor. At this moment, a volley of 6 chakra-arrows were once again flung towards the 2nd Hokage, something he instantly noticed due to his increased sensor abilities.

In a remarkable display of speed, Tobirama released the bundle of swords gripped between his left forearm before barrel rolling to the right, avoiding multiple sword strikes. Afterwards, the 2nd Hokage quickly stood up before kicking a nearby Kumo Jonin off his feet.

As this Shinobi fell, Tobirama grabbed his left hand before throwing him in the air, forcing all 6 chakra-arrows to pierce his unsuspecting body. This action rained down multiple drops of blood on the 2nd Hokage and his 6 remaining opponents.

Sensing an opening, these 6 opponents all pointed their blades at Tobirama before thrusting forward, attempting to impale the 2nd Hokage. At the last moment, Tobirama disappeared, forcing 2 of these Jonin opponents to stab each other while the remaining 4 prevented their attack.

The 2nd Hokage used his previously created Flying Thunder God Seal to appeared beside the bisected Shinobi from earlier. After this incredible display of speed, Tobirama dropped the blade of his sword vertically into the ground while pressing both hands into the Tiger Seal.

Tobirama then weaved through the Rat, Horse, Snake and Dragon Seals before loudly clapping both hands together while inhaling a vast amount of air. During this, the 2nd Hokage began kneading chakra inside his stomach before converting it to water.

"Water Style: Severing Wave." After the 2nd Hokage spoke, he began spewing a high pressurized stream of chakra-filled water from his mouth.

While exhaling this powerful attack, Tobirama directed his focus towards the nearby chakra-archers, allowing his Water Style to cut through the treebranchs they stood on. However, before the 2nd Hokage could focus on the Gold and Silver brothers, he was forced to end his technique too counter an attack from behind.

The 2nd Hokage reached out and pulled his legendary blade free from the ground with his right hand before spinning in a clockwise rotation. During this, Tobirama extended his sword out, swinging his blade in a horizontal strike as he turned around.

Although this attack managed to parried 2 separate strikes, Tobirama quickly found himself flanked by the 2 remaining Shinobi. At the same time, the Gold and Silver brothers finally entered the battle, ready to end the 2nd Hokage.

This action left Tobirama completely surrounded on all sides, reinforced by the 4 bodyguards that the brothers brought with them. During this, the 6 previously unbalanced chakra-archers managed to regain their footing on the ground before preparing another volley.

Since the 2nd Hokage already stood beside his only nearby Flying Thunder God Seal, he was forced to confront this intense series of attacks. Tobirama pushed both opponents infront of him back with the swing of his sword before quickly turning around, allowing him to parry 3 separate strikes at the same time.

Kinkaku and Ginkaku... Tobirama analyzed his 2 fabled opponents.

Like the 2nd Hokage, the Gold and Sliver brothers were arguably the greatest assert their village. This realization was something well-known to Tobirama, if he could defeat them now, then the village of Kumo would be left defenseless and forced into peace.

At this moment, Kinkaku opened his mouth before basically unhinging his jaw while the sound of gagging filled the air. During this, both hilts of the legendary Shichiseiken and Bashōsen slowly slide out from his throat.

Afterwards, Kinkaku gripped the revered hilt of Bashōsen with his right hand while Ginkaku crouched down beside him and grab the hilt of Shichiseiken. At the same time, Ginkaku now held the fabled Benihisago in his left arm as the revered Kōkinjō began to glow yellow before stretching out and wrapping around Kinkaku's left arm.

At this moment, the pair of brothers both unsheathed their legendary weapons from Kinkaku's throat, showing off the revered Shichiseiken and the fabled Bashōsen, both of which were held by the Sage of Six Paths.

The Bashōsen was a large hand-held fan consisting of a Red and White feather mixture, while the Shichiseiken was a grey broad and flat blade with a brown talisman hanging from the hilt. These weapons were each one of the 5 treasured tools that were handed down from the Sage of Six Paths.

"Let's do this, Ginkaku!" Kinkaku ordered his little brother.

"Alright, Kinkaku!" Ginkaku answered his brother with a playful and eager tone, ready to enter battle.

So, they really do possess 4 of the 5 treasure tools? Tobirama asked himself.

The Kōkinjō binds it's victim and squeezes our their spirit word... While the Shichiseiken severs that and curses the spirit word, until Benihisago records the spirt word, sealing the speaker inside! As these thoughts raced, the 2nd Hokage blocked 3 separate sword thrusts with the horizontal edge of his sword.

And then... Bashōsen is able to conquer all 5 chakra natures, giving remarkable versatility on the battlefield. While observing the revered weapon, Tobirama managed to dodge a sword thrust before cutting his opponents arm off, showering the nearby ground with blood.

As he continued to parry multiple attacks, Tobirama quickly reached into the satchel on the back of his waist before pulling 4 Kunai loose. In a matter of seconds, multiple Flying Thunder God Seals spread out across these Kunai before Tobirama hurled them at Kinkaku and Ginkaku with his left hand.

"Gust of Wind!" Kinkaku yelled while slicing the revered Bashōsen through the air in a horizontal strike, creating multiple chakra-filled torrents of wind that parried the Kunai in midair.

During this, Tobirama managed to block and parry several strikes before an unknown Kumo Jonin pierced a blade through his right shoulder. At the same time, the nearby chakra-archers released a volley of chakra-arrows, something the 2nd Hokage instantly noticed.

At this moment, Tobirama exerted an intense display of chakra, creating a current of wind that parried the incoming sword strikes. As this occurred, the 2nd Hokage reached behind his back with his left hand before pulling loose 5 separate explosive tags that he quickly threw into the surrounding air.

"Begone, filth! Tandem Explosive Tags!" Tobirama mocked the Kinkaku unit while preforming the Seal of Confrontation with his left hand.

Suddenly, the Seals scribbled across these Tags began to glow as some attached themselves to the nearby Shinobi while others drifted through the air. Afterwards, these Tags erupted into a fierce explosive of fire, but as they exploded they summoned even more Tags, creating a consecutive explosion.

At the same time, Tobirama appeared in a flash beside his bundle of thrown Kunai as the ground underneath shook from the shockwaves of his Explosive Tags. As these explosion continued to erupt, the 2nd Hokage instantly sensed that a volley of Chakra-arrows was launched towards him.

I can't let that touch me...! Tobirama concluded while observing the revered Kōkinjō, fully aware of his legendary abilities.

Soon, Tobirama was forced to parry 4 of these Chakra-arrows in midair while the remaining 2 pierced the lower sections of his stomach, breaking through his iconic armor. During this, Kinkaku and Ginkaku both became engulfed in a bright orange chakra-aura while the whiskers on their face became more prominent.

This chakra was the result from being trapped inside the stomach of the 9-tails for over 2 weeks, forced to eat his inner-flesh just to survive. The Gold and Silver brothers possessed the most powerful chakra in the world, 9-tails chakra.

Suddenly, Kinkaku and Ginkaku began charging towards Tobirama, burning the ground underneath them with each step due to the minor levels of 9-tails chakra. In response to this, the 2nd Hokage held his sword horizontally infront of his chest before swinging down, disrupting the pair of charka-arrows in his stomach.

"Tunnel of Wind!" Kinkaku declared while swirling the revered Bashōsen multiple times through the air, creating an intense funnel of wind that shot out towards Tobirama.

This forced the 2nd Hokage to kick the bundle of 4 Kunai by his feet in multiple directions before disappearing in a flash. After reappearing beside a marked Kunai, Kinkaku surged at Tobirama with 9-tails enhanced speed before swinging his left arm out in a horizontal fashion, attempting to strike the 2nd Hokage with Kōkinjō.

This attack forced Tobirama to side-step too the left at the last moment before parrying the revered Bashōsen with his blade, stopping Kinkaku with using the weapon. During this, Ginkaku lunged at Tobirama before slicing the legendary Shichiseiken down in a vertical fashion.

This action buried the flat blade of Shichiseiken into Tobirama's iconic Happuri faceguard, barely missing the symbol of Konoha. The force of this blow forced Tobirama's Happuri to crack while blood streamed around his right eye.

"Is this the best you can do, maggot!? I fought Madara Uchiha!" Tobirama mocked, acting as if this blow didn't even affect him.

With his sword still parrying the mighty Bashōsen while the fabled Shichiseiken was lodged in his Happuri, Tobirama formed the Seal of Confrontation with his right hand. During this, the 2nd Hokage began kneading chakra inside his stomach before creating water that was quickly morphed into senbon. At the same time, the explosive tags from Tobirama's previous attack finally stopped exploding.

"Water Style: Heavenly Weeping!" After he spoke, an intense barrage of senbon-shaped water shot out from his mouth at high velocity.

Because of the close range of his opponents and the speed of this technique, Tobirama managed to lodge several dozen water senbon into the Gold and Silver brothers. This action pierced several portions of their torso, shoulders and even necks, creating multiple streams of blood.

Because of his increased Sensor abilities, the 2nd Hokage quickly noticed that another volley of chakra-arrows were once again launched towards him. This realization forced Tobirama to jump back off 10ft, dislodging the revered Shichiseiken from his Happuri.

After landing, the 2nd Hokage quickly stabbed the blade of his sword vertically into the ground before clapping both hands into the Tiger Seal. During this, Tobirama began to focus and funnel a significant amount of chakra into his next technique.

"Infinite Darkness Jutsu!" As he spoke, the surrounding battlefield became completely engulfed with a dense illusion of darkness, blocking all means of eyesight.

Sense Tobirama could still see through his own technique, he was able to transport to a separately marked Kunai, avoiding the volley of arrows. Although this technique prevented any direct eye sight from being made, his opponents could still rely on their other senses.

Using this darkness to his advantage, Tobirama began weaving through the Rat, Dragon, Hare and Tiger Seals. Afterwards, an intense vortex of water began swirling around him, creating water where none previously existed.

Soon, this water shot up over 20ft, morphing into a pillar that quickly took on the shape of a water dragon. This action revealed that Tobirama preformed 4 Hand Seals for a jutsu that usually required 44, showing a masterful display of Water Style.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" After he spoke, the roar of a dragon could be heard across the intense darkness.

Afterwards, this chakra-filled dragon surged towards the 6 disoriented chakra-archers, capturing all of them in the belly of this fierce beast. After several moments, these Jonin began to drown, unable to escape the Kage-level technique.

Although Tobirama managed to rob Kinkaku and Ginkaku of their balance, each of them possessed a enhanced sense of smell, a side-effect from 9-tails chakra. This power allowed the Gold and Silver brothers to sniff out Tobirama before charging towards him.

In a remarkable display of improve smelling, Ginkaku managed to strike out at Tobirama multiple times, all of which he parried. During this, Kinkaku managed to appeared behind the 2nd Hokage before waving the revered Bashōsen horizontally through the air.

"Lighting Strike!" Kinkaku declared, forcing multiple arch's of lightning to shot out from Bashōsen before striking Tobirama.

As this lightning electrified his body, Tobirama suddenly erupted into a puddle of water before splashing on Ginkaku, making him a victim of Kinkaku's technique. Afterwards, the real Tobirama appeared behind a dazed Ginkaku, who was unknowingly standing beside a marked Kunai.

A Water Clone?! Kinkaku panicked after smelling the water.

"Flying Rajin Strike!" Tobirama proclaimed while slicing his blade through Ginkaku's spine. Despite his increased sense of smell, Ginkaku was unable to react too such a powerful Space-Time Ninjutsu.

"GINKAKU!" Kinkaku roared after smelling his brothers blood.

"HOW DARE YOU!" As he howled, he dropped the revered Bashōsen to the ground before getting down on all 4's, resembling some type of fox as he fingernails grew and became more sharp.

Kinkaku then surged forward, burning the ground underneath him to ash while he charged. Moving at 9-tails enhanced speed, Kinkaku quickly jumped infront of Tobirama swiping his sharpened right hand down in a vertical fashion.

In an attempt to block this attack, Tobirama held his blade horizontally in the chest, bracing his sword with both hands. However, Kinkaku's 9-tails enhanced swipe snapped Tobirama's blade in half before cutting deep into his upper torso, removing a large portion of his body-armor.

This action cascaded the surrounding dirt and grass with blood before the broken half of Tobirama's blade fell to the ground. Afterwards, the 2nd Hokage used a consecutive combination of the Flying Thunder God technique, allowing him to appear behind Kinkaku with a fresh Kunai in his left hand.

Fueled by rage, Kinkau turned around before grabbing the attacking Kunai with his barehand while the Orange chakra that engulfed his body began to bubble. At the same time, the 2nd Hokage dropped his broken blade before reaching behind his back and throwing 3 more Kunai past Kinaku.

Although Tobirama or a skilled Kinjutsu expert could easily repair this sword, the 2nd Hokage didn't have time to focus on such trivial things. With his Kunai still gripped by Kinkaku, Tobirama raised his right knee to his chest before kicking out, attempting to strike his opponent.

In response to this, Kinkaku squeezed down tightly on Tobirama's Kunai while swiping his left claw out in a horizontal fashion. The force of this blow tore through portions of the 2nd Hokage's armor while he was flung back. During this, Kinkaku continued to squeeze down on Tobirama's Kunai and the left hand used to hold it.

Soon, the strain from this combination of attacks tore the 2nd Hokage's entire left arm off. This action caused Tobirama to slide over 10ft backwards before falling down, landing on his back while the nearby Kinkaku rushed to Ginkaku's aid. Kinkaku was so distracted with his brothers well-being that he failed to notice the 2nd Hokage's body dissolve into water.

"GINKAKU!? GINKAKU!?" Kinkaku repeated in a panic-filled force while picking up his limp brother in both arms.

"WAKE UP GINKAK-...?!" As he spoke, the half-broken blade of Tobirama pierced through Kinkaku's back and heart.

This process revealed the 2nd Hokage to be almost entirely covered in blood, dripping streams from multiple arrow wounds as he missing arm leaked a small puddle. During this, Tobirama's Happuri completely cracked in half before falling to the ground, revealing his fair-skin while his blood-stained hair wavered in the surrounding breeze.

"Die, maggot!" Tobirama ordered while twisting his blade to the right before cutting through Kinkaku's lungs, forcing his opponent to fall atop the already dead Ginkaku.

Afterwards, the 2nd Hokage attempted to walk South, towards Konoha, only for his legs to become heavy with each step. After several moments, Tobirama dropped his broken blade to the ground while the sun overhead began to set, cascading the 2nd Hokage in an bright aura of light.

At this moment, Tobirama fell down on both knees as he began to pant, gasping for each breathe of air. Despite the warm rays of sunlight framing his face, the extreme loss of blood left Tobirama cold and stiff.

Soon, the blood-filled gasps of Tobirama began to mix with the faint sound of birds chirping in the distant. At the same time, a small pool of blood began forming around the 2nd Hokage's crouched body.

Elder brother... Tobirama thought while glancing up towards the setting sun, allowing him to see the smiling face of Hashirama in the sky.

I leave the rest... To Saru. As these thoughts progressed, his body became too stiff to move while both eyes grew heavy before slowly closing.

As this occurred, the chirping from nearby birds grew in density and volume, filling Tobirama's ears. During this, an intense breeze blew in from the south, colliding against Tobirama before forcing his limp body to face-plant into the ground.

This action signaled the proud and noble death of the 2nd Hokage, the death of a _true_ Shinobi. Although this memory was the last thing Tobirama ever saw, he was unaware these thoughts would echo through Naruto's mind, forcing the boy to make a drastic decision.

* * *

 _12:21am Friday, June 16th, 58SSP._

The room was dark and foreboding, filled with multiple figures that were covered in complex masks or dense Black robes. All of these figures were kneeling infront of a calm yet elderly man.

This man appeared to be a frail and old man, who held a walking-cane in his left hand. His hair was black and shaggy while his right eye and forehead were covered in bandages as his left eye was almost entirely closed as a result from squinting.

On his face was an has x-shaped scar cut into his chin, no doubt the result from a battle in war. His outfit consisted of a white shirt with a Black robe over the top of it, covering his feet to just over his right shoulder. This robe also concealed his right arm.

The room they stood in was tall yet oddly shaped, consisting of multiple wooden bridges that extended and connect several different pathways. In the center of this main wooden bridge stood the unnamed man, standing as a God infront of his numerous subordinates.

"Lord Danzo, what are your orders?" A group of over 40 Root Anbu asked in unison while kneeling infront of their leader.

"Konoha is not what it once was, the council is full of... greedy, squabbling delegates." Danzo proclaimed. mocking Homura and Koharu behind their backs.

"Our best choice, is to push for the election of a strong Hokage... One would could control the Daimyō." As he spoke, several of his subordinates began nodding their heads in approval.

"With the death of Hiruzen... The council will be forced to elect a new Hokage... A _strong_ Hokage... One who will not let our tragedy continue." While speaking, Danzo slammed the hilt of his cane into the wooden bridge that he stood on.

"It is, with great reluctance... That I have agreed to this calling. I love Democracy, I love Konoha... The power you give me, I will lay down when this crisis have abated." After speaking, his subordinates all bowed their heads while Danzo smiled in a twisted fashion.

"Now, where are the teams dispatched to find Naruto?" As he speak, several subordinates raised their heads before preparing to speak.

"A team of over 12 Anbu located Naruto and Gaara over 20 minutes ago... But, Lord Danzo..." A Hare-masked Anbu member spoke out before cutting his words off midsentence.

"We've lost contact with their squad, Lord... All 12 members have been radio silent for over 30 minutes." A Rabbit-masked Anbu member explained, forcing Danzo to hum in response.

"We've already begun spreading the news, my Lord. By this time tomorrow, the village will blame Naruto for the 3rd Hokage's death." A Fish-masked Anbu remarked, causing Danzo's smile to grow even more twisted.

"What of Orochimaru?" Danzo asked, curious to find information about the snake Sanin.

"We can't locate a body, my Lord." A Squirrel-masked Anbu member replied.

"We've captured 4 of his subordinates, as you ordered." A Fox-masked Anbu member explained.

"Are the methods of torture sufficient?" Danzo asked.

"Yes, Lord Danzo, each of them past out after 4 hours of torture." The Hare-masked Anbu remarked.

"Before they die, gather their DNA, they might possess a special trait that could prove useful to the foundation." Danzo ordered, causing his subordinates to once again bow their heads in response.

"We believe one of them is an Uzumaki, my Lord. The girl with Red hair." The Squirrel-masked Anbu suggested.

"Fu, Torune." Danzo spoke, causing 2 separate Shinobi to instantly appear on either side of him, both of them kneeling in respect.

Fu's appearance was that of a regular Konoha Anbu, except for a white cloak and Bird-like mask. Behind this mask was short yet spikey auburn colored hair and amber eyes. His outfit consisted of the iconic Black robes that all Root Anbu wore, concealing a vast majority of his body.

Torune was a fairly tall and lean-built man with fair-skin and short spikey Black hair who wore an insect-like mask. Like Fu, his outfit consisted of the iconic Black robes that all foundation Anbu wore.

"Make sure she begs for death, before we conti-...?" Danzo spoke only to become cut-off midsentence as the distant steel door caved in before being broken by a wave of Sand.

This action filled the foundation hideout with silence, pierced only by 4 footsteps walking through the distant shadows. Soon, 2 hooded figures slowly entered the room, each of them wearing the iconic Black robes that were given to foundation Anbu. As they walked, one of these figures carried a gourd on his back while the other dragged the lifeless corpse of a Root Anbu across the ground with his right hand. This dead Anbu was missing his mask, revealing solid White eyes with drool pouring from his mouth.

"There was a time..." This hooded figure spoke while continuing to drag a dead Anbu across the ground.

"That voice...?" Fu mumbled under his breathe.

"A moment..." The figure continued to speak.

"I've heard it before." Fu concluded.

"When my destiny wasn't certain..." The figure spoke.

"It's the 9-tails Jinchūriki." Torune remarked.

"That moment, is gone." Naruto proclaimed before throwing the lifeless corpse of Yōji Aburame to the floor.

"Ohh? Is the Jinchūriki ready to sacrifice himself for the good of Konoha?" Danzo asked, always placing the Village above anything else.

This statement forced Naruto to grind his teeth together while pulling the hood loose from his short and spikey hair. This action revealed the Rinnegan, forcing multiple Anbu members to look at the ground, fully aware that making direct eye contact with Naruto was suicide.

"You dare speak of sacrifice to me? To _us_?!" Naruto spoke as a hooded Gaara stood beside him.

"We gave up our flesh, our souls...! Our people labeled us as freaks, and what was our reward? Eternal torment from our _comrades._ " As he spoke, Naruto mocked the idea of Leaf Shinobi being his comrades.

"No more will I be a tool for Konoha... I will serve _my_ people. The exiled and the reviled." While speaking, the image of 9 separate tailed beasts floated through Naruto's mind.

"I will slay you and all your kin, and when I am done... I will fulfill the dreams of my mentor." As he spoke, the smiling face of Iruka pierced Naruto's mind.

"You dare threaten the 5th Hokage?" Danzo asked before slowly opening his left eye.

"Danzo... You were always competing with Saru over one thing or another, you've transformed a once proud friendship into a personal fight." Naruto spoke, causing Danzo to gasp, sensing the 2nd Hokage through Naruto's voice.

"The fact is... You've failed Konoha, I should've let you be the decoy all those years ago." As he spoke, Danzo's left eye bulged, confused as to how Naruto possessed such knowledge.

"This organization murdered Shisui Uchiha, ordered the Uchiha massacre and assassinated the 3rd Hokage... This entire foundation must be purged." After he spoke, a Black-chakra rod phased out from Naruto's right palm before he squeezed down on this weapon, popping his muscles in the process.

" _Purged_? What do you plan too do, 9-tails." Danzo mocked Naruto, unwilling to believe this was retribution from Tobirama.

"Right here, right now... We're going to kill every single one of you." Naruto replied while observing the group of over 40 Root Anbu that accompanied Danzo.

At this moment, the cork in Gaara's gourd popped out before multiple streams of sand surged into the surrounding air. During this, Naruto's Rinnegan were filled with rage and hatred as he glared at Danzo.

The time of retribution was finally at hand, the village of Konoha would be cleansed through blood and death. As this battle was about to start, Naruto knew it was only the beginning of his destiny.


	49. Chapter 49

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Jessica9906 - Yes, Naruto will put his dick inside of Tayuya, h** **owever, I don't want to spoil too much.**

 **naes151 - I myself love Konan and was greatly disappointed with have she was handled after Nagato's death.**

 **I also enjoyed how Kisame died (Episode 251 of Naruto Shippuden) - but I always felt like he should've been a Kage.**

 **football87 - Tobirama has two swords, the standard Blue one (shown in his fight with Izuna) and the Sword of the Thunder God (Shown in episode 105 of Part 1 Naruto.)**

 **The Sword of the Thunder God was not the one I was referring to in chapter 48, but I will but describing that sword in a future arc - just not right now.**

 **Deepthoughts42 - I should note that Danzo is one of my favorite canon characters, that's why I'm so excited about these upcoming chapters. The Danzo wankage is real.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

 **Chapter 49: The Foundation Massacre! Revenge: In The Name Of Shisui.**

Several dozen Anbu entered a tense stance while observing the pair of intruders, expecting Danzo to give the attack order at any moment. They all stood in the center of a large wooden bridge held in place by a mixture of steel and stone railings.

Suddenly, the sound of Danzo dropping his wooden cane could be heard, forcing multiple Anbu to turn around before observing their Lord. Many of these root members owed their lives to Danzo, and many others saw him as the greatest hope for Konoha.

"Fu, Torune... Cover me." Danzo ordered while using his left hand to pull the upper-portions of his black robe down, revealing a bandaged right arm covered with golden arm braces.

"The rest of you, keep them occupied... I'm breaking the seal on my arm, I need to make room for new eyes." As he spoke, he began pulling multiple bolts loose from the braces on his right arm.

"The Rinnegan... It's full abilities are unknown, be on your guard." After he spoke, several Anbu nodded their heads in approval.

"Yes, my Lord." A chorus of Anbu answered.

Suddenly, Naruto began calmly walking towards this group of Anbu, forcing each of them to clap their hands into various Seals. During this, multiple Anbu inhaled a vast amount of air while others directed their fingers at Naruto.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu! Wind Style: Great Breach!" A chorus of multiple Anbu screamed in unison.

This combination of jutsu created a fierce rotating vortex of chakra-filled flames that twisted towards Naruto, illuminating the dark room. Upon impact, this fiery vortex was instantly dispelled by some unseen power, forcing multiple embers to float around Naruto as he continued to walk.

"Wh... What was that?" A Horse-masked Anbu questioned.

"Impossible!" A Rabbit-masked Anbu protested.

"He's capable of repelling Ninjut-...!?" A Turtle-masked Anbu attempted to speak, only to be gripped by some unseen force that quickly pulled her through the air towards Naruto.

At this moment, Naruto instantly impaled Turtle with his chakra-rod, staining it with blood in the process. Afterwards, Naruto tossed this Anbu to the ground like trash before stomping his left foot against her mask, breaking it in the process.

As Naruto's foot buried itself into Turtle's face, it became apparent that both he and Gaara wore Black Anbu sandals that matched their robes. These cloths were strictly worn by Root Foundation members only, suggesting the pair of Jinchūriki stole their outfits off dead corpses.

Impossible... No one controls gravity! A lizard-masked Anbu concluded while clapping both hands together before weaving through Tiger, Snake and Dog Seals.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Strike!" As he spoke, he extended his right index and middle fingers out towards Naruto.

This action created multiple arcs of Lightning that shot out from Lizard's fingers, dancing across multiple wooden boards as it surged forward. In response to this, Naruto extended his left hand out, forcing the approaching attack to funnel towards his fingertips.

Soon, Naruto began absorbing this chakra-filled attack, a process that completed disperse the jutsu after mere seconds. This action left several of the elite Anbu completely speechless, unable to believe their eyes.

"This bastard absorbed my jutsu!" While he spoke, the surrounding Anbu began pulling multiple Kunai loose.

"Just use physical attacks!" Horse proclaimed before quickly throwing 6 Shuriken at Naruto.

The elite Anbu then clapped both hands together before weaving through the Ox, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake and Tiger Seals. This action forced his previously thrown Shuriken to multiple from 6 into 48.

As these Shuriken soared through the air, several of them were deflected by some unseen force, knocking them to the ground. The weapons that flew past Naruto were then caught by a wall of sand.

"No way!" A Frog-masked Anbu protested.

"He's capable of repelling not only Ninjutsu, but physical attacks as well?!" A squirrel-masked Anbu panicked.

"What a kid..." A Owl-masked Anbu mumbled under his breathe, unable to believe such a young child was this powerful.

"Damnit!" A nearby Dog-masked Anbu screamed before instantly tossing 3 Kunai at Naruto.

This attack caused Naruto's Rinnegan to bulged and widen, only for nothing to happen. This forced Naruto to tilt his head in multiple directions, allowing him to easily dodge the thrown Kunai.

Tha... That's! Horse allowed his thoughts to race, sensing an opening.

This realization caused Horse to pull a Kunai loose before twirling the object around his left index finger. This process revealed a small yellow-ball attached to the Kunai, a smoke-bomb.

The elite Anbu then tossed this weapon at Naruto, only to be deflected in midair by some unseen force. As this Kunai was deflected, the bomb attached to it instantly exploded, covering Naruto in a 10ft wide smoke cloud.

"Chipmunk!" A Hawk-masked Anbu member screamed, forcing a nearby Chipmunk-masked Anbu to nod in approval.

"Right!" Chipmunk answered before dashing across the wooden bridge, charging at Naruto.

As this Anbu charged, both eyes underneath his mask turned solid white while multiple veins bulged, revealing him to be a member of the Hyuga clan. During this, several streams of sand formed overhead before raining down sand senbon.

At the same time, Hawk clapped both hands together before weaving through the Tiger, Hare, Boar and Dog Seals. Afterwards, this Anbu crouched down while slamming both palms against the wooden floorboards below.

This action forced a 10ft tall Earth Wall to rise out from the wooden boards behind Naruto, creating earth where none previously existed. This wall blocked off Naruto's line of escape while preventing Gaara from seeing the battlefield.

As Chipmunk continued to charge, he was able to dodge several dozen sand senbon by using his Byakugan-enhanced reaction time. Since he possessed the Byakugan, Chipmunk was able to see through the dense smoke surrounding Naruto, showing the blond was completely calm.

Suddenly, 2 separate Anbu phased out from the wooden boards on either side of Naruto, a result of the Hiding In Surface Technique. As they rose, each of these Anbu unsheathed their blades before slicing out in a slanted horizontal fashion.

Since these Anbu were so close to Naruto, he easily saw both of them, allowing him to jump over each of their attacks. During this, Naruto extended both of his legs out in midair, resembling Lee.

This action allowed Naruto to kick both of the attacking Anbu, knocking each of them into the nearby railing, bending it in the process. Afterwards, Naruto landed on the ground just in time to notice Chipmunk was right infront of him.

In a impressive display of reaction time, Naruto quickly impaled his chakra-rod through Chipmunks left shoulder, forcing the Anbu to gasp with pain. As this chakra-rod pierced his body, Chipmunk instantly saw a pair of Rinnegan eyes floating through his mind.

Fueled by loyalty and respect for Danzo, Chipmunk gripped this rod with his left hand, attempting to prevent Naruto from moving. The elite Anbu then hurled his Byakugan-empowered right palm forward, forcing Naruto to shove his back against the Earth Wall behind him.

At this moment, the Rinnegan eyes floating through Chipmunk's mind began to pulsate and throb, hypnotizing the Anbu. With each second that past, this throbbing grew more frequent and profound.

"Hu... Uh... Uah!?" Chipmunk gasped as seconds appeared to stretch on for minutes.

Suddenly, Chipmunks right palm collided against a flat portion of Hawk's Earth Wall, sending multiple torrents of chakra-filled wind out in several directions. Afterwards, it became apparent that Naruto tilted his head to the right at the last moment, dodging a Hyuga-level Taijutsu attack at close-range.

What... What the hell was that? Chipmunk asked himself, unable to forget the pair of Rinnegan piercing his mind.

Chipmunk then jumped 5ft back, causing his sandals to slide across multiple floor boards as fresh blood dripped from Naruto's chakra-rod. Afterwards, Naruto tilted his head slightly to the right while observing the injured Hyuga infront of him.

Before Chipmunk could even react, he was gripped by some unseen force that quickly pulled him towards Naruto. This action forced Chipmunk to become impaled on Naruto's chakra-rod before getting tossed to the ground.

Suddenly, the Earth Wall behind Naruto instantly crumbled and dissolved, transforming into a wall of sand. A hooded Gaara then quickly walked through this shifting sand before crouching down on 1-knee while slamming both palms together, a sound that echoed through the air.

This action created a fierce tsunami of sand that surged forward, completely bypassing Naruto. As this massive wall of sand approached, 3 Anbu formed a line while weaving each of their hands through various seals.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!" All 3 Anbu proclaimed in unison before spewing water out from their mask-covered mouths, resembling a waterfall-like fashion.

This action caused 3 condensed streams of chakra-filled water to crash against Gaara's sand tsunami, creating multiple clumps of wet sand. During this, a distant Danzo finally managed to get the 1st lock off his arm braces.

While these Anbu preformed this combination of jutsu, Naruto appeared behind all 3 of them, moving at a level of speed that was difficult to be noticed. This realization forced a Tiger-masked Anbu to turn around before being instantly impaled by Naruto's chakra-rod.

At the same time, a nearby Hamster-masked Anbu forward herself gripped by some unseen force, causing her to float towards Naruto. Afterwards, Naruto grabbed Hamster by the throat before pulling her soul out in a matter of seconds. Usually, this technique would paralyze Naruto as new memories were absorbed into his mind. However, the constant use of this ability against several Anbu had overcome that side-affect.

Suddenly, a nearby Moose-masked Anbu tossed 6 Kunai at Naruto, forcing the blond to tilt and contort his body in multiple directions to dodge. During this, Naruto retracted the chakra-rod in his right palm, pulling the limp corpse of Tiger into his hand.

Moose then appeared in a crouched position behind Naruto, moving at Anbu-level speed before kicking his right leg up in a slanted vertical fashion. This allowed Moose to kick the back of Naruto's left knee, forcing the blond to buckle under the pressure.

This attack forced Naruto's Rinnegan to narrow while an enraged expression covered his face, clearly annoyed. This rage grew when Moose kicked his left foot up in a vertical fashion, attempting to kick Naruto in the jaw.

Filled with rage, Naruto used his left hand to grab Moose's ankle, blocking the Anbu-level attack. Naruto then threw Tiger's limp corpse against Moose's crouched torso, forcing him to buckle under the weight. Afterwards, Naruto hurled his right foot forward, kicking both Moose and Tiger before each Anbu rolled back over 5ft, slamming against the nearby railing. During this, a distant cloud of sand formed beside Gaara's feet before he quickly jumped atop this shifting surface.

"Rabbit, we should attack together... For support." Horse suggested, earning a nod of approval from the nearby Rabbit-masked Anbu.

"Right, I agree." Rabbit replied while using his right hand to unsheathe the short-sword strapped to his back.

"He's able to push and pull objects by using his body as the epicenter." Horse deduced, thinking back across the multiple attacks Naruto deflected and the Anbu he pulled close.

"However, he can't use this power consecutively... There's a small interval in between each use." While speaking, Horse thought about the very few attacks Naruto actually dodged.

"Alright then... We focus on a counter-attack." Rabbit concluded, earning a nod of approval from Horse.

"The counter-attack has to be timed perfectly, we'll attack one after the other... Until we get him." Horse spoke, causing Naruto to tilt his head slightly.

"That... Was a very thoughtful analyze." Naruto complimented both Anbu.

At this moment, the pair of Anbu charged forward while tossing a bundle of 12 Kunai towards Naruto. During this, a floating Gaara began shooting sand senbon towards multiple Anbu atop the catwalks overhead. Once these Kunai reached Naruto, he managed to parry and deflect each of them with his chakra-rod, knocking them to the ground. This action created multiple sparks while the sound of metal striking metal filled the air.

Horse then jumped over 10ft into the air while holding Kunai in between each of his fingers, for a total of 6. As this Anbu hovered in midair, he tossed this bundle of Kunai down at Naruto, forcing the blond to phase his chakra-rod out before grabbing it like a sword.

This allowed Naruto to easily deflect and parry each of the approaching Kunai while multiple sparks and the sound of metal striking metal were once again created. Afterwards, Horse landed infront of Naruto before reaching out with his left hand, creating his opponents chakra-rod.

This action forced a pair of Rinnegan eyes to instantly pierce Horse's mind, only for the elite Anbu to overcome this image through sheer loyalty for Danzo. Horse then quickly kicked his right foot over Naruto's chakra-rod, only for the blond to sidestep at the last moment.

With his hand still restraining Naruto's chakra-rod, Horse managed to twist in midair before kicking his left foot out. In response to this, Naruto used his left hand to grab Horse's ankle before attempting to impale him in midair. At the last moment, Naruto's chakra-rod was parried by Rabbit's short-sword, creating multiple sparks in the process. This new opponent forced Naruto to toss Horse on the ground before hurling his clenched left fist at Rabbit.

With his sword still parrying Naruto's chakra-rod, Rabbit held his right forearm in a vertical fashion, allowing him to block the blonds punch. Afterwards, Naruto pulled his right arm back slightly before slicing his chakra-rod out in a horizontal slash.

This action forced Rabbit to jump up over 5ft, forcing the elite Anbu to hover over Naruto's attack. During this, Rabbit used his left hand to hurl 4 separate Kunai down at Naruto. In a remarkable display of prowess, Naruto managed to deflect all 4 of these Kunai with 1 strike. This process once again created multiple sparks as the sound of metal striking metal could be.

At this moment, Rabbit landed infront of Naruto before lunging forward while thrusting his blade out. In response to this, Naruto used both hands to grip each end of his chakra-rod before holding the object infront of his chest in a vertical fashion.

This defense caused Rabbit's sword to bury itself into Naruto's chakra-rod, unable to pierce such material. At the same time, Horse appeared directly behind Naruto with a Kunai held in each hand, moving at Anbu-level speed. Any average Chunin would have been overwhelmed by such an ambush, but Naruto had experienced over 100 years of war. This experience allowed Naruto to easily notice Horse, a realization that caused both of his Rinnegan eyes to bulge and widen.

This action created a unseen force that abruptly flung Horse back over 20ft, breaking multiple wooden floor boards in the process. Sensing his chance to counter-attack, Rabbit jumped back in an attempt to create space before using Ninjutsu. However, Naruto reached out and grabbed Rabbit before pulling him close at the last moment. In retaliation for this, Rabbit swung his short-sword out in a horizontal fashion, forcing Naruto to crouch down, easily dodging the attack.

"Summoning Jutsu." Naruto spoke before slamming his left palm against Rabbit's cloaked stomach, causing a circle of Black Kanji to sprawl into existence.

During this, Rabbit flew back over 5ft before smashing against the floor boards while groaning with pain. Suddenly, a small puff of smoke erupted from Rabbit's stomach before a Black Rhino slowly phased into existence.

This creature was similar to a regular Rhino except for small wings on it's back and a number of piercings that covered it's body. Also, it had big pointy ears and a small tail while it's most prominent feature was a large charka-rod stuck in its forehead. Finally, this beast possessed the Rinnegan, giving it linked-vision with Naruto.

At this moment, Naruto's Rhino began charging forward, cracked multiple floor boards under its weight in the process. At the same time, a line of Anbu formed in between this summoning and Danzo.

"Don't let it near Lord Danzo!" A chorus of voice proclaimed before each of them were bombard by a fierce barrage of sand senbon from above, to focused on Naruto to notice Gaara.

"Fu... Use your jutsu." Danzo ordered while he continued pulling bolts loose from his arm braces.

"Yes, my Lord." Fu replied before pressing both hands into the Yamanaka Seal while staring at Naruto's summoning.

Mind Tranfers Jutsu! After these thoughts raced, Fu instantly became shocked and speechless at the outcome.

"What's wrong? What is it?" Torune asked.

"His summoning... It doesn't have a mind of it's own." Fu mumbled in response, unable to believe such a creature even existed.

"Torune!" As he spoke, his insect-masked teammate was already weaving both hands through the Tiger, Rabbit, Dog, Ram and Dragon Seals.

"Wind Style: Wind Blade Jutsu." Torune exclaimed before multiple torrents of wind erupted out from his glove-covered hands.

These torrents of winds surged forward before cutting off all 4-limbs of the charging Rhino, forcing the beast to fall down before sliding several feet. During this, the nearby Fu clapped both hands together before weaving through the Ram, Boar, Dog, Bird and Hare Seals.

"Lightning Style: Four-Pillar Trap!" Fu proclaimed, forcing 4 separate pillars of earth to rise up on all corners around the footless Rhino.

Suddenly, these pillars of earth began shooting multiple arcs and bolts of lightning in between each other, shocking the Rhino in the process. Soon, so much lightning was being released that the floor boards below cracked before breaking entirely, causing the Rhino to plummet down.

As this Rhino fell, it erupted into a puff of smoke in midair, suggesting it's time had been fully spent. During this, a group of 4 Anbu landed infront of Danzo before charging at Naruto.

At this moment, Naruto held his chakra-rod forward with such forces that multiple shockwaves of wind resonated out in all directions. This rod moved with such speed that it easily pierced the chest of an unsuspecting Peacock-masked Anbu, forcing him to flying back over 20ft, soaring past Danzo.

At the same time, the shockwaves of wind created from this attack briefly paralyzed each of the surrounding Anbu, allowing Naruto to appeared in between all 3 of them. After noticing the blond, each of these Anbu unsheathed their blades before slicing out in multiple different directions while turning around.

Naruto was easily able to jump over each of these attacks before hovering in midair. During this, he began rotating his entire body in a clockwise fashion while extending both legs out. Without saying a word, Naruto's feet slammed against each of the attacking Anbu, causing the sound of bones snapping to fill the air.

As their bones snapped, each of these Anbu were flung back over 10ft before Naruto landed. Afterwards, a crouched Lion-masked Anbu appeared infront of Naruto before unsheathed 2 separate blades from his back.

"He's mine!" Lion proclaimed before striking his blades out in multiple different directions and angles.

Lion fought like such a savage that he forced Naruto to take several steps back while parrying multiple blows. Because of this constant assault, multiple sparks filled the air as the sound of metal striking metal echoed through the foundation hideout.

Lion then swung his left-handed blade out in a horizontal fashion only for Naruto to parry it with his chakra-rod. At the same time, Lion began to thrust forward with his right-handed blade only for some unseen force to easily disarm him, knocking his weapon to the ground.

Afterwards, Lion attempted to maneuver around Naruto only for the blond to trip him at the last moment, knocking the elite Anbu to the ground. At this moment, Naruto raised his chakra-rod high into the air, causing blood to drip atop Lion's mask.

"Fang over Fang!" A Wolf-masked Anbu pronounced as he and his Ninken jumped out from underneath the wooden bridge, surrounding Naruto on either side.

Soon, this pair of Inuzuka clan members began to rotate and swirl in midair before twisted towards Naruto. Upon impact the sound of flesh striking flesh could be heard as Naruto was concealed from view, forcing multiple Anbu to gasp, curious to see if the battle was over.

Suddenly, both Wolf and his Ninken abruptly froze in midair before each being flung back over 30ft, slamming into the distant stone walls. This action revealed Naruto standing calmly in his previous location, as if the attack didn't even happen.

Naruto then took 1-step forward before once again raising his chakra-rod into the air as he towered over Lion. Despite his skill and rank as an elite Anbu member, Lion was so overcome by fear that he used both hands in an attempt to crawl away.

"Die!" 3 separate Anbu screamed in unison while jumping from the towering catwalks overhead, aiming their blades down.

This sound forced both of Naruto's Rinnegan eyes to bulge as the group of Anbu continued falling towards his back. As these blades were mere inch's away from Naruto's back, they were each frozen in midair before being flung back by some unseen force.

This force caused each of these Anbu to slam against the nearby railings before going limp. During this, Naruto continued to focus on Lion, as if the previous 3 Anbu didn't even matter.

At this moment, Naruto thrust his chakra-rod down with such force that it pierced the floor boards underneath Lion's now dead corpse. This action was so violent that it caused multiple drops of blood to splatter across Naruto's face.

After several moments, Naruto stood up while leaving his chakra-rod impaled through Lion's corpse. As he stood, Naruto's tongue slowly protruded out from his mouth before licking each of his lips, allowing him to taste fresh blood.

"What... What is he?!" A Butterfly-masked Anbu questioned

"His technique can't be real!" A nearby Cat-masked Anbu protested.

"He's just a kid! Don't let him mock the foundation!" A Hyena-masked Anbu proclaimed.

Suddenly, Naruto began charging forward with alarming speed, causing many of the nearby Anbu to throw several Kunai at him. As these weapons flung through the air, Naruto tilted his head in various directions, allowing each Kunai to harmlessly soar past his face.

As Naruto approached these Anbu, Cat unsheathed his sword before swinging it out in a horizontal fashion. This strike was easily dodged by Naruto when he jumped 5ft into the air, hovering over Cat's attack.

While Naruto hovered in midair, he shot his left foot out with alarming speed, slamming it against Cat's jawline. This kick broke Cat's mask before the Anbu flew back over 10ft, rolling across the wooden bridge

Afterwards, Naruto landed on the ground before Hyena sliced a blade towards his face in a slanted horizontal fashion. This sword was then snapped in half by some unseen force, breaking in midair.

At this moment, Naruto's right hand shot out before gripping Hyena by the throat in a matter of seconds. At the same time, Butterfly jumped back over 10ft while tossing 6 Kunai at Naruto.

This attack caused Naruto to hold Hyena's suffocating body infront of his, using the elite Anbu as a shield that absorbed these Kunai. After these Kunai pierced Hyena's back, Naruto tossed this limp Anbu to the ground.

As Hyena fell, he fell atop the 6 Kunai lodged in his back, causing each of them to pierce through his entire torso. This action caused Hyena to scream with pain and agony before Naruto stomped his right foot into the Anbu's throat, ending his screams.

This process greatly horrified Butterfly before he was gripped by some unseen forced that pulled him towards Naruto. Butterfly was then impaled by Naruto's chakra-rod before getting thrown to the ground like trash.

As Butterfly's corpse hit the ground, Naruto heard several pairs of footsteps charging towards him from behind. This realization caused Naruto to grab Butterfly's limp ankle before turning around and tossing his corpse at the group of Anbu.

Although these Anbu dodged this corpse, it quickly became apparent that Butterfly had several explosive tags covering his robes. At this moment, the Kanji on these tags instantly ignited before a fierce series of explosion erupted at the wooden bridge.

These explosions were so numerous and condense that they even broke the nearby stone and steel railings, forcing the bridge to collapse. As this bridge crumbled, multiple corpses plummeted to the dark abyss below while Naruto, Torune, Fu and Danzo fell down.

While this dark abyss seemed endless, it was just a 30ft tall drop off that lead into a pitch black dirt-covered training ground. This training ground was devoid of any equipment, light or grass, resembling a plain field at midnight.

Suddenly, the sound of liquid striking steel could be heard as multiple drops of blood began raining down from the catwalks overhead. This was the result of Gaara physically tearing Anbu apart limb-by-limb with his sand.

Soon, several blood drops began staining Naruto's hair before 2 separate streams of blood ran across his face. During this, the sound of metal hit the ground could be heard, evidence that Danzo finally removed his arm braces.

At this moment, over 3 dozen Anbu appeared in all corners of this dark training ground. At the same time, Danzo began unwrapping the bandages that covered his right arm.

Two separate Anbu corpses then fell down on either side of Naruto's feet as a hooded Gaara descended beside his friend. As Gaara stood atop his cloud of shifting sand, it began apparent that several portions of his robes were stained with bright Red blood.

Danzo then fully unwrapped the fabric from his right arm before tossing the bundled up bandages to the ground. During this, Danzo extended his right arm out as the sound of muscles stretching filled the air.

This action revealed 10 separate Sharingan that were lodged inside Danzo's arm, each of them possessing 3-tomoe. Even more strange was the pale and white skin of this arm, in contrast to the rest of his fair-skinned body.

"So, that arm really is filled with Sharingan." Naruto spoke, using the memories of Orochimaru to fuel his knowledge.

Suddenly, Naruto's pupils began to shrink and condense, taking away all color from the world as he began seeing life through a chakra-filled lens. This process allowed Naruto to examine each of the chakra-signals that resonated out from the Sharingan on Danzo's right arm.

"Before I kill you... I have something I'd like to ask." As he spoke, Fu and Torune instantly entered a tense stance, outraged that someone would threaten their lord.

"I know you killed Shisui, and took his right eye... But, where is it?" After he spoke, Danzo slowly pressed both hands into the Hare Seal before weaving through the Boar and Tiger Seals.

This lack of an answer caused Naruto to downcast his face, allowing multiple shadows to conceal his violet eyes. During this, several Anbu attempted to charge forward only to be swallowed by chakra-filled pits of sand.

"Self-sacrifice... That is the essence of being Shinobi, something the Uchiha clan understood." Danzo proclaimed before allowing a brief period of silence to follow.

"Never witnessing the light... Moving in the shadows, that is what a Shinobi truly is." As he spoke, multiple Anbu began unsheathing their blades.

"Shisui was not the only one to die in such a way, numerous other Shinobi have met his fate, all for the good of Konoha." While he spoke, the steady dripping of blood from above finally stopped.

"Pretty words alone cannot change this world, the sacrifices of those like Shisui allow us the peace we live in now." While speaking, Naruto's face was continuously covered by shadows.

"People like you, who misinterpret this sacrifice, could never understand what it means to be Shinobi." After he spoke, the earth around Naruto cracked multiple times.

At this moment, Danzo was gripped by some unseen force before being pulling towards Naruto with alarming speed. Although Fu, Torune and several other Anbu attempted to react, they were stopped or killed by multiple streams of sand.

As Danzo floated towards him, Naruto stomped his left foot forward, breaking the nearby earth in the process. At the same time, Naruto raised his right arm back while a dense chakra-rod phased out from his right palm.

Naruto then impaled Danzo with such force that blood splattered through the air before tossing him to the ground like garbage. Afterwards, several dozen of the surrounding Anbu became speechless at the death of their Lord.

"This existence is disgusting... Revolting... Repulsive." Naruto spoke as fresh blood dripped from his chakra-rod.

"Day-in... and Day-out, the same thing happens but nothing ever changes." As he spoke, memories from 3 separate lifetimes floated through his mind, allowing him to experience multiple wars in a matter of seconds.

"This Shinobi world is... Rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die." After speaking, Naruto took 1-step forward, causing multiple Anbu to take several steps back.

"As expected of the Rinnegan, it gives you great versatility in both offense and defense... It will become a treasured tool for the security of Konoha." Danzo explained while standing in between Fu and Torune, completely devoid of any injury.

This action left both Gaara and Naruto completely stunned, each of them certain that Danzo was already dead. Suddenly, the blood staining Naruto's chakra-rod faded away, as if it was never there.

"And, the interval between your technique's is quite short... It'll always be there to protect you, huh?" While speaking, one of the 3-tomoe Sharingan on his right arm slowly began to close.

"Fu, Torune." After he spoke, Danzo quietly weaved through the Rat, Hare and Dog Seals.

At the same time, both elite bodyguards began charging forward as Danzo inhaled a staggering breathe of air. During this, several dozen surrounding Anbu also charged forward, ready to protect Danzo.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets." After he spoke, Danzo exhaled several dozen chakra-filled bullets of wind, all of which bypassed Fu and Torune.

In response to this, a hooded Gaara quickly jumped off the cloud of sand before slamming his left knee into the ground. During this, he clapped both flat palms together, a sound that echoed through the air.

This action forced a 10ft tall wall of sand to erupt out from the ground just in time for multiple wind bullets to explode against the outer wall. This caused several hundred grains of sand to float through the air before revealing Gaara's wall remained intact, blocking a Kage-level technique.

A Frog-masked Anbu then appeared behind Gaara before thrusting his blade at the latter's back. This attack forced a wall of sand to form behind Gaara before Frog was abruptly impaled by Naruto's chakra-rod.

Suddenly, 2 separate Anbu each appeared behind Naruto before slicing their weapons in several directions. At the last moment, multiple streams of sand gripped each of their ankles before dragging them below ground and crushing them.

Several Anbu then jumped over Gaara's wall of sand before hurling multiple Kunai at the pair of Jinchūriki. In response to this, Naruto waved his right hand over Gaara's crouched head, deflecting each of these weapons in midair.

Afterwards, Gaara's wall of sand dissolved into several dozen streams that lunged out, grabbing each of the attacking Anbu before crushing them to dead. Gaara then slammed both palms into the ground, creating a pillar of sand that ascended over 10ft into the air.

This technique allowed both Jinchūriki to avoid a bundle of 20 Shuriken thrown at their previous location, instead piercing the pillar of sand. Gaara then clapped both hands into the Rat Seal, creating several hundred sand bullets that shot out in all directions from his pillar.

These bullets of sand slaughtered several Anbu while Fu and Torune managed to dodge each of them. As these bullets surged out, they eventually reached Danzo only to miss every single vital point as the elderly man stood completely still.

However, this action greatly alarmed the remaining Anbu, causing each of them to glance at their Lord with respect and loyalty. During this, a slight cut formed against the bandages on Danzo's face.

Soon, this cut began to expand before the bandages covering Danzo's right eye unraveled and fell to the ground. This process caused an expression of horror to cover Naruto's face once he saw the Sharingan in Danzo's right eye.

The chakra signature from this eye was bright green, oddly similar to Sakura's, but Naruto knew exactly who it belonged to. The Sharingan in Danzo's right eye belonged to the very same person who taught Naruto almost everything he knew about Fūinjutsu, it belonged to Shisui Uchiha.

This realization quickly forced all senses of horror or fear to fade as Naruto became overwhelmed with hatred. The sheer amount of this hatred made it difficult to breathe as Naruto's shoulders began to rise and fall multiple times.

At this moment, Naruto's Rinnegan began to twitch and tremble as several kind memories of Shisui replayed themselves inside his mind. However, these memories were quickly overwhelmed by the dark image of Danzo who used Shisui's right eye as his own.

Naruto would not allow such vermin to continue living, he would not allow Shisui's murderer to continue living. Fueled by rage and hatred, Naruto was determined to end this, and the foundation.


	50. Chapter 50

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Naruto's chakra-reserves are confirmed canon to be Kage-level by the very 1st episode in the series. I have spent 49 chapters hyping up Naruto's chakra-control, and while he isn't Sakura-level he is still far beyond his canon-self at this point.**

 **This is the Naruto Retrieval Arc, if there was ever a time for him to be badass - it's right now.**

 **This chapter takes place during episode 78 of Part 1 Naruto.**

 **I should note that I personally consider Orochimaru's knowledge of the Sharingan to be unrivaled, even by Uchiha (Yes, that means Madara). The dude just research's everything, he studies everything, he examines everything, so that gives me a plot device for Sharingan stuff.**

 **In regards to the whole Hashirama DNA cells canon-plot point, I actually love that idea and have no problem with it. With that in mind, I will be expanding on that concept slightly.**

 **Finally, I understand the lore behind Kotoamatsukami and how any person who used it beside Shisui had to wait 10 years in behind each usage. Except Danzo who had the cells of Hashirama that reduced this wait time - making it only 1 day.**

 **However, I don't like Hashirama cells being OP, if anyone's cells are OP it should be Hiruzen's. But with that in mind I'm treating it to where Danzo's Kotoamatsukami can only be used once a year.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 50: For The Good Of Konoha! In The Name Of Justice.**

Over 50 separate Anbu surrounded the pair of Jinchūriki as they stood upon a pillar of sand in the dark underground of the foundation. At the same time, the sound of multiple blades being unsheathed echoed through the darkness.

This action was followed by a tense period of silence as Naruto closed both eyes while attempting to soothe his rage. During this silence, both Fu and Torune looked at one another before nodding in agreement.

Suddenly, several dozen Kunai were thrown at the pair of Jinchūriki, forcing a giant ball of sand to instantly incase Naruto and Gaara. Afterwards, several of the nearby Anbu pressed both hands together before weaving through various different seals.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!" Several different Anbu pronounced in unison before spewing multiple streams of chakra-filled water out from their mask-covered mouths.

This water then shot out before colliding it's Gaara's pillar of sand, forcing multiple clumps of wet sand to fall against the ground as the pillar slowly collapsed. At the same time, the ball of sand incasing both Jinchūriki broke off before rising into the air.

Using his unparalleled control of sand, Gaara created multiple jagged wet clumps of sand that impaled several Anbu as they fell. During this, over a dozen Kunai lodged themselves against the exterior of Gaara's sand ball, all of which carried an explosive tag.

Within seconds, the Kanji sprawled across these tags began to glow before erupting into a fierce series of explosions. These explosions caused several hundred grains of sand to rain through the air before revealing a partially concealed Gaara and Naruto.

As these grains of sand floated through the air, they instantly shifted into hundreds of rock-like sand balls that began to fall down like hail. Upon impact, these balls of sand began to clump and cling against everything they touched, even several Anbu.

While the pair of Jinchūriki continued to stand in the partially collapsed ball of floating sand, Gaara raised both arms to the ceiling before twisting them in several different angles. This action forced multiple streams of sand to break off from the ground before rising into the air.

Suddenly, 3 separate Anbu began running up the distant dark wall before leaping into the air while thrusting their swords out. Because of Gaara's ultimate defense, streams of nearby sand broke off before crushing 2 Anbu in midair.

Because these opponents were members of the elite Root Foundation, a single Bear-masked Anbu was able to slip through the sand. After evading several streams, Bear managed to slice his blade mere inches away from Gaara's face.

At this moment, Naruto abruptly grabbed Bear's wrist with his right hand, causing the sound of bones snapping to fill the air. This pain was so intense that Bear fell down on both knees while dropping his sword, allowing sand to partially wrap around his body.

As Bear glanced up in between this agony, Naruto opened both his Rinnegan eyes just in time to hypnotize this high-ranking Anbu. This action forced a pair of Rinnegan to pulsate and throb throughout Bear's mind, causing his body to twitch as sand completely engulfed him.

Naruto then jumped from Gaara's sand before descending over 20ft to the ground, avoiding multiple Kunai as he fell. After landing, a Dragon-masked appeared infront of the blond before slicing his sword out in a horizontal fashion, only for Naruto to catch the blade with his bare left hand.

This attack cut into Naruto palm, causing blood to drip atop the nearby ground before steam began pouring from his wound, healing it instantly. During this, Bear's sword shook and trembled several times as Naruto's grip on his blade continued to tighten.

Soon, Naruto's grip managed to break Bear's sword in half, causing multiple tiny fragments of broken steel to fill the air. Afterwards, Naruto grabbed Bear by the throat before squeezing down, forcing the elite Anbu to gag.

"Fu..." Danzo mumbled, causing his subordinate to instantly nod in response.

"Yes, my Lord." Fu replied before pressing both hands into the Yamanaka clan Seal while staring at Naruto.

Mind Transfer Jutsu! As these thoughts raced, Fu's line of vision shot out while Naruto's Rinnegan noticed the substantial build-up in chakra.

At the last moment, Naruto held the gagging Bear infront of his body, forcing Fu's technique to infect his fellow Anbu. At the same time, the real Fu fell half-way to the ground before Torune caught him.

Before Fu could even process whose body he was in, Naruto quickly impaled the Anbu through his chest, causing fresh blood to stain his chakra-rod. Because of a side-effect to the Mind Transfer Jutsu, the real Fu died as a result from Bear dying.

"Torune, use your jutsu." Danzo ordered, causing Torune to abruptly drop Fu's corpse before raising each of his gloved-fingertips to his mouth.

Suddenly, Torune bit into these fingertips before pulling both gloves off, revealing each of his hands were dark Purple. This action caused each of Naruto's Rinnegan to narrow as he observed Torune's odd hands, both of which were devoid of chakra.

At this moment, Naruto threw Bear's corpse to the ground before charging forward, forcing the earth underneath to crack with each step. In response to this, Danzo pressed both hands together before quietly weaving through the Rat, Snake, Horse and Dog Seals.

Danzo then took a deep breathe before he began to exhale while tilting and turning his head in multiple directions. During this, a nearby Torune entered a Taijutsu stance while directing each of his Purple hands at the approaching Naruto.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Blast!" Danzo spoke in between the gusts of compressed air shooting out from his mouth.

As these gusts of wind surged out, they managed to cut into the very earth while unrooting several sections of dirt. Despite the sheer strength and power of this technique, it managed to completely bypass Torune.

While this technique rush towards the charging Naruto, several nearby Anbu saw their chance to attack. This realization forced various Anbu to weave through separate symbols while others threw Shuriken or Kunai.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu! Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu! Lightning Style: Lightning Strike!" Various different Anbu pronounced in unison before firing their techniques from separate directions.

This fierce combination of jutsu and weapons left Naruto completely surrounded as he continued to charge forward, ignoring the danger all around him. As these attacks surged mere inches away from Naruto, both of his Rinnegan eyes bulged and expanded.

This action created an unseen forced that pushed out in all directions from Naruto, deflecting multiple weapons while jutsu was dispersed in midair. Afterwards, it became apparent that Naruto was still charging forward, completely unaffected by the previous attacks.

"Uh...?!" Torune gasped from behind his insect-mask, shocked at this display of power.

"Lord Danzo, I'm ending this now!" As he spoke, Torune pulled off his Black robes before throwing them to the ground.

This process revealed a long-sleeve black shirt that Torune wore underneath his Anbu robe, a shirt he quickly took off. During this, Torune's entire upper body shifted to a dark Purple color, similar to his hands.

"Poison Cloud Jutsu." After speaking, Torune loudly clapped both hands together before a small sphere of beetles to form in between his palms.

After creating this technique, Torune took a deep breathe before exhaling into his hands, forcing several thousand beetles to surge into the air. This action caused multiple streams of insects to rush towards Naruto, insects that were famed for their deadly venom.

At this moment, a distant Gaara loudly clapped both of his flat palms together, forcing a wave of sand to form underneath Naruto's feet. This sand then crashed over Torune's swarm of beetles, crushing them into the ground. Usually, Torune's venomous beetles were so fierce and deadly that any living creature would die on impact. But Gaara's sand was beyond that weakness, giving him the perfect advantage against Torune.

As this wave of sand crashed into the ground, Naruto jumped over 10ft into the air, allowing him to soar over Torune. The elite Anbu was so focused on Naruto that he failed to notice a stream of sand erupt out from the ground before crushing him.

However, as Torune's body exploded with blood, the liquid quickly morphed into several thousand flying beetles, a result of the Insect Clone Technique. During this, Naruto landed on the ground just in time for the real Torune to form behind him.

"Wind Style: Wind Wave." Danzo spoke before waving his right hand through the air in a horizontal fashion.

This action forced a chakra-filled slash of wind to erupt out from Danzo's right palm, creating a dense breeze that blew towards Naruto. In response to this, Naruto jumped forward while rotating his body in a clockwise fashion, dodging Torune's attack before sinking into the earth below.

This caused Danzo's Wind Style technique to crash against Torune, slamming the elite Anbu back into Gaara's shifting sand. Unlike before, Torune was unable to produce an Insect Clone in time, allowing him to be completely engulfed and swallowed by Gaara's sand.

"Hmm, you have plenty of stamina as well..." Danzo mumbled, making a mental note of Naruto's vast chakra-reserves, something he personally contributed to the Rinnegan.

At this moment, a clenched-hand of sand formed in the air above Danzo before surging down, crushing the earth into several dozen boulders. As these sections of earth flew through the air, a calm Danzo landed atop one of the hovering boulders.

After jumping out from underground, Naruto clapped both hands into the Tiger Seal while inhaling a staggering amount of air. This action forced each of his shoulders to rise while both cheeks puffed out.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullets." Naruto exhaled before several dozen chakra-filled bullets of water spewed from his mouth at high velocity.

While surging forward, these liquid bullets managed to destroy multiple chunks of floating earth before impacting Danzo's location, forcing the elder Shinobi to jump. As he descended through the air, Danzo managed to dodge several streams of sand, utilizing decades of Shinobi experience.

At this moment, Naruto directed his flat right palm towards Danzo before the very earth infront of him uprooted itself as some unseen shockwave rippled out. While surging forward, Danzo watched as portions of dense stone were crushed into dust in a matter of seconds.

At the last moment, Danzo managed to avoid this unseen shockwave by jumping over 20ft into the air. As he hovered through the air, Danzo quietly pressed both hands into the Tiger Seal before weaving through the Dog Seal.

Suddenly, multiple streams of sand shot out before grabbing each of Danzo's legs and dragging he down. Soon, Danzo was completely engulfed by sand before being pulled underground and crushed.

"A pair of Jinchūriki working together, this is a dangerous thing." Danzo remarked as he stood in between multiple Anbu.

As Danzo stood, the bandage over his right eye was still missing while every serious or fatal injury was completely gone. During this, Gaara's eyes bulged while each of Naruto's Rinnegan narrowed.

Genjutsu...? No, it's _that_ technique. Naruto concluded, causing his tongue to slither out his mouth before licking each of his lips

Naruto's extended memories of Orochimaru gave him the distinct habit of licking both lips anytime he thought about the Sharingan. These memories also allowed him to fully comprehend and understand Danzo's jutsu, one of the most forbidden Sharingan techniques ever known, Izanagi.

"To think, you possess the Pupils of Six Paths yet you're still so blind to the true nature of this world." Danzo spoke as one of the 3-tomoe Sharingan on his right arm slowly began to close.

"What do you think this will serve? Revenge? Justice? As a child, you cannot understand either of these concepts." As he spoke, a distant Gaara was using his sand to fight off multiple Anbu.

"You don't give a damn about the truth in this world, you just want to hurt people in some misguided attempt to ease your own failures." While he spoke, Naruto's face became partially concealed by shadows.

"You defile the sacrifice made by Shisui." After he spoke, Danzo held his right arm horizontally infront of his face, causing 5 separate 3-tomoe Sharingan to stare at Naruto.

"You have no right to even talk about Shisui!" Naruto protested before hurling a 3-pronged Kunai through the air, causing the object to fly towards Danzo.

This weapon then flew past Danzo's face before Naruto instantly appeared before the elderly Shinobi, gripping the Kunai with his left hand. This high-level of speed was a result of the Flying Thunder God technique, allowing him to move at speeds far beyond Anbu or Kage-level.

As Naruto hovered in between this group of Anbu protecting Danzo, a small rotating sphere of Purple chakra swirled into existence in the center of his right palm. The force of this rotation was so powerful that it could even be heard through the air, finally alerting the nearby Anbu that Naruto was right beside them.

Soon, the force of rotation in this technique grew so powerful that shockwaves of wind resonated on in all directions while Naruto hurled his right palm forward. At this moment, the chakra in Naruto's hand tripled in size, becoming a ball-sized rotating sphere of Purple chakra that appeared to be spinning in several direct at once.

"Rasengan!" As he spoke, Danzo turned around just in time for Naruto to slam his rotating sphere of chakra against the elderly opponents stomach.

The force of this blow instantly tore through Danzo's cloths as he gripped Naruto's wrist with his left hand, attempting to with-stand this S-rank technique. Soon, the force of this blow forced Danzo to lose his grip. before flying back over 30ft while his entire body rotated in a counter-clockwise fashion.

Suddenly, each of the surrounding Anbu unsheathed their blades before striking them on in various directions, aiming for Naruto. In response to this, both of Naruto's Rinnegan bulged, forcing some unseen force to overwhelm each of the nearby Anbu, sending them flying back.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade!" Danzo declared after appearing behind Naruto, devoid of any and all injuries.

This statement forced a shocked Naruto to turn around just in time to notice a rotating Shuriken empowered by wind-infused chakra swirling towards him. The wind attached to this Shuriken resembled a light green color while extending the range and power of Danzo's attack.

With his eyes unable to react in time, Naruto was forced to sidestep too the right, barely able to dodge Danzo's technique. During this, Danzo began twirling 3 other Shuriken around his fingertips while blowing wind-infused chakra into the objects.

Danzo then hurled each of these objects at Naruto while another 3-tomoe Sharingan slowly began to close on his right arm, giving him only 7 left. As these Shuriken approached Naruto, each of his Rinnegan eyes bulged, dispersing the chakra-filled weapons in midair before knocking them to the ground.

Naruto then quickly charged at Danzo while a chakra-rod phase out from his right palm. Afterwards, Naruto sliced this weapon out in a horizontal slash, forcing Danzo to jump up before preforming a backflip in midair.

After landing, Danzo was forced to barrel roll to the left, allowing him to avoid an impaling jab from Naruto's chakra-rod. After regaining his balance, Danzo was then forced to preform multiple backflips while Naruto sliced his chakra-rod out in various directions and angles.

Suddenly, Danzo found himself gripped by some unseen force in midair before he was pulled towards Naruto. This action allowed Naruto to easily impale Danzo through the chest before tossing him to the ground and stomping on his throat.

After several seconds, this corpse of Danzo slowly began to fade before he completely disappeared, as if he was never there at all. This action was followed by a tense silence before Naruto slowly turned around, allowing him to glare at a shadowy figure in the distance.

"Just give up." Danzo spoke as one of the 3-tomoe Sharingan on his right arm slowly began to close.

This statement caused Naruto to partially close both eyes while down casting his face slightly. During this, the sound of painful screams could be heard in the distance as Gaara used sand to crush several Anbu to death.

At this moment, both of Naruto's Rinnegan slowly opened before bulging widely as he glared at Danzo. Suddenly, Naruto stomped his right foot into the ground before he began charging forward, crushing the earth with each step.

"Do not mock the foundation!" A pair of 2 separate Anbu screamed in unison after appearing in between Danzo and the charging Naruto.

Each of these Shinobi then unsheathed their swords before an Owl-masked Anbu sliced his blade out in a horizontal slash, only for Naruto to duck his head under this attack. Filled by rage, Naruto managed to hurl his clenched right fists into Owl's stomach, forcing the Anbu to gag as spit flew on his mouth.

As Naruto's fist dug into Owl's stomach, a Black chakra-rod instantly phase out from his palm before impaling the elite Anbu with remarkable speed. Afterwards, Naruto tossed this limp corpse against the approaching blade from the nearby Coyote-masked Anbu.

This action forced Coyote to accidently slash his blade into Owl's corpse, causing his weapon to get stuck in his body as a result. Unable to pull his blade loose, Coyote failed to prevent Naruto from grabbing him by the throat before ripping his soul out in mere seconds.

Suddenly, multiple Anbu appeared in the air all around Naruto while slicing their weapons down towards the blond. This attack forced both of Naruto's Rinnegan to bulge before an unseen force overwhelmed each of the surrounding Anbu, pushing them back.

Soon, Danzo appeared directly behind Naruto before thrusting a Kunai held in his left hand forward, aiming for Naruto's back. In response to this, Naruto attempted to turn around before he became crippled by some unknown power.

At this moment, several dozen Black Hexagram Seals and symbols began to sprawl across Naruto's body, spreading out from his left wrist. This action completely paralyzed Naruto before Danzo's Kunai successfully pierced his back.

"You have a good form, and a great technique... But you're still just a child acting like an adult." Danzo spoke as the Hexagram Seals across Naruto's body prevented him from moving at all.

A Curse Seal that paralyzes the body...? Naruto asked himself, even the extensive memories of Orochimaru were unable to provide knowledge about this technique.

"Uh..." As he gasped, Naruto thought about when he preformed the Rasengan against Danzo, a time when the elderly Shinobi grabbed his wrist.

He placed it on me back then! As these thoughts raced, Danzo's was forced to jump back over 10ft as Naruto's wound instantly healed.

This high-level of regeneration created multiple jets of steam that poured out from Naruto's wound before his skin reattached and merged back together. After landing, Danzo picked up a discarded short-sword from one of the nearby Anbu corpses before walking towards Naruto.

Suddenly, an aura of Purple chakra began molding across Naruto's body while multiple shockwaves rippled out through the air. This action garnished the attention of several Anbu while they and a distant Gaara were embroiled in fierce combat.

This level of chakra cracked the surrounding earth as Danzo's feet slide back several inches, unable to withstand these chakra-filled shockwaves. At the same time, multiple Anbu became shocked and awed at this display of chakra.

"Impossible...!" A Dog-masked Anbu mumbled while his Black robes wavered intensely from these chakra-filled shockwaves.

"The level of his chakra is crushing!" A Skunk-masked Anbu screamed as portions of nearby earth cracked under Naruto's chakra.

"His chakra...! It's too intense!" An Otter-masked Anbu panicked while holding both arms infront of his mask.

By releasing such a concentrated amount of chakra, the multiple Hexagram Seals sprawled across Naruto's body began to fade. Soon, each of this markings completely disappeared before Naruto tilted his head too the right, popping several bones.

For him to break the Cursed Seal... Is this the Rinnegan, or the 9-tails? Danzo asked himself as the previous shockwaves of chakra finally began to stabilize.

"Uh...?!" As he mumbled, Danzo's mouth fell open once Naruto turned around and stared directly into the elder Shinobi's left eye.

This action forced a pair of Rinnegan eyes to pierce Danzo's train of thought before pulsating throughout his mind. For several moments these eyes completely paralyzed Danzo before a chakra-rod was impaled through his chest, bringing him back to reality.

This attack caused Danzo to spit up multiple drops of blood that stained Naruto's face before he was tossed to the ground. Within seconds, this corpse completely disappeared while the fresh blood across Naruto's face vanished, as if it was never there.

"You cannot win." The voice of Danzo echoed as he appeared over 20ft infront of Naruto.

Soon, one of the 3-tomoe Sharingan on Danzo's right arm slowly began to close, causing each of Naruto's Rinnegan to narrow as he observed. After this eye closed, Naruto noticed that Danzo only had 5 Sharingan left in his arm while Shisui's wasn't even being used.

This realization caused Naruto to crouch down on 1-knee before slamming both palms into the ground below. Upon contact, multiple Black Kanji circles sprawled out from each hand before staining the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu." Naruto declared before an explosion of smoke erupted from each of his hands.

These smoke clouds were over 20ft tall, completely concealing Naruto from view while a distant Danzo narrowed his only real eye. Suddenly, a house-sized Ox charged out from this smoke cloud, causing the ground to shake while it advanced.

The appearance of this beast was similar to an average Ox except for several Black chakra-rod that pierced it's body in multiple areas. Also, it's entire body was covered in Brown fur with round Black horns protruding from it's forehead and a small, bushy tail.

Finally, the most prominent and unique feature of this beast were the Rinnegan eyes it possessed, giving it a linked vision with Naruto. The size and power of this summoning garnished the attention of multiple Anbu who attempted to help their Lord, only for Gaara's sand to crush each of them to death.

As this beast charge, Danzo quietly pressed both hands into the Rat Seal before weaving through the Dog and Tiger Seals. Afterwards, the elderly Shinobi crouched down while slamming both hands into the ground below.

"Wood Style: Domed Wall Jutsu!" Danzo proclaimed as several wooden pillars shot out from the ground in a horizontal fashion before interlocking with one another.

At this moment, the massive Ox buried it's horns into Danzo's jutsu, causing a fierce pillar of dust and debris to rupture out in all directions. During this, the smoke cloud covering Naruto finally dissipated before revealing a 20ft long Centipede coiled around the blond like a snake.

This giant centipede was one of the more unique creatures Naruto ever summoned, it's body was solid Black while it's face and feet were all Orange. Similar to all his summoning's, multiple chakra-rods covered this beast with the most prominent being a large spear-like rod struck through it's skull.

This large centipede also possessed the Rinnegan, allowing Naruto to share a linked vision with his summoning. This creature then began to hiss as the cloud of debris from Naruto's previous attack finally began to stabilize.

Suddenly, the noise of wood snapping filled the air before the sound of muffled footsteps could be heard. After several moments, Danzo walked out from this cloud of debris before revealing the entire right sleeve of his shirt had fallen loose.

That's Wood Style... Now I remember. Naruto thought as the massive centipede coiled around him clicked it's limbs multiple times.

Orochimaru... You really keep in close contact with Danzo. As these thoughts progressed, 4 distinct faces became recognizable across Danzo's right shoulder.

You implanted the cells of the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd and even the 4th Hokage all into Danzo's right arm. While thinking, Danzo began charging at Naruto with Kage-level speed.

No wonder he's able to control so many Sharingan... He's gained increased physical stamina, higher chakra-reserves, a wider range of jutsu and greater chakra control. During these thoughts, Naruto's massive centipede uncoiled itself before surging towards Danzo, causing the sound of it's numerous footsteps to fill the air.

As Danzo charged forward, he used his right hand to pull a Kunai loose before holding the object infront of his face. During this, Danzo took a deep breathe before exhaling a condensed breeze of chakra-filled wind that twisted and molded around his weapon.

This power was a result of the Wind Style: Vacuum Blade technique, giving Danzo's Kunai increased ranged and power. Using his decades of experience, Danzo managed to jump over the attacking centipede before slicing his wind-infused blade down.

The power of this wind allowed Danzo's attack to cut clean through the large centipede before continuing his charge at Naruto. As Danzo approached, a chakra-rod phased out from Naruto's right palm before he gripped the object like a sword.

Taijutsu? He is trying to conserve chakra? As the thoughts raced, Naruto used his chakra-rod to parry numerous strikes swung towards him by Danzo.

I can't believe Danzo let Orochimaru use him as a test subject... Just to test the extent of Izanagi. While thinking, Danzo swung his wind-infused blade at Naruto's skull only to be stopped by some unseen force.

This force quickly disarmed Danzo before pushing him back over 20ft, causing him to flip and roll before he managed to preform 3 separate backflips. As Danzo hovered backwards, he quietly pressed both hands into the Rat Seal before weaving through the Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit and Tiger Seals.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Danzo exhaled before spewing out several hundred miniature fireballs of condensed chakra-filled flames, preforming a Kage-level feat.

The Sharingan that uses Izanagi will lose it's light, and never open again... But with that many eyes, his use of the technique varies. Naruto analyzed Danzo while extending his left hand out, allow him to absorb various separate fireballs, fueling his own chakra.

Even so, I can't allow him to keep Shisui's Sharingan. As these thoughts progressed, Naruto's tongue once again slithered out his mouth before licking both lips, a force of habit.

Hmm, It seems that the Sand Jinchūriki won't be able to participate in this battle. Danzo concluded as a distant Gaara was fighting off numerous Anbu.

Which means I can focus entirely on this child, but I cannot be taken off guard... Nor can I just kill this boy, doing so would cause Konoha to lose the 9-tails. While the elderly Shinobi pondered his next course of action, he glanced down at the 5 remaining Sharingan on his arm.

Also, I have to reserve some chakra for afterwards... Tomorrow I will use Shisui's right eye to force the Daimyō into electing me as the 5th Hokage, I can't become distracted here. As these thoughts raced, the sound of a distant Gaara killing Anbu could be heard.

Further more, since I must keep Shisui's eye for tomorrow, I can't use it on this child... I wouldn't have enough time to recover. While thinking, Danzo narrowed his one real eye.

However... This child won't be easy to deal with, his defense is hard to bypass while his offense is difficult to evade... And, I still can't release Izanagi yet. As Danzo thought about his next attack, the face of Hiruzen floated through his mind.

I'll have to gamble on this next moment, and do what must be done... For the good of Konoha. After these thoughts finished, Danzo quickly bit into his right index finger before calmly placing it against his left palm.

"Summoning Jutsu." Danzo's voice echoed before a dense pillar of smoke engulfed his entire body.

Suddenly, 4 separate claws dug into the earth before a large Elephant-like trunk waved through the cloud of smoke. After this dense smoke cloud finally stabilized, it became apparent that Danzo's creature easily dwarfed anything Naruto ever summoned. This creature was a gigantic elephantine chimera with dark-Orange fur lining everything except it's trunk and legs. Finally, it possessed sharp tiger-like claws with bandages wrapped around it's head similar to Danzo.

"HUUU!" This large creature known as Baku roared, spewing pillars of steam loose from his trunk.

This creature shook the entire foundation hideout as the ground rumbled underneath while steam rose into the air. The volume of this roar was so loud that Gaara and the surrounding Anbu all turned to observe this new summoning.

I am the 5th Hokage... In the name of Konoha, I cannot fail. Danzo concluded as the nearby Baku continued to roar.

Danzo always spent his entire life directing Konoha from the shadows as a true Shinobi, but now he finally had his chance to stand as Hokage. This realization fueled determination into the elder Shinobi, fully aware that the battle had only just begun.


	51. Chapter 51

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Ishimaru Taiki - Thank you, that means a lot to me.**

 **Fuyuriku - You made a really good point and I've taken the time to fix the paragraph you pointed out to me. I will keep your review in mind for future writing, I promise.**

 **naes151 - Danzo is a very controversial character, many people hate him because every single bad event inside the show (Uchiha Massacre, the death of the true Akatsuki, the birth of Pain, the Konoha Crush or killing Naruto's frog and etc etc) is all his fault.**

 **But everything Danzo did is what he genuinely believed was in the best interest of Konoha, all he is guilty of is being a proud nationalist who loved his country.**

 **While it's true that every single problem in Naruto is his fault, he isn't a villain, he is just trying to do the right thing but it has consequences that he could never see.** **Because of this aspect I argue Danzo is the most human/realistic character in the entire show.**

 **Danzo is just trying to ensure the future of his country but a large portion of the Naruto community judge him by his actions or mistakes, instead of his ideals.** **I love Danzo and I love the ideals he represents.**

 **Danzo was the Hokage we needed but not the one we deserved and his death was easily one of the top 5 hardest times I've ever cried watching Naruto. At the same time, Danzo is also one of my top 10 Naruto characters.**

 **Danzo is a tragic hero. He always did what he thought was best for Konoha and even if you don't agree with his ways he always did what he thought was right.**

 **I know a lot of people will be like "Oh Danzo? Fuck him! He killed the Frog/ took Shisui's eye/ planned to assassinate Hiruzen multiple times and etc etc". I understand that but none of those things make Danzo a villain, he is just trying to do the right thing from his perspective.**

 **As I have stated before, life is full of different perspectives and when you truly understand someone's perspective you understand them as a person. Once you see the Shinobi world through Danzo's perspective I think he becomes quite heroic, that's why I call him a tragic hero.**

 **In terms of who was a better end villain between Madara or Kaguya. Madara had 7 years of hype and build-up, he was firmly placed as a key figure in the lore back during the part 1 Valley of the End fight.**

 **From a narrative perspective it's a subjective fact that Madara was a far superior villain than Kaguya. Kaguya added no plot-development to the story and didn't enhance the narrative, all she did was create an excuse for Boruto.**

 **Instead of upgrading from Madara to a more intense villain, Kishimoto decided to downgrade into Kaguya. Not even mentioning the fact that she's an Alien.**

 **I could easily write over 2,000 words detailing why Kaguya is terrible in so many ways if you want to PM me but I'll just cut it short here. Personally, I don't really care for Madara but I can still admit that he was a decent end villain, better than Kaguya.**

 **I should note that Madara will not be the last villain in this story.**

 **Cloves - I have no problems with the love or drama, that's what I was going for since this Naruto is supposed to Nagato-like.**

 **However your review did make me think about a serious flaw I made, the scene where Naruto cries at the very beginning of this story after failing to bring back the Kunai.**

 **Originally, Naruto was supposed to be timid and quiet after the 6yr time skip (which is why I started this story so earlier) but even then that doesn't excuse that scene. Because at that point in the story Naruto was still his canon 6yr old self.**

 **The canon 6yr old Naruto would NEVER cry, never, absolutely never. Which is why I removed that scene. I have no problem with Naruto crying about Iruka's death or after Iruka's death but he shouldn't be crying over a Kunai.**

 **Finally, what specifics answers to Naruto's questions 'make no sense."? Was it Iruka telling Naruto about how he needs to grow up? Was it Iruka explaining to Naruto how everyone in the village sees him differently? Or was it about Iruka explaining pain to Naruto?**

 **What specific line of dialogue are you referring to? I'll gladly fix it if you can point it out but from what I've reread I didn't see anything too crazy.**

 **Life is full of mistakes, I am not perfect nor do I claim to be. If I make a mistake I will acknowledge it and correct that mistake, which is what I did about Naruto crying.**

 **However, what specific line of dialogue are you talking about?**

 **kamui5 - While Naruto will do some dark and sadistic shit in the future (all of which will be realistic) I do personally consider him to be a dark hero. Since I know how this story will end.**

 **I don't want to get all preachy about philosophy and the concept of good and evil but that's why I love Darth Revan so much. Is he a hero or a villain? A savior or a defiler? A conqueror or a liberator? A Sith Lord or a Jedi Master?!**

 **I apply many of these concepts to Naruto so really you can interpret him anyway you want, that's how I'm trying to write him.**

 **tenellis - Rest assured, I will never write out a major battle of Naruto just footstomping someone important, that's lazy writing.**

 **A fight needs tension, it needs a threat and a terrible result if someone fails, a fight needs to grab the readers attention and take them for an unexpected spin. Or at-the-very-least advance the plot.**

 **I have no problem with Naruto footstomping fodder people like Bandits or other non-important characters but when it comes to the big names, they deserve to have a satisfying climax.**

 **GunBlade2019 - Thank you, I'm glad you noticed.**

 **Danzo has a warped perspective, he does want all the power for himself but that's only so he can unite the entire world. Which in theory would end all war b** **ut yes Danzo want's all the power, all of it. But it's like Lelouch (Code Geass) said, "you cannot change the world without getting your hands dirty."**

 **ShadowDeathSkull - I'm glad.**

 **crimson arsenal - Yes, it was.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

 **Chapter 51: I Am... Justice! A Moment Of Love.**

"RAUuaah!" Baku roared while his elephantine jaw unhinged before he began inhaling a staggering breathe of air.

This inhalation was so powerful that a dense vortex of wind engulfed everything nearby into Baku's mouth. As this large elephant continued to breathe in, several portions of the surrounding earth and numerous dead Anbu corpses were sucked into his mouth.

While boulders and chunks of earth flew through the air, streams of sand gripped each of Naruto's ankles as the torrent of wind increased in power. During this, Danzo began running parallel to this attack as a distant Gaara became distracted by numerous Anbu.

Soon, the force of Baku's wind was enough to uproot Naruto before various streams of sand lashed around his upper torso and waist, pulling him back down. Afterwards, Naruto barely noticed when Danzo appeared barely a few feet behind him, moving at Kage-level speed.

With Baku distracting him, this child can't move. Danzo concluded before weaving both hands through the Rat, Snake, Horse, Snake and Dog Seals, moving at speeds far beyond Jonin-level.

After preforming these Seals, Danzo inhaled enough air for each of his cheeks to puff out while slowly sliding towards Naruto. Even though Danzo summoned Baku the elderly Shinobi was still affected by his powerful inhalation.

I'll utilize Baku's suction power and increase it with my own. After these thoughts finished, Danzo exhaled several blades of wind at different angles while moving his head in various directions.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Blast Barrage!" As he spoke, chakra-filled blades of wind continued to shoot from his mouth, slicing through the air.

Upon impact, these blades of wind managed to dissolve multiple streams of sand while forcing Naruto to slide forward. During this, Danzo began charging at Naruto's back, using Baku's wind to increase his run speed.

While his feet continued to slide across the ground, Naruto clapped both hands together before weaving through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals. After preforming these Seals, Naruto began inhaling a significant amount of air.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Naruto exhaled as a current of flames shot out from his mouth before growing into a chakra-filled fireball.

Because of Baku's intense suction, Naruto's technique was quickly sucked into the large elephants mouth, severely burning it. The heat from this technique forced Baku to close his flame-filled mouth while partially roaring with pain, ending his powerful suction.

Afterwards, Naruto turned around just in notice to notice Danzo's right hand reaching for his violet eyes. As Danzo's hand extended out, his entire body was gripped by some unseen forced before being hurled back.

The power of this unseen forced caused Danzo to flip, roll and twist across the ground while the sound of bones snapping filled the air. During this, the nearby Baku continued his pain-filled roars as Naruto's fire slowly spread across his trunk before the large elephant plummeted to the ground.

Baku then erupted into smoke upon impact while a distant Danzo was sprawled across the ground in a limp and stiff fashion. Danzo's lifeless corpse then continued to lay there before one of the 3-tomoe Sharingan on his right arm slowly began to close.

After closing, Danzo's previously broken or snapped limbs quickly phased back to their normal and healthy positions, as if nothing ever happened. Danzo then began to slowly stand up while the right sleeve of his Kimono continued to hang loose by his side.

Without a moment of delay, Danzo quietly pressed both hands together before weaving through the Rat, Rabbit, Dog and Boar Seals. Afterwards, Danzo crouched down while slamming both palms against the ground below.

"Wood Style: Roots From The Underground Jutsu!" Danzo declared as several wooden roots shot out from the ground before rushing towards Naruto.

Since Naruto was unable to funnel chakra into his eyes, he was forced to leap back while dodging multiple roots. However, Danzo's high-level technique was too powerful to avoid, causing a single root to pierce Naruto's left shoulder before slamming him to the ground.

Suddenly, several dozen roots then shot down at Naruto from various directions while each of his Rinnegan eyes bulged. This action managed to deflect and break each of the attacking roots while the nearby ground cracked.

Naruto then stood up on 1-knee while using his right hand to break-off the root that was impaling him before tossing it to the ground. During this, numerous drops of blood stained both Naruto's robe and the root.

As Naruto sat in this kneeling position, it became apparent that the hole through his left shoulder cut through muscles and tendons. Ignoring this almost fatal blow, Naruto quickly tore his left sleeve off, revealing streams of blood that ran down his arm.

Soon, steam started to rise from Naruto's wound while his skin began to grow back before merging together. After several seconds, Naruto's once dangerous injury managed to perfectly heal itself, allowing him to survive an attack that would cripple any average Shinobi.

At this moment, various Anbu appeared around Naruto in all directions while a distant Danzo began weaving through numerous Hand Seals. Moving with speed far beyond Jonin-level, a Bear-masked Anbu behind Naruto threw an explosive tagged Kunai towards the blond.

At the same time, a Deer-masked Anbu infront of Naruto swung his short-sword down in a horizontal fashion. Because of his increased perception granted by the Rinnegan Naruto managed to side-step this attack, allowing him to notice the tagged Kunai soaring through the air.

Each of Naruto's Rinnegan suddenly bulged as Deer was dragged through the air, causing Bear's Kunai to pierce his fellow Anbu. Afterwards, the explosive tag began to glow with a bright light before Naruto kicked Deer forward, knocking him back against Bear.

Before Bear could push Bear off the explosive tag erupted into a pillar of fire, completely engulfing both Anbu with flames and smoke. Without delay, a Crab-masked Anbu lunged towards Naruto while thrusting his short-sword out.

Unable to deflect this attack with his eyes, Naruto grabbed Crab's right wrist before snapping the his elbow up, breaking the Anbu's arm. During this, a Ferret-masked Anbu sliced his short-sword down in a vertical slash at Naruto's back.

In response to this, Naruto quickly threw Crab into the approaching attack, causing blood to splatter across his whiskered-face. Crab's corpse easily encumbered Ferret, forcing him to drop his own short-sword before Naruto grabbed him by the throat.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullets!" Numerous Anbu yelled in unison while exhaling bullets of water at a distant Gaara.

Suddenly, Gaara was gripped by some unseen force before being pulled through the air towards Naruto. At the same time, Gaara's previous location was hit by a constant barrage of chakra-infused water, breaking large portions of the ground.

"Fire Style: Exploding Flame Formation." A distant Danzo proclaimed while once again slamming both palms against the ground.

This technique forced the surrounding earth around Naruto to morph into several dozen explosive tags that quickly wrapped around his feet and ankles. Unable to create a Flying Thunder God Seal in time while the nearby sand was too slow to react, Naruto quickly threw Gaara behind him.

At this moment, the tags around Naruto erupted into a series of explosions, filling the air with dust and smoke. As this smoke continued to fill the air numerous streams of sand began wrapping around Danzo's legs and torso.

As this sand continued to engulf Danzo, he managed to pull his right arm out before reaching into the air. This sand then crushed down on Danzo in an extremely brutal and violent fashion, severing his right arm while blood filled the air.

While this arm flew through the air, the distant cloud of smoke and debris covering Naruto finally dissipated. This revealed a large portion of Naruto's lower legs and feet were severely burnt, completely burning through both sandals while his skin was covered in 3rd-degree burns.

The extent of these burns were so severe that even parts of Naruto's robe and hands were partially burnt. Soon, the sound of Naruto groaning in agony could be heard while a 3-tomoe Sharingan on Danzo's severed arm slowly began to close.

Suddenly, the burnt portions of Naruto's skin began to flak and peel before falling off entirely. During this, steam poured from his injuries as multiple sections of new flesh bubbled into existence.

After several moments, every section of Naruto's previously burnt skin peeled off, leaving his pale-white feet and ankles in full-view. At the same time, his shoulders rose and fell multiple times as he took heavy gasps of air.

"For the good of Konoha, just give up." Danzo encouraged as he appeared barely 10ft infront of Naruto.

While Naruto was partially exhausted Danzo barely had a scratch on him, a testament to the elderly Shinobi's power. Although Naruto's chakra-reserves were Kage-level he was beginning to push himself too far.

As Naruto continued to heavily gasp for air, a Cow-masked Anbu appeared beside him with his sword raised in the air, ready to strike. Cow was then instantly paralyzed as a pair of Rinnegan eyes pierced his mind before Naruto grabbed him by the throat.

Soon, Cow began to gag as Naruto squeezed down tightly on his throat, disarming the veteran Anbu in the process. During this, Naruto used his power granted by the Rinnegan to absorb large portions of Cow's chakra.

At this moment, Danzo quietly pressed both hands together before weaving through various Seals until Naruto threw the limp corpse of Cow at him. This corpse partially distracted Danzo before Naruto appeared behind him, using a text-book perfect body-flicker technique.

Danzo managed to turn around just in time to backhand Naruto across the face before he was impaled by the blonds chakra-rod. This action caused blood to splatter across Naruto's face before Danzo gripped his throat with both hands.

As this occurred, one of the 3-tomoe Sharingan on Danzo's right arm slowly began to close before he completely disappeared, as if he was never there. At the same time, the blood across Naruto's face and chakra-rod begun to slowly fade away, as if they weren't even real.

"You're so stubborn." Danzo's mumbled while a distant Gaara fought off numerous Anbu.

This statement forced a disgusted snarl to bloom across Naruto's face while slamming his right palm into the ground. Afterwards, a circle of Black Kanji sprawled into existence below Naruto's hand.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto's voice echoed across the Foundation hideout before a pillar of smoke erupted into existence, concealing him from view.

"RAAUH!" The sound of a rabid dog growled while charging out from the cloud of smoke, causing the ground to shake with each footstep.

This beast was a large 2-headed brown dog with wings, one of the most iconic summoning's Naruto had revealed so far. While charging, Danzo began weaving through various Hand Seals until the attacking dog forced him to jump up over 10ft.

While hovering in the air Danzo continued preforming numerous Hand Seals before the jawline of Naruto's dog snapped down, eating him whole. The sound of bones snapping could then be heard as this dog began chewing Danzo's body.

Danzo's corpse then disappeared as if it was never there, forcing the large dog to chew on nothing but air. After several moments, Danzo appeared over 20ft away from this twin-headed dog while staring down at the last 3-tomoe Sharingan in his right arm.

"For the good of Konoha? You're nothing but a disease on this village, something I will remove." Naruto mocked the elderly Shinobi while his twin-headed dog began to growl numerous times.

"You cannot judge me, I am justice itself." Danzo remarked, causing a disgusted expression to bloom across Naruto's face.

Instead of replying with words, each of Naruto's Rinnegan bulged before Danzo was gripped by some unseen force that pulled him through the air. During this, a Black chakra-rod phased out from Naruto's right palm before directing this weapon towards Danzo.

Only one eye left... It seems I have no choice. Danzo concluded as portions of his right arm protruded out infront of his torso before turning into wood.

Although Danzo was unable to move, the cells in his right arm managed to create a 10ft tall tree in between him and Naruto. This tree cancelled out the unseen force that restricted Danzo, allowing him to jump back.

"Hu... Hu... Hu... Huh..." The elderly Shinobi began gasping for air as his right arm slowly shifted back into a humanoid-shape.

"I know what you've done, Danzo. Don't you dare speak about justice, you have no right." Naruto argued, using the memories of Orochimaru to fuel his knowledge.

"All I have done, all I am guilty of - is protecting Konoha!" Danzo protested, spewing drops of spit from his mouth with each word.

At this moment, the ground underneath Danzo shifted to sand before partially engulfing half of his body. During this, Gaara hovered over the elderly Shinobi on top of a cloud of sand as the remaining Root Anbu were killed off.

In response to this, Danzo quickly clapped both hands into the Rat Seal before multiple streams of sand wrapped around each of his arms. At the last moment, several vertical planks of wood shot out from the surrounding sand before interlocking together, protecting Danzo.

Dozens of tiny trees then began sprouting out from Danzo's wooden dome, restricting the nearby sand. Afterwards, the interlocking planks of wood dislodged themselves before Danzo jumped over 20ft into the air, moving at Kage-level speed.

While hovering through the air, Danzo pressed both hands together before weaving from the Rat, Dog, Snake and Boar Seals. The elderly Shinobi then pulled a Kunai loose with his right hand before playing chakra-infused wind into the object.

This was the result of Wind Style: Bursting Compressed Air, a reversed version of Danzo's Wind Style: Vacuum Blade. Soon, Danzo began to descend back down to the ground, dodging numerous sand streams in the process.

After landing, Danzo quickly hurled his chakra-infused Kunai at Naruto before dodging multiple streams of sand. Although Naruto could clearly see the chakra infused inside this weapon, he didn't consider it to be a real threat.

Because of this realization, both of Naruto's Rinnegan bulged before Danzo's Kunai was deflected barely 10in away from his face. Suddenly, Danzo's Kunai exploded into several hundred shards of chakra-infused metal, something Naruto could barely even react too.

In response to this unexpected explosion, Naruto closed both Rinnegan while holding each of his arms infront of his face in a 'X' fashion. Dozens of chakra-infused metal shards then pierced and puncture his body in various locations.

This attack stained the entirety of Naruto's outfit with crimson liquid as drops of blood began dripping atop the ground below. After several moments, steam began rising from each of these wounds before the shards of metal were slowly pushed out as Naruto grew new skin.

Before Naruto could lower his arms, the right hand of Danzo abruptly gripped him by the throat before lifting him into the air. This caused Naruto to gag while drops of his spit splattered across Danzo's face.

Suddenly, the nearby ground began to shake violently before a monstrous dog-mouth bit down on Danzo. This severed Danzo's entire body while his right arm was left gripping Naruto who quickly fell to the ground.

In a matter of seconds Danzo's right arm disappeared before the elderly Shinobi appeared over 20ft away, completely unharmed. Naruto then saw the last 3-tomoe Sharingan on Danzo's right arm slowly close.

Without a moments delay, Naruto's twin-headed dog summoning began to charge forward as foam dripped from each of it's mouths. During this, Naruto began to slowly stand up while rubbing his throat.

As the ground quaked underneath this rampaging dog, Danzo looked down as his bare and empty right arm. While observing his arm, a grimace formed across Danzo's face as the image of Hiruzen floated through his mind.

At this moment, Danzo clapped both hands together before weaving through the Tiger, Ram and Snakes Seals with Kage-level speed. Afterwards, Danzo slammed his right palm against the ground with such force that his skin began to merge with the earth.

After several moments the nearby earth began to bulge and crack as numerous tree roots sprouted up. At the same time, Danzo's right arm suddenly broke off like some piece of wood before the surrounding earth ruptured multiple times.

Danzo then stood up before struggling to walk away while panting heavily with each breathe. As Danzo retreated, Naruto's summoning was barely 5ft behind him before numerous chakra-filled trees shot out from the ground in several directions and angles.

Although the twin-headed dog summoning couldn't be killed Danzo's chakra-infused trees managed to completely restrain the beast. While this occurred, an injured Danzo escaped into this newly created forest as the face of Hiruzen continued to float through his mind.

This forest was the result of Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, a technique so powerful that it cost Danzo his entire right arm just to use it once. Also, this technique used up vast amounts of his chakra, causing each gasp of air to grow more intense.

As Danzo continued to limp away, the pathway infront of him morphed into a brightly lit forest, one of many that surrounded Konoha. While limping, Danzo began to hear the young child-hood laughter of Hiruzen as a transparent form of the 3rd Hokage began running infront of him.

Hiruzen... You were always running ahead of me. No matter how far I ran, I could never catch up to you. Danzo thought as the transparent form of Hiruzen completely outran him.

You were always a better Shinobi than me, Hiruzen. You were a better person and even a better man, that's why I dreamed of walking ahead of you, of finally stepping out from your shadow. As these thoughts progressed, the transparent form of Hiruzen completely disappeared into the sunset in Danzo's mind.

Hiruzen... You were a tree leaf bathing in the sun... While I was a root that grew in darkness. Danzo's limping then began to slow down, too exhausted from using up so much chakra.

"You speak of sacrifice, yet you run from death?" Gaara asked the elderly Shinobi as he stood barely 5ft behind Danzo.

"Enough of this, it's time to collect Shisui's eye." Naruto proclaimed before licking his lips as he stood atop a nearby treebranch.

This statement caused a disgusted scowl to bloom across Danzo's face while using his left arm to grip to collar of his Kimono. During this, the elderly Shinobi grinded his teeth together while the face of Hiruzen floated through his mind.

"For the sake of the Shinobi world and for the good of Konoha...! I cannot allow either of you to live!" Danzo screamed before pulling the collar of his Kimono down, revealing 5 Black Kanji rectangles that appeared across his torso.

"Uh...?! The Reverse Tetragram Sealing Jutsu?!" Naruto panicked, his advanced knowledge of Fūinjutsu allowing him to recognize the danger of this technique.

Suddenly, Gaara was knocked back over 10ft by some unseen force before getting caught in a wave of sand. While this occurred, Naruto managed to teleport towards a previously created Thunder God Seal on Cow's corpse.

A fountain of ink-like Black liquid then began spewing out from each of the Kanji on Danzo's chest, staining the nearby earth. Soon, this liquid evolved into a jet-like stream that shot out in various directions as numerous Kanji symbols appeared in the surrounding air.

Hiruzen... it's my turn now... Just as you gave your life to protect this village so too shall I give mine, for the good of Konoha. Danzo concluded while glaring at a distant Naruto through the trees.

I cannot allow these children to take Shisui's eye... But, it looks like I'll never become Hokage, Hiruzen. I'll never become as great as you. As these thoughts raced, the fountain of liquid spewing from Danzo grew in velocity and range.

Did you think of me in your final moments, Hiruzen? While pondering this thought, Danzo's technique expanded over 20ft in radius forcing Gaara and Naruto to retreat.

You could've banished me decades ago, or ordered my execution for plotting against you... Yet, you allowed me to live. Why, Hiruzen? As these thoughts progressed, Danzo now stood in a puddle of Black liquid.

Hiruzen... What did you think of me? Of Someone like me? What was I too you, Hiruzen? After these thoughts finished, Danzo's entire body became atomized as everything in a 30ft radius was pulled into his Reverse Tetragram Seal.

In the very end, I'd like would to know... What were we, Hiruzen? Danzo's last coherent thought echoed while the memory of his child-hood with Hiruzen pierced his mind.

In a matter of seconds, Danzo's technique finally stabilized before revealing a massive crater inside the earth. Afterwards, a dust covered Gaara and Naruto slowly approached the cliff of this new crater before glancing down.

As time continued to stretch on Naruto felt like minutes began to past while an odd mixture of pain and happiness filled his heart. Despite the hatred Naruto felt for Danzo the loving memories of Tobirama forced him to actually pity the elderly Shinobi.

"You placed a Seal on Shisui's eye, just so you can keep it?" Naruto spoke while a sad expression covered his face.

"The world is a difficult place, Danzo. Sometimes you think you're doing the right thing... But it has consequences that you could never see." As he spoke Naruto slightly bowed his face.

After showing this brief display of respect towards Danzo, Naruto quickly turned around before walking away. During this, a nearby Gaara observed his friend for several moments before quickly following Naruto.

"Gaara, could you grab me some new cloths?" After speaking, his red-haired friend quickly nodded in response before using sand to steal cloths off dead Anbu.

The pair of Jinchūriki then slowly approached a twin-set of metal-doors on the farside of the stone wall. Soon, this set of large metal-doors were both unhinged before being knocked to the ground as Naruto and Gaara each walked over them.

Afterwards, the pair of Jinchūriki entered a narrow hallway as the sound of Gaara's sandals stepping across stone echoed through the air. It then felt like minutes past as the pair of friends continued walking through the dimly-lit hallway before Naruto's right root froze in midair.

Both of Naruto's Rinnegan bulged as the young blond crouched down before picking up several strands of Red hair with his right hand. Each of his Rinnegan then glanced further down the hallway, allowing him to notice a trail of Red hair across the ground.

Naruto then quickly stood up before following the trail of hair while crouching down to pick up each strand as he walked. During this, a quiet Gaara silently observed Naruto while following him, happy to finally have a friend too walk beside.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Western outskirts of Konoha._

"Excuse me, Ma'ma?" A polite yet quiet voice spoke out from a cloaked and hooded individual.

This boy was confronting an old lady that was walking alongside the same empty street as him. While dark, this street was partially lit by numerous lightposts that lined the dirt road.

"What!? Take that hood off! I can't stand kids these days!" An elderly gray-haired women barked out in response, causing the nearby boy to remove his hood.

He was roughly 13yrs old while his hair was short, straight and Black with dark Brown eyes that greatly contrasted his pale white-skin. His outfit consisted of the iconic Root Anbu Black robes with a large satchel tied to the back of his waist.

Similar to Torune, this boy wore dark Black gloves that matched the rest of his outfit while he no Anbu-mask was in sight. Although he was so young, the elderly women infront of him could identify a Shinobi when she saw one.

"Could you help me with something?" The unnamed boy asked in a kind voice.

"What is it?! I worked a long day at the store and I'm ready to head home." The old lady complained before scratching her nose.

She was easily over 60 years old with shoulder-length white hair and a large mole on the left side of her nose. Also, her attire was just an old leaf-green dress that ran down to the green civilian sandals she wore on her feet.

"Is there a Seal on my tongue?" The boy asked before extending his tongue out while pointing at it.

"A Seal on your tongue?! What kinda question is that!? Kids these days!" The old lady remarked before quickly turning around and walking away.

This action left the unnamed Anbu completely alone on the dimly-lit road as his mind raced through dozens of thoughts. Afterwards, the young Anbu glanced to the North while Danzo's face drifted through his mind.

At this moment, the unmasked-Anbu disappeared in a text-book perfect Body Flicker Technique before racing towards the Foundation Hideout. As this Anbu surged across multiple rooftops he was fully aware what the missing Seal on his tongue meant, Danzo was dead.

* * *

 _10 minutes later, 1:57am June 16th 58SSP._

A partially wet breeze of wind blew in from the south before gently hitting Tayuya's face while her nose twitched slightly. Afterwards, each of her closed eyes began to tremble before a throbbing pain shot through her right shoulder and arm, causing her to groan with pain while rubbing her face against an unknown surface.

Soon, Tayuya recognized that this breeze of wind meant she was outside before finally noticing a pair of arms were holding her up bridal style. Tayuya then realized she was actually nuzzling her face into someone's chest, an action that greatly enraged her.

Suddenly, Tayuya opened each of her Brown eyes before glancing up only to be hypnotized by a pair of Rinnegan that hovered over her cradled body. These Violet, ripple-patterned eyes pulsated numerous times throughout Tayuya's mind as her body twitched.

After several moments of being paralyzed, Tayuya quickly remembered the last time she saw those eyes were inside the demonic creature Orochimaru was previously fighting. This realization fueled Tayuya's determined to see who was carrying her but the pair of Rinnegan pulsating through her mind made it difficult to look.

Tayuya then narrowed both eyes while struggling to lift her left hand but failing in each attempt as her vision became slightly blurred. After several seconds Tayuya's vision began to focus upon a whiskered-face before various rays of moonlight shot down from the clouds overhead.

This moonlight illuminated the whiskered-face of Naruto as he stared out across the stabilized village of Konoha, all the fires were gone while the rainfall from above stopped. During this, Tayuya's jawline fell open while each of her eyes bulged as she finally recognized the face of Naruto.

At this moment the previous breeze of wind grew in density, causing Naruto's spikey hair to rustle as Tayuya noticed several strands of her Red hair held in his left hand. Tayuya then noticed her hat and flute were missing, something that really annoyed her since both of those objects were the last thing from her childhood.

"Is that my... Hair?" Tayuya mumbled while struggling to ignore the numerous stab wounds that covered her arms and legs, the result of foundation torture.

Usually, all prisoners of the foundation would be given standard torture and questioned before being executed, but Tayuya received sadistic treatment because she was an suspected Uzumaki. This treatment was designed to test Tayuya's regeneration abilities but it appeared she didn't she to possess any, leaving her covered with blood stains.

"Yea, your hair is beautiful so I noticed it right away." Naruto answered, causing Tayuya to downcast her face in embarrassment before noticing she was held atop a massive maple tree, one of thousands that surrounded Konoha.

Soon, Tayuya once again raised her face before glancing into Naruto's Rinnegan which quickly enticed and hypnotized her. At the same time Tayuya was seduced by the bright violet of Naruto's eyes, her favorite color.

With her right arm broken and hanging limp by her side Tayuya finally managed to raise her left hand before brushing against it Naruto's whiskers. This action fully garnished Naruto's attention before looking down at Tayuya while she continued brushing his whiskers.

Tayuya couldn't tear her gaze away from Naruto's eyes, the last time she saw them she felt immobilized with fear but now she felt paralyzed with delight. Tayuya was so hypnotized that she didn't even notice her left hand grabbing Naruto by the chin before pulling him close.

"Hey, what are you two doing up there?" The voice of Dosu rang out as he and Gaara appeared beside the base of the tree.

This statement quickly brought Tayuya back to reality before noticing her nose was rubbing against Naruto's while each of their lips were barely inches apart. This realization caused Tayuya to drop Naruto's chin before sulking down, clearly embarrassed.

"I'm hungry." Tayuya complained before Naruto leapt down from the large maple tree, landing beside Gaara and Dosu.

"What's your deal? You've been staring at me for the past 15 minutes." Dosu remarked while glancing at Gaara.

"I've see you before, right?" Gaara asked in a humble tone.

"Yea, you tried to kill me." Dosu answered.

"Oh... I'm sorry." Gaara apologized.

"Don't worry about it, I tried to kill you too." Dosu remarked.

Dosu was covered in bruises and dirt while each of the bandages on his face were ragged and dirty. Also, the young Sound Shinobi possessed no stab wounds or internal injuries, suggesting Tayuya's level of torture was far more intense than his.

"Aren't you Lord Orochimaru's pet hamster? What's a weakling like you do here." Tayuya mocked the bandaged Shinobi, causing him to narrow his one visible eye.

"Orochimaru is dead, I killed him." Naruto declared, causing both Tayuya and Dosu to gasp in unison.

No-No way! There is no way this kid beat Lord Orochimaru...? Tayuya reassured herself while thinking about Naruto's violet eyes, allowing her to identify Naruto as the same creature that once fought her Lord.

"I left something inside the Sound Village, we need to go retrieve those things." After speaking, Naruto began his long journey North by walking past Gaara and Dosu.

"I don't take orders from some blond kid, don't think just because you saved me I'll do what you say." Dosu proclaimed, causing Gaara to glare at him with an oddly sadistic and twisted expression.

"Uhhh… I mean... Whatever." While mumbling, Dosu began following Naruto as Gaara walked behind him.

"This is so fucking gay I don't wanna get carried like a baby, let me go." Tayuya protested while pushing herself out from Naruto's arms before standing on her trembling legs.

"Where the hell are Sakon and Kidomaru? And what about fatass?" As she spoke, she began limping ahead of Naruto, attempting to ignore the pain in her legs.

Suddenly, Tayuya's legs began to buckle under the pressure before she fell back as several of her previously closed wounds reopened. During this, Tayuya began internally screaming in her mind as she cursed herself for being so weak.

Tayuya then found herself enveloped by Naruto as he wrapped both arms around her, one on her waist while the other reached across her chest and left shoulder. This hug allowed Tayuya to notice just how warm Naruto's body was, a fact that briefly paralyzed her while she stood there too soak up his heat.

"Neither of them are coming, lets go." Naruto remarked before attempting to pick up Tayuya only for her to swat his hands away.

"I hate all 3 of them but they're more important than mummy-face over here, why bring him and not the others?" Tayuya questioned as she continued to soak up heat from Naruto.

"Unlike Sakon and Kidomaru, Dosu has a place among us." Naruto answered, causing Tayuya to roll both eyes before flicking a bundle of her hair into his face.

"What about fatass?" Tayuya asked.

"The Anbu never found his body, you'd know that if you ever stopped talking." Dosu explained.

"Shut up you mummy bastard." Tayuya retorted while turning around halfway to glare at Dosu.

"I have some medical equipment at my lab in the Sound village, I can use those supplies on Tayuya before we continue." Naruto remarked, causing Gaara to nod in agreement while the other two grew looks of confusion and shock on their face.

His lab...? Dosu asked himself, focusing on Naruto's choice of words.

"Continue where?" Tayuya mumbled while rising her face before looking into Naruto's eyes.

"We're going to find the other tailed beast." Gaara replied, creating a brief period of silence that filled the air.

"Whatever, but I don't want to be carried like some fucking child. Carry me like a backpack, nerd." Tayuya ordered while tearing each of Naruto's arms off her body.

Content with his new nickname, Naruto walked infront of Tayuya before picking her up on his back, causing numerous strands of Red hair to fall in his face.. Afterwards, Tayuya wrapped her left arm around Naruto's throat while her right arm hung limp against his back.

During this, Tayuya rested her chin atop Naruto's left shoulder before struggling to ignore the wonderful smell that radiated out from his hair. At the same time Tayuya began pondering just how strong Naruto really was, causing her to obsess over the fact that he killed Orochimaru.

Tayuya wasn't one to care about love, friends or even family but she was always fascinated by the concept of great power, it was one of the earliest dreams she ever had as a child. This dream is why Tayuya was so mesmerized by Naruto, she couldn't understand how a 12yr old could possible defeat Orochimaru, how a 12yr old could be that powerful.

I guess this kid is the next best thing compared to Lord Orochimaru... I'll stick around him then, atleast for now. Tayuya told herself while ignoring the odd feeling she felt in her stomach, a feeling that she couldn't properly identify.

"Start walking. I'm hungry." After she spoke, Naruto began carrying her into the dark forest ahead while Gaara and Dosu followed.

While they walked, Tayuya's wounds continued to drip blood onto Naruto's cloths and the ground below causing her to shiver from blood loss. Soon, Tayuya used her left arm to cling against Naruto while she slid her body closer to him, absorbing the warm heat that he generated.

Tayuya didn't like being so close to Naruto but she was so overwhelmed by the heat that she didn't even bother complaining while resting her face against his neck. Tayuya then felt her iconic hat being placed atop her head, filling her with joy as she began to accidently nuzzle against Naruto.

"Thanks, Gaara." Naruto spoke out, thankful that his friend used sand to give Tayuya her favorite hat.

But Tayuya didn't even register Naruto's voice as each of her eyes became heavy while yawning into his ear. Because of the rampant torture that she endured, Tayuya was unable to get any decent amount of sleep while in foundation custody.

It only took a matter of seconds before Tayuya completely fell asleep inside Naruto's arms, causing drool to drip atop his neck and cloths as they disappeared into the late night horizon.


	52. Chapter 52

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: For the people who read this story outside of the United States, I apologize that I use the imperial system instead of the metric system. When I uses terms like feet, centimeters, miles or inches please just humor me - I don't know what the fuck a kilometer is.**

 **This chapter takes place during episode 80 of part 1 Naruto.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 52: The 5th Hokage Is Decided! The Mission To Retrieve A Friend.**

 _11:27pm Thursday, June 15th 58SSP._

"Naruto!" The voice of Konohamaru echoed through the mud-filled road that he stood on.

Konohamaru was confronting Naruto and Gaara inside a small and narrow road that was lined with a wooden fence on each side. This road was lit only by moonlight as heavy rainfall continuously bombarded the muddy ground.

"Oh? Is that you, Saru?" Naruto answered while dragging the corpse of an unmasked-Anbu through the muddy road with his right hand.

While this Anbu was sprawled out in a limp and stiff fashion several other Anbu corpses surrounded Naruto and Gaara. Usually, battling inside Konoha would easily be noticed but the village was in so much chaos that no resources could be sent to investigate.

"Is it true, Naruto!? Did you hurt my grand-father!" Konohamaru demanded to know, causing Naruto to tilt his head slightly.

"You've already decided that it's true." Naruto remarked, forcing a disgusted scowl to bloom across Konohamaru's face.

Suddenly, Konohamaru hurled 3 Shuriken through the air that swirled towards Naruto only for him to catch each of the objects in midair with 1-finger. The honorable grandson then charged at Naruto only to be grabbed by the throat and lifted into the air.

Soon, Konohamaru began to gag as Naruto continued to squeeze down on his throat while his scarf dragged across the ground. During this, Naruto still held the limp corpse of an unmasked-Anbu in his right hand.

"If you were stronger you could've saved him, ya'know. But your weakness allowed him to die." After criticizing his student, both of Naruto's Rinnegan bugled before hypnotizing the 6yr old Konohamaru.

Naruto then tossed his paralyzed student against a nearby fence while dropping the dead Anbu to the ground. During this, a pair of Rinnegan pulsated and throbbed throughout Konohamaru's mind numerous times.

"Is that the best you can do? Even with all my training you're still nothing." As he spoke, Konohamaru struggled to stand up only to fail each time as a pair of Rinnegan continuously pierced his mind.

"I can't waste anymore time here, go bother someone else." After speaking both Naruto and Gaara turned around before walking away, stepping across multiple dead Anbu.

"Stop! Wait!" Konohamaru pleaded while digging his hands into the mud before crawling after Naruto.

"You won't get away! The Sarutobi clan avenges their own! I'll find you, Naruto!" As he screamed mud splashed on his face.

"I'll never forgive you, Naruto! I don't care how long it takes, I'll never forgive you!" While screaming he continued to crawl across the ground, staining his outfit and scarf with mud.

"You've become a demon, Naruto! Despicable! Heartless! Cowardly! How could you..." His voice broke off as he downcast his face in shame

While Naruto continued to walk away from his former student a sad expression covered his face, something Konohamaru would never see. Soon, Konohamaru began repeatedly beating his fist into the ground before he finally woke up.

* * *

 _Friday 7:14am, June 16th 58SSP_

Numerous rays of sunlight shot in from the nearby window of Konohamaru's hospital room, illuminating his depressed face as he replayed his dream multiple times. Soon, a Fire hawk landed atop the window seal allowing Konohamaru to notice that his window was open.

At first the honorable grandson considered this bird just to be a normal messenger but after several moments he quickly realized it was an untamed hawk. This was something beyond rare, Fire hawks were almost an endangered species and all those that were found were always trained to carry messages.

Konohamaru felt awed while observing such a delicate creature before the hawk began staring back at him, causing his face to reflect off both eyes. It then became difficult for Konohamaru to describe his feelings, gazing upon such a rare animal was a delightful experience.

"Naruto did what!?" The voice of Sakura echoed through the entire hospital, abruptly scaring off the hawk before Konohamaru once again downcast his face in shame.

Sakura managed to wake up from her injuries over 10 hours ago but not once did she leave Sasuke's side, until Kakashi woke up. These members of team 7 sat in an isolated room of the Konoha hospital with a thick curtain separating Kakashi's side from the rest.

"Late last night, Naruto left the village." Kakashi once again mumbled while laying in his hospital bed, unable to even move.

"But why would Naruto leave? Where would he go? The Land of Waves?" Sakura shot out numerous questions, causing her exhausted Sensei to sigh.

"I don't know." Kakashi replied, too disappointed in himself to answer.

"I'm sure when Sasuke wakes up Naruto will come back and everything be normal again, no problem." Sakura exclaimed, fully aware that Naruto was the only link she had to Sasuke.

"One-hundred and seventeen." The voice of Guy spoke about after he suddenly appeared in between the doorway.

"U-Um... What does the number 117 have to do with us?" Sakura stuttered in response, causing Guy to slowly walk towards the immobile Kakashi.

"That's the number of corpses Naruto left behind." Guy explained, forcing Sakura's jawline to fall open while both of her emerald Green eyes bulged.

"Did you find out where he went?" Kakashi asked as his child-hood rival towered on his bedside.

"He took two prisoners out of foundation custody, both of which were Sound ninja. There is no mistake, he is heading for the Sound Village." Guy answered.

"What about Orochimaru?" The voice of Jiraiya rang out, causing Guy to dramatically jump atop Kakashi's bed before pulling the curtains back.

Jiraiya's entire body was covered with an extensive layer of bandages while his entire right arm from below the upper-bicep was missing. Also, both legs were held in the air by hospital equipment while a halfway opened porno magazine rested on his chest.

"Oh! Lord Jiraiya! I didn't know you were sharing a room wit-...!?" Guy's sentence became cut-off after he looked down and noticed his right foot was digging into Kakashi's stomach.

"I need to get out of this hospital as quickly as possible, I get let Naruto get too far." Jiraiya proclaimed, eager to bring Naruto back.

"But... Lord Jiraiya, your wounds will take time to heal." Guy replied while continuing to stand atop an immobilized Kakashi, whose visible eye was now solid white.

"4 weeks, tops." Jiraiya remarked.

"But how can you be so sure?" Guy questioned.

"Naruto broke 17 of my ribs, shattered my right and left shoulders along with 14 others bones while rupturing 6 of my internal organs... But none of that compares to when Tsunade first caught me peeking on her." Jiraiya explained, causing a stern and serious expression to grow Guy's face.

During this conversation, a shocked Sakura slowly backed up against the nearby wall before clasping her hands together while staring down at the floor. While this occurred, memories of her friendship with Naruto and Sasuke floated through her mind, causing her to quickly run out of the room.

"Hmm..." Guy mumbled while grabbing his chin before entering a thought provoking stance.

"But anyway, what about Orochimaru? Did he help Naruto leave?" Jiraiya asked, even if he would never admit it the toad Sanin still loved his former teammate.

"We don't know what happened to Orochimaru, we can't find him." Guy answered, causing Jiraiya to close both eyes while mentally downcasting his face, unable to move.

"There isn't time for either of you to move and without a Hokage to give the order no one can react so... I will go and bring Naruto back personally, for Lee." After he spoke, an elderly yet young woman stormed into the room in an elegant fashion.

She had long Brown hair which was tied back into a ponytail while her dark Blue eyes contrasted her fair-skin. She was roughly 52yr old and because of her age multiple creases could be seen at the corners of her eyes and mouth. Also, her attire consisted of a Purple kimono-like dress with a Sarutobi clan white haori worn over it that matched her sandals.

"Absolutely not." This unknown woman declared, causing Guy to finally fall off the immobilized Kakashi before hitting the ground.

"First lady Biwako! Forgive me, I didn't know you were here." Guy apologized after quickly jumping up.

"My husband is dead, Guy. I'm no longer the first lady of Konoha, but since Danzo's death I've been appointed as the 3rd member of the Konoha council." Biwako remarked, shocking Jiraiya with the news.

Like Kakashi, Jiraiya was severely disappointed in himself and unable to believe that he once again failed his fabled moment of selection. The toad Sanin always tried his best to fulfill his destiny but it seemed as if each attempt only placed him further away.

"Regardless if Orochimaru or Naruto killed my husband, the fact is that child has left Konoha defenseless." Biwako proclaimed.

"While root did act in the shadows it was still an important part of Konoha, something my husband knew, without them our village has lost a vital resource for war." While speaking, a depressed look grew across Kakashi's concealed face.

"Orochimaru's invasion was bad enough, but with the loss of root and our Jinchuriki… If war was to break out right now we would be completely defenseless." After she spoke Guy began flexing his right arm.

"Then send me to retrieve Naruto, I know I can bring him back." Guy suggested, fully aware of his own strength.

"Did you not hear me? We're completely defenseless." Biwako repeated while taking one step towards Guy, causing him to sweat in the process.

"I've known you for over 30 years, Guy. And you're easily the strongest ninja in Konoha, because of this the council orders you to patrol this village." After speaking Guy preformed a thumbs up with his right hand before smiling so wide that his teeth sparkled.

"Stronger than Kakashi, eh? Then I guess I'll go do 500 laps around Konoha for every citizen inside the village!" Guy declared while turning around before running full speed and jumping out the window.

However this window wasn't open, causing Guy to shatter an entire window that sent shards of class through his body before falling over 3-stores. Despite these injuries Guy continued running out to the edge of Konoha, determined to preform his laps.

"Somethings never change..." Kakashi mumbled, completely used to Guy's antics at this point.

"Jiraiya." Biwako spoke out, silence the hospital room as the injured toad Sanin stared at Hiruzen's former wife.

"We've already suggested your name to the Daimyo, if you say yes... You will become the 5th Hokage." While she spoke Jiraiya shook his head from side-to-side several times.

"Absolutely not, the moment these injuries heal I must track down Naruto. I apologize but I can't get distracted here, if you need a Sanin then go grab Tsunade." The toad Sanin remarked.

"The village will crumble if we wait even one more day, we can't go hunting for our Hokage." Biwako protested before turning her gaze on Kakashi.

"Kakashi Hatake, the name copy cat ninja gives great strength to our village while your father was the legendary White fang... Would you become the 5th Hokage?" As she spoke Kakashi sighed various times.

"A supportive role suites me best... Besides, you already met the strongest ninja in Konoha." Kakashi mumbled, causing Biwako to abruptly stare off at Guy's previous direction while a small grin bloomed across her face.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside Sasuke's hospital room._

"I don't know if you've heard... But Naruto left the village." Sakura spoke gently while holding Sasuke's left hand with both of hers.

Sakura was sitting in a hospital chair that she placed directly beside Sasuke's bed so she could watch him sleep, something he continued to do. Even though Sakura was talking to a sleeping Sasuke she felt happy staring at his calm face.

Suddenly, Sakura bit down on her lower lip while clenching Sasuke's hand tightly as she used Haku's training to fight off the urge too cry. During this, numerous memories of Sasuke ignoring and complaining about Sakura floated through her mind.

"I know why you never tell me anything... I know why you never want to talk too me... It's because you've always hate me, huh?" As she spoke, Sakura forced a fake and weak smile while continuing to bite her lip.

"Do you remember our first day as team 7? When we took the bell test and went out for Ramen as a team afterwards?" Sakura then took a brief pause as if she was wait for the unconscious Sasuke to reply.

"You probably don't... I mean why would you? But... That day was the best day of my entire life Sasuke, because I got to spend it next to you" While speaking Sakura continued to force a fake smile.

"I knew you hated me, I've always known... That's why I was so excited to be a member of team 7, I thought we would finally be together. I thought being friends with Naruto would make you love me, but you still just see me as some annoying girl." After she spoke a single tear fell from Sakura's right eye, struggling with her emotions.

"Naruto... You've always liked him more than me, Sasuke. I never understood why and I still don't but I know how much you care for him... Because that's how much I care for you." After speaking Sakura allowed an extensive period of silence to fill the room, a silence pierced only by the sound of a nearby clock.

"I wish you would smile more, Sasuke. You have such a beautiful smile and the only time I see it is when you and Naruto are joking around... That's why I decided to become stronger, I didn't have any jokes like Naruto so I thought if I became strong than you would like me, you would accept me..." Sakura's words then drifted off as she downcast her face.

"But I see how things truly are now... You'll always hate me and love Naruto, you like him way more than you like me... And that's why... That's why... Why!" Sakura quickly jumped out from her chair, knocking it over in the process.

Sakura then sat atop Sasuke's bed before leaning halfway over his body while twirling his hair in her left hand. Soon, Sakura began inch closer and closer to Sasuke's face until their noses were touching before she quickly stole a kiss from her unconscious teammate.

Afterwards, Sakura quickly stood up off Sasuke's bed before walking towards the nearby opened window and placing one foot outside on the roof tile. At this moment, Sakura glanced back at a sleeping Sasuke while love, pain and regret filled her emerald Green eyes.

"That's why I'm going to bring Naruto back." Sakura then disappeared in a blur of Leaf's, ready to sacrifice anything for Sasuke's happiness.

* * *

 _20 minutes later, inside the Residential district of Konoha._

"Quit complaining, this will be my 1st mission as a Chunin." Sakura snapped out while Ino, Choji and Shikamaru followed her through the street.

"You haven't even told us what the mission is." Ino complained only for Sakura to completely ignore her.

"Shikamaru, I thought you said they were around here." Sakura remarked while glancing from side-to-side while cheek the doorways of each house, clearly looking for someone.

"Yea, they're supposed to be volunteering today." Shikamaru explained before raising his right hand into the air and waving at a group of 3 Leaf ninja.

"Yo! Kiba! Hinata! Shino! What's going on?" As he spoke, Shikamaru leisurely walked up to team 8 with his own team and Sakura close behind.

"Not much, just helping clear out rumble and debris from some homes, what's up?" Kiba asked, really the only member of team 8 that talked at all.

"We're leaving right now, grab your stuff." Sakura ordered, greatly confusing both team 8 and 10.

"What's the deal with team 7? They always act like they're in char-...?!" Kiba's sentence became cut-off after Sakura's grabbed the collar of his jacket while raising 3 Senbon to his face.

"We need to go, where's team 3?" Sakura asked after pushing Kiba down, embarrassing him.

"O-Oh...Uh... Um..." Shikamaru mumbled, speechless after seeing this side of Sakura.

"Neji and Lee are both in the hospital recovering while Tenten is trai-...?!" His words became cut-off mid-sentence as Sakura stomped past him.

"Lets hurry, pick up the pace Kiba." Sakura barked out as Kiba still sat on the ground rubbing his ass.

Soon, Sakura escorted all 6 members of team 8 and 10 through various separate streets and roads on her journey to find Tenten. During this Ino stared at Sakura's back with a mixture of awe and confusion, shocked to see her friend like this but unable to understand why before they all disappeared into the streets of Konoha.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the Konoha Council Chambers.

"We must decide who will become the 5th Hokage." Biwako declared as she sat at a long rectangular shaped table that was lined with 5 different Fire delegates, all 3 council members, the Head-captain of all Anbu and Shikaku, the greatest living mind of Konoha.

At the end of this table sat a rather small yet elderly man who wore the iconic Fire Daimyo headpiece while he fanned himself numerous times with a hand held fan. Also, the room they sat in was dark and dimly lit with a large banner of Konoha resting behind the Daimyo.

"I don't know... Shouldn't we wait for the 3rd Hokage to be buried? Or atleast wait for his funeral, this seems a bit rushed." The Daimyo mumbled in a fickle and weak tone.

"Absolutely not, Konoha is in chaos we need leadership, my husband would understand the dire circumstances." Biwako barked out, causing the Daimyo to hide behind his fan.

"And since the Sand village has betrayed us, we've lost our greatest ally." Koharu proclaimed.

"I've already sent 3 squads to investigate the Sand village, they lost roughly 2/3 of their Shinobi forces while their Kazekage is missing." The Head-captain of Anbu who wore a Fire hawk mask spoke out.

"And... They've lost their Jinchuriki." Shikaku explained, causing a stern expression to bloom across every face in the room.

"I'm well aware that the Sand village has suffered the same crippling fate as us, but the matter of our Jinchuriki must wait until a next Hokage is decided." Biwako remarked.

"After what happened to Konoha... We, the Fire country will proudly fund to rebuild this village, Hokage or not." An unnamed Fire delegate declared.

"That's the problem, without a Hokage it will become difficult to establish a budget and organize any construction projects, the 5th Hokage must be chosen before we leave this room." Biwako argued while the Daimyo continuously fanned his face.

"I was thinking Jiraiya would be nice... I've always wanted him to become Hokage but he doesn't seem interested." The Daimyo mumbled in a weak tone.

"Biwako has already asked Kakashi Hatake aswell, and he refused the position." Homura explained, causing the Daimyo to sigh.

"Oh...? The copy cat ninja and the son of the revered White fang? That would have been a good choice." The Daimyo proclaimed.

"Speaking of revered parents, I would like to suggest 1 more name to the council... Might Guy." Biwako spoke in a confident tone.

""Hmmm... The son of the Eternal Genin?" The Daimyo mumbled in response, fully aware of legendary man known as Might Dai.

"Yes, he distinguished himself among our village be single handedly taking out a whole platoon of Sand ninja." Shikaku answered.

"Also, he father died fighting the 7 Swordsmen of the Mist... And only 2 of them managed to survive." Biwako explained, causing the Daimyo to sink deep into thought.

"I was honestly looking forward to Jiraiya so much that I don't even want to decide..." The Daimyo once again mumbled in a weak tone.

"I don't know... He isn't that famous or well-known... Most of his fame is a result from his father... But I hear he is quite virtuous and powerful, more so than Kakashi... I hear he's a loud-mouth and childish." Each of the Fire delegates became debating and talking among one another.

At this moment, Biwako stood up before slamming both hands atop the table while her chair fell to the ground. This action silenced the discussing delegates while the Daimyo continued fanning his face.

"I will not allow this village that has stood for almost 60 years to crumble after my husbands death, we don't have time for your politics or debates. You will name Might Guy as the 5th Hokage and our village will survive." Biwako ordered while glaring at the Fire Daimyo.

Usually it was a bad idea to insult or threaten a Daimyo in any way but the Fire Lord was an extremely weak and fickle man who would change or shift his opinion depending on who was in the room.

This statement caused the Daimyo to once again hide before his fan while his train of thought raced as the entire room was filled with a brief period of silence. Soon, the fire Daimyo snapped his fan shut before placing it on the table while looking out across his numerous advisers.

"Please locate the 5th Hokage." The Daimyo ordered, causing multiple shadows in the room to flicker and wave as Shikaku and the Fire-hawk masked Anbu disappeared into a search for Might Guy.

* * *

 _30 minutes later, inside the Market District of Konoha._

"Hey now! I really should get back to my laps." Guy protested as numerous kids clung to his leg while others rode on his shoulders as he walked.

"Noooooo! Walk us around the block? Do push-ups again! Can you run on the side of that building? My mum said you're really cute." Multiple kids talked to Guy while others continued jumping on him, slowly dragging him down until he completely fell.

"Dog pile!" A group of children screamed before swarming over Guy's limp body.

Suddenly, over 6 children were quickly thrown into the air before Guy jumped up and began juggling the group of kids in midair. During this, numerous other kids began clinging to his legs.

"Only 6 of you?! I could easily juggle 9." Guy proclaimed as the children he juggled began to laugh and giggle several times.

During this, a nearby group of parents watched from the side-walk with expressions of joy and happiness on their face. Guy had a special way with kids that forced many parents in Konoha to learn of his name, all of which held great love and respect for the elite Jonin.

Despite half of their village being burnt or destroyed many of the surrounding parents and children couldn't help but smile anytime Guy was present, his charisma was that strong. These smiles soon evolved into a barrage of laughter that filled the entire street, evidence that the Will of Fire burned brightly inside Might Guy.

Guy then noticed an elderly woman that was struggling to walk towards a nearby store, causing him to catch all 6 of the giggling children in between his arms before gently putting them down.

Afterwards, Guy walked up to this woman and escorted her to safety while ignoring the various children that still clung to his legs. At the same time numerous families and Ninja continued to enter the Market District before smiling after each of them noticed Guy.

"Such a nice young man, thank you Guy." The elderly woman praised her helper.

"Anytime Ms. Auzuki." Guy replied with a sparkling smile wide upon his face before turning around just in time to notice 8 kids dog pile him.

These kids each laughed and giggled as they began wrestling with Guy who was pretending to fight them off in a dramatic fashion. Soon, Guy lifted his feet into the air with a child resting on each one, making them feel like a bird flying through the air.

Even though Guy was distracted by this group of children he was still able to notice when a group of Anbu appeared atop the nearby rooftops. However instead of investigating the Anbu Guy continued wrestling with kids while pretending some were birds.

At this moment, a pair of feet stomped beside Guy's face forcing him to roll over before he and the surrounding children glanced up at the enraged face of Biwako. This face instantly dispersed the surrounding kids as Guy began to sweat while bowing his hand.

"Forgive me, Lady Biwako... I got distracted here." Guy mumbled while staring at the ground, unable to see the smile that now covered Biwako's face.

Suddenly a small crowd of parents, children and ninja began huddling around Guy and the 3 Konoha council members that stood in the street. During this, numerous faces began to smile after noticing the hat that Biwako held in between both hands.

"We charge you with the defense of Konoha." Biwako explained, creating a confused look on Guy's face before he glanced up only for both eyes to bulge as his jawline fell open.

"Stand as the 5th Hokage, Guy." As she spoke she extended both arms forward, offering the fabled Hokage hat to Guy.

This statement created a brief period of silence pierced only by the occasional praise and cheering from nearby citizens. During this, the face of Might Dai floated through Guy's mind.

Father... Guy thought about his dad before a wide smile bloomed on his face while he quickly stood up.

Guy then grabbed the iconic Hokage hat before placing it on his head while preforming a thumbs-up with his right hand as a sparkling smile etched across his face. At the same time a gently gust of wind blew in from the South causing several dozen leaf's to float and dance through the street, signaling the era of a new Hokage.

"Forget 500! I shall do 1,000 laps around Konoha FOR EVERY SINGLE CITIZEN! LET'S GO!" After screaming the elite Jonin surged past the Council members with such speed that the earth partially uprooted itself.

"Wait! You have paperwork!" Biwako protested as Guy was already 40ft away.

"Have Kakashi bring it to me!" Guy screamed before completely disappearing from sight.

"He does know that Kakashi's in the hospital, right?" Homura asked.

"Never a dull moment with Guy around." Koharu remarked as Biwako smiled from ear-to-ear.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, beside a collapsed portion of the Konoha wall on the Northern outskirts of the village._

"Man this is such a drag, why did you bring us out this far?" Shikamaru asked while Sakura escorted team 8, 10 and Tenten to the edge of Konoha.

Sakura then stopped walking mid-stride while her former classmates each stared at her back, greatly confused with how she was acting. This created a brief period of silence that was pierced only by the sound of Choji eating potato chips.

"Our volunteer work was more fun than this." Kiba complained before Akamaru barked in approval.

"I have no complaints." Shino mumbled, forcing Kiba to jump over 5ft into the air with shock.

"Damnit Shino we've talked about this, don't be so creepy or atleast make some noise every once and awhile, I completely forgot you were there." Kiba once again complained.

"Sorry." Shino apologized from behind the raised collar of his tunic.

"Shikamaru... You won your match so are you a Chunin yet?" Sakura asked with her back still directed towards her friends.

"Nah... I don't think they had time with the invasion going on but I got no complaints, that promotion would be troublesome." Shikamaru answered while digging both hands into his pant pockets.

"I see..." Sakura spoke before her words trailed off.

"What's wrong, Mrs. forehead?" Ino asked, attempting to cheer her friend up.

"I know Sasuke's in the hospital but I'm sure Naruto would help if he could, why don't you just go talk to him." As she spoke Sakura clenched both her fists tightly.

"Ye-... Yea... Naruto would definitely help, that's the type of person he is..." Hinata stuttered while twirling her fingers together as her face began to blush.

"Now that I think about it I haven't seen that blond twerp all day, where is he?" Kiba questioned.

"Auuahmm - Auuahmm - Auuahmm." Choji groaned while eating several dozen mouthfuls of potato chips.

"Naruto would for sure cheer this place us, this is such a drag." Shikamaru mumbled.

"I'm sure he's just visiting Lee at the hospital." Tenten suggested before a tense silence filled the air.

"Naruto left the village last night." Sakura explained, shocking her former classmates while a paralyzed Choji dropped his potato chip to the ground.

"What? What do you mean he left the village? Naruto would never something so troublesome." Shikamaru protested.

"Yea, besides where would that twerp go? He would get crushed in the real world." Kiba argued.

Na-Nar-Naruto... Hinata stuttered in her mind while continuously twirling her fingers.

"As a Chunin, I have the ability to authorize the formation of an emergency squad to handle any mission that's a direct threat to Konoha... This is my mission, I'm going to bring Naruto back." Sakura declared, forcing Ino's jawline to drop once she noticed her friend wasn't joking.

"This is such a drag but shouldn't these missions contain a squad of 4? All of which need to be Jonin or Chunin." Shikamaru explained before physically pointing at the 8 ninja gathered together.

"We don't have enough Jonin so I just grabbed 2 squads of Genin, Kakashi-Sensei is in the hospital while Asuma and Kurenai are volunteering to rebuild houses." Sakura answered.

"And I haven't seen Guy all day..." Tenten mumbled, unaware that her Sensei was just named the 5th Hokage.

"I'll take complete responsibility for this mission, all blame or consequences will belong to me. If any of you want to leave just walk home now... I'll do this alone if I have to." Sakura declared, determined to make Sasuke smile.

"Geez girls are so dramatic... Do you know where he went?" Shikamaru asked while shoving a finger into his ear before cleaning it.

"He's going to the Sound village... So if we take this path and use Kiba's sense of smell we'll find him." Sakura replied before an extensive period of silence filled the surrounding air.

"I'm in, this gives me a chance at payback for what that twerp did during the Preliminaries." Kiba remarked, still embarrassed over losing to Naruto.

"M-... M-... Me too." Hinata mumbled as she continued twirling her fingers together.

"I can't let these two go by themselves." Shino explained, causing Kiba to roll both eyes in response.

"I don't got anything better to do." Tenten proclaimed, upset that both her teammates were in the hospital.

"I can't let you run off by yourself, Ms. Forehead." Ino spoke before smiling.

"I shall let him have one of my chips, only one though." Choji declared, evidence to the deep friendship he shared with Naruto.

"This sounds like such a drag... But I guess we'll drag through it together." Shikamaru sighed before yawning into his right hand.

During this conversation Sakura slowly downcast her head before staring at the ground as her former classmates watched. At the same time various separate memories of Naruto and Sasuke replayed themselves inside her mind.

"Thank you, everyone... Lets go!" Sakura ordered before dashing past the collapsed wall as her friends followed behind, beginning their long journey North.

After several moments the jogging figure of Guy ran into this now empty clearing beside the collapsed wall before glancing from side-to-side numerous times. While this occurred Guy began sniffing and smelling the air while both of eyes narrowed under his new Hokage hat.

The 5th Hokage could smell that something was wrong in the air, a smell that he couldn't get over while staring through the collapsed wall. Guy then went back to jogging around Konoha while a sense of dread sunk into his mind, unable to shake off the bad feeling he felt.


	53. Chapter 53

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: I'm releasing this chapter along side chapters 51 and 52 as a reward for my story hitting 500 favorites, I'll be during this for each milestone.**

 **I'm actually quite humbled that over 500 people would take time out of their precious day to label my story as one of their favorites. Thank you to everyone for your support and even if you didn't like this story your criticism has made me a better writer.**

 **The fact that Kishimoto never made Might Guy a Hokage in canon is the greatest War Crime Japan ever committed.**

 **I should note that I love the concept of Yamato being Hokage but I don't see that happening in this story.** **I always hated the idea of Yamato being some Wood Style wimp, I understand Danzo being limited on certain techniques but Yamato had the 1st Hokage cells implanted in his body at age 6 (infant in the manga).**

 **Yamato is easily one of my top 10 Naruto characters so he will be getting a minor blow-job and some wankage.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 53: Lineage Of The 1st Hokage! Stop: In The Name Of Friendship.**

 _Friday 1:03pm, June 16th 58SSP_

"I'm so fucking hungry." Tayuya complained while sitting against a tree inside a dark and shadow-filled grove.

Although it was day-time barely any light could shine through the dense leaf foliage from above, cascading Tayuya and Dosu in darkness. Because of the lack of sunlight no grass could grow leaving the ground covered with dirt and old tree bark.

Most of Tayuya's wounds managed to stop bleeding which allowed her to better communicate just how hungry she was, an action that forced Naruto and Gaara too go find food. Even though she wasn't dying from blood loss her entire right arm from the shoulder down was broken, preventing her from using it at all.

Also, Tayuya still couldn't find her flute which only managed to pissed her off every time she thought about it. She meant to ask Gaara where he found her hat but she was so busy ordering Naruto to feed her that she forgot.

"You already said that, you should expanded your vocabulary." Dosu mumbled as he sat on a distant rock.

"Go fuck yourself you piece of shit." Tayuya protested, showing off her extensive vocabulary.

"Much better." Dosu complimented.

"So what the hell is your story, mummy bandit?" Tayuya asked.

"My story? It's the story of all Shinobi." Dosu answered in critique fashion, forcing Tayuya to roll both eyes while sighing.

"I honestly think I hate you more than fatass, like what the fuck can you even do?" Tayuya insulted the bandaged Sound ninja.

"I'm happy you think of me that much and I can do this really cool thing where I stop talking, you should try it sometime." Dosu joked in a dry voice and tone, he wasn't someone who got easily excited.

"Shut the fuck up!" Tayuya argued before grinding her teeth with rage.

"That's very unhealthy, you should see a medic about getting that habit checked out." Dosu suggested, further enraging his Red-haired teammate.

"I will physically shove a Kunai down your throat." Tayuya spat out, tired of the conversation.

"I'm sure you've had plenty of practice with shoving things down a throat." Dosu remarked, creating an angry scowl across Tayuya's face.

"Are berries okay?" Gaara asked as he and Naruto both entered the grove with handfuls of wild berries, ending the previous argument.

"Try them first and make sure their not poisonous." Tayuya ordered while pointing at Naruto.

As Naruto began sampling berries Gaara walked over to Dosu and offered him some while distant birds started chirping. While this happened Tayuya's stomach began to growl as she watched Naruto eat numerous berries.

"Do you feel dead yet?" After she spoke Tayuya shifted her position against the nearby tree, causing her broken arm to accidently hit the ground which forced her to groan in agony.

"They're pretty bitter sweet but I like them." Naruto remarked.

"Why can't I have any Ramen or fish? You're supposed to always have food ready for me." Tayuya complained.

"I wasn't able to Seal any food before we left." Naruto explained, forcing Tayuya to roll both her eyes.

"Give me some." Tayuya ordered before becoming enraged when Naruto only extended his hand out.

"Not like that! My left arm is killing me from sleeping on your back, just feed me." As she spoke Naruto crouched down infront of Tayuya before once again extending his hand out, further enraging the Red-haired Kunoichi.

"Just put it in my fucking mouth!" After screaming Tayuya stuck her tongue out in anticipation of food.

"That's a keeper." Dosu mumbled.

"Go choke on a dick you cyclops looking mother fucker." Tayuya protested before Naruto began shoving wild berries in her mouth, happy to finally be fed.

More important than food, I need to understand what this kids angle is. Dosu concluded while glancing at Naruto.

He's... Different than before, something is off. He isn't that same kid I met during the Chunin Exams. While these thoughts progressed Dosu narrowed his one visible eye.

Furthermore, I can't get over what he said back then... What did he mean by 'his lab'? After thinking, he was quickly swallowed by a dome of wood while Gaara jumped atop a cloud of sand.

In a matter of seconds multiple wooden roots shot out from the ground before lunging towards Naruto and Tayuya in various different directions. At the last moment Naruto grabbed Tayuya before disappearing into a Red and Yellow blur.

This was the result of Naruto using the Flying Thunder god Seal placed atop Gaara's gourd, allowing him to teleport directly behind his friend. As this trio of friends stood on Gaara's cloud of sand Naruto was once again forced to carry Tayuya in a bridal style like fashion, an action that greatly pissed her off.

"Damnit..." The voice of Yamato stuttered across the grove as he stood atop a distant treebranch.

The elite Jonin was the one of the very first people to discover what Naruto did inside the foundation hideout, allowing him to properly follow the blond. Yamato had spent hours searching for Naruto while using the Seal in his left palm like a compass.

"I never thought I'd run into you here." Naruto spoke before licking both lips as the memory of a distant lab experiment by Orochimaru floated through his mind.

What the fuck is that? He didn't do that before. Tayuya noticed while thinking back to her time with Naruto inside Konoha.

"Naruto?" Gaara asked, earning a brief nod in approval from his friend.

"He's an old test subject of Orochimaru's from when he still lived inside Konoha." Naruto explained, shocking Tayuya with his extensive knowledge of Orochimaru.

"He extracted some DNA samples from the remains of the 1st Hokage and conducted an experiment, implanting the genetic components into the cells of 60 worthy children..." As he spoke both of Tayuya's eyes bulged with each word.

"But their bodies violently rejected the treatment and the died, one after another. Just as he about to end the test Saru stumbled upon another one of his experiments, forcing him to leave the village." While speaking Tayuya began to wonder just how much Naruto knew.

"I thought all the test subjects had died... I never dreamed there would be any survivors." This statement continued to confuse Tayuya causing her to focus on his specific choice of words.

"Oh? So we're staring at the result of Orochimaru's experiment? Shouldn't we focus on the other tailed beast?" Gaara asked.

"Of course, this shouldn't take long." Naruto answered while Yamato clapped both hands together before weaving through the Tiger, Horse, Tiger and Snake Seals.

"Wood Style: Giant Forest Jutsu!" Yamato's voice echoed through the forest before his entire left arm shifted into dozens of tree branches.

This technique affected Yamato's skin on a cellular leveling by funneling chakra into tissue that morphed his skin into wood. These branches of wood then shot out with alarming speed in various separate directions and angles at Naruto.

Still on his cloud of sand, Gaara outstretched his right hand before swiping it out in a horizontal fashion, causing a slash of sand to break out and surge towards Yamato's attack. Despite his powerful technique the entirety of Gaara's attack was pierced and dispersed by several dozen tree branches that continued growing.

These treebranchs forced Gaara's sand cloud to rise over 30ft in the air, hovering above the small forest as Naruto sat an enraged Tayuya down atop the sand. Afterwards, Naruto stood up before glancing down into the grove below as each of his pupils began to shrink before growing.

This action allowed Naruto's field of vision to fully observe the chakra world in an attempt to locate Dosu but his eyes were unable to see through solid objects. During this, both Jinchuriki noticed numerous wooden spikes soaring through the air at them.

Naruto then quickly jumped off the cloud before multiple waves of sand rose on all sides, completely engulfing Gaara and Tayuya in a protective layer. At the same time Naruto dodged various spikes while falling through the air.

While these spikes flew through the air they began to expand and grow in different directions, managing to cut and tear small portions of Naruto's robes. While this occurred Naruto clapped both hands together and weaved through the Dragon, Tiger and Rabbit Seals before landing on a treebranch.

"Wood Style: Roots From The Underground Jutsu!" While screaming Yamato began funneling chakra into the roots below, forcing each of them to protrude from the ground before rushing towards Naruto.

"Water Style: Raging Waves." Naruto exhaled while spewing a jet of chakra-filled water out from his mouth, causing the nearby forest and trees to become damp and moist.

Despite his chakra-control and the power of his technique Naruto was unable to restrain the approaching roots, forcing both his Rinnegan eyes to bulge before some unseen force surrounded him. This force managed to break off and snap each of the attacking roots while Naruto didn't even move.

Suddenly a coil of wood shot out from the treebranch he stood on before completely wrapping around Naruto, restraining his entire body from the neck down. A semi-circle of wood then grew into existence all around Naruto with numerous wooden spikes pointing towards him.

"It's time that you answer my questions! What happened to the 3rd Hokage?" Yamato asked, attempting to piece together what happened during the Chunin Exams.

"Ah yes, there was such a man once wasn't there? But he died along time ago." Naruto explained, causing Yamato to narrow both of his eyes.

Before Yamato could continue Naruto quickly erupted into a puff of smoke before a standard log tool his place, greatly alarming the nearby Jonin. Yamato then clapped both hands together before weaving through the Rat, Dog and Tiger Seals, moving at high Jonin-level speed.

This Jonin then crouched down before slamming both palms against the ground just in time to avoid a chakra-rod being slashed at his back. Afterwards Naruto towered over Yamato before shoving the chakra-rod in his right palm down, attempting to impale the Jonin.

"Wood Style: Domed Wall Jutsu." Yamato declared as various planks of wood shot out from the ground before interlocking together.

This wood was so powerful and dense that Naruto's chakra-rod completely bounced off without even causing a scratch, evidence to the true power of Wood Style. Naruto then placed his left hand atop the dome of wood before absorbing the large amount of chakra poured into it.

This caused Yamato's jawline to fall out before the opposite side of his dome wall opened, allowing him to jump back before sliding over 10ft across the ground. After several moments dozens of sand balls began bombarding the ground below, sticking to trees, dirt and leaf's.

While this happened the ground underneath Naruto instantly opened before he disappeared underground, a result of the Hiding Like A Mole technique. At the same time Yamato quickly charged at a nearby tree before somehow jumping inside of it, phasing through the wood until his entire body was hidden.

Soon, Gaara's sand balls began clumping and merging together across various trees before pulling each of them down into the earth. This process was reshaping the entire terrain in a matter of seconds, allowing Gaara to accomplish a feat that was easily Kage-level.

This action forced Yamato to phase out from his tree before preforming 3 backflips across the forest floor while sand swarmed in all directions. Yamato then loudly clapped both hands into the Tiger Seal before funneling a significant amount of chakra into his next technique.

"Earth Style: Rampart of Flowing Soil!" While he screamed Yamato crouched down before slamming his right palm into the forest floor.

This technique caused the entire earth in a 30ft radius to shift and crack before abruptly rising into the air, creating a 20ft tall and 40ft wide mountain. Afterwards Yamato pressed both hands together before weaving through the Boar, Dog and Ram Seals.

"Water Style: Waterfall Basin Jutsu." The concealed voice of Yamato rang out before a chakra-filled stream of water erupted into existence at the mountain.

This water then rushed through a path of carved earth that Yamato left in the mountain, creating a make-shift waterfall that rushed over the cliffside before impacting the ground. This managed to separate Naruto and Gaara while also nullifying large portions of sand, evidence to the great intellect and knowledge that Yamato possessed.

This consecutive and rampant use of jutsu after jutsu would usually exhaust most Jonin but Yamato was bordering on Kage-level, a result of his high chakra-reserves and masterful display of Wood Style. His level of combat and prowess were so honed that he instantly noticed when Naruto appeared behind him shoving a chakra-rod at his torso.

With an impressive display of Kage-level reaction time Yamato managed to turn around before a wooden spike grew out from his left palm. This spike then detached from his skin before Yamato gripped it like a sword that he swung forward in a horizontal fashion.

This caused the sound of metal scraping against wood to fill the air as Yamato's wooden spike parried Naruto's chakra-rod but didn't even crack, evidence to the extreme power of Wood Style. While these opponents began a fierce battle of blows, strikes and blocks Yamato never once looked at Naruto's eyes, fully aware of the consequences.

Yamato then found himself gripped by some unseen force that overwhelmed his limbs before pulling him towards Naruto who grabbed him by the throat. Naruto then abruptly impaled the elite Jonin only for his corpse to morph into a plank of wood, causing both of Naruto's Rinnegan to bulge in shock.

After appearing beside a nearby tree Yamato quickly clapped both hands into the Snake Seal before extending his right arm forward. This turned Yamato's entire arm into a miniature tree that shot out numerous branches at Naruto, a result of the Wood Style: Silent Strangle technique.

Naruto then turned around and calmly stared at the approaching attack before a wall of sand formed infront of his body, concealing him from view. Because of these advance power and versatility of Yamato's technique each of his branches managed to pierce or wrap around Gaara's wall of sand.

However after this wall of sand crumbled it began apparent that Naruto already disappeared, causing Yamato to jump back over 20ft while his right arm morphed back to normal. In a shocking display of speed Naruto appeared behind Yamato before grabbing his back in midair, barely giving the Jonin time for his face to turn halfway around.

The chakra-rod in Naruto's right palm then extended out like a spearing surging for Yamato's face, an attack that the Jonin barely avoided. This caused Naruto's chakra-rod to scratch and damage Yamato's happuri, filling the air with a brief display of sparks.

After dodging this attack Yamato slammed his right hand against the ground before kicking his left foot up in a vertical fashion, bypassing the chakra-rod. Naruto then used his left hand to grab Yamato by the ankle before once again trying to impale him.

At the last moment Yamato clapped both hands into the Tiger Seal causing numerous roots to shot out from the ground before wrapping around Naruto's entire body, restraining him. The elite Jonin then easily pulled his ankle free before preforming 2 backflips until slamming both hands into the Boar Seal, attempting to preform some unknown technique.

Suddenly the nearby roots, trees and even ground began to crack before everything around Naruto was pushed back or crushed by some unseen force. As this force surged out Yamato managed to preform the necessary Hand Seals for his Domed Wall jutsu, a technique that sprang to life just before impact.

Afterwards it took several moments for the cloud of dust and debris created from this force too finally disappear, revealing that Yamato's dome survived the force. This realization caused both of Naruto's Rinnegan to narrow, he never experienced anything that could withstand the power of his eyes until now.

"ArruAGGH!?" Yamato instantly groaned as blood began flowing from his left eye, causing him to phase into a nearby tree.

The muffled footsteps of Dosu then slowly approached the tree that Yamato phased with, an action that greatly surprised Naruto. This caused the blond to glance towards the now destroy dome wall that previously contained Dosu.

"Do you know what sound is, Mr. Jonin?" Dosu asked while observing the large tree infront of him.

"Sound is the vibration of atoms, and since wood is made from atoms and all atoms vibrate... That means my sound can travel through your jutsu, effectively nullifying it." The Sound Shinobi analyzed his elite Jonin opponent in a matter of seconds, a Shikamaru-level feat of intelligence.

"You have 3 options from here. The 1st is to wait inside this tree until one of us attacks, another is to phase out and attempt escape... While the final option is to accept defeat." As he spoke Gaara's cloud of sand slowly descended through the treeline.

"Your mistake was leaving me isolated inside your technique, it allowed me to study and observe your jutsu for several minutes before I cracked the code." His words caused a concealed Yamato to grimace, disappointed with his own failure.

"Even if you could defeat us... The loud-mouth girl would nag you to death." These words forced Tayuya to poke her head out from Gaara's sand before glaring at the Sound Shinobi.

"I hope you fucking die." Tayuya spat out before laying back down.

Suddenly the surrounding earth began to crack and bulged multiple times are several roots protruded out from the ground. At the same time Naruto noticed a substantial amount of chakra being funneled into the nearby trees

Both of Naruto's eyes then bulged and widened once he noticed the specific technique Yamato was about to use, a technique well-known from the memories of Hashirama. Before Dosu could even react he was gripped by some unseen forced that pulled him towards Naruto.

The pair of missing ninja then disappeared in a blur of speed before several dozen trees sprang out from the earth at alarming speed. These trees connected and merged with other trees while sections of earth crumbled under the weight of a forest being grown in seconds.

This impressive display of rampant growth was a result from the Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence technique, the most secret and powerful of all Wood Style jutsu. The ability to use this technique was by itself an impressive display of chakra-control, evidence to the high-levels of chakra that Yamato possessed.

As this occurred Gaara's cloud of sand barely managed to avoid the numerous treebranchs as Naruto and Dosu appeared behind him. During this an injured Tayuya sat beside Gaara's feet with both arms crossed infront of her nonexistent chest, upset that her food was disturbed.

After several moments Yamato's technique finally stabilized, revealing a dense 60ft wide chakra-filled forest that completely swallow the entire land. This newly created field of land was basically a 2nd version of the Forest of Death but much smaller, showing that even Yamato wasn't Hashirama-level.

"I didn't consider that an option." Dosu mumbled while poking his head out from Gaara's engulfed cloud of sand.

"I feel so fucking worthless, this is dogshit." Tayuya complained, upset that she couldn't fight.

"Gaara." Naruto spoke, causing portions of sand underneath him to cave in before he began plummeting to the earth.

As he fell Naruto clapped both flat palms infront of face, causing a circle of Black kanji to sprawl out in midair before a puff of smoke erupted into existence. Afterwards a pair of wings began flapping through the air before Naruto's iconic drill-beak bird soared over Yamato's forest.

Soon this bird tilted it's beak down before spearing down at the trees below with alarming speed, causing shockwaves of wind to ripple out. This massive beak then managed to pierce and break multiple chakra-infused trees in an impressive display of power.

While continuously impaling multiple trees several dozen roots shot out from the ground before wrapping around the large summoning, restraining it in place. The force from abruptly stopping caused Naruto to fly over 20ft through the air while flipping over numerous treebranchs.

Yamato then phased out from a treebranch before Naruto's left ankle in midair before treebranchs began to grow from his body. Before these branches could reach him Naruto contorted his body sideways while kicking his right leg out in a horizontal fashion.

This kick forced Yamato to release his grip before Naruto plummeted to a treebranch over 10ft below as the elite Jonin finally phased out from the tree. Yamato then quickly jumped down and began striking out numerous times at Naruto only for each of his attacks to be dodged.

As he was mere inches away from his target Yamato found himself pulled by an unseen forced towards Naruto before instantly being impaled through the stomach by a chakra-rod. Because of the close range of this attack Yamato was unable to replace himself with a substitution, causing blood to stain his outfit.

A pair of Rinnegan then pierced Yamato's mind as Naruto grabbed him by the throat before the elite Jonin managed to kick his opponent in the face. Because of his advanced genetics granted to him by cells from the 1st Hokage Yamato was quickly able to jump back and recover from the hypnotizing Rinnegan.

Yamato then clapped both hands into the Snake Seal before numerous wooden branches began forming around Naruto, resembling a cage. During this Yamato's previous wound managed to slowly heal and stop bleeding, a result from Hashirama's cells.

This regeneration caused Naruto to disappear in a blur of speed so fast that Yamato couldn't even follow before a chakra-rod was impaled through his back, causing him to cough up blood. This level of speed was the result of a Flying Thunder God Seal that Naruto placed on Yamato's throat, a Seal that would never disappear or fade until death.

The injured Jonin was then pushed forward by some unseen force causing him to flip, roll and twist over 20ft before slamming into his previous technique. Despite these injuries Yamato quickly managed to recover by jumping up before clapping both hands together and preforming various Seals.

While weaving through these Seals Yamato's recent injury slowly healed as a result from his powerful genetics. Afterwards the elite Jonin crouched down before attempting to slam both palms into the treebranch below until a large rumbling stole his balance.

This rumbling was the result of several tons of rock and stone being crushed into harden sand that was being lifted into the air like a geyser. During this a hovering Gaara from above dissolved large portions of his defense before merging that sand with the rest.

While this occurred Gaara was waved his arms and hands through the air in various directions, conducting the sand like some type of musician. At the same time Dosu and Tayuya both examined the sand Shinobi with two separate trains of thought.

This kid... He's alright. Dosu concluded.

"Do you have to be so dramatic?" Tayuya asked, still pissed off about her lack of food.

"What does dramatic mean?" Gaara questioned, still confused on the subject of emotions.

This response caused Tayuya to sigh loudly while rolling both eyes as Gaara continued gathering sand. Gaara then pressed both hands into the Rat Seal before funneling a significant amount of chakra into the sand below.

Over the span of seconds various sand tsunami surged up from the ground before shooting out in multiple different directions, uprooting dozens of chakra-infused trees. Soon these tsunami's of sand approached Yamato causing him to jump towards a tree at the last moment.

However Yamato found himself gripped in midair before pulling him towards Naruto with alarming speed with waves of sand crashed in the background. This Yamato was quickly impaled before getting tossed down the sand below only to transform into a Wood Clone at the last moment.

The Wood Clone technique was a level of jutsu far beyond any other type of Clone-technique, even the forbidden Multi-Shadow Clone jutsu. The Wood Clone technique was the very 1st Clone-technique ever invented, the predecessor and foundation of all other Clone jutsu.

The Wood Clone jutsu was created by Hashirama whose rapid use of the technique inspired his younger brother Tobirama to create the Shadow Clone jutsu. The fact that Yamato could even preform such a legendary and sacred technique was evidence to his great power.

Suddenly a shadow began to block out the sun above Naruto, force him to glance up just in time to notice Yamato hovering in midair. This elite Jonin was preforming several Hand Seals in rabid succession, almost moving at Kage-level.

I have to suppress his chakra, or else this is over. Yamato concluded while plummeting through the air.

Soon, Yamato began approaching a branch which caused him to extend both hands out only for some unseen force to grab him at the last moment. This force completely overwhelm Yamato before slamming him against a nearby tree, causing it to crack and partially snap in the process.

Before the elite Jonin could even stand up straight a blurred image of Naruto appeared infront of him before impaling Yamato through his right shoulder. This pinned the Jonin against the tree while disrupting his chakra-control as a pair of Rinnegan pulsated through his mind.

Naruto quickly broke out his previous chakra-rod before phasing out several others that he used to basically nail Yamato against the tree, preventing any movement. After impaling over 9 chakra-rods through numerous separate joints Naruto reached out before grabbing Yamato by the throat.

At this moment 3 senbon pierced Naruto's extended right arm, an action that took several seconds for him to even notice due to the sheer surprise. Afterwards Naruto began to slowly pull these weapons loss without even looking at his new opponent.

"I knew I smelled blood mixed with his scent." Kiba's voice rang out from atop a treebranch as Sakura and Shikamaru stood beside him.

A brief period of silence then filled the air pierced only by the sound of Naruto dropping his blood-stain senbon to the ground. Afterwards steam began erupting from each of his wounds before they healed almost instantly.

"That's not all, I smell 3 other scents nearby... I've smelled them before." While speaking, the dog-like Genin began sniffing the air various times as Akamaru hid in his jacket.

After several seconds Ino, Tenten, Choji, Shino and Hinata appeared beside the trio of Genin after finally catching up to them. This caused both of Hinata's innocent eyes to bulge after noticing Naruto infront of a blood-covered and impaled Yamato.

At the same time Choji dropped his full bag of potato chips to the ground in shock, an action that never before happened in his entire life. During this Shino pushed his glasses up while Tenten and Ino started at Naruto in shock.

This was a scenario none of the Konoha 11 predicted, none of them even thought about walking in on Naruto about to murder a leaf Shinobi. Soon, Naruto finally directed his attention towards the group of his former classmates.

Because of the advanced warning given by Sakura none of the surrounding Genin looked at Naruto's face except herself. This allowed Sakura and only her to see a brief expression of saddness on Naruto's face before shifting into a hateful scowl.

"Naruto! What are you doing?! Do you even understand what you've done?" Sakura questioned, most upset about Sasuke instead of her village.

Instead of answering with words Naruto just turned around before walking away on the large treebranch as if Sakura wasn't even worthy of a response. This action caused 6 more senbon to fling through the air before being caught by a stream of sand as Gaara slowly descended into the clearing.

"Check it out bitchs! I can't stand!" Tayuya screamed while prompting herself up next to Gaara, causing a thin layer of sand to form in between them.

"It's that girl from before." Kiba remarked, almost everyone in Konoha knew about Naruto's Red-haired friend she was one of the only people that was seen in public with him.

"Man... This is such a troublesome drag." Shikamaru mumbled, using his two most iconic catchphrases in conjunction.

"Naruto! Answer me! Don't you know what Sasuke will do if he finds out?" Sakura once again questioned her teammate only for silence to follow.

Na-Nar-Naruto... Hinata panicked and stuttered inside her mind, barely even able to say his name let alone confront him.

"What the fuck are those lame ass weaklings doing here? Trash like them should just die." Tayuya remarked, forcing the timid Hinata to take several steps back.

"Shall I... Kill them?" Gaara asked as his cloud of sand hovered barely a few inches away from Naruto.

During this whole conversation Dosu observed both parties of the confrontation with interest, curious to see how Naruto would react too his friends. Dosu was convinced that something that wrong or different about Naruto but he just couldn't identify it.

"Go on ahead, I'll join you shortly." Naruto answered before once again turning around to directed his attention at the group of Konoha Genin led by Sakura.

This statement enraged Sakura, upset that Naruto would even acknowledge her before he instantly responded to Gaara. Afterwards the Pink-haired Kunoichi began glaring at Tayuya before each of them had a staring contest.

"What the fuck are you looking at? Fuck face." Tayuya insulted Sakura.

"You started this! Didn't you!?" Sakura acussed the Sound Kunoichi, forcing her to roll both eyes in response.

"Go fuck yourself. And you better hurry up! I'm still hungry." Tayuya complained while directing her attention towards Naruto.

"Gaara." Naruto spoke out, causing his friend to nod in response before his cloud of sand rose into the air.

After several moments Gaara and the 2 ninja he escorted both disappeared from sight before a brief period of silence filled the air. During this Sakura began to grit and grind her together while staring at Naruto's face but avoiding his eyes.

"Naruto! Just come back to the village, Sasuke needs you! We need you." Sakura pleaded.

"You don't need me, Sakura, you used me. You're no better than the Jonin that mocked me as a child." Naruto remarked, creating a disgusting expression across Sakura's face.

"I don't care what you say! You're Sasuke's friend and you're coming back to the village! One way or another!" Sakura threatened before gripping a bundle of 3 senbon of each hand.

"You haven't changed at all, you never cared." Naruto spoke, causing Sakura's rage to melt into regret.

This statement forced Sakura to remember team 7s 1st day as a group atop the Konoha Academy, the day when she openly declared that she hated Naruto. This memory forced both of Sakura's fists to clench tightly while staring at her teammate.

Sakura had spent her entire life sheltered by the blood of hero's, the blood of Hiruzen, Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto. This was a realization that weighed heavily on the young Kunoichi's shoulders, she always felt like she was dragging her teammates down instead of lifting them up.

As she stood firm in this moment of confrontation Sakura thought back on the decisions in life that brought her here, decisions made for her love of Sasuke. This was one of those decisions, a choice that Sakura willingly made so Sasuke would finally acknowledge her.

A strong gust of wind then blew in from the South, rustling the nearby leaf's, outfits and loose hair while Sakura continued staring up at Naruto. This was her most important moment in life and the moment when Sasuke's love would finally be gained, the moment when Sakura would bring Naruto back.


	54. Chapter 54

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Ishimaru Taki - I agree, filler made Danzo look like some comic-book villain but Kishimoto himself just wrote him as a flawed Nationalist. I have a lot of respect for how Kishimoto handled Danzo's character, respect is the first emotion I feel when I say the name 'Danzo'.**

 **I've said before that Tobirama is my favorite canon Hokage, well Might Guy is my favorite Hokage in general. His Will of Fire and power burns more brightly than anyone else.**

 **GunBlade2018 - That is just a force of habit, something that will happen when Naruto gets so caught up in in his various memories that he acts like certain people he absorbed for a moment. This is a plot point that I rather enjoy - he doesn't just absorb peoples memories he merges with their soul.**

 **Naruto said 'his lab' because there are various things that 'he' left there, all of which are extremely important to this story. Things I will not spoil for the sake of spoilers.**

 **The reason Naruto saved Tayuya and Dosu but left Kidomaru and Sakon is because of their backstories, which Naruto is completely aware of because of Orochimaru's memories. These backstories will be explained in future chapters.**

 **Might Guy is one of the more realistic and down to earth characters in the show. Imagine if your father was a Governor, King or Emperor - imagine how hard it would be to walk in his footsteps.**

 **That is the struggle Guy endures everyday because every great father leaves even greater shoes to fill.** **Guy struggles daily just to live up to his fathers name and expectations because that is what most sons do in my opinion.**

 **That's why Guy's train of thought instantly shifted to his father upon being offered the position of Hokage, because as a son he is genuinely cautious of what his father would think of him.**

 **Might Dai will get a flashback chapter in the future detailing his death but for now just think of Guy as a symbolic depiction of a son chasing after his father. In terms of Guy as Hokage, yes I do believe he contains the necessary mindset and intelligence for Hokage.**

 **If someone like the 4th Raikage (a big dumb meathead) or canon Naruto (an autistic sperglord) could be make the tactical decisions needed by a Kage than of course Guy could.**

 **I know Guy can be an idiot or just really goofy at times, but he isn't stupid and I argue his spirit is the most powerful Will of Fire in existence right now. In terms of Saru, he isn't the only one who blames Naruto for killing the 3rd Hokage, almost everyone inside the village does because of Danzo.**

 **Danzo ordered his root foundation to spread various lies and false statements about Naruto killing the 3rd Hokage. It doesn't help Naruto's case that he instantly killed Danzo afterwards, making these lies appear as fact. We know who killed the 3rd Hokage but the village of Konoha doesn't.**

 **Lastly - despite my love for Sakura's character design I myself have always considered her personality to be a shallow cunt/bitch. This is actually why I love her character so much because I have a fetish for girls that ruin my life, and a fetish for colored hair.**

 **Sakura's character progression has to be handled in a more unique way than other people because of her shallow nature. I've made it apparent that she is the future Jiraiya of this story so by default her progression will revolve around Sasuke's dick.**

 **jtcookie96 - It will pass but that moment as a whole is extremely crucial to Saru's development as a character. I've stated before that I consider Saru to be the Itachi of his Generation and I completely mean that - I have big plans for Saru (Konohamaru).**

 **In regards to Saru's young age, Itachi already thought like a Hokage at 7yrs old and Saru is 6yrs old (wink wink). In terms of Guy as Hokage I understand he could be considered controversial because many people consider him to be a moron.**

 **I've been in many debates with my close friends about various Kage and my main defense for Guy being Hokage is the 4th Raikage and Canon Naruto - both of which became Kage and both of which weren't really that smart.**

 **There are 3 aspects I consider necessary for all Hokage - Power(Jutsu), Spirit(Will of Fire) and Knowledge(intellect). And with these aspects in mind Guy is subjectively far superior in terms of Power and Spirit, I personally think Guy would love to do 643 pages of paperwork while someone like Kakashi wouldn't.**

 **I'll admit that Guy lacks Knowledge and is kind of an idiot but he is in no way stupid - just a goofball. This is the opposite of Kakashi who has the Power and Knowledge but no Spirit.**

 **I've always hated the idea of Kakashi as Hokage because of this very reason, he didn't want to become Hokage and he didn't want to do all that paperwork - he lacked the spirit which I consider to be the most important of all 3 aspects.**

 **In canon Obito's final moments, he dreams of a life where he is Hokage and Kakashi is his advisor - replace Obito with Guy. It's not like Guy will be making every single logistical decision by himself he will have an advisor.**

 **Johnkrope - I have extremely mixed feelings about Kishimoto and Naruto the series as a whole.** **Kishimoto has a habit of adding several dozen/hundreds of characters but only focuses on ten fucking people.**

 **I don't bash Kishimoto because I hate him, I do it because that's just my attitude as a person. I'm an extremely negative person so if I notice or see something that is wrong I will never stop pointing it out.**

 **My personality makes it difficult for me to enjoy things because I want everything to be perfect.** **But I like to think my criticism is respectful.**

 **FDRDEADMAN - Thank you, that means a lot to me.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 54: Eight VS One! The Konoha Clash.**

"What did you say!?" Guy's voice panicked as 2 separate medical-ninja stood beside him.

Despite standing still Guy was moving his legs while waving both arms through the air in a fashion that resembled running. This action was something that greatly confused the nearby medical-ninja, forcing each of them to glance at one another.

"W-We can't find Lee." One of the medical-ninja stuttered out, surprised that Guy wore the iconic Hokage hat.

This statement caused Guy to finally stop moving before dramatically approaching the group of medical-ninja and shoving his inquisitive face against theirs. While preforming this action Guy began to hum for an extended time, greatly confusing the nearby medics.

"I was in his hospital room just a few hours ago so he can't have gone far." Guy concluded while using his right hand to grip his chin as he stared at the ground.

"I'll finish my laps later then, I'm sure I can find him." After he spoke the newly elected 5th Hokage turned around before he began walking away.

"Also, Lee took that water you left by his bed." The other medical-ninja declared, forcing Guy into a tense stance as both of his eyes bulged with shock.

Because Lee was still recovering from his battle against Gaara, this forced Guy into the habit of sleeping as a guest inside his students hospital room. This resulted in Guy bringing various blankets, food and drinks that weren't really approved by hospital staff.

With an impressive display of Kage-level speed Guy managed to appear infront of both medical-ninja before picking them up in a dramatic fashion by the collar's of their outfit. The 5th Hokage then began jolting each of these medic's back and forth through the air multiple times, forcing both their eyes to turn solid white.

"Water...!?" Guy mumbled under his breathe while continuously jolting the helpless medics.

The 5th Hokage then dropped both dazed medic's to the ground as each of his eyes continued to bulge while sweat formed across his face. Both of Guy's shoulders then began to rise and fall various times as his jawline twitched and trembled.

"That wasn't water..." As he mumbled these words, the 5th Hokage slightly downcast his face.

Since Guy spent so much time visiting Lee in the hospital he developed the habit of bringing Sake and various other Alcoholic drinks into his room. This allowed Guy to finally remember that he left a large bottle of Sake beside Lee's bed by mistake.

"I-If Lee drinks even a single drop of Alcohol... Things get messy... So messy..." The 5th Hokage continued mumbling up his breathe.

"Th-The first time it happened was at a restaurant… When Lee mistook my Sake for water." As he talked to himself, Guy began walking around from the pair of dazed medical-ninja.

"It only took seconds for the Alcohol to kick in... And then it happened, Lee destroyed the entire restaurant in his drunken frenzy." While Guy spoke, several drops of sweat continued pouring from his face.

"And that was just from a small cup... If he drank an entire bottle!?" The 5th Hokage panicked before dramatically turning around and glancing at the still dazed medical-ninja.

"That's when I finally understood what Lee's true talent was... He's a natural born master of the Drunken Fist." After explaining his jumbled thoughts the 5th Hokage turned his head from side-to-side numerous times.

"When he gets drunk... Even I can't stop him." After he spoke Guy began to panic, fully aware that very few people could survive against a drunken Lee.

Without saying another word, Guy quickly dashed off at Kage-level speed before leaping across several dozen of the remaining rooftops inside Konoha. This was the beginning of a long and extensive search for Lee a search that would extend across the entire village.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Several miles North of Konoha._

"Just give up, twerp. You can't stand against all of us." Kiba declared while sniffing the air various times, certain that Naruto was covered in multiple different scents of blood.

"Misdirected passion, such a waste." Naruto remarked as a sad expression continuously covered his face, something only Sakura could see.

"N-Na-Nar-Naruto... We're friends, right? So... Um... Just come back home with us." Hinata mumbled while downcasting her face as she twirled each of her index fingers together.

"A worthless display, Hinata. Timid lust held in place by a thin layer of self-preservation, you are a friend of no one." Naruto broke the Kunoichi's heart in a matter of seconds.

This statement forced Tenten to pull a scroll loose before unrolling the objecting in midair while slamming both palms against it. This forced the Black kanji scribbled across Tenten's scroll to erupt into a cloud of smoke before she swung a Three-sectioned staff around both arms numerous times.

While twirling her weapon Tenten's now empty scroll plummeted several feet below to the forest floor as Shino and Kiba stepped in front of Hinata. During this a nearby Choji placed both of his crumb-cover hands against his stomach while downcast his face in a meek fashion.

"You can insult us all you want while we're dragging you back!" Sakura screamed before launching 6 senbon through the dense forest at Naruto, all of which were deflected by some unseen force.

"You stand there because _I_ allow it, because _I_ will it, because _I_ do not fear." Naruto recited the same words Orochimaru once said to him.

"Have you really become that twisted?" Shino questioned, one of the few times he actually spoke.

"You're nothing but a blind insect, incapable of seeing a forest through the trees." Naruto remarked as a deep frown briefly formed on his face.

"Don't do this, Naruto. Don't challenge the village. Don't betray your own friends" Sakura pleaded only for a disgusted expression to bloom across Naruto's face.

"I didn't _betray_ anyone... _I_ was betrayed, because you were lost in a dream while this entire world rotted." Naruto accused his former teammate, filling her with guilt.

Despite the constant time spent with Naruto over the past 2 months Sakura still barely knew anything about him compared to Sasuke, a fact that weighted heavily on her consensus. Sakura always thought of Naruto as a tool to bring her closer to Sasuke and only now did she realize how hurtful and shallow she was to her teammate.

There were times when she attempted to learn more about Naruto by either asking her dad or Sasuke but deep down Sakura never really cared. Sakura then noticed that all signs of happiness were completely devoid from Naruto's face, instead replaced only with sadness.

This realization fueled the heavy weight that Sakura felt on her shoulders because she blamed herself for everything Naruto did. She could've been a better friend, a better person and a better teammate but instead she mainly just focused on Sasuke.

"Naruto... Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Sakura repeated the same words Kakashi once told team 7.

"We were never friends, Sakura." Naruto exclaimed before a deep frown covered his face.

"Enough talk! Let's finish this, Akamaru!" Kiba ordered before leaping out towards Naruto's treebranch.

Despite Kiba's determination to confront Naruto, Akamaru was still overwhelmed by a deep fear of the blond, forcing him to wiggle out of Kiba's jacket at the last moment. Fueled by his habit of looking at Naruto through his nostalgic Academy memories Kiba decided to hurl his right fist forward.

Kiba always judged people by their grades and outward performances, that's why it took him so long to respect Shikamaru. But Kiba couldn't accept how far Naruto had grown, he couldn't tolerate the idea of being behind the dead-last from his Academy days.

Suddenly Kiba was gripped by some unseen force in midair before getting pulling towards Naruto who quickly grabbed him by the throat with his right hand. The young Blond then slammed his right knee against Kiba's stomach with significant force, causing him to gag as Naruto's grip of his throat tightened.

A barrage of senbon and Shuriken were then thrown at Naruto from various members of the assembled Konoha 8, forcing him to toss Kiba at the impaled Yamato like a ragdoll. Naruto then effortlessly dodged and deflected each of these attacking objects before they fell to the forest floor below.

At the same time, Kiba plummeted face first to the treebranch beside Yamato's feet before struggling to move numerous times. Even though this young heir of the Inuzuka clan spent the past 2 weeks training, he was still nothing to Naruto.

This realization enraged the dazed Kiba as he finally noticed just how far he fell behind his old classmate, Naruto was in a completely different league at this point. Even though he was filled with rage and contempt Kiba was still unable to move, a single knee-attack from Naruto was that severe.

"You probably think your pretty cool, don't you?!" Kiba mocked Naruto, causing him to slowly turn his face before glancing down as his former classmate.

This action allowed Kiba to finally see the sad expression across Naruto's face before his pair of Rinnegan instantly hypnotized the young Inuzuka clan heir. This caused a pair of Violet ripple-patterned eyes to pulsate throughout Kiba's mind multiple times.

"Shall I tell you the difference between you and I?" Naruto asked as he towered over Kiba while both of his Rinnegan projected a bright Violet aura.

"It's level... It's like the story of the monkey trying to capture the moon. No matter how hard he struggles it's just the moon's reflection on the water that he sees." As he spoke Kiba grinded his teeth together in response.

"So the monkey only sinks... Time after time, he continues to sink." After Naruto spoke Tenten appeared behind him before swinging her three-section staff out in a horizontal slash.

At the last moment a section of Tenten's staff was deflected by some unseen force that overwhelmed her grip. This force slammed the end of Tenten's weapon against her face with such power that it shattered into several pieces, staggering her before she dropped her weapon to the forest floor.

Naruto then turned around in a clockwise fashion while sliding his right foot across the treebranch, tripping Tenten and causing her to fall down. Naruto then grabbed Tenten's throat in midair with his left hand before lifting her up as she struggled to breath.

"This reminds me of something that an old friend used to say." Naruto spoke out as the face of Madara Uchiha floated through his mind, fueled by the memories of Hashirama.

"Do you want to dance?" After asking this question Naruto began squeezing down even further on Tenten's throat, cutting off her ability to breath.

At this moment a large and dense cloud of flying beetles surged across the distant treebranchs towards Naruto. These beetles filled the air with a heavy sound of insect-like noises as wings snapped shut and opened numerous times.

Naruto quickly tossed Tenten into this swarm of beetles before leaping back over 20ft, soaring over several treebranchs while clapping both hands into the Tiger Seal. Before he could weave through anymore Seals Naruto quickly noticed a detached shadow from the nearby tree racing towards him.

This realization caused Naruto to push himself away from the approaching shadow by kicking against a nearby treebranch, forcing him to twirl in midair. During this a cloud of beetles surrounded Naruto before swarming over him.

As these swarm of beetles approached, Naruto extended both arms out in opposite directions while each of his Rinnegan bulged and pulsated. An overwhelming and unseen forced then surged out from Naruto in all directions, pushing back each of the attacking beetles.

Afterwards Naruto plummeted through the air for over 20ft feet before landing atop the forest floor only to instantly sink neck-deep into the chakra-infused earth. This action was followed by Sakura jumping out from the ground barely a foot away from Naruto.

"You thought you could just forget about Sasuke?! You thought you could just move on without him!? Without us?!" Sakura questioned Naruto, upset that he would go this far.

"Moving on doesn't mean you forget about things." Naruto explained before each of his Rinnegan bulged as his Black pupils shrunk.

This action was the result of Naruto funneling chakra into his eyes, allowing his entire body to be pulled out from the ground by some unseen force. Before Sakura could even react Naruto's right hand grabbed her by the throat before lifting her into the air.

"It means you have to accept what happened and continue living." As he spoke his hand began to squeeze down on Sakura's throat with a surprising amount of force.

Soon Naruto's grip was so tight that Sakura began to gag as drops of spit spewed from her mouth and sprawled across Naruto's sad face. Each of Sakura's hands then grabbed Naruto's wrist before attempting to free herself while both legs struggled to reach the ground.

"Do you know what it feels like to lose a loved one, Sakura?" After he spoke a brief period of silence filled the air, pierced only by the sound of Sakura struggling to breath.

"It's like having something to say but never finding the words. It is a chorus replaced with silence. Hearing teachings without meaning. It is like having a beloved student to whom you shared everything, sacrificed everything and then having him turn on you and forget all you were." While he spoke, the face of Konohamaru floated through his mind.

"Hoping for a hero is just wishful thinking-...?!" Naruto's words became cutoff midsentence as he noticed a distance Ino pressed both hands together into the Yamanaka clan Seal.

Mind Transfer Ju-...?! Ino's thoughts became jumbled and confused after Naruto suddenly disappeared in a blur, moving at such high speed that she couldn't even notice him.

Naruto's level of speed was so high that he appeared behind Ino before Sakura even hit the ground, allowing him to go completely unnoticed by the Yamanaka clan heir. After several seconds Sakura finally fell down on both knees while holding each of her hands against her throat as she gagged.

This amount of time allowed Ino the finally noticed the dark shadow that towered behind her, causing her to quickly turn around before staring directly into Naruto's eyes. These eyes instantly hypnotized Ino forcing her to fall down on both knees while a pair of Rinnegan pulsated through her mind multiple times.

This action completely paralyzed Ino, causing her entire body to tremble while she struggled just to breath as Naruto continued to tower over her. As Ino continued to struggle Naruto's right hand grabbed her hair before pulling her into the air, allowing his left hand to grab her by the throat.

Naruto handled Ino in such a rough fashion that various pale-blond strands of hair fell to the ground as she gagged and groaned for air. In her attempt to free herself Ino struck out with her left hand, punching Naruto directly in the face only to receive no reaction or response.

Ino managed to land her fist against the right side of Naruto's face but he didn't even flinch or notice while he continued staring at the blond Kunoichi. This allowed Ino to notice just how insignificant she was compared to Naruto, she was basically nothing to him.

"I-...Is th-... That all you got?!" Ino gagged out in between her struggling breathes of air.

"What adult would fight seriously against a child?" Naruto asked before squeezing down on Ino's throat, almost snapping her neck in the process.

At this moment an unending swarm of beetles surrounded Naruto from all angles in a 10ft radius, swarming over several treebranchs and patches of grass. These beetles managed to completely block any means of escape as Shino slowly walked through a distant corner of the swarm.

"You've given me plenty of time to deploy and build up my swarm, that was a mistake." Shino declared as both hands rested in the pockets of his tunic.

Instead of responding with words Naruto quickly tossed Ino through the air like a rag doll, forcing a portion of beetles to create a wall infront of Shino that caught the blond Kunoichi. These beetles then gently placed Ino atop the ground before Shino calmly stepped over her only to notice that Naruto completely disappeared.

Both of Naruto's hands then protruded out from the ground before grabbing each of Shino's ankles, causing dozens of beetles to begin crawling across his skin. Shino was then quickly pulled down before being submerged entirely, disappearing from sight.

Several seconds later Naruto jumped out from an underground tunnel before the earth quickly closed behind him, a result of the Hiding like a Mole technique. Afterwards numerous dead beetles began falling to the ground because Naruto's chakra was too chaotic and toxic to feed on, a result of the Nine Tails sealed inside him.

Even though Shino was concealed from view his beetles could still sense him, causing hundreds of insects to begin swarming towards Naruto from various directions. The amount of beetles in this swarm numbered in the thousands, evidence that Shino was worthy of being the Aburame clan heir.

"Summoning Jutsu." Naruto spoke before clapping both of his flat hands together, causing several scribbles of Black Kanji to spread across the nearby air.

This action created a dense 20ft wide cloud of smoke that completely concealed both Naruto and the surrounding beetles. Soon, the sound of a wet tongue wrapping around insects could be heard before the smoke slowly began to fade.

After this smoke completely dissipated it revealed a giant 1-eyed chameleon with a Rinnegan in it's left socket. This beast had four limbs each ending in four large claws while its tail was a large 1-eyed snake with a Rinnegan in its right socket.

It's body was covered in thick Green scales while bandages covered various portions of its back and tail. It also had two small wings on its upper back which were porous and badly ripped.

The most unique aspect of this summoning were the 2 oddly shaped horns protruding from the back of its head. The right horn was snapped off and wrapped in bandages while the left horn had 4 separate chakra-rods stuck through it.

This large Chameleon was eating entire mouthfuls of beetles in a matter of seconds before opening its mouth and repeating the action various times. Because of its large size and stature this creature was able to eat almost all of Shino's insects with ease, dispersing the remaining swarm.

Shino then appeared atop a nearby treebranch before rallying his remaining beetles, allowing Naruto to notice that the previous Shino was an Insect Clone. Before Shino continued attacking both of his concealed eyes quickly blinked only for his mouth to fall open after he noticed Naruto once again disappeared.

This allowed a brief period of silence to fill the air that was pierced only by the sound of Naruto's Chameleon chewing and swallowing food numerous times. Shino was so focused on the large Chameleon that he barely even noticed the dark shadow that appeared behind him.

This shadow caused Shino to turn half-way around until a chakra-rod pierced his upper torso before lifting him into the air. This action stained the chakra-rod with blood, allowing Naruto to confirm this was the real Shino.

With their master in danger hundreds of remaining beetles surged towards Naruto, forcing him to casually toss Shino against a nearby tree. Naruto then funneled a significant amount of chakra into his Rinnegan, forcing both eyes to bulge before an unseen force erupted out in all directions.

This force instantly snapped the treebranch underneath Naruto before deflecting each of the attacking beetles in midair, dispersing the swarm. Connected by a physic link to these insects Shino stood up on 1-knee before Naruto appeared infront of him, towering over the Aburame clan heir.

Naruto's right knee then slammed against Shin's face with significant force, cracking his glasses in the process. This attack shoved Shino's skull into a dense tree with such power that multiple portions of treebark cracked.

Naruto then noticed multiple shadows racing towards him from various angles, forcing him to toss Shino aside like worthless trash. At the last moment Naruto managed to casually jump back over 10ft before dodging numerous shadows in midair until landing atop the forest floor.

These shadows were manipulated by a distant Shikamaru who was crouched down on 1-knee with both hands pressed into the Rat Seal. Because of Naruto's linked vision with his Chameleon, the summoning was quickly able to rush and surge over numerous treebranchs and tree roots on its path towards Shikamaru.

"Gluaaah." An odd and wet sound escaped from the Chameleons mouth while its tongue shot out.

This sound forced a surprised Shikamaru to turn half way around before panicking at the large and Violet-eyed Chameleon. Because of his advanced intellect Shikamaru instantly concluded there was no way to escape from this attack.

"Shikamaru!" Choji screamed while running into his best friend before pushing him out of the way.

This process allowed Shikamaru to barely escape while Choji was swallowed whole by Naruto's Chameleon, horrifying the usually calm and lazy Nara clan heir. This brief period of panic was quickly overwhelmed by an intense mental analyzation of Naruto, processing dozens of thoughts in a matter of seconds.

Shikamaru managed to race through numerous different scenario's and plans to counterattack Naruto only for some unseen force to overwhelm him. This force pulled Shikamaru towards Naruto's right hand, allowing him to casually grab his former classmate by the throat.

Before the Nara clan heir could even react Naruto quickly shoved him into the ground, forcing Shikamaru to gag and spew various drops of spit on impact. For several moments a crouched Naruto towered over his very first friend in life.

The relationship between Naruto and Shikamaru had always been what the blond eagerly desired in life. Shikamaru never judged or mock Naruto like other classmates or parents, this allowed each of them to finally meet one late school day after the both go detention.

Various memories of his long friendship with Shikamaru then began drifting through Naruto's mind, deepening his already sad face. Despite the gentle nature of these memories they forced Naruto's grip around Shikamaru to tighten.

"Your actions are illogical." Naruto declared before lifting Shikamaru into the air while continuing to choke him.

"See this world through my eyes. A world so vast yet empty that it could be immeasurable. Incomprehenisble even to your great mind." As Naruto spoke both of Shikamaru's hands gripped his left wrist while struggling to break free.

"How can you be so smart yet so blind at the same time?" After he spoke Naruto tossed Shikamaru against a nearby tree with significant force, breaking his left leg.

"Tunneling Fang!" A recovered Kiba screamed while jumping off a nearby treebranch before rotating his entire body in a counter clockwise fashion.

Kiba spent weeks training for this moment, allowing him to finally preform the trade mark technique to his clan. This technique caused Kiba to rotate and spin at rapid speed, drilling through several treebranchs while he surged towards Naruto.

Despite the power and rotation of Kiba's technique, it took Naruto several moments before he casually glanced at the approaching attack. Naruto didn't even move or react to this attack until Kiba was barely inches away from his face, causing each of his Rinnegan eyes to bulge and widen.

This action created an unseen and overwhelming force around Naruto that rippled out in all directions, easily deflecting Kiba before pushing him back over 20ft. This force slammed Kiba against a distant tree before Naruto instantly appeared infront of him, towering over the injured Inuzuka clan heir.

Before Kiba could even react, a chakra-rod phased out from Naruto's right hand before he shoved it through the panting Inuzuka clan heir. This caused Kiba to gag and spew drops of spit while a chakra-rod perced entirely through his left shoulder.

Naruto then broke this chakra-rod off before being impaled by 6 senbon that pierced his skin in various different angles and locations. This attack was so insignificant that it took Naruto several seconds just to notice.

Naruto then casually began pulling out each of these senbon, causing various clouds of steam to pour from his wounds as they instantly healed. After several moments Naruto slowly turned his face to the left before focusing on the distant Sakura.

At this moment a large and round bulge abruptly appeared inside Naruto's Chameleon, gathering his attention as the bulge continued to grow. This forced the Chameleon to gag and groan in agony but its entire body ruptured into an explosion of blood.

This explosion stained the nearby trees, Leaves and grass with numerous splatters of blood before it slowly disappeared, a result of the Chameleon fading from reality. This revealed a surprisingly calm and confident Choji, causing each of Naruto's Rinnegan to narrow.

His expression... It's completely changed. Naruto concluded while observing Choji's face.

Choji stood with his body tripled in size before it slowly returned to normal, a result of the trademark Expansion Jutsu from the Akimichi clan. This fully exposed a unique and odd expression across Choji's face, the expression of determination.

Naruto is the same as us. A Ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. The voice of Shikamaru echoed through Choji's mind.

I don't really understand this because it's such a drag, but Naruto is our friend. These thoughts forced Choji to clench both hands tightly.

That's why we will put on lives on the line to bring him back, because that's the way of Konoha. This memory forced Choji's face to become stern and rigid while staring at the injured Shikamaru.

This collection of memories forced Shikamaru to morph into a 5ft tall bag of potato chips, filling Choji with strength and hunger. Choji then reached into the satchel on the back of his waist before pulling out a small glass and rectangle shaped container.

This container was separated into 3 different sections that each contained a unique and large colored pill. Because of Naruto's extensive knowledge from various separate Shinobi he was able to identify these pills.

Colored pills? They're not Food pills, so could those be...? Naruto asked himself while observing the Green, Yellow and Red pills held in Choji's container.

Suddenly, a barrage of several dozen senbon shot out from the surrounding trees before surging at Naruto from various angles. This attack was extremely similar to Haku's fighting style, proof that Sakura owed most of her skill to the former Mist Shinobi.

As these senbon approached Naruto they were each deflected by some unseen force before falling to the ground. During this, Choji's thumb opened one of the section in his glass container, allowing a large Green pill to roll into his right hand.

Naruto then turned around while the pupils of his Rinnegan began to bulge and grow, pushing the surrounding rings outward. This process caused Naruto's vision to shift into the chakra-filled world, allowing him to locate Sakura's bright Green chakra network.

Sakura was then instantly gripped by some unseen force that began pulling her through the air towards Naruto. While this occurred Choji tossed the large Green pill into his mouth before biting down with a heavy crunch.

First, the Spinach pill. Choji concluded while chewing his pill before Sakura's throat was harshly gripped by Naruto's right hand.

This action forced Choji to charge forward while swallowing his 'Spinach' pill, causing him to surge towards Naruto's back with Chunin-level speed. Despite this increase in power, Naruto easily side-stepped this attack before grabbing Choji's right wrist and contorting his arm backwards.

This allowed Naruto to slam his left knee into Choji's exposed stomach, forcing the obese Shinobi to spew drops of spit into the air. Naruto then kicked Choji down before throwing Sakura on top on him with significant force, cracking portions of the nearby ground.

While each of his former classmates gagged for air Naruto hurled his right foot forward, slamming it against Choji's throat and Sakura's stomach. The power of this kick forced each of the Konoha ninja to roll back over 5ft, causing several sections of earth to crack and crumble.

"N-Na-Nar-Naruto..." Hinata stuttered timidly from between a pair of nearby trees, unable to fight the same boy that she admired and adored.

This statement caused Naruto to turn his face around just enough to notice Hinata twirling her fingers together. Naruto then completely turned around before a brief period of silence filled the air.

This silence was then pierced by Hinata's continuous stuttering and mumbles as she constantly cut-off her own words, unable to properly speak. Hinata was always anxious infront of Naruto, unable to confess her true feelings of love.

Hinata always regretted not being able to confront Naruto, of openly declaring what she secretly always wanted. Even now, in this moment of desperation and need Hinata was still unable to speak, unable to confess how she truly felt.

Hinata was so overwhelmed by anxiety that her face was downcast while she stared at the ground, preventing her from seeing the sad expression across Naruto's face. Hinata was then instantly eclipsed by a dark shadow that towered over her.

This shadow caused Hinata to glance up before becoming hypnotized by Naruto's Rinnegan, forcing a pair of Violet eyes to pulsate through Hinata's mind. These Rinnegan completely overwhelmed Hinata's mind and sense of reality, forcing her to fall unconscious beside Naruto's feet.

A recovered Tenten then lunged towards Naruto from behind a nearby tree while thrusting her newly revealed sword forward. As this blade approached, Naruto managed to turn around at the last moment while a chakra-rod partially phased out from his left palm.

This allowed Naruto to effortlessly parry Tenten's sword, shattering parts of her blade in the process. This created several dozen pierces of jagged metal that drifted through the air while Tenten looked directly into Naruto's eyes, filled with astonishment and confusion as her mouth fell open.

Because she looked directly into Naruto's Rinnegan, Tenten was hypnotized as a pair of Violet eyes began pulsating through her mind. These eyes forced Tenten to fall down on both knees while each of her arms twitched and trembled numerous times.

Naruto's right foot then kicked Tenten in her flat chest, knocking her to the ground before he abruptly turned around as Choji and Sakura both stood up. Each of these Konoha Ninja were covered with scoffs of dirt but neither of them even noticed, they were too focused on bringing Naruto back.

A panting Choji then once again reached into his satchel before pulling out the same glass container, filled with only two pills. This action greatly interested Naruto as both of his eyes narrowed while his chakra-rod slowly phased back into his hand.

I see... So he actually brought the top secret pills of the Akimichi clan. Naruto concluded as Choji flung another section of his container open.

When eating one of those pills, he is filled with an explosive burst of energy... But it only lasts for several seconds. As these thoughts raced, Choji dropped a Yellow pill into his right palm before staring at the object.

At this moment, an immense and throbbing pain erupted through out Choji's torso, forcing the obese Shinobi to stagger and pant, a side-effect from his pills. During this, Sakura clapped both hands together before weaving through the Tiger, Hare, Boar and Dog Seals.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu!" Sakura declared before crouching down and slamming both palms into the ground below.

This statement forced a 10ft tall wall of earth to protrude out from the ground directly behind Naruto. After displaying this technique, Sakura quickly began charging forward while using her expert chakra control to funnel chakra into her feet.

This created a tangible bright Green aura that engulfed and surrounded each of Sakura's feet as she continued charging forward. At the same time, Sakura began throwing numerous senbon at Naruto only for him to effortlessly dodge each of these attacks.

Sakura then jumped over 10ft into the air while holding 3 senbon in between the fingers of each hand. These senbon soon began to glow with a bright Green aura as Sakura funneled a significant amount of chakra into these weapons.

As Sakura plummeted through the air, she preformed a lunging skydive to strike Naruto only for him to causally dodge her attack. Afterwards, Sakura dropped to the ground while extending her left foot out before rotating in a counter clock-wise fashion.

This allowed Sakura's foot to slide across the ground before colliding against Naruto's left ankle with no reaction or impact at all. Before the pink-haired Kunoichi could even react Naruto raised his left foot into the air before stomping down on her stomach.

The power of this kick forced Sakura to groan with pain as spit flew from her mouth while a nearby Choji continued his struggle to breath. Between these constant gasps for air, Choji's train of thought began to drift through various separate memories.

Choji... All you do is eat, maybe you should train alittle? The voice of Asuma echoed through Choji's mind.

You know, that's why everyone makes fun of you... Sheesh. Ino's voice echoed.

You said exceptional, didn't you? Then why not pick someone like Shino, instead of this guy? The memory of being mocked in the school yard drifted through his mind.

He's just some useless kid. Choji was insulted during the Chunin Exams.

It's true... No matter how hard I trained... I was always left behind. Choji admitted while continuing to gasp for air.

This realization forced each of Choji's arms to tremble and twitch multiple times while downcasting his face slightly. Deep down Choji always knew that he was the weakest member in his class, it was a feeling that he could never completely ignore.

Why...? Why am I so weak! Choji cursed his own failure while clenching his Yellow pill tightly in hand.

"Choji." Naruto's voice rang out, completely breaking Choji's train of thought.

This voice of Naruto was completely different than the cold and emotionless tone previously display, this was the same kind and gentle tone that Choji grew up with. This tone of voice caused Choji's mouth to fall open while he glanced up.

Suddenly, a family of Blue butterflies gently floated in between the pair of battling Shinobi, garnishing the entirety of Choji's attention. These butterflies danced and floated through the air in various different angles before causally landing atop each of Choji's shoulders.

"You always thought you were the weakest in our group, Choji. You were afraid of being helpless, of being a 2nd class friend... That is your greatest fear." As he spoke, Choji's mouth twitched numerous times.

"When you find a fear, that fear will either create you or destroy you. That's why I love fear." While he spoke the memories of Orochimaru fueled his words.

"Why, you ask? Because behind every fear is what that person truly wants to be. Fear is self-imposed." After he spoke, a limping Ino appeared atop a nearby treebranch.

"Fear doesn't exist, Choji. You created it, and you can destroy it too." These words managed to completely erase any sense of Choji's self doubt.

Choji's previous gasps for air and expressions of regret were instead replaced with confidence and determination. Without a moments delay, Choji quickly tossed the Yellow pill into his mouth before biting down with a heavy crunch.

Shikamaru... Naruto... You've both always placed your trust in me, it's time for me to earn that trust - With the Curry pill! Choji concluded before shallowing his Yellow pill.

At this moment, the surrounding earth cracked as multiple pierces of dirt and debris began floating into the air around Choji. At the same time numerous shockwaves of Blue chakra began erupting from Choji's entire body, forcing his scarf to waver dramatically in this chakra-filled breeze.

Choji had lived his entire life as the underdog, constantly underestimated and constantly mocked or belittled. But now, Choji stood with absolute confidence while radiating pure determination.

As Choji stood before Naruto, infront of the very same person he was trying to bring back, he knew this was the moment in life that he waited for. This was the moment when he would finally prove himself to his father and friends, the moment when he would become a great Shinobi.


	55. Chapter 55

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Leroche27 - I disagree, if you look at Danzo's actions from his perspective he isn't sacrificing Shinobi/civilian life's because he wants to, he does it because it's the right thing to do from his perspective.**

 **I understand this self-preservation trait is not a concept assorted with hero's and again that's why I call Danzo a tragic hero instead of just a hero.**

 **His methods are sick, twisted and extremely warped to the point were various innocent life's are killed off just to further his goal of becoming Hokage... But as Hokage he would genuinely try to bring peace too and unite the world.**

 **Yes he let hundreds of innocent people die, yes he hid from Pain's invasion instead of helping Konoha and yes he attempted to assassinate Hiruzen numerous times. But again he did all of this because he genuinely thought it was the right thing to do.**

 **If Danzo died than he couldn't bring about true peace and that's why he was so cowardly, he wanted to surpass Hiruzen and be remembered as a great Shinobi like the 1st Hokage. I agree that he should've intervened during Pain's invasion but the fact that he hid doesn't automatically make him a villain.**

 **Your last sentence is the exact reason why I call Danzo a tragic hero, it's true that if you truly love something than you'll protect it but at that point in the story Danzo considered himself to be the physical representation of Konoha.**

 **This twisted idea forced Danzo to care more about himself and his own preservation instead of the village because even if the village was destroyed he could rebuild it. His perspective of life is very warped and odd but he still has good intentions - that's why I call him a tragic hero.**

 **KingAsuraX - The problem with Minato (atleast in my opinion) is specifically how he died, that's honestly why I made Naruto hate him. In Minato's final moments he had 2 decisions to make - be a good Hokage or a good father and he didn't choose the latter.**

 **Side-note, I feel the concept of "What if Minato was a good father" could actually carry an entire fanfiction on it's back, something I might do in the future. I understand Jinchuriki are deterrents to war but frankly, Minato stopped 1,000 Shinobi by himself(canon) - he is his own deterrent, he is basically god.**

 **I can't explain future concepts of this story in too much detail for sake of spoilers, and because of this I can't really discuss Minato's role in the future of this story. But I will say that Naruto continues to grow and develop, so his perception of the world and his parents will develop too, but that's really far ahead.**

 **At that specific moment in time when Naruto 1st met Minato, I found it completely realistic for him to hate his father. Literally every single major problem in Naruto's childhood is a result of Minato being a dogshit father, he was the greatest Hokage ever but an absolute garbage father.**

 **In regards to your 2nd review, Sarutobi isn't inherently broken. Sarutobi is 1st shown in a young flashback while standing in between the 1st and 2nd Hokage's with Homura and Koharu. This photo shows that Sarutobi was atleast 10-12yrs old when Konoha was founded and is now a Genin.**

 **Sarutobi's exact canon age upon being made Hokage is never confirmed but if you do the math (a lot of headaches) then he is roughly 24yrs old when he is made Hokage. Later on when shown with a young Orochimaru, Sarutobi has visibly aged since being named Hokage but again his canon age isn't confirmed.**

 **I personally don't think Hokage are allowed to have students, that's why I made Sarutobi train the Sanin before becoming Hokage. This also means that since Guy is the 5th Hokage team 3 needs a new leader.**

 **The subject of Tsunade's age I personally argue is much more broken than Sarutobi's. Honestly, I get a headache every time I starting think about this shit because it becomes really apparent that Kishimoto just didn't plan that far ahead.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 55: The Flames Of Youth Burn Anew! Rivalry: A Taijutsu Battle.**

"Did you hear the news, Dr. Ikame? I heard that _thing_ left the village last night." The voice of a female nurse echoed through Sasuke's mind, partially waking him up.

"That's good to know, Saku, no one will be missing _it_." Ikame replied while checking Sasuke's vital systems.

"Did you think it's true... That thing killed the 3rd Hokage?" Saku asked in a hushed tone while holding a freshly cleaned blanket in between her arms.

"All that demon knows to do is kill, Kakashi and Lord Jiraiya are lucky they made it to this hospital alive." Ikame remarked.

The name of his Sensei caused Sasuke to stir and move in his sleep while the nearby medic's continued checking his vitals. This allowed a brief period of silence to fill the air, pierced only by the nearby chirping birds and Fire hawks that soared over the hospital.

"I told the lord 3rd that this would happen, I told him not to trust that disgusting demon." As he spoke, Sasuke began to slowly wake up.

"If it was up to me... Naruto would've been thrown away years ag-...?!" Ikame's sentence was abruptly cut-off as Sasuke's right fist slammed against his stomach.

Sasuke then sat up straight in his hospital bed as Ikame fell down on both knees while gagging for air. Saku then stumbling backwards for several feet while Sasuke slowly glanced around his hospital room.

"Security! Security!" Saku panicked as she ran from the room.

As Sasuke glanced around the room, he noticed his Leaf Police force cape hanging on the wall next to his sword, both of which were gifts from Shisui. Sasuke then quickly noticed a clipboard resting atop a nearby counter, a clipboard covered in various names and rooms.

This clipboard allowed Sasuke to instantly find Kakashi's room before standing up from his hospital bed. Moving with Jonin-level speed, Sasuke quickly grabbed his cape and sword before dashing out of the room, eager to find answers about Naruto.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Several miles North of Konoha._

Choji... When did you get so, strong? Ino asked herself while observing the waves of chakra resonating out from her teammate.

That's an impressive display of chakra. Naruto concluded as multiple shockwaves of Blue chakra radiated out from Choji's body.

Soon, these shockwaves of chakra began molding and engulfing Choji's entire body, covering him with an aura of bright Blue chakra. Choji then raised his right arm into the air before it slowly tripled in size, a result of the Partial Expansion Jutsu.

Choji's right hand then reached out before surging at Naruto, forcing him to leap over 10ft into the air. During this, Choji's left arm instantly tripled in size before reaching out and grabbing Naruto in midair.

Choji then began squeezing down on Naruto with significant force only to receive no reaction or response. Soon, Choji was squeezing down on Naruto with such force that beads of sweat began dripping from his forehead.

Each of Naruto's Rinnegan then suddenly bulged and widened before some unseen force erupted out from his body in all directions. This force easily overwhelmed Choji and the nearby Sakura that was still gagging for air, pushing each of them back over 10ft before slamming against a tree.

This force left behind a cloud of dust and debris that took several seconds to fully dissipate, revealing a calm Naruto. Naruto then extended his right arm out while funneling chakra into his eyes, forcing an unseen force to grab Choji before pulling him forward.

As Choji's floated through the air each of his arms returned to normal while his aura of Blue chakra slowly began to fade. Naruto's right hand to grabbed Choji by the throat before lifting him into the air.

An intense and throbbing pain then erupted through out Choji's torso limbs, making it almost impossible to move. Because of this pain, it took Choji's full might and power just to reach into his satchel before pulling out his glass counter.

Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of Violet chakra shot out from Naruto, forcing the nearby air to become dense and heavy. This level of chakra was so high that it completely restrained Choji, making it difficult for him to breath.

Portions of nearby earth and trees then began to crack and splinter under the weight of this chakra, easily Kage-level chakra. The weight of this chakra disarmed the glass container from Choji's grip before falling to the ground.

Upon impact, the final section of this glass container flew open before Choji's last pill slowly rolled out onto the ground. In a matter of seconds, Naruto stomped down on this Red pill with his right foot, crushing it into dust.

"In ancient legends, we're told the Sage of Six Paths fought for 7 days to save this world... I shattered mine in 7 seconds." Naruto remarked as Choji gagged multiple times for air.

Sakura then began charging at Naruto's back with 3 senbon held in between each of her hands. This forced Naruto to causally drop Choji to the ground before turning around to confront Sakura.

As she approached, Sakura flung her senbon-laced right fist forward only for Naruto to grab this attack with his bare hand. This allowed Naruto to effortlessly catch each of Sakura's senbon in between the fingers on his left hand.

Naruto then abruptly shoved his face forward, barely a nose distance away from Sakura's face. This action force Sakura to twitch before becoming hypnotized by Naruto's Violet eyes, causing a pair of Rinnegan to pulsate through out her mind.

These eyes forced Sakura to fall down on both knees while each of her arms trembled multiple times. Utilizing her intense training under Haku, Sakura's paralyzed hands managed to drop a senbon that plunged directly into her left thigh.

This sent a shooting pain through out Sakura's body, allowing her to briefly overwhelm the pulsating Rinnegan before slowly crawling away. Sakura's long and Pink hair was then harshly gripped by Naruto's left hand, pulling her back like a dog.

"Why...? Why are you doing this, Naruto? Do you really hate me that much?" Sakura begged to know, filled with regret for how she treated Naruto in the past.

Instead of replying with words, a chakra-rod phased out from Naruto's right palm before he hurled this weapon forward. At the last moment, Sakura grabbed a pierce of shattered metal from Tenten's sword before cutting through sections of her long hair, breaking free from Naruto's grip.

This allowed Sakura to narrowly avoid Naruto's chakra-rod while streams of blood leaked down her right arm, a result of Tenten's metal piercing her skin. Naruto then brutally kicked Sakura to the ground while strands of Pink hair decorated the nearby earth.

Suddenly, a barrage of Kunai were thrown from a nearby treebranch only for Naruto to effortlessly dodge each of these attacks. Naruto then casually deflected the last Kunai in midair with his chakra-rod, filling the air with sparks while the sound of metal striking metal echoed through the nearby trees.

These Kunai were thrown by a nearby Ino, eager to protect her Kunoichi friend. At the same time, Choji managed to stand up while pulling loose 2 metal wires with various Kunai held around them.

Choji quickly contorted these wires around his upper and lower torso while clapping both hands together as funneling chakra into his next attack. Choji's entire body then bulged and tripled in size, a result of the Expansion Jutsu.

"Spikey Human Boulder Jutsu!" Choji's screamed before his entire body began to rotate and spin like a large boulder.

This action broke several portions of earth while Choji's Kunai dug into dirt, throwing bundles of grass into the nearby air. Choji then began rolling forward with significant speed, continuously crushing pierces of earth and dirt as he approached Naruto.

So... He's using Kunai as spikes to increase his rotation speed and destructive force. Naruto concluded before slightly tilting his head to the right, popping several bones and joints.

As Choji approached, Naruto's chakra-rod slowly phased back into his hand before causally extending his right arm out. This created an unseen force that completely blocked Choji on impact while he continued to spin and rotate, shattering portions of nearby earth.

Each of Naruto's Rinnegan then bulged and widened, forcing an unseen force to ripple out in all directions. This force easily overwhelmed Choji before hurling him back, shoving him through 3 dense trees that Yamato previously created.

Ino then leapt off from a nearby treebranch before landing behind Naruto with a Kunai held in each hands. At the same time, Sakura threw numerous senbon at Naruto only for him to effortlessly dodge each of these attacks.

Sakura and Ino then both become embroiled in a fierce physical battle with Naruto as they surrounded him. These Kunoichi sliced and slashed their weapons through the air in various different angles and directions, only for Naruto to casually sidestep each of their attacks.

Naruto then dodged a horizontal Kunai slash from Ino before sliding his right leg under her feet, knocking her to the ground. Before Ino could even react, Naruto's right foot stomped down on her stomach with significant force, breaking several of her ribs as she groaned in agony.

Sakura attempted to help her friend only for Naruto's left hand to causally grab her by the throat. Sakura was then brutally thrown into a nearby tree, shattering a portion of her left shoulder in the process.

Naruto managed to effortlessly defeat each of the Konoha 8 that came to bring him back. Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Kiba and Shino were unable to move while Hinata was completely unconscious. Tenten and Sakura were the only ones left that could even move.

Instead of continuing his journey to the Land of Sound, Naruto began slowly walking towards an injured Sakura. This caused Sakura to hurl 3 senbon through the air only for Naruto to causally dodge each of them.

Sakura then tried to stand up only for a throbbing pain to shoot through her left shoulder, paralyzing her. This allowed Naruto to tower over Sakura before she slowly glanced up, causing a pair of Rinnegan to pulsate through her mind while her body twitched and trembled.

During this, Naruto raised his right hand into the air as a chakra-rod phased out like a spear. Naruto then hurled this weapon down while each of Sakura's Green eyes bulged with fear.

"Leaf Hurricane!" The voice of Rock Lee echoed throughout the clearing before slamming his right foot against Naruto's face.

This kick knocked Naruto back over 10ft while Lee stood infront of Sakura in his iconic stance. After several seconds, Naruto slowly stood up as a depressed look bloomed across his face while staring at Lee.

"Allow me to be your opponent, Naruto." Lee requested, forcing each of Naruto's Rinnegan to narrow.

Suddenly, Naruto's chakra-rod phased out even further before he grabbed the object like a sword. Naruto then began to roll each of his shoulders while twisting and contorting his neck multiple times, popping joints and bones in the process.

Lee had spent years beside Naruto, fighting with him, training with him and laughing with him. But the boy that now stood infront of Lee was someone he barely even recognized, Naruto was like an entirely different person.

"What's wrong with you, Naruto? You could've hurt Sakura." As he spoke Lee refused to look at Naruto's eyes, utilizing the same trick Guy developed for fighting against Sharingan-users.

This trick forced Lee to intently observe each of Naruto's arms and legs while never looking above his neck. This completely prevented Lee from noticing the sad expression that covered Naruto's entire face.

"And the others... Who did this?" While speaking, Lee glanced in between the injured and trembling Ino, Shikamaru, Choji and Shino.

"Lee! Don't hold back! This is rea-...!?" Tenten's words were cut-off as she appeared atop a treebranch before being caught by some unseen force.

This force completely overpowered Tenten before dragging her through the air while a shocked Lee watched. Naruto's left hand then harshly grabbed Tenten by the throat before brutally shoved her into the ground, creating a small cloud of dust and debris.

"Tenten!" Lee panicked before several seconds past, allowing the cloud of debris to partially dissipate.

"The longer you live... The more you realize that reality is just made of pain, suffering and emptiness." Naruto proclaimed as a cloud of dust partially concealed his body.

"My life spans centuries, you have not seen what I have seen. You have not done what I have done." After he spoke, the cloud of dust and dust finally faded away.

This revealed an unconscious Tenten that rested in the middle of a 3ft wide crater while Naruto towered over her. This sight forced Lee's mouth to fall open while staring at the injured Tenten.

"The flames of war that once burned this world will return, it is inevitable. Seas of Blood and cities in ruin, who are we to stand against this future? One divided world to stand against endless war." These words managed to garnish Lee's attention.

"There is always hope, Naruto!" Lee protested while holding each of his clenched and bandaged fists infront of his face.

"You speak of hope? Believe me... The thinnest sliver of belief that we might somehow survive the approaching war, is _all_ that sustains me." Naruto explained with sincerity dripping from his voice.

"This isn't like you, Naruto. The Naruto I know would never hurt a fellow Shinobi of Konoha!" Lee argued while glancing back at the injured Sakura behind him.

"In this Shinobi world, people cannot show their true feelings. That is the single greatest flaw of being a Shinobi, that's why I'm not a Shinobi." Naruto replied.

Naruto didn't even have a headband anymore, the one gifted to him by Iruka was burnt into ash during his rampage against Orochimaru. This left Naruto without anything that connected him to the village of Konoha, he was nothing but a Rogue-ninja at this point.

Lee then once again entered his iconic stance with his left arm behind his back while pointing his flat right hand towards Naruto. During this, Naruto's grip around his chakra-rod tightened, causing the sound of joints popping to fill the air.

I can't touch that weapon of his... Or else I'll be paralyzed. Lee concluded while observing Naruto's chakra-rod, using knowledge granted to him by Might Guy.

"So be it then! Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Lee shouted before charging forward without any weights restraining him, easily moving with Jonin-level speed.

A nearby Ino then began to stir before slowly crawling away, forcing Naruto to partially turn around. At the same time, Lee jumped over 10ft into the air before extending his right leg out and slamming it down against Naruto's left shoulder.

This attack filled the air with the sound of bones popping and cracking as Naruto visibly winced with pain. This was proof that Lee was on a level far above the previous Konoha 8, this was proof that his constant and rapid training had finally paid off.

"You don't have the luxury of looking away!" While he spoke, Lee kicked off against Naruto just in time to avoid a horizontal slash from his chakra-rod.

Lee then preformed a backflip while hovering in midair before extending his left foot out, kicking against Naruto's chakra-rod. Afterwards, Lee landed atop the ground before once again jumping up while kicking his right foot out at Naruto.

At the last moment, Naruto managed to block Lee's kick with his left hand but was also forced to take a step back. Lee then quickly contorted and twisted his body in midair in a counter clockwise fashion, shoving his left foot towards Naruto.

This attack caused Naruto to hold his chakra-rod in between both hands in a slanted vertical fashion, parrying Lee's fierce kick. This kick was so powerful that it forced Naruto to once again take a step back, creating an opening for Lee.

Moving with Jonin-level speed, Lee landed atop the ground before instantly jumping up and preforming a perfect front flip in midair. This allowed Lee to slam his right leg through the air with such speed that it created a dense breeze of wind.

Despite Lee's speed, Naruto managed to leap back just in time to avoid this kick, forcing Lee's foot to slam against the ground. The power of this impact instantly shattered small portions of earth and dirt before Naruto jumped over 10ft into the air.

As Naruto plummeted through the air, he directed his chakra-rod down before Lee also jumped into the air. Utilizing a masterful display of Taijutsu, Lee managed to dodge this chakra-rod in midair before upper cutting Naruto.

This attack forced Naruto to fly back over 5ft before preforming a backflip and landing in a crouched position. Afterwards, Lee also landed before once again entering his iconic stance while taking a heavy breathe of air.

After several seconds Naruto slowly stood up before tilting his head to the right, popping multiple joints and bones in the process. Lee then once again charged forward before ducking under a horizontal slash from Naruto's chakra-rod.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee screamed while sliding his right foot across the ground in a counter clockwise fashion, forcing Naruto to jump into the air.

While Naruto hovered in the air, Lee quickly managed to push himself off the ground before gliding towards Naruto in midair. Lee then kicked his right leg out in a horizontal fashion only for Naruto to somehow dodge this attack in midair.

This pair of battling friends then both landed atop the ground before Lee instantly jumped up while kicking his right leg out. Naruto managed to duck his head under this attack before Lee contorted and twisted his entire body through the air in a counter clockwise fashion.

This allowed Lee to raise his right leg into the air before slamming it down in a vertical fashion, only for Naruto to jump back at the last moment. This forced Lee's attack to slam into the ground, cracking and shattering small portions of nearby earth.

Continuing his rapid assault, Lee quickly recovered from his previous attack before once again charging forward. Instead of attacking with his legs, Lee hurled his right fist forward in an attempt to catch Naruto off-guard.

While Lee attacked, a crippling pain shot through his legs and torso, allowing Naruto to effortlessly dodge his punch. This pain was a result of Lee's fierce battle with Gaara, a battle he still hadn't fully recovered from.

This crippling pain forced Lee to fall onto the ground while Naruto raised his chakra-rod into the air. Naruto then slice this weapon down in a vertical slash only to instantly stop when Lee raise his hand into the air.

"Please, wait!" Lee pleaded, creating a brief period of silence while Naruto towered over him.

"I'm sorry! But it's time to take my medicine. Please excuse me for one moment." After he spoke, Naruto lowered his weapon before taking 2 steps back.

Medicine? Lee hates medicine. Naruto concluded while Lee's left hand searched through his own satchel before pulling out a bottle of liquid medicine.

Lee was holding this bottle so tightly that his fingers wrapped around and concealed the words across its label. This prevented Lee from noticing that he actually held a bottle of Sake instead of medicine.

"You probably remember that ever since I was little, I never liked medicine." After speaking, Lee uncorked his bottle of medicine before raising the container to his mouth.

Lee then began swallowing mouthful's of his medicine, determined to drink until the very last drop. It took several moments for Lee to completely finish his medicine before pulling the bottle from his lips. After finishing his medicine, Lee managed to stand up while Naruto once again took 2 steps back.

"Whepwwwwhh." Lee sighed while his mouth and throat slightly burned, a result from drinking so much Sake at once.

"Medicine... Always has a weird taste." After Lee spoke, his Legs began to bend and waver before he started to stumble numerous times.

"Hic... Hic... Woah, woah woah." While mumbling to himself, it became a struggle for Lee to properly stand up straight as he continued to stumble.

What? What did he drink? Naruto asked himself while a stumbling Lee dropped his now empty bottle of Sake to the ground.

A drunken blush then bloomed across Lee's face while each of his eyes began dizzy and lazy. Afterwards, Lee entered a unique and dramatic stance before hiccupping numerous times.

"Oh, hey Naruto! Wanna spar a little like the ol- Hic... Times." The voice of a dizzy and drunken Lee spoke with slurred words.

Despite this dramatic pose and declaration, Lee then began to once again stumble multiple times while Naruto watched in confusion. After several moments, Lee managed to once again stabilize his body both waving each of his fists through the air in an odd fashion.

Lee then took 1 step forward only to stumble several times before barely catching himself. It was such a struggle to stand up that Lee decided to kneel down on 1-knee while sighing.

This allowed a brief period of silence to fill the air, pierced only by Lee's occasionally hiccup. After several seconds, Lee slowly turned his face before looking at Naruto with dizzy and drunken eyes.

"DON'T YOU KNOW HOW IMPOLITE IT IS TO STARE?!" Lee's drunken voice echoed before he quickly stood up and charged at Naruto with Jonin-level speed.

As he approached, Lee jumped up before hurling his right leg through the air only for Naruto to step back at the last moment. Lee's foot soared past Naruto's face with such force that several strands of blond hair fell to the ground.

Lee then contorted and twisted his entire body through the air while falling to the ground. After landing, Lee extending his right leg out with spinning in a counter clockwise fashion only for Naruto to jump over this attack.

As Naruto hovered through the air, Lee quickly jumped up before they each became embroiled in a fierce hand-to-hand battle. This battle resulted in numerous punches, strikes, blows and attacks that were each blocked and caught by their opponent.

Lee then swung his clenched left fists forward only for Naruto to grab this attack before slashing his chakra-rod out in a horizontal fashion. Because of his drunken reflexes Lee was able to effortlessly contort his head down, dodging Naruto's attack.

Utilizing his drunken frenzy, Lee then hurled his clenched right fist forward only for Naruto to block this attack with his charka-rod. Lee was so drunk and dizzy that he didn't even process the pair of Violet eyes that briefly pierced his mind.

Naruto then began twirling his chakra-rod around his hand in a counter clockwise fashion, forcing Lee to break off his attack. The pair of battling friends then began circling one another as they fell to the ground, continuously battling in midair.

After twirling his chakra-rod multiple times, Naruto held the object in a reverse gripped fashion in his right hand. After tightening his grip, Naruto swung his chakra-rod out in a horizontal slash, forcing Lee to cross both arms like an 'X' infront of his chest.

This allowed Lee to catch Naruto's attack before deflecting it as he uncrossed his arms. Lee's right foot then shot up it midair before Naruto managed to catch and deflect this kick with his left hand.

As this pair of friends approached the ground, they continued to circle and rotate around one another with greater speed. During this, Lee's fist shot out in rapid succession like a machine gun, attacking with a blur of speed.

Against an average opponent, Lee's increased speed and dexterity would easily overwhelmed them but Naruto was on a completely separate level at this point. This allowed Naruto to tilt, twist and contort his head in numerous different directions and angles while Lee's blurred fists continued to swing past him.

He's faster than before. Naruto concluded before once again twirling his chakra-rod around his right hand.

Naruto then gripped this chakra-rod like a sword before holding it in a slanted vertical fashion infront of his chest, blocking a fierce kick from Lee. This kick was so powerful that it forced Naruto to preform a backflip in midair before sliding over 10ft across the ground.

At the same time, Lee also landed atop the ground before stumbling numerous times while he tried to stand up straight. As he stumbled, Lee hiccupped several times while shifting through various different Taijutsu stance's.

His medicine... Did it contain some special type of ingredient? While pondering these thoughts, Naruto's Rinnegan focused upon the distant and discarded bottle of medicine.

"Not... Bad - Hic..." Lee mumbled in between his constant stumbling.

"For some reason, whenever I move I start feeling really weird... HUH!?" While speaking, Lee dramatically emphasized his last word before falling on his back in a spread-eagle like fashion.

This created a brief period of silence while a genuine look of confusion bloomed across Naruto's face. During this, an injured Sakura was limping as she escorted Ino away from this battle.

Suddenly, Lee began to snore in a loud and dramatic fashion as his mouth fell open with each breathe. After several seconds, Naruto began calmly walking towards his childhood friend.

Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? Did he really fall asleep? Naruto asked himself as he slowly approached Lee before standing over him.

Lee then stood up with a drunken-level of speed while grabbing Naruto's right wrist before shoving his face forward. This action managed to once again create a genuine look of confusion across Naruto's face.

"You fell for it!" Lee shouted while slurring his words.

After speaking, Lee swung his right fist out only for Naruto to deflect this attack with the back of his left hand. Lee's left hand then released Naruto from his grip before forming into a fist and lunging out, only for his friend to duck under this attack at the last moment.

Naruto's right hand was then slightly raised into the air before Lee hurled a fierce right-handed punch into his stomach. This attack forced Naruto to visibly wince with pain, causing each of his Rinnegan eyes to briefly close.

Naruto's eyes weren't even closed for a second before he opened them and became shocked by what he saw. Lee's left fist and foot surged towards his chest and stomach with Jonin-level speed before slamming against Naruto.

This combination of attacks flung Naruto back over 10ft through the air before he landed atop the ground with a heavy thud. The force of this impact created a small cloud of dust and debris that briefly radiated out from Naruto before dissipating.

"I was acting like I was asleep, but I really wasn't! Being tricky is what Shinobi are good at!" As he spoke, Lee continued to stumble numerous times while rotating and shifting through multiple different Taijutsu stances.

"Guy-Sensei! I've done it! I'm a great ninja!" While screaming, Lee held both clenched fists infront of his face as dramatic tears poured from his eyes while the face of Might Guy floated through his mind.

During this declaration, Naruto was resting atop the ground with a look of confusion sprawled across his face. Naruto spent years training and developing his friendship with Lee but he never before saw this type of fighting style.

"GUY-SENSEI... I... I-...!?" Lee's words became cut-off midsentence before he once again fell down on his back in a spread-eagle like fashion.

Suddenly, Lee began to snore loudly while his mouth fell open with each breathe as Naruto watched in confusion. After several seconds, Naruto finally began to stand up before slowly walking towards Lee.

As Naruto approached, Lee once again stood up with Jonin-level speed before punching his right fist out. Despite his speed, Naruto was able to take 2 steps back at the last moment before Lee began to stumble.

"You fell for it again! Damn it! You're sorely mistaken if you think I'm the type of guy to sprawl out like a spread-eagle on the battlefield!" While speaking, Lee continued to stumble numerous times while shifting through various different Taijutsu stances.

"I... I... Huh? Where am I? Huh? Why? Wh-... Hic?! Why?" After he spoke, Lee abruptly sat down while crossing both arms infront of his chest.

For several seconds Lee continued to mumble and hiccup while Naruto quietly observed his childhood friend. Soon, Naruto slowly tilted his head before glancing down at Lee's empty bottle of medicine.

This bottle was then suddenly gripped by some unseen force that pulled it directly into Naruto's left hand. Instead of reading the label, Naruto decided to raise this bottle infront of his nose before breathing in.

Sake? So, he's just drunk? Then, I'll just get this over with. Naruto concluded while dropping Lee's bottle to the ground before taking several steps forward.

While approaching his childhood friend, Lee's face became heavy and downcast before he fell on his back and spread out like an eagle. This allowed Naruto to tower over Lee as he once again began to snore.

Naruto then slowly directed his chakra-rod through the air before aiming the tip directly above Lee's nose. While this occurred, Lee continued to sleep and snore as if nothing was wrong.

After aiming his chakra-rod, Naruto briefly retracted the object before twirling it around his right hand numerous times until grabbing it like a reverse gripped sword. Naruto then held his chakra-rod over Lee before a brief period of hesitation overwhelmed his conscious.

This hesitation was soon overpowered by resolve before Naruto thrust his weapon down only for Lee to roll over at the last moment. This forced Naruto's chakra-rod to stab harmlessly into the ground while Lee continued to snore.

This created a brief period of silence while Naruto stared down at Lee with a look of interest and confusion across his face. After several seconds, Naruto pulled his chakra-rod from the ground before raising it into the air and thrusting down, only for Lee to once again roll over at the last moment.

Naruto then pulled his chakra-rod free before repeatedly thrusting his objects down, trying numerous times to stab Lee only for each attack to miss. This forced Naruto's chakra-rod to stab harmlessly into the ground over 6 times while Lee rolled over every attack and continued to snore.

Suddenly, Naruto raised his chakra-rod into the air before thrusting down at Lee's chest instead of his neck or face. This attack was then caught in between Lee's feet mere inches away from his chest.

Since Lee wasn't directly touching this chakra-rod he was unaffected by Naruto's Rinnegan. The force from Lee's feet was so severe and intense that the sound of metal partially cracking could be heard.

"Hmph?" Naruto mumbled.

"CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYING TO TAKE A NAP!" Lee snored before yawning in a loud and dramatic fashion.

The drunken Lee then pushed this chakra-rod to the ground, forcing Naruto to crouch down while continuously holding his weapon. Lee then began spinning across the ground like a turtle on its back, slashing each of his legs out in a horizontal fashion.

This attack forced the push himself off the ground before preforming a front flip in midair, soaring over Lee's feet. This caused Naruto to land barely 5ft away from Lee with his back directed towards the latter.

At the same time, Lee quickly stood up before stumbling numerous times while struggling to keep his balance. While Lee continued to stumble, Naruto turned around in a clockwise fashion before leaping forward and slicing his chakra-rod out in a horizontal slash.

Because he was so drunk Lee managed to casually duck his head under this slash, easily dodging the attack while Naruto's right arm raised into the air. Naruto then once again swung his chakra-rod out in a horizontal slash, this time from the opposite direction of his previous attack.

As this chakra-rod approached, Lee stumbled just in time to crouch underneath this attack while hiccupping. During this, Naruto once again swung his chakra-rod out in a horizontal slash only for Lee to deflect this attack with the back of his right hand.

Lee was so drunk and dizzy that he couldn't even register the pair of Violet eyes that briefly pulsated through his mind. Since Lee deflected his attack, Naruto twirled his chakra-rod around his right hand before grabbing it like a reverse gripped sword.

Naruto then raised this weapon into the air before thrusting it down like a spear. With an impressive burst of speed, Lee managed to raise and position his left foot directly under Naruto's right wrist.

This allowed Lee to catch Naruto's attack while also preventing his chakra-rod from getting closer. Afterwards, Naruto swung his clenched left fist out only for Lee to block this punch with the back of his right hand.

During this, Lee extended his left leg out to disrupt Naruto's right arm while leaving his chest exposed for a new attack. Utilizing his drunken speed, Lee instantly clenched both hands into a fist before slamming each of them against Naruto's chest.

The power of these punches forced Naruto to stumble backwards before raising his reverse-gripped chakra-rod into the air. Naruto then thrust this weapon down only for Lee's right hand to grab his wrist before deflecting this attack with the back of his left hand.

This gave Lee a brief period of time to stumble and waver before Naruto slashed his chakra-rod out in a horizontal fashion. Lee was so drunk that he stumbled backwards just in time to avoid Naruto's chakra-rod, forcing the object to harmlessly slash mere inches away from his face.

Suddenly, Lee began stumbling backwards while causally dodging numerous strikes and slashes from Naruto as he advanced. With he step forward that he took, Naruto continuously hacked and slashed his chakra-rod through the air in various different directions and angles.

Why can't I hit him? Naruto asked himself as Lee continued to dodge and sidestep each of his attacks.

Against the previous Konoha 8 Naruto wasn't even trying but against Lee he was beginning to take this battle seriously. This only frustrated Naruto as he found himself unable to even hit Lee.

While attacking, Naruto thrust his reverse-gripped chakra-rod down only for Lee to cross both arms like an 'X' infront of his chest. These crisscrossing arms caught Naruto's right wrist, forcing his chakra-rod to harmlessly stab in between Lee's arms.

"I was sleeping so well..." Lee mumbled while stumbling back before jabbing his right foot into Naruto's stomach.

This kick forced Naruto to stagger backwards as Lee hiccupped while dodging his chakra-rod. Naruto was easily able to recover from this kick before continuing his assault by slashing his chakra-rod out in a horizontal slash.

As this chakra-rod approached, Lee ducked under this attack while his leg left extended out before slamming against Naruto's side. Naruto then retracted his chakra-rod before reaching out with his left hand, only for Lee to stumble back at the last moment.

After taking several steps forward, Naruto swung his right fist forward while holding his chakra-rod in a reverse gripped fashion. Utilizing his drunken frenzy, Lee managed to causally deflect this punch with the back of his left hand before twirling in a counter clockwise fashion.

While he rotated, Lee extended his left foot out before slamming it against Naruto's chest. This kick forced Naruto to once again stagger backwards before spinning in a counter clockwise rotation while slicing his chakra-rod out in a horizontal slash.

Like before, Lee ducked under this slash while hiccupping numerous times before slamming both fists into Naruto's stomach. Naruto then raised his chakra-rod into the air before thrusting it down only for the back of Lee's left hand to deflect his wrist.

Naruto's chakra-rod then twirled around his right hand before he began thrusting it outward numerous times like a spear. Because he was constantly stumbling, Lee managed to effortlessly dodge each of these attacks in rapid succession.

During these consecutive attacks, Lee causally laid down on his back before preforming a reverse cartwheel, rolling over numerous strikes. After Lee landed on his feet, he was gripped by an unseen force that pulled him towards Naruto's left hand before he grabbed him by the throat.

"You annoying buzzing bug..." Lee slurred his words before jabbing his right knee into Naruto's stomach with significant force.

The power of this attack forced Naruto to gag before dropping Lee onto the ground. Lee then used both hands to push himself off the ground before slamming his right foot into Naruto's stomach.

Afterwards, Lee stood up with impressive speed before punching Naruto's chest and torso numerous times, forcing him to slide back over 10ft. While Naruto slid back, a cloud of dust resonated out from his feet as Lee stumbled multiple times.

"Come on! Bring it! I'll do something really amazing! Bring it on!" While slurring these words, Lee shifted through several different Taijutsu stances.

What kind of Taijutsu is he using? I've never seen it before. Naruto asked himself while searching through his advanced memories for knowledge.

Naruto was fully aware of numerous secret techniques and forbidden jutsu but never before he had encounter such a fighting style. The style of the Drunken Fist was so rare and difficult to preform that it took several seconds just for Naruto to recognize it.

A Drunken Fist user? This is my first time seeing one. I didn't know Lee could do that. While these thoughts progressed, Lee continued shifting through various different Taijutsu stances.

"If you're not coming at me..." Lee spoke while standing on his tippy toes before swaying and stumbling multiple times.

"I'll go to you!" After he slurred these words, Lee began charging at Naruto while hiccupping.

His attacks are very direct in that stance. Naruto concluded as Lee approached him.

"Naa-AH!?" Lee groaned as he tripped over his own feet before faceplanting into the ground barely 3ft infront of Naruto.

This created an extensive period of silence as Naruto stared at Lee before both of his Rinnegan bulged with confusion. After several seconds, Lee began to mumble and groan while raising his face from the ground.

"Ouch... It's your fault!" After speaking, Lee instantly pushed himself into the air before extending both legs out and rotating in a counter clockwise fashion.

Naruto managed to dodge Lee's left foot before holding his chakra-rod infront of his chest in a slanted vertical fashion. This allowed Naruto to block Lee's fierce right foot as it rushed towards him.

Lee then kicked off against this chakra-rod before backflipping and twisting in midair and landing in a crouched position with his back directed at Naruto. Lee's right palm then pushed against the ground before he rotated his entire body in a counter clockwise fashion while swinging his legs out.

As these legs approached, Naruto jumped over them while twirling his chakra-rod around his right hand. Naruto then grabbed this object like a reverse-gripped sword before thrusting it down only for the back of Lee's left hand to block his wrist.

Lee's right hand then clenched into a fist before swinging out only for Naruto to deflect this punch with the back of his left hand. Both of Naruto's feet then landed atop the ground while he pulled his right arm back.

Lee then stumbled backwards just as Naruto leaned forward before slicing his chakra-rod out in a horizontal slash. Because of his drunken dexterity, Lee managed to lean back at the last moment.

This caused Naruto's chakra-rod to harmlessly slice over Lee's drunken face as he looked at the object with dizzy eyes. Naruto then retracted his right arm before Lee instantly stood up straight while hiccupping.

Both of Lee's fist then shot out multiple times in rapid succession, forcing Naruto to block each of these attacks with his chakra-rod. Even though Naruto successfully blocked these strikes, they were so powerful that he slid over 5ft across the ground as Lee advanced.

Lee then jumped up while slinging his right leg out in a horizontal kick only for Naruto to lean back at the last moment. This caused Lee's foot to soar past Naruto's face, moving mere inches away from his nose.

After these kick missed, Lee continued to rotate in midair before landing atop the ground and swinging the back of his left hand out in a horizontal fashion. Naruto managed to block this attack with his chakra-rod before Lee's right foot rushed towards his chest.

Because Naruto was actually taking this battle seriously now, his left hand easily caught Lee's foot mere inches away from his chest. With his left hand and right foot restrained, Lee jumped into the air before flipping his body in a slanted vertical fashion.

This allowed Lee to hurl his left foot at Naruto's face only for some unseen force to deflect this kick. This forced Lee to kick off against Naruto before backflipping in midair and continuing his assault after he landed.

Lee lunged forward while swinging his left fist out only for Naruto to sidestep at the last moment. Naruto then thrust his chakra-rod down at Lee's left shoulder before he stumbled backwards and dodged this attack.

Both of Lee's fist then surged at Naruto before he blocked each of these punches with his left arm. During this, Lee slid his right foot across the ground in a horizontal fashion, forcing Naruto to raise his right foot before stomping it down.

Lee then once again stumbled backwards while Naruto raised his left fist into the air before swinging it down. In response to this, Lee crossed both arms above his head which easily blocked Naruto's fist.

Naruto then retracted his left arm before slicing his chakra-rod out in a horizontal slash only for Lee to backflip over this attack. This caused Lee to land on both hands before preforming several backflips as Naruto chased after him, swinging his chakra-rod numerous times.

As Naruto approached, Lee once again landed on both hands before twisting his entire body around. This allowed Lee's left foot to slam against Naruto's right wrist with such force that he slid back over 10ft.

Both of Lee's feet then kicked off the ground before he surged through the air while rotating his entire body in a clockwise fashion. Lee rotated and twisted with such high speed that he resembled an Inuzuka clan member preforming the fabled Fang Over Fang.

As Lee approached, he held both fists infront of his head while Naruto gripped each end of his chakra-rod infront of his chest. This created a fierce shockwave of wind as Lee's fists slammed against Naruto's chakra-rod while he continued to rotated in midair.

The force of this shockwave soon overwhelmed Naruto before he once again slid over 5ft backwards as Lee landed on the ground. Both of Lee's feet then dug into the earth as he surged forward with high Jonin-level speed, causing wind to breeze across his face.

"Do you hear tha- Hic...!? It's my youth! IT'S BURSTING!" Lee shouted before hurling his right fist against Naruto's left wrist.

Lee's left fist then swung forward before slamming against Naruto's reverse-gripped chakra-rod with extreme force. Lee then retracted his right fist before once again hurling it forward only for Naruto to deflect it with the back of his left hand.

Lee's left foot then shot up and slammed against Naruto's chakra-rod while hiccupping numerous times. Afterwards, Lee stumbled back before twisting his entire body in a counter clockwise fashion while swinging his left hand out in a horizontal slash.

This caused the back of Lee's hand to slam against Naruto's chakra-rod before he then twisted his body in a clockwise fashion, turning back around. Lee then swung his right fist forward while stumbling before Naruto leaned back at the last moment.

As Lee stumbled, Naruto twirled his chakra-rod around his right hand numerous times before slicing out in a slanted vertical fashion. Because Lee was so drunk and dizzy, he casually leaned back just in time to dodge this chakra-rod.

Lee then stood up straight and entered a dramatic Taijutsu stance before hurling his flat right palm out. As this palm approached, Naruto tilted his head away at the last moment, forcing Lee's hand to surge past his face with extreme speed.

Naruto then blocked numerous strikes and punches with his chakra-rod before twirling the object around in his right hand. After twirling this weapon for several seconds, Naruto gripped it like a sword before parrying several kicks and punches from Lee.

After this consecutive series of attacks, Lee stumbled backwards as Naruto began thrusting his chakra-rod out like a spear in rapid succession. Lee was so drunk that he stumbled, staggered and sidestepped each of this attacks in a masterful display of Taijutsu.

Because of his constant stumbling and movement, Lee's back was now directed towards Naruto while he slashed his chakra-rod down in a slanted vertical fashion. Even though Lee couldn't see this attack, his right hand somehow managed to perfectly block the approaching chakra-rod from behind him.

Fueled by his drunken frenzy, Lee's left hand then reached over his shoulder before grabbing the opposite end of Naruto's chakra-rod. Since Lee was so drunk, he was to dizzy to notice the pair of Violet eyes pulsating through his mind.

Lee then twisted his upper body while wrestling over Naruto's chakra-rod, forcing each of them to shift through different stances and positions. This once again directed Lee's back at Naruto before he shoved his right elbow backwards.

In response to this Naruto raised his right knee infront of his stomach, allowing him to block Lee's jab. During this, Lee's left foot shot backwards before Naruto shoved his own right foot against this kick.

Lee then turned around before this pair of friends began fighting a fierce foot-to-foot battle, each of them mirroring the others kicks perfectly. At the same time, Lee managed to deflect and block numerous strikes and jabs from Naruto's chakra-rod.

"HOWL! MY YOUTH!" Lee's drunken screams echoed as he wrapping both legs around Naruto's left ankle.

"Uh-...?!" Naruto gasped as Lee completely robbed him of his balance before shoving him down.

As he fell to the ground, Lee shot forward with an impressive and drunken speed before shoving both fists into Naruto's stomach. The force of these punches instantly disarmed Naruto before he flung backwards and slammed against a tree.

Upon impact, small sections of treebark cracked behind Naruto as the hood of his Anbu cloak slid over his face. While this occurred, Naruto's chakra-rod fell to the ground as Lee hiccupped and stumbled numerous times.

"TWWUUUUAAAahhhh!" Lee screamed in a dramatic fashion while shifting through several different Taijutsu stances.

It took several moments before Naruto finally stood up while the hood from his cloak concealed everything above his whiskers. Without a moments delay, Lee once again charged at Naruto with high Jonin-level speed.

"Enough." Naruto proclaimed as Lee was gripped by an unseen force before being pulled towards him.

Naruto then shoved right fist full force into Lee's stomach, forcing him to gag and spew drops of spit before falling to the ground. After several seconds, Lee began to throw up and gag a puddle of Sake onto the ground before falling on top of it.

While rolling in his own vomit, Lee groaned and mumbled numerous words as he fought off the urge to throw up more. During this, an unseen force pulled Naruto's chakra-rod back into his right hand as he grabbed the object like a reverse-gripped sword.

Naruto then raised this chakra-rod into the air while both Rinnegan emitted a bright Violet aura from underneath his hood as he towered over Lee. Despite his previous hesitation, Naruto was determined to end this battle before he would change the world.


	56. Chapter 56

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: tenellis - Naruto could have been honest to Saru and I'm sure he would have believed his Sensei, but that doesn't progress Saru's character. Saru literally only has one narrative option right now, to get stronger so he can confront Naruto.**

 **I understand this could be considered 'Artificial Tension" because Naruto didn't have to be so harsh to Saru, but I stand by it. Everything Naruto did was to help Saru and the village of Konoha as a whole, Naruto's just trying to be a good Sensei, he's trying to be like Iruka.**

 **Omegarealism - You are correct, Lee realistically stands no chance against Naruto. That's why Lee lost the moment Naruto got serious. In regards to the Drunken Fist, it isn't fake at all and it's completely canon, Lee using the Drunken Fist is fully-canon and I encourage you to research it.**

 **Fuyuriku - I really do appreciate you taking the time to point out my grammar mistakes. I assume your point about Naruto's fighting style refers to his usage of his chakra-rod, which falls into the category of Kenjutsu, something Naruto was never good at as a child.**

 **Yes, the old Naruto would never fight like that but since he's absorbed both the 1st and 2nd Hokage along with several dozen Anbu, I find it realistic for him to atleast use Kenjutsu. In regards to Naruto dawdling around, that was the entire point of the fight.**

 **That fight was supposed to be symbolic about how far ahead of them Naruto is, but at the same time Naruto was also trying to do the right thing. That's why I had a line of dialogue between Naruto and each of the Konoha 8, dialogue of Naruto talking down to them or just acting like he was superior.**

 **This is also why most of the fights were carbon copies with Naruto just choking people or throwing them aside. I wanted the Konoha 8 to realize just how powerful Naruto is without even trying.**

 **There are several ways to show that a character is superior to others and that's why I had Naruto tower over the Konoha 8 and handle them like ragdolls. I understand this could be seen as repetitive or redundant because Naruto could literally beat them all in seconds, but then they wouldn't learn anything.**

 **In regards to Kakashi, he basically doesn't exist during this Arc. Kakashi used his** **Mangekyō** **Sharingan to erase Naruto's 6-tailed beast bomb during the Konoha Crush, because of this he is basically in a coma. Kakashi will be stuck in the hospital for weeks.**

 **In terms of Sasuke, his fight with Naruto won't happen until the Valley of the End so there is no way he will be saving or preventing anything. Finally, you bring up the concept of Guy chasing after Naruto, something I can't allow from a narrative perspective because Guy would footstomp Naruto.**

 **Let me make this perfectly clear, there is absolutely no way Naruto could beat Might Guy at this point in the story. Might Guy would beat Pain and since Naruto is no where near Pain in terms of power-scaling, there is no way Naruto would even stand a chance against Might Guy.**

 **I've kept Guy away from Orochimaru, 4-tailed Naruto and Naruto as a whole because Guy would footstomp all of them and from a narrative perspective I can't allow that. I can't allow Naruto to fight Might Guy because Naruto would lose and his dream would die.**

 **In terms of the length. I do understand the problem you pointed out and I'll restrict another chapter from being 9k. Thank you for your review, it really means a lot to me, every single mistake you pointed out will be fixed by the time you read this. I'd appreciate it if you continued to point out my mistakes.**

 **football78 - You're right, other Kage or Ninja from different Villages might find it difficult to take Guy seriously, but the same could be said for Hashirama who was also a goofball. In terms of Wood Style, I understand that Danzo and Yamato both displayed greater control over Wood Style in this story than in canon.**

 **I did this because Kishimoto made Wood Style ridiculously broken and restricted, something I'm trying to fix. I already explained why Danzo could use Wood Style so fluently, and that's because Danzo had all 4 Hokage DNA cells instead of just the 1st Hokage like in canon.**

 **Also, I already explained why Yamato was so well-versed with Wood Style and why he could use Wood Style without becoming exhausted like Danzo. In the anime, Yamato was injected with Hashirama cells at 6yrs old while in the Manga he was an infant.**

 **With this knowledge in mind, I find it completely realistic for Yamato to display such a powerful feat of Wood Style, I was trying to show that he was better at it than Danzo. In regards to Rinnegan, yes they're the eyes of God but Naruto hasn't mastered them to the extent of Nagato.**

 **I feel like you're over-hyping Naruto, he should not have footstomped Yamato or Danzo. Yes, Naruto has the eyes of God and he is Kage-level but if his opponents are also Kage-level than I don't see that battle being a footstomp. Having the Rinnegan doesn't automatically mean he wins. That's bad for the narrative.**

 **biginferno - I'm glad.**

 **jtcookiee96 - Thank you, that means a lot to me.**

 **GunBlade2019 - In terms of Canon, Choji is my 2nd favorite member of the Konoha 12 and I feel like Kishimoto didn't give him justice. I say this a lot but please believe me when I say I have massive fucking plans for Choji, massive.**

 **Also, Lee is my favorite canon member of the Konoha 12 and again, I feel Kishimoto didn't give him justice because Kishimoto was too busy deep throating Uchiha dick. Lee using the Drunken Fist will be a major part of his progression as a Shinobi. Stack Drunken Fist on top of the 5th Gate or higher.**

 **Ishimaru Taiki - I like to think a story is like sex, both of these things need a satisfying build up and climax or it's just a fucking waste of time. I treat fight scenes like that climax, I personally prefer the silly stuff like eating at restaurants or Hotel scenes but I also realize how important fight scenes are.**

 **I am L with a Death Note -** **I genuinely have no idea why you think this story is 'disgustingly homophobic'. Also, I'm genuinely surprised you think this story is 'without a doubt' the most homophobic out of every story you've read on this site. I'm curious to know, how many stories have you've actually read?**

 **Guest - Yes, it was.**

 **Tsuki-no-Hazama Hime - I had Danzo say that Diablo quote because he is the physical representation of "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." concept. This concept itself relates to the Democratic debate between the Tyranny of the Minority VS the Tyranny of the Majority.**

 **From a certain perspective, Danzo represents justice. Justice for the many and death for the few, but their deaths would pave the way for a new world.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 56: Battle Of Purpose! Sand Vs Bone.**

 _Friday 5:47pm, June 16th 58SSP._

Faint rays of sunlight sprinkled down between dense treebranchs that towered overhead. This sunlight illuminated both Lee and Naruto as the latter thrust his chakra-rod down with deadly intent.

"NARUTO!" Sakura panicked while dropping Ino to the ground before running towards her teammate.

Despite her protests, Sakura was unable to prevent Naruto's chakra-rod from piercing Lee's back. This punctured Lee's right lung, forcing him to cough blood on to the pile of vomit he was laying on.

Lee was so hungover from vomiting that he didn't even notice or flinch as this chakra-rod pinned his body to the ground. Naruto's chakra-rod then detached from his right hand before he turned around and backhanded Sakura across her face.

This knocked Sakura to the ground before she moaned with agony as her broken left shoulder slammed against dirt. Naruto's right foot then stomped on Sakura's throat, forcing her to struggle and squirm while attempting to breath.

Sakura's right hand grabbed, scratched and pulled Naruto's foot numerous times only to fail at every attempt. Soon, this lack of air forced Sakura's field of vision to become dark and hazy as she lost her sense of reality.

After several seconds of struggling, Sakura's limp arm fell to the ground while both eyes closed as she groaned her last breathe of air. This was followed by a brief period of silence as Naruto continued to stand over her limp body.

Naruto then pulled his foot off Sakura's throat before glancing around at the injured, broken and blood-covered Leaf ninja that he once called friends. The sight of these injuries almost broke his heart, forcing the ever present frown on his face to deepen.

"There are places I have to walk, where you can't go." Naruto mumbled in a hushed tone, so quiet that his words could barely be heard.

After pausing for a brief moment, Naruto continued to study and observe the crippled members from the Konoha 9. This sight was so brutal that Naruto's once firm resolve began to crack and splinter, forcing him to turn away.

Naruto's feet then dragged across the ground as he slowly walked away from his classmates, ignoring the pain-filled groans that pierced the air. This was an arduous moment for Naruto, a moment that was difficult to endure but he couldn't turn back now.

Despite the intense struggle that raged inside him, Naruto soon disappeared from sight without even looking back at his classmates. This is the last time Naruto would see them for years, and the last time many of them would think of Naruto as a genuine friend.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, a few miles North._

"This is such horse shit." Tayuya complained while sprawled out on a small cloud of sand that carried her across the forest floor.

Gaara, Dosu and Tayuya traveled so far North that they finally managed to leave Yamato's massive Wood Style forest. This allowed the pair of traveling teenagers to walk through a natural forest with normal-sized trees that dotted the nearby area.

"I didn't even finish eating, what does that lame nerd think he's doing?" While she complained, Tayuya continuously stared at the clear blue sky overhead.

"You, are such a bundle of joy." Dosu mumbled in a quiet tone.

"Suck. My. Dick." Tayuya ordered while propping herself up on both elbows as she glared at Dosu.

This statement created a brief period of silence as the group continued their long journey North. During this, Gaara was greatly confused by Tayuya's choice of words, he never heard a girl speak in the same manner that she did.

"D-... Do you even have a dick?" Gaara stuttered, still unable to properly understand sarcasm or emotion.

"My dick is 13 inches and covered in polka dots." Tayuya explained with a straight face, further confusing Gaara.

"Anyway, gimme some of those berries from earlier." After speaking, Tayuya gently blew against the long red bangs that covered her nose.

"I gave them all to Naruto, I'm sorry." Gaara apologized in a humble and polite tone.

"Fuck you, you Ketchup haired bitch." Tayuya barked out, using a word that Gaara never heard before.

Tayuya never liked the color red and because of this she always had a deep hatred for her own hair. This distain for the color red was so great that it even eclipsed her hatred of fat people like Jirōbō.

"Don't you have a garden of Tomato's growing out your head." Dosu remarked, forcing Tayuya's face to turn red with rage.

"I'LL SHOVE MY THUMB IN YOUR EYE, YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Tayuya screamed while lunging forward before falling flat on her face.

This left a dirt-covered bruise across Tayuya's nose while she grinded her teeth together in rage. After several seconds, Tayuya pulled her face from the ground before muttering several insults under her breath.

After finishing this extensive list of insults, Tayuya glanced up as Gaara and Dosu turn around before looking at her. The enraged Kunoichi then prepared to verbally assault this pair of boys before her brown eyes bulged with shock.

Both Gaara and Dosu then mirrored her action before glancing at a shadowy figure that was shrouded between a pair of trees. This figure managed to quietly plummet through the air before landing atop a treebranch with a hollow thud.

"Why are _you_ here?" Tayuya panicked before a ray of sunlight pierced the tree foilage from overhead, illuminating the once shadowy figure.

"Kimimaro..." After she spoke a heavy gust of wind blew in from the South, rustling the nearby trees while dozens of leaves began to float through the air.

"Where is lord Orochimaru?" Kimimaro questioned, his loyalty and love for Orochimaru was absolute.

That outfit, he's from the Sound village. But I've never seen him before. Dosu concluded.

"Why are you...? Your body... Your body should be..." Tayuya stuttered after pushing herself off the ground.

"My body is broken. But I can still move through sheer willpower." Kimimaro commented, forcing a sneered expression to bloom across Tayuya's dirty face.

"Don't you know when to die?" Tayuya spoke with a faint tremble echoing through her voice, displaying an unusual level of fear.

"My life is nothing to lord Orochimaru. Kabuto told me his plan to crush Konoha failed, where is my lord?" Kimimaro asked, completely focused on his goal.

"I don't know where he is..." Tayuya muttered under her breathe.

This response created a brief period of silence as Kimimaro's right hand gripped some nearby treebark. This sick and injured Shinobi then began to gently rub his hand against the treebark multiple times.

"I can feel his dream in the air. Lord Orochimaru is everything to me." Kimimaro explained, displaying a deep connection with Orochimaru.

"You were supposed to escort my lord. To protect lord Orochimaru and serve him, but you failed." As he spoke, Tayuya dragged her fingernails across the ground while resting on her knees.

"Besides that, where are the other 3? We were the Sound Five." After speaking, Kimimaro quickly glanced between Gaara and Dosu.

This is... Odd. I'm getting an odd feeling from this guy. Dosu surmised, forcing his visible eye to squint and narrow.

Kimimaro was vastly different compared to the other Sound Five or even compared to other Sound Ninja. Kimimaro was the only person beside Orochimaru that genuinely terrified Tayuya, he was on a completely separate level.

"Tayuya. There is a reason I'm not going to kill you here." Kimimaro exclaimed, causing Gaara to cross both arms in front of his chest.

"I'll keep you alive until I find lord Orochimaru. That is my purpose." After he spoke, Tayuya swallowed a wad of spit that swelled in her throat.

"Didn't you say your body was broken? You're too late to be the next container." Tayuya remarked, showing vast knowledge about Orochimaru and his body swapping technique.

"I will see the truth in this world. Lord Orochimaru will show me." Kimimaro replied as a weak smile bloomed across his face.

"This is the only thing I can do for him." While he spoke, Dosu began squinting his one visible eye.

"You're completely delusional. Do you actually think Orochimaru cares about you?" Dosu questioned while each arm hung limp by his sides.

"Oh?" Kimimaro muttered as another gust of wind blew in from the South.

This breeze forced Kimimaro's hair and outfit to rustle while his extended sleeves completely concealed both arms. After several seconds, a sharpened bone protruded out from his left sleeve while the sound of bones rubbing and grinding together filled the air.

"His name is lord Orochimaru. And since you couldn't remember that, let's see... How should I kill you?" While he spoke, drops of sweat began to form underneath Tayuya's hat.

"We're so dead..." Tayuya mumbled, fully aware of Kimimaro's power and strength.

Soon, the previous gust of wind doubled in density while Kimimaro continuously stared down at a terrified Tayuya. Both of his vivid Green eyes then twitched before widening as Gaara slowly stepped infront of Tayuya.

"A friend of Naruto is a friend of mine." Gaara spoke, eager to understand the true meaning of love and friendship.

Those eyes... Looks like he has a strange chakra. Kimimaro concluded while observing Gaara's pale Green and emotionless eyes.

Suddenly, Kimimaro began to pop, contort and roll each of his arms in various different directions. Afterwards, Kimimaro extended his left arm outward while pointing his sharpened bone at Gaara.

At the same time, Kimimaro's right hand also grabbed his left wrist in order to stabilize his aim and precision. This created a brief period of silence as Gaara stared at Kimimaro without a hint of emotion.

Kimimaro's bone then shot out like a spear, spewing drops of fresh blood on the ground as it tore from his flesh. This attack greatly horrified Tayuya while Dosu calmly took several steps backwards.

Despite the fierce velocity of this approaching bone, Gaara didn't even flinch as the dirt around his feet was crushed into grains of sand. This mound of fresh sand then instinctively rose into a hardened wall of sand, moving on it's own will.

This clump of sand managed to endure this fierce attack from Kimimaro's bone before slowly absorbing the hardened weapon. This spear-like bone then began to slide through layers of shifting sand before protruding out the opposite end.

This allowed Gaara to directly observe the sharpened bone as it finally slid out from his sand. This bone then fell down before stabbing vertically into the ground barely inches away from Gaara's feet.

During this, the skin on Kimimaro's left palm slowly mended together while the bones inside his arm regrew in seconds. Afterwards, a portion of the sand wall crumbled away before revealing half of Gaara's emotionless face.

"You're so hasty." Gaara muttered in a quiet yet humble tone.

After speaking, an extensive period of silence filled the air as Gaara and Kimimaro continuously stared at each other. This silence was pierced only by Tayuya's terrified gasps for air while staring at Kimimaro with a mixture of fear and panic.

Gaara's face then turned halfway around before glancing between Tayuya and Dosu with his pale Green eyes. This allowed Gaara to focus on Tayuya's display of fear, a display that genuinely affected him.

The sensation of fear was the only emotion Gaara understood, a fact that he severely regretted since meeting Naruto. After noticing Tayuya's own fear, this forced Gaara to think back on all the cruel and terrible deeds he once did.

This realization caused Gaara to redirect his attention back at Kimimaro, allowing each of their Green eyes to lock in on one another. Soon, Kimimaro's entire body was replaced by the transparent form of a crazy Gaara.

This was in deep contrast to the Gaara that stood infront of Tayuya, a Gaara that was quiet, kind and humble. Gaara saw himself through Kimimaro's eyes, he saw the once twisted and lonely path that he used to walk.

Gaara didn't want his friends to feel that fear, he didn't want them to be afraid. This was a train of thought that was almost completely new to Gaara, the idea of protecting others, the concept of valuing their lives more than his own.

"Stand behind me, both of you." As he spoke, the ground underneath Tayuya and Dosu cracked into several hundred grains of sand.

This statement forced each of Kimimaro's eyes to once again twitch as the cork on Gaara's gourd popped off. At the same time, Dosu narrowed and squinted his visible eye while observing Gaara.

"Whatever you say... Ketchup." Tayuya muttered in response, still unable to properly stand because of her injuries.

Numerous streams of sand then rose into the air before arching over Tayuya and Dosu from various directions. These streams each funneled themselves into the narrow lid of Gaara's gourd, swelling it with excess sand.

"Tayuya... I don't know where you found these pieces of trash but they're in my way." Kimimaro proclaimed, causing Tayuya to once again swallow of wad of spit down her throat.

"I will protect them. That is my goal, that is my purpose." Gaara explained, forcing Kimimaro's vivid Green eyes to once again twitch.

"Your purpose? That is a noble goal." Kimimaro remarked before gripping the zipper of his tunic before sliding it down halfway.

This caused the entire left sleeve of Kimimaro's tunic to slide and drape across his pale torso, barely clinging to his arm. Because his chest was so pale, this allowed Gaara to finally notice an odd Black Seal engraved just below Kimimaro's collar bone.

"I've been thinking a lot about that word recently... Purpose." While speaking, his memory drifted back to when he was an orphaned child that wandered the Land of Mist alone.

"Do humans have a purpose when they're born?" This question created a physical disturbance in Gaara, because it was something that he constantly asked himself.

"Because we're born, do we also have an important purpose that we must accomplish?" As Kimimaro spoke, it became apparent that he is still didn't know the answer.

"Why am I here? What does my life mean? Before lord Orochimaru, I was nothing. Without lord Orochimaru, I am nothing." These words created a visible expression of pity across Gaara's face.

"For someone like me, who lost everything. Finding my purpose was quite difficult but now that I have it, I will never relinquish it. Lord Orochimaru is my purpose." After speaking, Dosu scoffed from behind his bandaged face.

"Orochimaru has brainwashed you well, you sad little pawn." Dosu exclaimed, forcing Kimimaro's entire face to twitch before contorting with rage.

"NO! You're wrong! You don't understand!" Kimimaro protested while leaping from a tree branch before plummeting through the air.

As Kimimaro fell, his entire left sleeve slid off his arm before resting against his side. During this, Kimimaro reached out with both hands before the bones in his finger tips began to slowly protrude out.

These bones then shot out with alarming speed, launching 10 bullet-like bones into the air. This collection of hardened bone soared through the air as Kimimaro landed on the forest floor before charging forward.

As this combination of fierce bone projectiles and Kimimaro approached, Gaara didn't even flinch. At the last moment, numerous walls of sand erupted from the ground in front of Gaara, Tayuya and Dosu.

These walls then hardened before cracking on impact as various bones collided against the sand. During this, a dense stream of sand lashed out towards Kimimaro, cracking the dirt underneath into more sand as it advanced.

This rushing torrent of sand forced Kimimaro to jump over 10ft into the air before flipping and twirling over numerous streams of sand. After dodging these attacks, Kimimaro landed on the ground while another torrent of sand surged at him.

This sand erupted out like a wave across the ground, forcing Kimimaro to perform a backflip before landing on his left hand. Kimimaro then pushed himself into the air before twisting in a clockwise fashion, barely avoiding a dense stream of sand.

This stream of sand surged past Kimimaro with such speed and strength that it cracked the nearby ground on impact. While Kimimaro twisted through the air, he once again released another volley of fingertip bones.

Like before, these bones were once again absorbed by numerous walls of sand without Gaara even reacting. Afterwards, multiple torrents of sand surged at Kimimaro from numerous different directions and angles.

Despite the intense speed utilized by this sand, Kimimaro managed to dodge the attack while displaying Jonin-level reaction time. As he twirled through the air, Kimimaro twisted with such high velocity that his right sleeve slid off his pale arm.

At the same time, the zipper on his tunic fully opened down to his waist, revealing the entirety of his pale torso. During this, the now empty sleeves of Kimimaro's tunic hung limp against his sides while continuously dodging a rapid bombardment of sand.

During this consecutive attack, Kimimaro launched numerous volleys of fingertip bones through the air. This action caused over 40 separate bones to crash and collide against multiple walls of sand.

He doesn't make a single wasted movement. Dosu analyzed Kimimaro's fighting style, greatly impressed with the White-haired Shinobi.

Kimimaro's left foot then landed atop the ground before sliding back over 10ft, a result of his high-level velocity. While he slid, a cloud of dust and debris rippled out from the ground, partially concealing the nearby air.

A dense torrent of sand then once again surged towards Kimimaro, forcing him to jump back at the last moment. This allowed Gaara's sand to crash into Kimimaro's previous location with such power and strength that the ground cracked.

A combination of both offense and defense? That sand of his is very versatile. Kimimaro observing Gaara's technique while hovering backwards through the air.

Suddenly, a crippling pain erupted from Kimimaro's lung before spreading through out his body. This pain completely immobilized Kimimaro as he fell on his back before coughing harshly into both hands.

Soon, each cough began spewing drops of blood that stained both hands while Kimimaro struggled to breath. This level of pain was so intense that Kimimaro didn't even react as streams of sand began wrapping around his legs.

This sand then continued to spread over Kimimaro's body before completely concealing him from sight while Gaara's right hand extended outward. An extensive period of silence then filled the air as Gaara's hand twitched, unwilling to kill his opponent.

Gaara's sand blocked out all sources of light from Kimimaro, shrouding him with darkness as he began thinking about his childhood. These memories than developed into a collage of Orochimaru, the only person who ever gave Kimimaro a true purpose in life.

Lord Orochimaru... I will not fail you. Please, wait for me my lord. As these thoughts progressed, the seal underneath Kimimaro's collar bone began to glow like fire.

This seal then began to spread and grow, expanding across Kimimaro's torso, arms and neck. As the seal continued to expand, it soon contorted into numerous parallel lines with other lines interlocking or ending entirely.

Is it over? Dosu asked himself while quietly observing the sand-incased Kimimaro.

There's no fucking way he beat Kimimaro! Tayuya assured herself, confident that Kimimaro was far beyond Gaara's level.

After several moments, both of Gaara's pale Green eyes narrowed as the sand around Kimimaro began to shift and quake. Kimimaro's right hand then abruptly jolted out from the bundle of sand that surrounded him.

This hand was covered with numerous Black parallel lines as Kimimaro's seal finally sprawled across the entirety of his body. As this hand continued to reach out, grains of sand spewed atop the nearby ground.

Kimimaro's hand then firmly gripped the surrounding sand before slowly pulling his entire body out from Gaara's technique. During this, the sound of bones popping, relocating and snapping multiple times could be heard as Kimimaro accomplished an impossible task through sheer willpower.

As Kimimaro pushed forward, miniature streams of sand wrapped around his neck, torso and arms only to be overwhelmed by his willpower. This allowed Kimimaro to slowly inch himself forward before pulling both legs free and stumbling as he attempted to stand.

Kimimaro then stood in a half crouched position with both arms hanging limp by his sides while he panted heavily for breath. While this occurred, Gaara noticed a trail of blood leaking from the right corner of Kimimaro's mouth.

Soon, Kimimaro's blood began to drip atop the blades of grass around his feet while Gaara, Tayuya and Dosu all stared at him with different levels of shock. Kimimaro was struggling to stand as each breathe of air brought him closer to death, the result of a mysterious yet fatal disease.

Several portions of sand clung to Kimimaro's outfit while additional grains of sand slowly drifted off from both shoulders while he gasped for air. This sight was especially shocking to Tayuya since she actually knew how powerful Kimimaro was in his prime.

A strong gust of wind then blew in from the South, causing Kimimaro's hair to waver in the breeze while his loose sleeves rustled. Despite the crippling sensation that rippled through his body Kimimaro was still able to stand, fueled by his love and devotion for Orochimaru.

I'm still alive... That's means I still have a purpose in this world. Kimimaro concluded while ignoring the taste of blood in his mouth.

At this moment, the numerous Black parallel lines that decorated Kimimaro's body began to once again glow like fire before spreading even further. This action greatly alarmed Tayuya, forcing her mouth to fall open with shock.

He's going to use the 2nd stage of the curse mark!? Why would he push himself this far? Tayuya asked herself, displaying a deep knowledge of the curse mark.

Lord Orochimaru... I truly believe that humans are born into this world with some kind of purpose. That's what I believe. Kimimaro surmised his deepest belief while the rapid sound of his heartbeat echoed throughout his mind.

We're each born with a specific mission to accomplish, an important mission. A purpose that gives us true meaning in this world. As these thoughts raced, the seals across Kimimaro's body continued to spread and develop.

My mission, my purpose... Is to serve lord Orochimaru and his ambitions. After finishing these thoughts, the bright seals enveloped Kimimaro's entire body, causing him to glow like fire.

Suddenly, a crippling pain once again erupted from Kimimaro's lungs, interrupting his transformation while he staggered multiple times. This forced Kimimaro to fall down on both knees while his curse mark slowly receded back underneath his collar bone.

How are you feeling, Kimimaro? The memory of Kabuto's voice echoed through Kimimaro's mind.

The attack on Konoha didn't turn out as expected, lord Orochimaru has disappeared. As this memory progressed, Kimimaro once again began to harshly cough up blood.

With this curse mark... Do I become a part of you, lord Orochimaru? Kimimaro thought back to when he first obtained the Cursed Seal of Earth.

Come, see the truth of this world through my eyes, Kimimaro. The voice of Orochimaru filled Kimimaro's mind before he finally stopped coughing.

This world could be ours, Kimimaro. Yours and mine, won't you come? These words gave Kimimaro the strength to stand up.

Orochimaru brainwashed you well, you sad little pawn. The words of Dosu repeatedly echoed, creating an enraged expression across Kimimaro's face.

"You're wrong! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Kimimaro screamed, confusing Tayuya and Dosu while Gaara was overwhelmed with pity.

Kimimaro's mind was then pierced by the constant throbbing of his dying heartbeat. With each second that passed, Kimimaro's heartbeat grew heavy and slow while blood dripped from his mouth.

"I-... I will see the truth in this world! LORD OROCHIMARU WILL SHOW ME!" While his dying screams echoed through the air, Kimimaro charged forward with sheer willpower.

As the dying Kimimaro advanced, the sound of bones cracking could be heard with drops of blood spewed from his mouth. Despite his crippling injuries, Kimimaro managed to dodge and evade several streams of sand before approaching Dosu.

"I am not his pawn! He's the only one that ever gave my life meaning!" As he advanced, Kimimaro's Ulna and Radius bones protruded out from his right palm before conjoining together like a sword.

Kimimaro then gripped this weapon with deadly intent before raising it into the air, determined to protect Orochimaru's honor. Kimimaro was on the brink of death and collapse but that didn't deter him from his purpose.

This sight greatly affected Gaara, filling his heart with genuine sadness while walls of sand instinctively formed to protect him and his friends. During this, Kimimaro's attack inched closer as a stunned Dosu finally began to react.

This was a very crucial moment in Kimimaro's life, a moment that he defined as his true purpose. This was the moment when Kimimaro would finally validate his existence in this world, the moment when he would prove himself worthy to Orochimaru.


	57. Chapter 57

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **A Discussion about Fuinjutsu: I have to talk about this subject before we continue, the subject of swallowing or regurgitating scrolls, swords and other objects from a Shinobi's mouth.**

 **In canon, the only evidence I can find about people regurgitating objects are Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Both of these Shinobi either regurgitated scrolls or a weapon, each of which were covered in saliva and drool.**

 **From my research, I can find no evidence of this technique being a Snake Sage or Toad Sage ability. Because of this, I firmly believe that regurgitating objects from your mouth isn't Senjutsu related, its a type of Fuinjutsu.**

 **Infact, I believe swallowing/regurgitating objects from your throat is a Kage-level display of Fuinjutsu, something very few people can accomplish. I firmly believe this is why we didn't see a lot of regurgitating in canon.**

 **When you swallow an object using this technique, you're sealing that object inside your stomach which is a display of Fuinjutsu. I submit that regurgitating objects using this method isn't Senjutsu, its Fuinjutsu and I ask that every single one of you keeps this in mind as this story progresses.**

 **For those of you who are interested, I've added a picture of my Naruto world map to the 'Naruto Fanfiction Pictures' group I made on Facebook. This isn't necessary to the story and you won't miss anything if you just ignore it, but I like to think it fleshes out the world - I could just be retarded though.**

 **This map will also give a hint to the 6 forms of Sage Mode I will be writing (3 of which are the Sanin Sage Modes).**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 57: Please, Forgive Me My Lord! Forgive Me, Lord Orochimaru.**

 _Thursday, June 15th 50SSP_

The room was dark and shrouded with dense shadows that concealed much from view. This was a small caged off prison that was hidden in the back of a cave with wooden bars preventing escape.

In the distant corner of this prison sat a 7yr old boy that was huddled together in a timid fashion while both knees resting infront of his chest. He had shoulder-length White hair with a teal Blue waist-length Kimono that was tied around his stomach with numerous White bandages.

Underneath this, the boy wore a pair of dirt Brown pants that ended several inches above his ankles. Finally, this boy oddly wore a pair of Black Shinobi shoes, revealing that he wasn't just some average child.

Despite his young age, the boy's face and outfit were each covered with stains of dirt and mud. The prison he sat in was dark and lonely without any sense of light to illuminate his existence.

The most unique aspect of this boy was a small red circle that rested above each his thin eyebrows. Also, a thin layer of red rested underneath each of his vivid Green eyes.

This left a constant sensation of depression that swelled inside the boy, a feeling that was magnified since it was his 7th birthday. He was stuck in this prison for as long as he could remember, forcing his entire life to pass by like a haze as he continuously counted the days gone by.

Suddenly, a rust-covered steel door at the entrance of the cave was unlocked before flinging open. This released several rays of bright light that illuminated the dark prison, only for the imprisoned boy to continuously stare at the ground.

A pair of shoes then began to shuffle across the floor as an unknown man slowly approached the wooden bars that caged the boy. Instead of opening these bars, the manly simply crouched down before sliding a tray of food underneath them.

This tray was topped with a bowl of Potato soup, White rice and a glass of water, a meal that was rather fancy considering the situation. The unknown man then stood up before causally walking out of the cave and slamming the steel door behind him.

The sound of keys wrestling with a lock then filled the air as the steel door was locked numerous times from the outside. During this procession, the quiet boy didn't once look up from the ground while his vivid Green eyes gave off a depressed look.

His will to live was basically nonexistent, he didn't even remember what life was like outside of prison. The only memory that clung to this boy was the distant memory of his name, Kimimaro.

* * *

 _2 Weeks later, Sunday June 29th 50SSP_

A young Kimimaro sat in the dark corner of his prison with a sharpened bone held in a reverse gripped fashion in his right hand. This bone was repeatedly stabbed against the nearby wall while a depressed Kimimaro stared at the ground.

"Why am I in a place like this?" Kimimaro asked himself while consecutively stabbing the wall.

"Did I do something wrong?" After he spoke, Kimimaro turned around before observing the wall.

Kimimaro's constant stabbing allowed him to carve a human face into the stone wall that lined his prison. This sculpture had short yet spikey hair with hollow eyes and a narrow neck that deeply contrasted the nearby stone.

Kimimaro then dropped his sharpened bone to the ground before gently rubbing the stone face with both hands. Because of his extensive imprisonment, Kimimaro was rarely able to even look at other humans.

"Is there really a God?" As he spoke, Kimimaro continued to gently rub the stone face.

"If there is a God, why would he keep me confined here?" After speaking, an extensive period of silence filled the prison as Kimimaro waited for a response.

This period of silence stretched on for what felt like minutes, filling Kimimaro with rage when he received no answer. This rage forced Kimimaro to grab his sharpened bone before raising it into the air, preparing to stab the stone face.

At this moment, the rust-covered steel door at the entrance of the cave was quickly unlocked before being pushed open. This released a blinding amount of light that completely illuminated the prison while briefly paralyzing Kimimaro.

This level of light was far more intense and potent than anything displayed in his previous years of captivity. This light was so bright that Kimimaro struggled to keep his eyes open after turning around.

"Who is it?" Kimimaro asked while holding his left arm in front of his face in a slanted vertical fashion.

An unknown man then walked directly up to the wooden bar before shoving a key into the lock. During this, Kimimaro stood up while struggling to keep both eyes open as light continued to illuminate his prison.

"It doesn't matter who I am. Get out." A middle-age man ordered before unlocking several locks that lined the wooden bars.

A small and narrow wooden door then slid open at the entrance of Kimimaro's cell, a door that hasn't been opened for years. Desperate for a purpose in life, Kimimaro dropped his sharpened bone to the ground before slowly exiting his prison cell.

An innocent Kimimaro then stood in front of this unknown man in a timid fashion as a bright light illumined the elderly figure. After several seconds, this light eclipsed the elderly man with such brightness that Kimimaro could barely keep one eye open.

"Kimimaro, the day has finally come for you to be useful." These words created a twinkling sparkle in Kimimaro's squinted eye.

"You will fight for us, the Kaguya clan!" This statement forced the sparkle in Kimimaro's eye to tremble numerous times, happy to finally have a purpose.

* * *

 _Several hours later, 11:32pm_

"We'll make a night attack against the Hidden Village of the Mist." An elderly yet dominant old man spoke out while several dozen members of the Kaguya clan and Kimimaro stood around him.

This group stood in the center of a wide grass-filled plain that was nestled between a surrounding forest. The sky was dark and foreboding while the only source of light was the full moon that hovered over head.

"This is our perfect chance to show just how powerful the Kaguya clan really is!" After speaking, the surrounding adults began to chuckle and laugh in a sadistic tone.

During this twisted laughter, a calm and innocent Kimimaro stood between the callous adults. Kimimaro didn't understand anything about war or violence, he was just happy that someone needed him.

"Show them what it means to fear the Kaguya clan!" After he spoke, a chorus of approving screams answered his request.

The surrounding adults then each surged over in different directions, sprawling across the moonlit plain. This left Kimimaro alone with the elderly man, obviously the clan head of the Kaguya clan.

"What are you doing, Kimimaro? Hurry up and go." The elderly man ordered with the wave of his right hand.

"What should I do?" Kimimaro asked in a pure and innocent tone.

"You don't have to think about it so deeply." The man replied while each of his eyes twitched and pulsated in a psychotic fashion.

"Just wonder the Land of Mist and kill every single person you encounter! Kill everyone from the Village Hidden in the Mist!" After speaking, the man giggled in a sadistic fashion before turning around.

Because they were in the Land of Mist, an ever constant fog filled the surrounding air, partially concealing the elderly man. Soon, the man started to walk away while a confused and innocent Kimimaro pondered his words.

The dense mist then completely enveloped the elderly Kaguya clan head, forcing Kimimaro to panic after he lost direct eye contact. Kimimaro then charged off in the same direction as this figure before disappearing into the mist, determined to fulfill his purpose.

* * *

 _Several minutes later, on a long and dirt-filled road around twilight._

A focused and emboldened Kimimaro ran down a narrow road while the moon towered over head. After several seconds, Kimimaro noticed a pair of individuals walking down the road.

This sight forced Kimimaro to abruptly stop running, causing his feet to briefly slide across the dirt-filled road. Afterwards, Kimimaro's right hand held a sharpened bone infront of his chest in a reverse grip fashion.

"Are you from the Village Hidden in the Mist?" Kimimaro questioned the individuals infront of him, one a child while the other was an adult in his early 20s.

The adult wore the iconic outfit of a Mist Jonin with the headband of the Mist village tied against his skull in a slanted vertically fashion. His mouth and lower face was wrapped in several layer of bandages while a heavy sword was sheathed against his back, the legendary Kubikiribōchō.

The boy beside this man wore a short-sleeved dark Blue shirt with Black shorts that ended 3 inches above his knee and sandals on each foot. Both of these individuals carried a heavy traveling backpack, suggesting they were on a long journey.

"No." The adult answered in a casual tone while his right hand gripped the hilt of his revered Kubikiribōchō.

This response caused Kimimaro to briefly pause while his vivid Green eyes glanced into the boy's dark Brown eyes. These eyes gave off the exact same appearance and emotion as Kimimaro's, eyes that wanted to validate their existence.

"O-Oh... I see, I'm sorry." Kimimaro apologized before lowering his weapon and running past the pair of individuals.

Afterwards, the adult released Kubikiribōchō from his gripped before casually walking forward while the young boy looked back at Kimimaro. The boy continued to stare at Kimimaro before the latter soon disappeared into the distant mist.

"Haku?" The bandaged adult spoke out as he slightly turned around.

"Oh! Please forgive me, master Zabuza." Haku apologized before jogging after his Sensei.

"We don't have time to be standing around. Let's hurry." Zabuza declared before he continued walking forward as Haku trailed behind.

While following Zabuza, Haku continuously glanced back while the eyes of Kimimaro drifted through his mind. During this, a bright twinkle in Haku's eyes began to sparkle numerous times.

He had the same eyes I did, before I met master Zabuza. Haku concluded before he and Zabuza disappeared into the dense mist, using the midnight sky to cover their escape.

* * *

 _10 minutes later, atop a mist-covered mountain side_

The sound of men, women and children being murdered echoed throughout the dense mist while a nearby town was annihilated by the Kaguya clan. During this attack, multiple homes and buildings were engulfed in flames, forcing the smell of burnt flesh and smoke to mix with the midnight air.

While these distant screams begged for help, a snake-like figure stood atop the fence-covered mountain side without a care in the world. His hair was jet Black while his skin was as pale as snow.

His outfit consisted of a bright Yellow ankle-length Kimono with a Purple sash tied around his waist. Also, he wore an odd assortment of traditional wooden sandals, very similar to something Jiraiya would wear.

While this figure casually observed the burning town, Kimimaro charged out from the nearby forest before lunging towards his back. This figure then easily dodged Kimimaro's attack before knocking the young boy to the ground with one hand.

The power of this action caused Kimimaro to hit the ground with a heavy thud before sliding back over several feet. Despite his injuries, Kimimaro managed to abruptly stand up before once again charging forward.

"Stop." The voice of Orochimaru commanded in a dominant and powerful tone, freezing Kimimaro in his tracks.

"Hmphhmphhmphhmph… You're a hasty one. I'm not from this village." As he spoke, his words forced an innocent expression to bloom across Kimimaro's face.

"You're a member of the Kaguya clan, right? The town is that way." After speaking, Orochimaru shuffled to the side while Kimimaro glanced at the burning town behind him.

"Now, go." These words managed to fill Kimimaro with determination, giving him the strength to charge forward before leaping off the cliffside, eager to accomplish his purpose in life.

It looks like it has finally begun... The Kaguya clan have finally devolved back to their former selves. Orochimaru observed the violent Kaguya clan.

During the Warring States Period, the Kaguya Clan was arguable one of the greatest clans along with the Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, Yuki and Hyuga. However, because of the modern change in politics with the merging of several clans into villages, the Kaguya clan rapidly became an ancient and dogmatic cult.

The time of an independent clan that valued only combat and bloodlust was quickly becoming unacceptable in today's society. The Kaguya clan devolved from one of the greatest clans that ever existed into a barbaric horde of nomadic warriors.

Because of the violent nature of the Kaguya clan, this made the kind and gentle Kimimaro quite abnormal. Despite this obvious difference, the only thing Kimimaro cared about was that someone finally needed him, he finally had a purpose.

* * *

 _5 minutes later_

Kimimaro stood in the center of a burning town with barely a dozen other Kaguya clan members standing around him. Among these clan members stood the proud yet psychotic head of the Kaguya clan.

"Is this all that survived? It looks like we're surrounded." The clan head spoke with a twisted tone as he smiled in a sadistic fashion.

During this, multiple shadows dashed, surged and rushed between the nearby houses and fires. These shadows were the result of elite and veteran Anbu from the Village Hidden in the Mist.

"We will just have to take as many along with us as possible. Let's have some fun!" After he spoke, the surrounding clan members each erupted into a chorus of dark laughter, welcoming death with open arms.

At this moment, dozens of Mist Anbu jolted out from the surrounding area before rushing towards the Kaguya clan from all angles. The ferocity of this attack easily overwhelmed several clan members while Kimimaro managed to duck under a horizontal sword slash.

A 7yr old Kimimaro then single handedly fought off 3 Mist Anbu at the same time. Despite his young age and lack of experience, Kimimaro displayed an impressive degree of balance, precision and agility.

Numerous swords were hacked and slashed at Kimimaro only to be dodged and counter attacked each time with a sharpened bone. This bone was so strong and dense that it deflected and parried various strikes.

During this impressive display, Kimimaro jumped on the blade of a horizontal sword that was swinging towards him. Allowing Kimimaro to shove his sharpened bone down the throat of the nearby Anbu member.

Why am I here? What is my purpose? Kimimaro asked himself as he continued to fight for a clan that he barely even knew.

This was a question that Kimimaro constantly asked himself, curious about the true meaning of life. Over the years, Kimimaro slowly realized that he genuinely had no purpose, his life had no meaning.

Kimimaro didn't fight for himself, he only fought because somebody needed him. The only thing that could make Kimimaro's body move was the realization that someone actually needed him.

This train of thought became so heavy and dense that Kimimaro was struck in the back by a horizontal sword slash, showering his cloths with blood. However, multiple protrusions of bone then jolted out from his shoulder and spine, horrifying the nearby Anbu.

Before today, Kimimaro spent his entire life caged like some type of rabid animal, an animal that had no purpose. After years of suffering in a dark cave Kimimaro had finally found his purpose, to protect the Kaguya clan.

* * *

 _Several hours later, 7:39am_

Numerous rays of bright sunlight sparkle in from the rising sun as a new day dawns over the Land of Mist. These rays illuminated a pale and blood-stained Kimimaro that wore a tattered and torn outfit.

Kimimaro stood atop the same cliffside from last night, allowing him to observe the now tranquil village. A mound of dead Kaguya clan members was piled inside the town with numerous Mist citizens and Shinobi surrounding them.

While Kimimaro managed to fight with enough ferocity to survive, every other member of the Kaguya clan died in battle. Kimimaro lost his entire clan and his purpose all in one night, he had nothing left.

I'm alone again. A depressed Kimimaro concluded before slowly turning around and disappearing into the morning mist.

Kimimaro walked for what felt like hours, continuously enveloped in the ever constant fog that blanketed the Land of Mist. After an extensive period of walking, Kimimaro approached a tranquil and calm lake that was partially concealed by mist.

After approaching this lake, Kimimaro stared down into the reflective surface for several seconds while examining his face. Soon, a bright color caught Kimimaro's vision from the corner of his eye, forcing him to turn slightly before walking towards a nearby tree.

As he walked, a small smile grew across Kimimaro's face after he noticed a blooming White flower that was resting atop the mist-covered ground. Kimimaro was surprised that such a beautiful thing could grow in a place this.

"Why are you blooming here?" Kimimaro asked the flower with innocence radiating from his tone.

Kimimaro then smiled for several seconds while he waited for a response, only to receive no answer. After several seconds, this began to upset Kimimaro as the smile on his face contorted into a scowl.

"Why won't you answer me?" After speaking, an extensive period of silence filled the air.

"You're going to ignore me too?!" As Kimimaro spoke, a sharpened bone protruded out from his right palm before he held the object in a reverse gripped fashion.

"You have a purpose! Why don't I?!" As he screamed these words, Kimimaro raised his sharpened bone into the air while preparing the kill the flower.

"Stop." The voice of Orochimaru echoed through the air, causing a crouched Kimimaro to partially turn around.

"Maybe... Just maybe, there is no purpose in life." These words caused an intense mental impact on Kimimaro, forcing him to abruptly stand up before devoting all attention towards Orochimaru.

"But if you linger a while longer in this world, you might discover something of value in it. Like... How you discovered that flower." This statement forced each of Kimimaro's vivid Green eyes to sparkle with purpose.

"Or, like how I discovered you... Hmphhmphhmphhmphhmph." As he laughed, Orochimaru leaned forward before gently rubbing Kimimaro's cheek with his left hand.

"Now, let's go." Orochimaru encouraged as multiple rays of sunlight pierced the surrounding fog, illuminating Kimimaro's world.

This was the most important moment in Kimimaro's life, the moment when he fully devoted himself to Orochimaru. Also, this was a moment that replayed itself daily inside Kimimaro's mind, before Orochimaru he had nothing.

This is why Kimimaro's loyalty to Orochimaru was so devote and fanatical, because he owed everything to Orochimaru. Kimimaro didn't just follow Orochimaru, he trusted and loved him like a father, a sensation that dominated his entire life.

* * *

Friday _6:08pm, June 16th 58SSP_

The setting sun released numerous rays of light that pierced the dense trees overhead while a dying Kimimaro lunged at Dosu. During this, the sound of Kimimaro's heartbeat grew more rapid and irregular with each second that passed.

Lord Orochimaru...  Kimimaro pondered as various memories of Orochimaru drifted through his mind.

Lord Orochimaru! As this thought progressed, Kimimaro's bone inched closer to a panicked Dosu.

While Gaara's sand was rushing to protect Dosu, he realized there was no way he could dodge the attack. Kimimaro was moving with such speed that even Gaara's sand couldn't deflect him, each step he took was fueled by pure determination.

"LORD OROCHIMARU!" Kimimaro screamed, forcing his words to echo through the nearby forest while his weapon was mere inches away from Dosu.

At this moment, an unseen yet overwhelming force gripped Kimimaro's entire body, halting his attack. This force then flung Kimimaro back with incredible power, causing him to roll and slide across the ground for 10ft before slamming against a tree.

The force of this impact caused Kimimaro to instantly cough up a significant pool of blood, staining the nearby grass as crimson liquid dripped from his mouth. At the same time, a crippling pain erupted from each of his lungs, paralyzing his entire body.

Also, Kimimaro's heart began to violently beat in rapid succession while his chest rose and fell numerous times. During this, Kimimaro's vision became distorted and hazy while he was mere inches away from dying.

"My damaged body is of no use to him... That was my purpose, and its gone." As his dying voice struggled to speak, a single tear fell from Kimimaro's left eye before running down his cheek and falling to the ground.

Kimimaro then downcast his face while his back rested against a partially cracked tree. Like in his childhood, Kimimaro completely failed his purpose, a fact that swelled inside his dying mind.

Lord Orochimaru, I failed you... Please, forgive me my lord. Kimimaro internally begged while he struggled to breath.

"Maybe... Just maybe, there is no purpose in life." Naruto spoke after appearing beside Kimimaro.

These words instantly garnished Kimimaro's attention, forcing him to raise his face before staring directly at Naruto. Because Kimimaro's dying vision was so hazy and because the words spoken were so familiar to him, he genuinely thought Naruto was Orochimaru.

"But if you linger awhile longer in this world, you might discover something of value in it. Like... How I discovered you, my dear Kimimaro." As he spoke, Naruto crouched down before gently rubbing his left hand against Kimimaro's cheek.

During this, Tayuya, Gaara and Dosu watched this odd meeting between Naruto and Kimimaro with varying levels of confusion. Tayuya personally thought it was really gay and lame while Dosu made a mental note of how familiar Naruto was acting.

"Lo-Lord Orochimaru...!?" Kimimaro coughed out while a small smile bloomed across his dying face.

"I've failed you, lord Orochimaru... Please, forgive me my lord!" While begging Naruto to forgive him, his words further confused Tayuya and Dosu.

"You never failed me, Kimimaro." Naruto replied in gentle tone while dragging his left hand over Kimimaro's heart.

"Just when I got my mind together, my body fell apart." Kimimaro exclaimed before harshly coughing numerous times, staining Naruto's hand.

"I'm cold, lord Orochimaru." After he spoke, an extensive period of silence filled the air.

"Lo-... Lord Orochimaru... " As Kimimaro spoke, gusts of heavy air escaped his mouth while he struggle to speak.

Naruto's right hand then reached out for Kimimaro before gently rubbing and twirling his White hair. Tayuya didn't understand why Naruto was being so affectionate to Kimimaro, she didn't understand why Naruto was acting like this.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything, my lord." After he spoke, Kimimaro's heartbeat was mere seconds from stopping before Naruto's grip over his chest tightened.

This conversation was something that completely confused Tayuya and Dosu, both of them personally knew Orochimaru for almost their entire life. At the same time, Gaara's devotion to Naruto was so absolute that didn't question the odd conversation.

"Do you still want to see the truth of this world, Kimimaro?" Naruto questioned the dying Sound Shinobi, creating a bright twinkle inside each of Kimimaro's vivid Green eyes.

"I want to become a part of you, lord Orochimaru. I want to see the world through your eyes." Kimimaro pleaded before coughing more blood onto Naruto.

"Then come with me, Kimimaro. See the truth of this world through my eyes. This world could be ours, Kimimaro. Yours and mine, won't you come?" Naruto repeated the same words Orochimaru once told Kimimaro.

Kimimaro's heartbeat then dramatically slowed down while each breath became a struggle. During this, a collage of memories with Orochimaru drifted through his mind, causing the smile across his face to grow more prominent.

"Show me...! Please, show me the truth of this world. Lord Orochimaru..." After he spoke, Kimimaro's heart began to violently seizure, causing his entire body to tremble.

Suddenly, Naruto's left hand dug against Kimimaro's chest before pulling his dying soul loose. This soul then promptly merged with Naruto as Kimimaro's eyes slowly closed while his last breathe of air escaped his mouth.

Despite the brutal and chronic pain that Kimimaro felt in his dying moments, a wide smile was prominently displayed across his lifeless face. Kimimaro's only purpose in life was Orochimaru, that's why he was so happy to see his lord one last time.

Naruto then calmly stood up while Tayuya's mouth fell open, overwhelmed by a mixture of confusion and awe. During this, Dosu intently analyzed Naruto while his one visible eye narrowed.

Th-... That's? He's...!? Dosu internally stuttered while his advanced intellect finally realized why Naruto felt so familiar.

Lord Orochimaru?! Tayuya panicked, shocked at this display of new information.

Tayuya was well aware of Orochimaru's Body Swapping technique, a technique that would've allowed Orochimaru to steal Naruto's body. This realization that was almost too shocking to handle, filling Tayuya with embarrassment.

Tayuya realized that she almost kissed Naruto when they left the Leaf Village, which means she almost kissed Orochimaru. This left a disgusted filling inside Tayuya's stomach while she almost drowned with embarrassment.

This knowledge was so shocking that Tayuya didn't even care about the limp corpse of Kimimaro resting on the ground. This level of surprise created an extensive period of silence that filled the air.

Tayuya wasn't just confused about Naruto's identity, she didn't understand what type of technique he used against Kimimaro. Because of this, no one dared to speak as Naruto stood over Kimimaro.

This period of silence continuously stretched on before a sudden gust of wind blew in from the South. This was the most embarrassing moment in Tayuya's entire life, a moment she would never forget.

* * *

 _10 minutes later, 7:21pm_

An embarrassed and quiet Tayuya sat atop a grass-covered cliffside while the setting sun was disappearing behind the distant horizon. Her arms, legs and even concealed portions of her body were covered with poorly healed scabs and wounds.

Because Tayuya suffered from so many wounds and injuries, she complained until Gaara's sand escorted her away from the group. Tayuya didn't really care about Kimimaro, so she didn't want to waste time watching the others deal with his corpse.

"Fucking fuck." Tayuya muttered under her breath while sitting dangerously close to the cliffside.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck... Fuck." While she murmured these words, the faces of Naruto and Orochimaru drifted through her mind.

Tayuya was never a romantic girl and she carried a great distain for how most girls acted, this was the main reason she was such an abrasive tomboy. This distain towards a girly attitude was only magnified by her recent attempt to kiss Naruto, something she deeply regretted.

"Whiskered little bitch..." As she spoke, her mind intently focused on Naruto.

Tayuya was previously able to convince herself that Naruto was stronger than Orochimaru, and that's why she followed him. However, Kimimaro's reaction to Naruto forced Tayuya to debate her own previous thoughts, uncertain who Naruto actually was.

Like Kimimaro, Tayuya had no real life before Orochimaru and even if she wanted to leave, she had no where to go. This created a fierce mental conflict inside Tayuya, she didn't know what she wanted to do.

This level of conflict was empowered by her lack of music, the only thing that made Tayuya happy. The combination of Tayuya's broken right shoulder, numerous flesh wounds and the lack of music really pissed her off.

Soon, the setting sun fully disappeared behind the distant horizon, blanketing Tayuya with a mild level darkness. Afterwards, Tayuya pulled her hat off before burying her face into the bundle of soft fabric that partially filled with strands of Red hair.

This caused Tayuya's long and bright Red hair to fall loose before clinging to multiple portions of her body. Because she constantly wore a hat, the majority of her hair was fuzzy and unkempt.

"I'm such an idiot..." These mumbled words were shouted into Tayuya's hat.

During her time inside Konoha, Tayuya grew very accustomed to Naruto's attitude, jokes and even his personality. This is why Tayuya felt so stupid, because she finally realized all those things were gone.

However, Naruto also displayed several moments of kindness and affection since leaving Konoha, something Tayuya rarely felt from Orochimaru. This was a very odd outcome from Kimimaro's death, an outcome that Tayuya didn't expect.

Tayuya then screamed numerous mumbled words into her hat, pissed off that it took so long to notice how odd Naruto was acting. Tayuya was so distracted by her rage that she didn't even hear Naruto walk up behind her.

"Tayuya." Naruto's voice pierced the freshly darkened sky.

This voice greatly surprised Tayuya, causing her to jolt back with such speed that various bones in her right shoulder popped. This popping forced Tayuya to bite her lower lip while murmuring several insults under her breath.

Because Tayuya was still embarrassed, she downcast her face while instantly turning back around. Afterwards, Naruto quietly stood behind Tayuya while she continued to mumble insults under her breathe.

After several seconds Tayuya realized that she couldn't just stand up and away, a realization that pissed her off. A dense gust of wind then blew in from the South, forcing Tayuya's messy and uncombed hair to waver in the breeze.

"What do you want... Lord Orochimaru." Tayuya asked with harsh tone.

Because her back was turned, Tayuya was unable to see the deep frown that formed across Naruto's face after she spoke. This question then created an extensive period of silence before the previous gust of wind finally dissipated.

"I was actually hoping you died. I always hated you, and the Sound Village." As she spoke, Tayuya was convinced that _Orochimaru_ would soon kill her.

"I was hoping the blond runt would at least help me get strong enough to leave that piss poor village. But I'm stuck with you again." After speaking, a brief frown stretched across Tayuya's face after realizing she'd never accomplish her dream.

"I hoped to actually make a name for myself, to stand out in this dogshit world. But instead, I got stuck as some lame ass henchmen to a body swapping freak. Hope is bullshit." Tayuya was certain these words would be her last.

Tayuya soon began to bite down on her lower lip while staring at the distant moon that was rising on the horizon. Tayuya was adamant that her death was seconds away but the only thing on her mind was the lack of music.

Both of Tayuya's Brown eyes then bulged as Naruto's right hand gently gripped the top of her head in a Iruka-like fashion. Naruto then tousled several strands of Red hair through his hand while Tayuya was too shocked to react.

"I encourage you not to think of hope as some vague or unimaginable future. Live every day with hope in your heart, in doing so you will create a future worth living." Naruto attempted to comfort Tayuya.

These words and the affection displayed by Naruto had a mental effect on Tayuya, she knew that Orochimaru would never say something like that. This realization caused Tayuya to tilt her face up before turning around only to become hypnotized by Naruto's Rinnegan.

This forced a pair of violet, ripple-patterned eyes to pulsate through Tayuya's mind while her body briefly trembled. During this, Tayuya made a mental note of how beautiful these eyes were, something she'd never say aloud.

"Who the fuck are you?" Tayuya questioned as the pair of Rinnegan finally left her mind.

"I am what this world made me. I'm Naruto Uzumaki." This response left Tayuya speechless, unable to respond as an extensive period of silence filled the air.

"Whatever, fuck you nerd." Tayuya spat out before turning back around.

"I just want my music." After speaking, she let out a long and drawn out sigh.

Suddenly, the sound of gagging could be heard as Naruto pressed both hands into his stomach while opening his mouth. This sound caused Tayuya to partially turn around before looking at Naruto with an expression of confusion.

Soon, a rather large leaf Green scroll slowly began to regurgitated itself out from Naruto's word. Since this scroll was rather large, it forced his throat to bulge while the saliva covered object was pushed forward.

"You're going to make your boyfriend really happy someday if you keep that up." Tayuya remarked, also happy to add her own sense of humor.

Naruto's right hand then grabbed the saliva covered end of this scroll before forcibly pulling it free from his throat. This caused multiple drops of saliva to drip off Naruto's hand and the scroll.

Naruto then promptly sat down before placing the scroll atop the ground and unrolling it in both directions. This revealed a large Black spiral surrounded by smaller spirals that were each written with ink.

These spirals were the result of the iconic Sealing technique or Fuinjutsu, and were regularly used in all practices of Sealing. Without explaining anything, Naruto placed his left hand in the center of these spirals before funneling chakra into the object.

This transformed the once Black spirals in bright aura of Purple light then quickly erupted into a small cloud of smoke. Both of Tayuya's eyes then lit up like gold as Naruto pulled her iconic flute loose from the cloud.

"GIMME!" Tayuya screamed while attempting to lung forward only to fall backwards.

Because of this, Tayuya fell face-first into Naruto's lap while her back landed on his scroll. Tayuya was so focused on her flute that she didn't even regonize how close she was to Naruto.

Fueled by her love of music, Tayuya managed to quickly push herself up before once again reaching for her flute. But since Tayuya only had one good arm, Naruto was able to keep her flute out of reach as she struggled for several seconds.

"We can't stay here long, five minutes." Naruto tried to set a time limit, only to earn a loud scoff in response.

"Just give me my fucking flute and go away. No one has ever heard my music before and lived, so get lost." Tayuya barked out, causing Naruto to promptly stand up before returning her prized flute.

Naruto then turned around before slowly walking away while a joyful Tayuya fantasized about playing music for the first time in over a week, unable to practice inside Konoha. However, after several seconds a panic quickly overwhelmed Tayuya once she realized that she couldn't lift her right arm to play.

This was like a crushing wave that impacted Tayuya, she was so close to finally hearing music again but now so far. Soon, Tayuya began to hesitate as she stared at Naruto while he continued to walk away.

At the same time, Tayuya noticed that she knocked Naruto's scroll completely open while sitting by the object. This revealed two separate Sealing inscriptions that were drawn on the scroll, inscriptions Tayuya saw but didn't care enough to ask about.

"Hey... Nerd." Tayuya spoke with an embarrassed and low tone, causing Naruto to turn around.

"If you tell anyone about this, I'll shove this flute down your throat... But, help me play some music." As she spoke, Tayuya downcast her face in an attempt to conceal her embarrassment.

"I thought no one has heard your music before and lived?" Naruto repeated the same words Tayuya previously said.

"Fuck you..." Tayuya murmured under her breathe, upset that she couldn't produce any music.

"Five minutes." Naruto exclaimed before walking back to Tayuya and standing beside her.

"You'll have to be my right hand, so sit behind me." Tayuya ordered, causing Naruto to sit directly behind her.

Because Tayuya was so focused on her desire of music she didn't even care about Naruto being so close. Soon, Tayuya leaned back while pushing Naruto's legs open so she could get closer.

"Put your fingers here." While speaking, Tayuya raised her flute to her mouth while motioning at a pair of musical holes on the instrument.

Naruto then held his fingers over these holes only to get swatted away by Tayuya. Afterwards, Tayuya released a loud and dramatic sigh with her desire for music grew with each second.

"Just use 2 fingers, nerd." After she spoke, Naruto successfully followed her instructions before the young Kunoichi finally began to produce music.

Music was the most important thing in Tayuya's life and this is why it was so embarrassing to play in front of Naruto. But during this display of musical melody, Tayuya made a mental note of how warm Naruto was.

While this fresh melody of music echoed through the nearby air, no one knew that Sasuke was racing towards them.


	58. Chapter 58

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: tenellis - No, Naruto can't use any of the bone stuff Kimimaro could because that's a Kekkai Genkai. However, Naruto will develop the habit of using his chakra-rods like bones while occasionally taking off his shirt/robe to fight like Kimimaro.**

 **Demon Bro the 14th - I admit the flashbacks can be quite controversial but I only write/include them when they're necessary or when I feel its appropriate. Flashbacks are a plot device I use to flesh out and develop certain characters while expanding the world, the world has to feel alive.**

 **I promise I'll only write flashbacks if they progress the plot/narrative.**

 **Ishimaru Taki - From a narrative perspective, each time Naruto absorbs a soul I treat that as 'leveling up'. This is a very convenient plot device I can use to show Naruto's growth as a person and his development as a character.**

 **At the same time, these souls also give me an excuse to write certain habits and traits for Naruto as I slowly mold him into a God among Gods. Every soul that Naruto absorbs brings us closer to Godhood.**

 **Fuyuriku - I really appreciate you. In my head, I assume a Pronoun should be capitalized regardless of its placement in a sentence, which is why I capitalize insults used by Tayuya.**

 **This also affects my usage of colors (Blue, Red, Green and etc) because in my head I assume they should be capitalized even though they're nouns because my grammar is just so broken. It took me over 40 chapters to properly understand There/Their/They're.**

 **This also translates into the whole breathe/breath problem I have. Because I assume breath sounds the same as breathing and breathe is something else.**

 **I do read chapters and correct the errors I notice before I post them but Its impossible for me to notice every single mistake because I only have 1 perspective. I do use stuff like Word Correction to try and help, but even a machine can't catch every single error.**

 **'He walked outside and took a fresh breathe of air.' or 'Just calm down and breath before you tell me what happened.' This is my perspective when I write.  
**

 **My field of expertise is Political thesis and Historical rhetoric, both of these subjects consume a massive portion of my brain so when it comes to grammar or math I just break down. Its difficult for me to comprehend grammar and because of this I thank you for taking the time to educate me, thank you so much.**

 **biginferno - I'm glad.**

 **jtcookie96 - Personally, I didn't even want Kimimaro to die. I spent days reading the manga, searching the databooks and rewatching the anime. I did all of this while I struggled in a vain attempt to save Kimimaro. But there was no realistic way I could save him.**

 **I wanted Naruto to heal Kimimaro with the Human Path. I wanted Kimimaro to follow Naruto out of loyalty and love before becoming his friend. I wanted Kimimaro to eventually become a** **jinchūriki before ascending to Godhood alongside Gaara, Fu, Tayuya and Naruto. But none of that would be realistic.**

 **The Human Path doesn't heal disease. The more you love someone the harder it is to let them go and that's why it was so difficult for me to let Kimimaro go.**

 **In regards to the 2nd stage of the curse mark, I'm saving that big reveal for Tayuya. She is the first person to mention the 2nd stage and I think it would be fucking adorable if she was the first person to ever use it. Tayuya won't be some useless cock sleeve like most Shonen anime girls, she will actually contribute to the plot.**

 **Midnite93 - Thank you, that means a lot to me.**

 **Guest - Because Minato died over 12 years ago and Kakashi has continued to grow up during that time. Since Kakashi was 14 when Minato died (he was 24) and 12 years have passed that means Kakashi is 26yrs old and 2 years older than Minato. Minato stopped aging after he died.**

 **GunBlade2019 - Kimimaro (and by default, Haku) is my favorite character in the entire Naruto series with Zabuza as a close 2nd. From my perspective, literally everything about Kimimaro is perfect. I love everything about him. Everything.**

 **In regards to how Naruto acted when Kimimaro was dying, I think that scene is much more Naruto-like than Orochimaru. In canon, when Orochimaru realized Kimimaro finally died he simply moved on to Sasuke without blinking his eyes.**

 **Orochimaru did show brief moments of compassion towards Kimimaro, Kabuto or Tayuya but that was only for his benefit, he was always trying to get something. Naruto understands this but he also understands empathy, an emotion that Orochimaru could never comprehend.**

 **Naruto could've been like 'Nah bruh, I'm Naruto not Orochimaru'. But then Kimimaro would've died sad and alone, without a purpose. Naruto understands how it feels to have no purpose and he wanted Kimimaro to die with a smile on his face, he wanted Kimimaro to die with love in his heart.**

 **Orochimaru will continue to play a massive phycological effect on Naruto, more than any other soul. Hashirama and Tobirama were both in their 20s when they died while Kimimaro was 14... Orochimaru was 58.**

 **Because of this time gap, Naruto is swollen with decades of experience, memories and knowledge just from Orochimaru. This collective mentality of Orochimaru will sometimes be more prominent than others but I do consider it realistic.**

 **This will also happen when Naruto meets Tsunade and the memories of Hashirama/Tobirama/Orochimaru will effect how he acts. Naruto is 12, Tayuya is 14, Gaara is 13 and Dosu is 14. This reminds me of a quote from Adventure time. "Finn can handle it, he's 12."**

 **Nara - Chapter 58 takes place during episode 84 of part 1 Naruto, we have a long journey ahead before we reach Shippuden. Naruto is 12 and Tayuya is 14 so I don't really see their age difference being talked about or even discussed by other characters. It's basically like a 6th grader (Naruto) dating an 8th grader (Tayuya).**

 **If Tayuya was 16 or 17, that would be a different story. However, Naruto will turn 13 in October and Tayuya's birthday is in February so if we stretch it, Tayuya is barely a year older than Naruto. I don't see their age difference as a big deal and Tayuya wouldn't care anyway.**

 **There will be erotic chapters that are devoted to sex and romantic scenes. Sex is a natural thing that should be encouraged and displayed in most forms of media. NarutoxTayuya won't have the only sex scene but it will be the most important from a narrative perspective. Sex is important.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 58: The Forbidden Scroll Of Sealing! Hashirama's Legacy.**

 _Friday 7:54pm, June 16th 58SSP_

A pair of muffled Shinobi shoes silently dashed out from the Hokage office, a building that managed to completely survive Orochimaru's invasion without a scratch. This figure then jumped atop a partially collapsed roof before surging across the village of Konoha.

Soon, another figure appeared beside the first before the pair of Shinobi began dashing from rooftop to rooftop. While these shadowy figures leapt across numerous rooftops, faint rays of moonlight pierced the cloud-filled midnight sky.

"Asuma? What is it?" Kurenai asked while running alongside her childhood friend and lover.

"The Forbidden Scroll of Sealing! Its been stolen!" Asuma responded with turmoil dripping from his voice.

"U-...?! But how?! Who could've stolen it?" Kurenai gasped.

"I don't know, but we need to find Biwako." Asuma replied while searching the nearby streets and alleyways.

"Without a Hokage it will be difficult to organize an investigation, especially given the state of our village." Kurenai remarked.

"Last time it was stolen by Naruto, and it took us over 7 hours to find him." Asuma explained, thinking back to the night Iruka died.

"Do you think Naruto could help us find it? Since he was able to steal it last time." Kurenai questioned.

"I don't know. I haven't seen Naruto or any of my students all day." Asuma exclaimed, so focused on the Scroll of Sealing that he didn't even wonder where his students were.

After running across numerous rooftops, the pair of Leaf Ninja finally noticed the distant silhouette of Biwako directing a night time construction crew. This sight forced Asuma and Kurenai to leap onto the ground before dashing towards Biwako, eager to report on the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, several miles North of Konoha._

Sasuke's feet stomped and dashed across several dozen tree branches while rays of faint moonlight illuminated his surroundings. Sasuke was being escorted through the forest by Pakkun, Kakashi's most loyal and well-known tracking hound.

"We're getting close, I smell blood." Pakkun explained while leaping from tree branch to tree branch.

This statement forced Sasuke to slam both feet atop a tree branching, causing him to soar past Pakkun before entering a dimly lit clearing. The foliage above this clearing was so dense and thick that barely any moonlight could be seen.

After Sasuke landed on the ground a heavy gust of wind blew in from the South, forcing numerous leaves to float through the air. During this, Sasuke's police cape rustled and wavered in the leaf-filled breeze.

It took several moments for this gust of wind to finally dissipate while Sasuke studied his dark surroundings. This allowed him to notice numerous dark shadows that littered the ground, shadows that Sasuke concluded to be rocks.

"Your nose must be broken, there's nothing here. Where is Naruto?" Sasuke lectured the fierce yet adorable Pakkun.

Instead of responding with words, Pakkun's left paw began scratching against the back of his ear while Sasuke scoffed with annoyance. Afterwards, Sasuke took several steps forward while scanning the nearby tree branches.

"Keep moving. I don't want to waste any ti-...?!" His words became cut off midsentence after slipping on a pool of dark liquid.

This caused Sasuke to faceplant against one of the dark shadows that covered the ground, allowing him to realize it wasn't a rock. Suddenly, Sasuke realized his face was buried against the chest of a limp corpse.

Sasuke then pushed himself up before noticing a familiar red tunic worn by the limp body in front of him. Soon, both of his black eyes bulged after noticing Sakura's lifeless face.

Ever since Sasuke first met Sakura in the Academy he always considered her to be loud, annoying and obnoxious. However, the frequent years in the same class and weeks on the same team slowly altered Sasuke's perception of the kunoichi.

"Sa-... Sakura?" Sasuke choked on his words while horrific flashbacks of the Uchiha Massacre throbbed through his mind.

Sasuke understood the concept of death and loss better than others but this was the first time in years that he experienced it personally. Because of this, Sasuke was left speechless while observing Sakura's dirt-covered skin and outfit.

After briefly stuttering, Sasuke glanced between the numerous other shadows that covered the ground before recognizing them as his former classmates. This realization forced Sasuke's mouth to fall open before his shocked eyes focused on a chakra-rod that was pinning an unconscious Lee to the ground.

Because Sasuke spent so much time with Naruto he was instantly able to identify the chakra-rod as his. This knowledge created a traumatic and horrified expression across Sasuke's face.

During this moment of pure horror, Sasuke's 2-tomoe Sharingan instinctively activated while his heart was gripped with intense emotion. The Uchiha clan and their Sharingan were sustained and built off raw emotion.

While emotion filled his heart, Sasuke began thinking back across his extensive friendship with Naruto. Naruto was the only person that Sasuke ever connected with since his entire clan was massacred.

Both of Sasuke's feet then suddenly dragged across the ground as he jumped over Sakura before dashing off into the distant forest. Sasuke was using his improved Sharingan to track a thin layer of Naruto's chakra that lined the ground.

The image of a limp Sakura forced Sasuke to swell with dread while criticizing himself for being to late. During this mental criticism, the silhouette of Itachi pulsated multiple times through out his mind.

"Oh great, there he goes." Pakkun complained before releasing a dramatic sigh and walking towards Sakura, eager to save the Konoha 9.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Valley of the End._

Numerous rays of moonlight pierced the faint clouds that filled the midnight sky. These rays illuminated a quiet and solemn Naruto that stood atop a massive stone statue carved into the side of a mountain.

This statue stood atop the far side of a narrow river with an opposing statue carved into the opposite side. These statues were monuments to Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, the greatest Shinobi that ever lived during the Warring States Period.

Both of these statues were adorned in the same style of armor with one hand gripping the hilt of a stone sword on their waist. The other hand was preforming the Seal of Confrontation in front of their faces.

During this moment of internal debate inside Naruto, the sound of rushing water could be heard pouring from a nearby waterfall. The sound of this waterfall was heavy, rapid and dense, completely overpowering any other noise.

While the constant sound of rapid water echoed through his ears, Naruto continued to stand atop the stone face of Madara. At the same time, Naruto stared at the opposing statue of Hashirama while distant memories from the 1st Hokage drifted through his mind.

"Naruto?" Gaara asked with a humble tone while he stood on the cliffside several feet below his friend.

Instead of replying with words, Naruto didn't even react while dozens of memories continued to shift through his mind. This created a brief moment of silence that forced Tayuya to swell with rage.

"HEY!" Tayuya shrieked while struggling to prop herself up against a tree.

Tayuya's enraged voiced then echoed out before resonated across the entire Valley of the End, forcing distant birds to fly away. However, Naruto was so deep in thought that he barely even noticed.

"Hurry the fuck up! I wanna nap." While complaining, Tayuya dragged her dirt-filled finger nails across a nearby tree.

"You're so sweet." Dosu remarked in a dry tone, creating a disgusted scowl across Tayuya's face.

This statement forced Tayuya to lunge at Dosu while hurling her right fist forward, only to faceplant against the ground. Tayuya then mumbled numerous insults under her breath while Dosu sighed in a dramatic fashion.

"Gaara, go on ahead. I'll catch up." Naruto exclaimed, consumed by the distant memories of Hashirama.

"Bullshit! I want some fucking food and then I'm going to bed." Tayuya complained after pushing herself off the ground.

After nodding in approval to Naruto, Gaara turned around while crossing both arms in front of his chest before walking away. During this, a cloud of sand lifted Tayuya off the ground and escorted her away while Dosu slowly trailed behind.

Before disappearing into the nearby tree-line, Dosu glanced back one last time before staring intently at Naruto. Dosu became very hesitant when he finally realized that Naruto was basically Orochimaru.

During the Chunin Exams, Dosu decided that he would never again work or serve Orochimaru and this created tension inside his mind. Dosu was fully confident that Naruto was Orochimaru but at the same time, he was also confused by Naruto's new personality.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Dosu glanced back around before disappearing into the nearby forest, leaving Naruto alone. However, Naruto was so overwhelmed by numerous separate memories that he didn't even feel alone.

For what felt like minutes, Naruto continued to stare at the stone face of Hashirama while the sound of rapid water resonated through the air. While staring at Hashirama's face, the faint memory of Madara's face drifted through Naruto's mind.

Because of his advanced and extensive memories, Naruto was fully aware of what happened during Hashirama's last battle with Madara. During these memories, the sound of metal striking metal resonated through Naruto's mind while his train of thought drifted back over 50 years.

 _-Flashback-_

 _April 20th 9:27pm, 3SSP_

Numerous Shuriken and Kunai littered the ground while bright moonlight illuminated the cloudless night sky. Both Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju stood on opposing sides of this weapon-covered ground while staring at one another.

Hashirama was adorned in his iconic red full-body armor with the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing tied to the back of his waist. Also, Hashirama wore his iconic red-hilted sword strapped to the left side of his waist.

Madara was a fair-skinned man with spiky, black hair that had a slight blue tint to it. The majority of his hair was waist-length with shoulder-length bangs framing the sides of his face.

His outfit consisted of a black shirt with a high-collar left slightly open and the Uchiha crest on it's back. Also, he wore dark blue pants with white linen bandages tied around his shins and black gloves.

Over his cloths, Madara wore crimson armor with numerous metal plates that looked extremely similar to Hashirama's armor. Over this, Madara wore a black sash strapped across his shoulder plates, allowing him to sheath his iconic Gunbai and Kama against his back.

Madara's eyes were the legendary Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the first member of his entire clan to ever reach the pinnacle of all Sharingan. These Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan consisted of the iconic pinwheel pattern with each of his tomoe expanded while another pinwheel circled around the first.

This pair of childhood friends were each panting as they stood in the center of a large crater. This crater was completely natural and surrounded on all sides by a mixture of rocky cliffs and dense forests.

These Shinobi had been engaged in a fierce battle that continued to stretch on for hours but they both refused to give up. Portions of nearby earth were broken and crumbled while nearby trees were cracked and splintered.

"Don't do this, Madara. Don't challenge me. It'll only end in disaster." Hashirama begged his childhood friend, someone that he once held so dear.

Instead of responding with words, Madara began to release a chaotic level of dark blue chakra, forcing the nearby air to become dense. This forced Hashirama to slightly crouch down while slamming both of his flat palms together, a sound that resonated through the air.

"You're going to lay waste to everything? You're going to destroy everything we've built and accomplished?" While speaking, Madara's chakra created a dense cloud of dust and debris that echoed out in all directions.

"Nothing good will happen if we battle each other... This fight will only hurt our village and the Shinobi world." As he spoke, multiple tree roots protruded and bulged from the surrounding ground.

"You know nothing of _my village._ " Madara exclaimed in a harsh and condescending tone.

"I don't want to kill you!" Hashirama spoke with a sincere voice.

"Stop acting like you can!" Madara yelled in response as a snarl bloomed across his face.

Madara then instantly clapped both hands together before crouching down and slamming his gloved-palms against the ground. This caused numerous black Kanji to sprawl across the ground in multiple different directions and angles.

"Summoning Jutsu." After speaking, Madara's entire body was engulfed by a massive pillar of smoke that was over 50ft tall.

Madara utilized a small cut across his palm to preform the iconic summoning technique. This created a grim expression across Hashirama's face as a fierce demonic growl began to resonate through the air.

As the previous cloud of smoke finally dissipated, a Sharingan-entranced Kurama released a horrific howl that pierced the night sky. His teeth were bare and jagged while his orange fur gave off a rabid appearance.

Like the other tailed beasts, Kurama was a wandering giant that prowled across the land for centuries before the Warring States Period. In ancient times, the tailed beasts were worshipped as Gods and given sacrifices to earn their blessings and protection.

However, this ancient conduct of respect and admiration for the tailed beasts disappeared entirely since the Warring States period began. They were now seen only as demonic tools for war or chaotic demons to be feared.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence." Hashirama's voice echoed through the crater while multiple trees surged and grew from the ground.

These trees were fueled and empowered by Hashirama's legendary chakra, a feat that made it almost unbreakable. Instead of just creating a forest, these trees continued to bloom and grow in numerous different angles.

These trees grew with such speed that even an entranced Kurama was forced to slide back before charging forward like a rabid fox. Because Kurama had no jinchūriki, he was stuck in his massive and bestial form, depriving him of any real conscious.

Kurama then began to viscously bite, claw and tear at the approaching trees, accomplishing a task that no other tailed beast could. During this, Hashirama charged forward while his right hand gripped and unsheathed his iconic sword.

"HASHIRAMA!" Madara's enraged voice pierced the air while leaping over numerous freshly grown trees.

While Madara advanced, he unsheathed his iconic Gunbai and Kama before smiling with anticipation. At the same time, an expression of regret stretched across Hashirama's face.

"MADARA!" Hashirama's pain-filled voice screamed in response as the pair of childhood friends swung their weapons towards each other.

Upon impact, the surrounding earth instantly cracked under the weight of such significant chakra. The sound of metal striking metal then repeatedly echoed through the air as the pair of Shinobi swung their weapons against one another in rapid succession.

Each time these weapons impacted one another, large portions of earth and dirt would abruptly crack and crumble. During this, Kurama continued to gnaw and claw against Hashirama's chakra-filled trees, entranced with pure hatred.

The level of chakra being released was so intense that nearby birds and animals were completely paralyzed. This also filled the air with a heavy and dense mixture of dark blue and bright green chakra, truly a Kage-level battle.

Suddenly, a demonic roar pierced the air as Kurama released a chaotic amount of chakra-infused air. This air managed to completely tear and surge through multiple trees as several portions of nearby earth abruptly cracked.

A roar?! He did all that with just a roar?! Hashirama panicked, shocked that the legendary Nine-tails was actually this powerful.

Despite Kurama's fierce roar, Hashirama's rapidly growing trees soon overwhelmed the surging wind. Afterwards, Madara jumped atop Kurama's head while Hashirama pulled the revered Scroll of Sealing from his back.

Hashirama then leapt into the air before landing atop a freshly grown tree branch and unrolling his scroll with one hand. The 1st Hokage then glanced through the seemingly endless techniques upon the scroll before slamming his left hand down on a specific section.

This action created a brief cloud of smoke around Hashirama, one that took several seconds to dissipated. Sensing his opportunity, Madara ordered the entranced Kurama to charged forward with his teeth bared in a rabid fashion.

After the smoke cloud finally dissipated, multiple swords, spears and even life-size Shuriken littered the tree branches around Hashirama. Hashirama then sheathed his iconic sword before picking up be much larger blade while gripping a life-sized shuriken in his left hand.

A charging Kurama was then caught by numerous trees while Madara leapt into the air before surging towards Hashirama. This forced the 1st Hokage the hurl his large Shuriken through the air in a horizontal fashion.

Because Madara was so experienced and because of the perception granted to him by his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he easily deflected this Shuriken with his Gunbai. Afterwards, Hashirama jumped into the air before meeting his childhood friend in close combat.

This caused the sound of metal striking metal to once again echo through the air multiple times. At the same time, numerous sparks filled the air as the battling Shinobi struck each others weapon.

While this pair of Shinobi danced through the air, Hashirama's left hand reached into the satchel on the back of his waist. The 1st Hokage then flung a handful of Shuriken through the air towards Madara.

Because of his advanced perception, Madara effortlessly held his Gunbai in front of his chest in a slanted vertical fashion. This action managed to perfectly deflect each of the attacking Shuriken before Madara slashed his Gunbai out, pushing Hashirama's Shuriken back at him.

A freshly grown tree branch to abruptly bloomed below Hashirama, giving him a place to stand. This tree branch then continued to swell and grow before Hashirama's previously thrown Shuriken pierced the chakra-filled wood.

The 1st Hokage the leapt from this tree branch before preforming a backflip in midair. This allowed Hashirama to narrowly avoid Kurama's left claw as the rabid fox tore through his chakra-filled wood.

This left dozens of broken splinters and pieces of wood that drifted through the air as an entranced Kurama snarled. During this, Madara once again landed atop Kurama's head while Hashirama landed on a newly grown tree branch.

Multiple trees then abruptly sprouted from the ground before rushing towards Kurama while Hashirama and Madara once again leapt into the air. The pair of childhood friends then landed on the same tree branch before entering a Kage-level battle of close combat.

Because Madara's iconic Gunbai and Kama were attached to one another with a chain, he was able to throw the latter like a spear. However, Hashirama was so adapt and keen that he managed to deflect this attack with minimal effort.

Using his chain, Madara retracted his Kama before swinging his Gunbai out in a horizontal slash. This created a fierce exchange of blows between Madara and Hashirama, filling the air with sparks.

During this battle, Kurama was tearing and clawing against numerous tree branches while his chakra caused the ground to shake. Kurama then abruptly jumped back while each of his nine tails swished through in air in separate angles.

"RAAUUuah!" Kurama roared, releasing a fierce torrent of chakra-filled wind from his mouth that uproot numerous trees.

This torrent of wind then surged through the air before completely destroying the tree branch underneath Madara and Hashirama. This created a dense cloud of debris and splinters while separating the battling Shinobi.

Despite Madara's Kage-level perception the Sharingan was unable to pierce or look through a cloud of smoke, only the Byakugan had such power. This created a several second gap before Madara's glowing Mangekyō Sharingan finally saw Hashirama.

The 1st Hokage was slightly crouched with both hands pressed into the Dragon Seal. Within seconds, Madara instantly noticed dozens of tree branches that were swishing through the air like whips with a separate weapon held on each branch.

These tree branches then began lashing out from numerous different directions and angles, forcing Madara to take multiple steps back. During this organized retreat, Madara's improved perception allowed him to effortlessly deflect over 3 dozen attacks in the time it took most people to blink their eyes.

However, this perception soon reached its limited as Madara barely managed to sidestep a vertical sword slash. This attack struck Madara's right shoulder plate with a heavy thud while creating sparks, barely missing the Uchiha's face.

This created a visible expression of panic across Madara's face, forcing him to jump backwards through the air. During this, multiple tree branches attempted to grabbing the elite Uchiha only to fail at each attempt.

"Nine tails!" Madara screamed while glancing at the entranced Kurama, thinking him to be nothing more than a savage animal.

This command forced each of Kurama's Sharingan entranced eyes to glow with a bright red aura. At the same time, Kurama raised his rabid looking snout into the air before numerous orbs of white and black charka began funneling towards his mouth.

These orbs of chakra then began to merge together into a dark mixture of red, the same color as Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. The rabid Kurama then opened his snarling mouth before biting down on this orb, causing steam to pour from his mouth.

Kurama then downcast his snout before glaring at Hashirama while Madara jumped atop his fur-covered head. During this, Hashirama crouched down in preparation for the next attack.

"End this!" After he spoke, Kurama abruptly exhaled a rotating vortex of red chakra that surged through the air.

The weight of this chakra was so vast and intense that the surrounding earth instantly cracked while the orb approached Hashirama. Confident in his resolve, the 1st Hokage clapped both hands into the Ram Seal, forcing numerous trees and branches to swarm and enveloped him.

These tree then used chakra to further merged together before hardened like rock, creating a protective dome of wood. This dome was then directly impacted by Kurama's tailed beast bombs, forcing multiple sections of wood to abruptly snap off.

Such vast portions of wood were torn off that Hashirama could see a faint red glow between his tree branches. Instead of panicking, Hashirama calmly weaved both hands into the Rat Seal before funneling even more chakra into his technique.

This allowed Hashirama's dome to narrowly withstand Kurama's attack by reflecting the bomb towards a nearby cliff. Causing Kurama's attack to tear through solid stone before rushing through numerous trees.

Soon, Kurama's tailed beast bomb exploded in the distance, illuminating the night sky with an aura of red and orange. This created a fierce stream of rapid water that began pouring into the crater from a distance lake.

Without a moment of hesitation, Hashirama clapped both hands together before weaving through the Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram, Monkey and Tiger Seals. This caused numerous separate trees and branches to sprout from the ground before completely restraining Kurama.

Afterwards, Hashirama's partially broken dome cracked open before the 1st Hokage jumped into the air. During this, the black Kanji for 'Sit' pulsated into existence across Hashirama's outstretch right palm.

"Hokage Style Elder Jutsu: Tenth Edict Of Enlightenment!" Hashirama's voice echoed before his right hand grabbed a portion of Kurama's fur-covered chest.

The 1st Hokage then jumped back over 10ft while pulling an aura of orange chakra loose from Kurama's body. This chakra forced Hashirama's entire right hand to glow red while connecting the 1st Hokage to Kurama through a thin line of chakra.

Afterwards, over a dozen pillars of spiked wood jolted out from the ground in multiple directions, completely enveloping Kurama. This pillars then combined with the previously existing branches, completely overwhelming Kurama before forcing him to the ground.

Suddenly, both of Hashirama's eyes bulged after noticing Madara was plummeting through the air towards him. Instead of dodging the attack, Hashirama's entire left arm shifted into numerous tree branches that surged out and paralyzed Madara in midair.

These branches then pulled Madara closer while also disrupting his attack, forcing each of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to bulge. At the last moment, Hashirama's arm shifted back to its normal appearance before his hand reached out and sprawled across Madara's chest plate.

This action forced multiple bright orange Kanji to spread out from Hashirama's hand, covering Madara's entire chest. At the same time, both Madara's and Kurama's eyes glowed with a bright red aura before the latter was finally set free from his entrancement.

While Madara hovered barely inches away from Hashirama, he clapped both hands into the Horse Seal while stabbing both weapons into the ground as he inhaled a significant breath of air. He then molded his internal chakra before creating a ball of fire inside his stomach.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!" Madara's enraged voice spoke out before exhaling a fierce mixture of chakra-infused fire.

This allowed Madara to release a chaotic amount of dense flames that burnt, scorched and scarred the surrounding area. This created multiple pillars of steam as Madara's attack collided against the newly formed waterfall.

The level of heat radiating from this attack was so intense that multiple sections of earth, stone and trees were instantly turned to glass. This technique was so powerful that it completely engulfed the surrounding forest, filling the crater with a mixture of flames and water.

It took several minutes for these intense flames to finally dissipate while a panting Madara struggled to breath. Despite his high level of perception, chakra and chakra control, Madara had reached his limited after battling for over 5 hours.

Once the dense fire partially dissipated, Madara instantly noticed a sleeping Kurama barely 10ft away from him. Because of Kurama's power and chakra, he was completely unharmed by Madara's technique.

"This had to be done, Hashirama. Ultimately... Your path would have lead the village to darkness." While he spoke, faint drops of rain slowly began to sprinkle across the battlefield.

This rain slowly began to extinguish the surrounding flames while drops of liquid stained Madara's spiky hair. Soon, multiple drops of rain began trailing across his face, outfit and weapons while Madara continued to gasp for air.

"I will protect our-... No, I will protect _my_ village." Hashirama gasped out while struggling to breath.

Hashirama's entire left arm was burnt and scorched with numerous sections of rotting flesh that prevented any movement. Madara's Fire Style was so intense that it completely burned through the sections of armor that previously covered Hashirama's arm.

Despite this injury, Hashirama was still able to stand while holding his iconic sword in his right hand. This created a brief period of silence as the pair of childhood friends each gasped for air.

This silence was only interrupted by the constant rainfall that bombarded the pair of Shinobi. Soon, the surrounding flames finally dissipated while each of their feet became soaked with mixture of mud and rain.

"You've changed... Hashirama." Madara spoke before charging forward across the mud-filled landscape.

This forced Hashirama to grind his teeth together while an expression of regret bloomed across his face. Afterwards, Hashirama charged towards his childhood friend, someone that he once called brother.

"MADARA!" Hashirama screamed while raising his iconic sword into the air.

"HASHIRAMA!" Madara yelled in response while slashing his iconic Gunbai and Kama through the air.

This created a fierce sound of metal striking flesh while our point of view shifted and focused on the bright moon overhead. This was a moment that Hashirama would never forget, the moment when he killed his childhood friend.


	59. Chapter 59

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Rant about the Uchiha clan. The canon Uchiha clan is so fucking broken and convoluted that I honestly hate talking about them. The Uchiha clan suffer from a serious problem, they're Kishimoto's favorite clan.**

 **It's completely natural for an author to develop favorite characters and ideas but this favoritism overwhelms many writers. An author can't show favoritism or pull dogshit plotholes out their ass just to keep their favorite characters alive, and that's a problem Kishimoto struggles to understand.**

 **It's already been established where the Sharingan stands when compared to the Byakugan and Rinnegan. The Sharingan is the pinnacle of Genjutsu. The Byakugan is the pinnacle of Taijutsu. And the Rinnegan is the pinnacle of Ninjutsu. This brings me to the Susanoo.**

 **The Susanoo is (subjectively) the most retarded thing Kishimoto ever wrote into Naruto. The Susanoo single handled ruined Naruto Shippuden but that doesn't say much because 63% of Shippuden is hot fucking garbage.**

 **The Susanoo is worst than Kaguya and Boruto combined. I literally get the urge to cut myself every time I have to say the fucking word - "SuSaNoO". The Susanoo is the greatest mistake that ever came out of Kishimoto's life.**

 **From a narrative perspective, the Susanoo makes no fucking sense because it has nothing to do with Genjutsu, it's a giant Kaiju of chakra. The best argument against this would be comparing the Susanoo to Amaterasu, but atleast Amaterasu can only be activated visually and with direct eye-contact. (Insert meme about Madara using his Susanoo while blind)**

 **The Susanoo not only ruined Naruto Shippuden, it poisoned the entire Uchiha fanbase. Because now literally every single Uchiha VS debate just turns into a fucking Susanoo comparison.**

 **"Oh My GaWd! DiD yOu KnOw ThAt MaDaRa HaS A pErFeCt SuSaNoO tHaT cAn CuT mOuNtAiNs iN HaLf!" The Uchiha dick-rider screams before orgasming so hard that he passes out and hits the floor.**

 **I don't want people to think I hate the Uchiha nor do I want any of you to assume I'm nerfing the Uchiha. I'm fixing the Uchiha. I have no problems with Amaterasu, Izunaga or Tsukiyomi (Not even going a waste a sentence on Izanami) and** **I actually plan to stroke Sasuke's dick really hard.**

 **However, I do have a serious problem with the Susanoo. It simultaneously ruins combat while destroying tension and honestly, its fucking stupid. I seriously don't understand what drugs Kishimoto was on when he invented the damn thing.**

 **I understand the Susanoo is supposed to look 'Kewl.' That concept is not lost on me. However, that doesn't excuse the Susanoo from being a broken plot device. In my opinion, the Susanoo is broken garbage that has no place in canon and no place in this story.**

 **I can't explain what I'll be doing with the Uchiha clan for the sake of spoilers but it will be realistic to part 1 Naruto. I honestly love the idea of an advanced EMS/MS/S being able to read future thoughts because at least that's associated with Genjutsu.**

 **If anyone can give me a valid argument that is pro-Susanoo then I will happily write it into this story. I'm not an Uchiha hater but I'm not an Uchiha fanboy either, I'm just someone who realizes how fucking stupid the Susanoo actually is from a narrative perspective.**

 **Finally, lets talk about chapter 59. If possible, please read Chapter 59 in the Rain to improve your reading experience and atmosphere.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 59: Brother VS Brother! A Clash Of Ideals.**

 _Friday 8:39pm, June 16th 58SSP_

The sound of rapid water rushing over a cliffside resonated through the air while Naruto stood atop the stone statue of Madara. The sound of Thunder rumbling through the distance clouds could then be heard.

Soon, numerous drops of rain began to sprinkle through the air, bombarding Naruto and his surroundings. After several seconds, this light drizzle evolved into an intense down pour of heavy rain that smacked against stone, rock and water.

Instead of avoiding this down pour, Naruto continued to stand completely still while endless drops of rain fell against him. Naruto then slowly titled his face up before glancing at the bright moon overhead.

This allowed multiple drops of rain to stain Naruto's face and hair while his Rinnegan eyes didn't even blink. After several moments, Naruto's face, hair and outfit were soaking wet as trails of rain dripped off his body.

Despite the intense down pour, Naruto was so deep in thought that he didn't even care how wet his body was. This allowed several drops of rain to trail across each of his whiskers before failing to the ground.

"NARUTO!" Sasuke's voice pierced the rain-filled air after appearing atop the stone statue of Hashirama.

Sasuke was panting and gasping for breath, a consequence from running several miles at Jonin-level speed. However, Naruto didn't even react or acknowledge his childhood friend while continuously staring at the bright moon overhead.

This lack of a response forced Sasuke to grind his teeth together while snarling at the same person he once called brother. This created a brief period of silence, a silence pierced only by the sound of a rapid waterfall magnified by heavy rain hitting stone.

"In the beginning, Madara and I had the same goals. And we worked together." Naruto spoke with a low tone, confusing Sasuke.

"We tried to change the Shinobi world, a world that sent barely grown children to fight and die in war." While speaking, Naruto continued to stare at the moon while drops of rain dripped from his whiskers.

After speaking, an extended period of silence filled the air as numerous thoughts drifted through Naruto's mind. During this, a mixed expression of rage and confusion sprawled across Sasuke's face.

"The two of us created the Shinobi village. However, that was a failed attempt at true peace because Shinobi cannot express their true feelings." As he spoke, dense thunder rumbled through the cloudy night sky.

"Fear, suspicion and resentment never subside... Madara once told me this." While he spoke, Naruto's words were fueled by the memory of Hashirama.

"I was so focused on my goal that I pushed Madara's opinion aside, and the Shinobi world moved on without him. Our world moved forward in accordance to Hashirama's vision, to my vision." This statement created even greater confusion inside Sasuke, unable to understand why Naruto was acting so weird.

"And what happened because of it?" Naruto asked before an extended period of silence filled the air.

"The fighting between Shinobi hasn't stopped. Instead of ending conflict, creating the Shinobi villages led to an increase in their military build-up." While speaking, drops of rain continued to drip from his whiskers.

"This turned once minor battles into great wars. The previous small-scale attacks during the Warring States Period were chaotic, but nothing compared to the countless lives lost during this new age." As he spoke, a grim frown bloomed across Naruto's face.

"Hashirama created this problem, I created this problem... The 1st Shinobi World War..." After speaking, the memories of Tobirama provided horrific flashbacks from the 1st World War.

"The 2nd Shinobi World War..." While he spoke, the memories of Orochimaru provided gruesome flashbacks from the 2nd World War.

"The 3rd Shinobi World War..." This statement was fueled by the atrocious memories of Orochimaru, someone who fought and lived through 2 separate World Wars.

"The fight has never stopped... That is Hashirama's legacy to this world, that is my legacy. A legacy of death and failure." After he spoke, thunder rumbled through the cloudy night sky.

"What are you talking about, Naruto? What are you saying? What are you trying to do?" Sasuke questioned, left utterly confused by Naruto's new personality.

"I just want to be the savior of this world. I want to end the long history of fighting amongst Shinobi. I'm trying to be a hero." Naruto replied with a sincere tone while finally downcasting his face before glancing at Sasuke.

This statement created a disgusted snarl across Sasuke's face while he grinded his teeth together. At the same time, Sasuke clenched each of his hands into a hardened fist as rage swelled inside him.

"A hero!? You've lied to your student, destroyed your village and betrayed the friends that fought for you! What's happened to you, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, creating a genuine expression of confusion across Naruto's face.

"What happened?" Naruto mumbled.

"Nothing happened, I am what this world made me." As he spoke, his answer created even more rage inside of Sasuke.

"You're not making any sense! The old you would never!" Sasuke protested.

"Its like I'm standing atop the summit of a great mountain. The winds tearing and contorting around me before I found myself buried alive by endless memories." Naruto exclaimed while the sound of heavy rainfall resonated through the air.

"I'm trapped, helpless and alone. Consumed by thoughts that are yet aren't my own. Everything that goes through my mind are bad memories and terrible mistakes." After he spoke, Sasuke was left speechless by Naruto's words.

"Its like I've touched the heart of chakra, its like I've touched the very center of existence. I've felt its warmth and now I'm consumed by its absence. After 50 years I finally understand... Madara was right." While speaking, drops of rain continued to drip from his whiskers.

"Chakra is a paradox... It empowers and imprisons. It destroys and unites. It binds our world together and tears people apart." After speaking, Sasuke grinded his teeth together in response.

"And you think hurting your friends is going to help? This isn't the right way, Naruto!" Sasuke once again protested.

"There is no greater challenge than to change from within but that is what we all must do in life. The old ways aren't enough." Naruto explained.

"That's not an excuse, Naruto! You're taking the wrong path!" Sasuke argued.

"So, tell me. Where should I go? To the left, where nothing is right... Or to right, where nothing is left?" Naruto asked, causing Sasuke to gasp after he realized he had no answer.

"This world can't go on like this. This world has to change." As he spoke, thunder rumbled through the cloudy night sky.

"I don't care what you say, Naruto! You're coming back to the village, even if I have to break every bone in your body!" Sasuke argued.

"I have brought you truth, and you condemn me?" Naruto mumbled as rain continued to drip from his whiskers.

"The _arrogance."_ While speaking, Naruto's voice was filled with a condescending tone.

"As you would pass judgement on me... I have come to pass judgement on you all." After he spoke, a streak of lightning eletricified a nearby tree while thunder rumbled.

"You're coming back to the village, Naruto... I won't fail again." Sasuke argued while the silhouette of Itachi drifted through his mind.

"Tell me, how would you save this world?" Naruto asked, creating an extended period of silence because Sasuke had no real answer.

"So, you will do nothing..." This statement forced Sasuke to grinded his teeth together.

"Apathy is death. Worse than death, because at least a rotting corpse feeds the beasts and insects. You have the ability to do something yet you stand there and do nothing." While he spoke, drops of rain began to drip from Sasuke's hair and outfit.

"What about your friends? What about Konoha? The Naruto I know would never..." Sasuke mumbled before his words drifted off midsentence.

"I don't have any friends from Konoha." Naruto replied as a deep frown stretched across his face.

"Just forget about me, act like I never existed." As he spoke, a repulsive expression bloomed across Sasuke's face.

This created an extended period of silence while the sound of heavy rainfall resonated through the air. During this, multiple drops of rain trailed across Sasuke's disgusted face.

"What's with that face?" Naruto asked with a calm tone, creating even more confusion inside Sasuke.

Iruka-Sensei! Sakura won't leave us alone. The distant memory of an 8yr old Naruto and Sasuke studying inside the Academy drifted through the latter's mind.

I want to protect everyone. No matter what. The memory of Naruto's dream echoed through Sasuke's mind.

We'll rebuild our clans together, Sasuke! The cheerful voice of a young Naruto forced each of Sasuke's hands to twitch.

Suddenly, the joy-filled laughter from a young Naruto repeatedly echoed through Sasuke's mind. At the same time, numerous images and memories of Naruto flashed across Sasuke's 2-tomoe Sharingan.

"Why... Why are you acting like this?" Sasuke asked with a trembling voice.

"What about your dream, Naruto? What about our dream? You're all I have left..." After speaking, the silhouette of Itachi pulsated through his mind.

"My dream is to fulfill the goal that even Iruka-Sensei was unable to achieve. I shall bring about true peace and justice." Naruto replied, forcing Sasuke's lip to snarl with rage.

"True peace... Justice? Give me a break! You betrayed Sakura and hurt your friends, what kind of justice is that?" Sasuke demanded to know.

"Have you seen them, Sasuke? Have you seen the tailed beasts?" Naruto asked, filling Sasuke's mind with the horrific flashback of a 6-tailed Naruto.

"What does that have to do with peace and justice?!" Sasuke questioned.

"After Madara was defeated, I gathered the 9 tailed beasts and distributed them amongst the Hidden Villages. I hoped to prevent conflict by equalizing the battlefield... But I only forced existing conflicts to intensify." Naruto explained as the deep frown across his face grew even deeper.

"I will correct that mistake. I will gather the 9 tailed beasts together and once I do, I will create true peace." As he spoke, his words forced Sasuke's mouth to fall open with shock.

"Wait... What are you saying?!" Sasuke stuttered.

"Just think about it... The entire Shinobi world would quake with fear. All Shinobi, all of the great and small nations would live in peace. Conflicts would cease, wars would stagnate and hatred would be crushed... We could watch over them, like Iruka-Sensei watched over me." Naruto's words forced Sasuke's lip to twitch multiple times.

"But that would be a forced peace... Nothing about that is true!" Sasuke protested.

"You just don't understand. This will be my sacred deed, my gift to Iruka-Sensei." Naruto explained in a sincere tone.

"Where would you go? You can't just roam around outside of the Shinobi Villages, that's what Rogue Ninja do!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Why do you care? This is my own path, it has nothing to do with you." Naruto replied, creating a brief period of silence as thunder rumbled in the distance.

"I'm done with Konoha, go away." After speaking, Naruto turned around before walking away.

This forced a speechless Sasuke to stare at Naruto's back before the transparent image of Itachi appeared beside him. For several seconds, a paralyzed Sasuke watched as Naruto and Itachi slowly walked away.

Suddenly, an enraged snarl grew upon Sasuke's face as his clenched fists twitched numerous times. Both of his feet then dragged across the stone face of Hashirama before he jumped into the air, leaping towards Naruto.

"NARUTO!" Sasuke screamed with a mixture of pain, hatred and regret before hurling his right fist forward as he fell behind Naruto.

At the last moment, Naruto calmly turned around before Sasuke's fists dug into his forehead without any reaction. This shocked Sasuke before he finally noticed that Naruto wasn't wearing his headband.

"Go away, I'm leaving." Naruto mumbled, causing Sasuke to jump back before sliding over 5ft across Madara's statue.

"You're not leaving." Sasuke protested while his right hand gripped the hilt of his sword.

"And who's going to stop me? You?" Naruto asked before a chaotic amount of thunder rumbled through the night sky.

This statement forced Sasuke to enter a Taijutsu stance while his left hand preformed the iconic Seal of Confrontation. This was the first Seal Naruto and Sasuke always preformed when sparring against one another as children.

Instead of forming his own Seal of Confrontation, Naruto stood completely still as heavy rainfall continued to bombard his surroundings. This moment stretched on for what like minutes as Sasuke anxiously waited for Naruto to preform the Seal.

"You couldn't even stop your brother." This statement forced Sasuke's heart to violently throb.

A collage of dead Uchiha bodies followed by sadistic amounts of blood then drifted through Sasuke's mind. With each second that passed, these horrific flashbacks grew more intense and barbaric.

Sasuke then charged forward while dead bodies continued to float through his mind before he tackled Naruto to the ground. This forced the pair of childhood friends to slide over 5ft across the wet stone head of Madara.

This allowed Sasuke to sit atop Naruto before rising his clenched left fist into the air. During this, an insouciant expression covered Naruto's face as his wet hair spread in various different directions.

Sasuke's left fist then swung against Naruto's face, causing blood to spew from his mouth while a bruise grew on his right cheek. At the same time, the expression across Naruto's face was completely causal and unconcerned.

After several seconds Naruto spit blood directly into Sasuke's face, mixing with the constant rainfall. This caused Sasuke to abruptly grab the collar of Naruto's Anbu robe before pulling him next to his own face.

"Are you done yet?" Naruto asked while multiple drops of rain fell from Sasuke's hair before staining his face.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?! Your friends could die, Naruto!" Sasuke screamed.

"I don't care." Naruto mumbled before a brief frown grew across his face.

Suddenly, Naruto's right hand gripped Sasuke's collar before slowly lifting him into the air. Soon, Sasuke's entire body was lifted into the air as Naruto stood in front of his childhood friend.

As Sasuke was held in the air, both hands tore at Naruto's wrist while each of his feet struggled to reach the ground. After several seconds, Sasuke raised his right leg before slamming his foot against Naruto's stomach only to receive no reaction.

Naruto then abruptly threw Sasuke through the air, causing him to fall over 20ft into the rushing river below. This river led into a rapid waterfall that was lined by the 2 iconic statues from the Valley of the End.

This created a watery explosion as Sasuke hit the river before sinking below the waters surface. Afterwards, numerous bubbles began to drip from Sasuke's mouth before pouring into the water as he sank even deeper.

He's nothing like before... Sasuke concluded as a collage of kind and gentle memories with Naruto drifted through his mind.

These memories fueled Sasuke with strength and determination, allowing him to easily swim to the waters surface. After emerging, Sasuke funneled chakra into his hands and feet before slowly standing atop the rushing water.

After standing up, Sasuke noticed that Naruto already turned around and was walking away. This fueled Sasuke with fury, enraged that Naruto would so casually walk away from him.

Moving at Jonin-level speed, Sasuke's right hand reached into his satchel before pulling 4 Shuriken loose. Sasuke then charged across the rivers surface while hurling these Shuriken through the air at multiple different direction and angles.

As these Shuriken soared through the air, they sliced and cut through multiple drops of rain as thunder rumbled overhead. These Shuriken then approached Naruto only to be deflected by some unseen force at the last moment.

This caused the Shuriken to fall atop the stone hair of Madara as Naruto continued walking away, acting like nothing even happened. This response from Naruto only further enraged Sasuke, forcing him to surge forward before scaling the stone statue of Madara in mere seconds.

Using his Jonin-level speed, Sasuke maneuvered in front of Naruto before rushing towards him. As he approached, Sasuke swung his right fist directly into Naruto's left cheek, forcing his whisker to slightly turn.

Suddenly, both of Sasuke's 2-tomoe Sharingan bulged after noticing that Naruto was completely unaffected by his attack. This created a brief moment of silence as heavy rainfall continued to bombard the pair of childhood friends.

After several seconds Naruto slowly straightened his face, revealing a trail of blood that poured from the left corner of his mouth. Similar to before, the expression across Naruto's face was insouciant and tepid.

"Stop making that face!" Sasuke ordered before hurling his left fist against the right side of Naruto's face, forcing him to spew blood from his mouth.

At this moment, multiple roars of thunder rumbled in the distance as drops of rain dripped from Sasuke's hair. A drop of sweat then mixed with the rain across Sasuke's face after Naruto once again turned around with a carefree expression.

What's wrong with him...!? Sasuke panicked while swinging his fists against Naruto's face numerous times.

Each of these consecutive attacks forced Naruto to stagger back while spewing blood from his mouth. This blood stained the stone hair of Madara before quickly being washed by the heavy down pour of rain.

What happened to him?! After these thoughts raced, Sasuke finally stopped punching Naruto while his knuckles were bruised and stained with blood.

"Are you done yet?" Naruto asked, forcing Sasuke's mouth to fall open in shock.

"You still don't understand, do you? You're nothing to me." After speaking, Sasuke swung his right fist out in protest.

As this fist approached, Naruto effortlessly caught the attack with 1 hand, forcing Sasuke's entire arm to tremble. Afterwards, Sasuke hurled his left fist forward only to be deflected by some unseen force.

"Don't mock me!" Sasuke barked out in response before grinding his teeth together.

"You're just a child pretending to be an adult, go away." Naruto ordered with a commanding tone, forcing nearby portions of stone to abruptly crack.

Sasuke's entire body was then thrust back by some unseen yet overwhelming force, flinging him into the air. Afterwards, a paralyzed Sasuke fell over 20ft before crashing into the rock-covered riverside.

This created a minor pillar of dust and debris to filled the air, taking several moments to fully dissipate before Sasuke stood up. This revealed Sasuke's outfit and face to be stained with numerous scoffs of dirt.

Sasuke's prized Leaf Police Force cape was tattered and torn while it rested atop the jagged ground. While standing, Sasuke gasped for air numerous times before his crimson eyes forced on his torn cape.

This image forced each of his 2-tome Sharingan to bulge as his gasps for air intensified. This cape was the very last thing every gifted to Sasuke by Shisui Uchiha, he considered this piece of fabric to be sacred.

Why's the Uchiha Clan crest on the Police Force Symbol? Sasuke remembered a distant conversation with Shisui.

Haha... You've noticed that, huh? Well... The kind, caring and gentle memory of Shisui spoke out.

A couple dozen years ago, the 2nd Hokage negotiated with some of our ancestors to establish the Police Force... As these thoughts raced, both of Sasuke's hands twitched numerous times.

Ever since then, the Uchiha clan has always been in charge of protecting the public and the peace. The Uchiha crest is a testament to our proud clan. Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the distance while these memories continued to progress.

The Uchiha clan has gotten small now... But nearly all of us work at the Police Force and contribute to maintaining the peace. After finishing these memories, Sasuke gasps for air grew in frequency.

Remember that, Okay? Hahaha... Maintain the peace, Sasuke. This memories caused the faint laughter of Shisui to echo through Sasuke's mind.

Suddenly, Sasuke clapped both hands together while lightning struck several of the nearby trees. Sasuke then weaved through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals at Jonin-level speed.

At the same time, Sasuke inhaled a staggering breath of air before condensing the chakra inside his chakra into pure fire. Several moments then stretched on while Sasuke continued to funnel chakra into his upcoming technique.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaled a dense and concentrated spray of fire.

After exhaling for several seconds, this fire evolved into an 20ft wide ball of flames that instantly scorched the nearby ground. This ball then erupted forward before soaring through the air at Naruto, evaporating the surrounding rain into steam while it advanced.

As this chakra-filled projectile approached Naruto, his wet hair and outfit rustled in the intense fiery breeze. At the last moment, Sasuke's technique was disrupted by some unseen force that caused numerous embers to dance around Naruto before extinguishing under the heavy rainfall.

"Is that really the best you can do?" Naruto question, forcing Sasuke to gasp with shock.

Sasuke then blinked his crimson eyes before instantly losing sight of Naruto, unable to follow his level of speed. Both of his 2-tomoe Sharingan bulged with shock as Naruto's silhouette appeared directly behind him.

Sasuke barely had enough time to turn halfway around before Naruto's right foot lodge slammed against his stomach. This kick knocked Sasuke back over 30ft, forcing him to skip, flip and twist over the nearby river before crashing against solid stone.

Afterwards, an extended period of silence filled the air as Naruto casually walked to the riverbank. Instead of continuing the fight, Naruto turned around and walked away as thunder rumbled overhead.

At this moment, numerous Shuriken were hurled towards Naruto's back only to be deflected by some unseen force at the last second. At the same time, a distant Sasuke clapped both hands together before weaving through the Ox, Rabbit and Monkey Seals.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Beast!" Sasuke's voice echoed through the rain-filled air while extending his right hand out.

This technique created a flicker of blue lightning that enveloped Sasuke's hand before surging outward. Within seconds, these lightning contorted into a ferocious hound that roared and screamed while charging.

Soon, this technique began running across the water surface, electrifying the entire river. During this, multiple arcs of lightning surged between the surrounding rain drops while this lightning hound approached Naruto.

Instead of turning around or even reacting to this attack, Naruto continued to walk away without even acknowledging Sasuke. Suddenly, Sasuke's lightning hound roared before leaping at Naruto only to be disrupted by some unseen force at the last moment.

This left multiple arcs of lightning that streaked through the air around Naruto while he continued to walk away. At the same time, Sasuke bit his lip out of frustration before charging across the waters surface.

Soon, Sasuke's feet began to stomp across mud and wet stone as he approached Naruto with Jonin-level speed. Afterwards, Sasuke's right hand unsheathed his sword before twirling the object around his hand.

"NARUTO!" After screaming, Sasuke raising his sword high into the air before slicing down in a vertical fashion.

At the last moment, this attack was deflected by some unseen force that completely disarmed Sasuke. The nearby ground cracked and shattered before Sasuke's entire body was flung back by an overwhelming force.

This force knocked Sasuke over 20ft backwards while crashing, hitting and ramming against numerous rocks. After several seconds, Sasuke was flung off the nearby cliffside before plummeting over 40ft into the lake below, creating an explosion of water.

Suddenly, Naruto finally stopped walk before turning around and glancing off the nearby cliffside. At the same time, multiple roars of thunder rumbled overhead as drops of rain dripped from Naruto's whiskers.

No matter what darkness lies ahead, I must endure... For you. Naruto concluded as the faint memory of Iruka drifted through his mind.

Soon, bubbles began to float to the waters surface before a soaked Sasuke finally swam to the waters surface. Sasuke took several moments to cough up water before finally standing atop the water.

I've never seen him like this before... Is he, is he even the same Naruto? Sasuke asked himself while wiping the mixture of rain and water from his face.

"Do you even realize what you're doing? What about everything we did together on team 7!? Does that mean nothing to you?!" Sasuke questioned while his feet created multiple ripples across the lakes surface, magnified by the heavy rainfall.

"Our time together meant nothing to me. Go away." Naruto replied as a deep frown grew across his face.

"You're my best friend, Naruto... I already lost everyone else, I can't lose you." Sasuke remarked as the silhouette of Itachi seared itself into his mind.

"I don't care, stop wasting my time." Naruto spoke as the deep frown on his face grew even deeper.

This statement left Sasuke utterly speechless as drops of rain bombarded his face and hair. During this, multiple streaks of lightning struck a pair of nearby trees atop the cliffside.

"To tell you the truth, I'm surprised... I thought you always wanted to fight me, like old times." After he spoke, Sasuke grinded his teeth together in protest.

"Not like this, Naruto! We're supposed to be friends!" Sasuke argued.

"I can't have any friends." Naruto spoke with sincerity dripping from his voice.

"You're not making any sense, Naruto!" Sasuke protested.

"So... are you done yet?" Naruto asked, once again leaving Sasuke speechless.

"If you won't leave me alone... I'll just force you to go away." After speaking, Naruto jumped off the cliffside before plummeting over 40ft through the air.

Naruto then landed atop the lake's surface while creating a brief explosion of water that rippled out in all directions. At the same time, Sasuke was frustrated by the lack of his sword, something he held very dear to his heart.

"You idiot! I'm going to beat you into the ground before I drag you back home!" Sasuke screamed as trails of rain dripped from his face.

Moving at Jonin-level speed, Sasuke clapped both hands together before weaving through the Ox, Rabbit and Monkey Seals. Afterwards, Sasuke's right hand was engulfed by a blinding aura of blue lightning.

This technique forced numerous sparks to fly through the air while electrifying the nearby rain. During this, a collage of childhood flashbacks with Naruto floated through Sasuke's mind.

"Chidori!" Sasuke's harsh voice pieced the rain-filled air.

This caused Sasuke's technique to double in size and intensity, creating even more sparks that filled the air. Sasuke was so focused on bringing Naruto back that he didn't even care about the lightning burning his hand.

"YOU'RE COMING HOME, NARUTO!" After screaming, Sasuke charged across the lake's surface, creating numerous ripples in the water.

As Sasuke approached his childhood friend, the kind memories through his mind double in frequency. Also, the mixed laughter of Naruto and Shisui both echoed through his mind.

Sasuke then hurled his eletricified right hand forward while heavy rainfall forced this technique to sizzle. As this attack approached, Naruto effortlessly deflected it with the back of his right hand before slamming his right knee into Sasuke's stomach.

This forced Sasuke to fly back over 10ft while slipping, twisting and flipping across the lake's surface. Sasuke then crashed into the water with a heavy thud before abruptly swimming to the surface.

Sasuke pulled himself from the water below before crouching atop the lake while gasping for air. At the same time, Naruto stood completely still while multiple drops of rain dripped from his hair, outfit and whiskers.

"I have no home. Your best friend is dead." Naruto explained, causing Sasuke's heart to violently throb as horrific flashbacks of the Uchiha Massacre drifted through his mind.

These flashbacks forced Sasuke gasping to intensify while both hands twitched. For over 5 years Naruto was the only friend and family Sasuke had, Naruto was everything to him.

At this moment, both of Sasuke's crimson eyes began to twitch and tremble before slowly turning. During this, Sasuke's gasps for air continued to grow more frequent and intense.

Suddenly, the veins inside Sasuke's eyes were flooded with crimson blood as the 3rd-tomoe of his Sharingan finally emerged. At the same time, his face contorted into a mixed expression of hatred and pain.

Sasuke would never allow himself to lose another brother, he already lost so much. This train of thought fueled Sasuke with unyielding resolve and determination, fully aware that the battle had only just begun.


	60. Chapter 60

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Fuyuriku - I really appreciate you and I'm working to better understand Leaf/leaves and when I should use it. Your advice is really helping me improve my writing. In terms of the period during the italic lines, I could never decide to leave one or not but I'll start making them a permanent thing.**

 **biginferno - Thank you.**

 **daspeedforce - Even if you ignore my head cannon, you can't ignore that the Susanoo is broken garbage from a narrative perspective. It devolves combat into a Power Ranger/Gundam battle while simultaneously making everyone who is Jounin-level or below completely useless.**

 **The Susanoo is not overpowered, its broken. (Insert meme about the Asura Path) Taijutsu is (subjectively) the most iconic thing about Naruto as a series, and the Susanoo ruins that.**

 **HighPaladinRin - I acquired that line from a meme. I personally don't think people can trademark words or phrases. So feel free to use that line in any future project or conversation and have a nice day.**

 **Christopher - This will not be Naruto's character for the entire story, Naruto won't be fully matured until after Pain. Naruto's struggle with his memories will be a key concept that brings him and Tayuya closer together.**

 **There is a reason why Naruto left Konoha. There is a reason why Naruto is being so brutal to everyone he once cared about from Konoha. And there is a reason why Naruto wants nothing to do with Konoha. The Land of Sound Arc will directly address these reasons while developing NarutoxTayuya.**

 **Tenellis - Because Naruto cannot be connected to Konoha. He can't be friends with Konoha. He can't talk to anyone from Konoha and he can't have anything to do with Konoha. There is absolutely no way he would take Sasuke with him because that would put Sasuke in danger and Naruto doesn't want that.**

 **If Naruto only absorbed Tobirama and Hashirama, I could see him becoming the greatest Hokage that ever lived (Jiraiya's Moment of Selection). However, Naruto also absorbed Orochimaru, allowing him to see just how big of a failure Hashirama's dream actually was.**

 **You're correct that Naruto has positive memories but as human beings, we tend to dwell on our past mistakes more than our triumphs. I'm not saying Naruto only has negative memories, I'm saying that's the only thing he can focus on. Something Tayuya will help with.**

 **Naruto wants what's best for Konoha and Sasuke as a whole. Because of this, he cannot have anything that connects him to Konoha. Also, Sasuke would never leave Konoha, Sasuke will get an entire Arc devoted to him after the Land of Sound to explain why.**

 **Naruto is selfless, he didn't leave Konoha for himself, he left for everyone else. Taking Sasuke with him would completely ruin everything that Naruto has sacrificed.**

 **A main character needs to have traits that the reader can admire and look up to. I would never write Naruto as some selfish prick that's only after power because that's not a trait to be admired. Naruto is Lelouch and Sasuke is Suzaku (Code Geass) and that's a big hint to how this story will end.**

 **Ishimaru Taiki - The Susanoo is when Naruto Shippuden devolved into Power Ranger battles. I myself hate canon Sasuke so I'm really excited to write his character in this story, a character that will follow Fugaku's path instead of Itachi's.**

 **Omegarealism - I try to be polite and kind so I can take every review seriously. However, I genuinely think you're mentally retarded or you're just a troll. A story cannot consist of nothing but fight scenes in every single chapter. Your mentality is what created the dogshit known as Dragon Ball Super.**

 **"OH MY GAWD! SHOW ME SOMEONE GETTING PUNCHED IN THE FACE EVEN THOUGH IT HAS NO NARRATIVE TENSION OR RELAVENCE TO THE PLOT!" - Omegarealism.**

 **You keep assuming other readers already understand things that haven't even been explained in this story. I'm genuinely curious, name me one chapter I wrote that didn't progress the narrative. You can't.**

 **I encourage you to expand your horizon and educate yourself because right now, you're being very Anfractuous.**

 **Deepthoughts42 - You make a very good comparison with the Kurama Clan, the greatest argument/comparison I've ever seen. It doesn't erase the fact that the Susanoo is a broken Kaiju monster, but at least your comparison makes it realistic.**

 **I can't write the Susanoo as some mountain sized creature but I could easily adjust it to human-size or maybe just make it an ethereal human-sized creation that fights along side Sasuke. (like limbo clones)**

 **I will never write the Susanoo like cannon Susanoo but I will admit that you make an excellent argument, an argument that I'll keep in mind.**

 **If possible, please read this chapter in the rain to improve your reading experience and atmosphere. This will be the final chapter of the Naruto Retrieval Arc.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 60: A Plea From A Friend! The Broken Bond.**

Friday 9:29pm, June 16th 58SSP.

The sound of a rapid waterfall ruptured through the air, magnified by an intense downpour of rain. Multiple drops of rain dripped from Naruto and Sasuke as they stood atop the lake inside the Valley of the End.

"This reminds me of something Madara once said." Naruto mumbled before glancing up at the cloud-filled night sky.

"High-level ninja should be able to understand one another through a battle of fists... Without saying a single word." As he spoke, both of Sasuke's 3-tomoe Sharingan throbbed for several seconds before ceasing.

"Shut up!" Sasuke ordered while preforming the half Rat Seal with his right hand.

Sasuke then weaved through the half Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit and Tiger Seals while his left hand reached into his satchel. During this, Sasuke inhaled a staggering breath of air while throwing multiple shuriken at Naruto.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaled numerous balls of condense flame that soared through the air.

This technique enveloped the previously thrown shuriken, creating a barrage of flaming shuriken that sliced through the air from various different angles. This combination of shuriken jutsu and Ninjutsu created brief pillars of steam while evaporating the nearby rain.

As these shuriken approached Naruto, they were each deflected by some unseen force before sinking into the lake. At the same time, an intense collection of thunder rumbled through the cloudy night sky.

"Did you see it, Sasuke? Do you want to see? Do you want to see inside this heart of mine?" Naruto asked with a deep frown across his face.

"Naruto... You were the first person that ever understood me." Sasuke exclaimed while each of his 3-tomoe Sharingan twitched.

"At first, I was relieved that I actually found someone who was just like me... But now..." While speaking, Sasuke downcast his face before staring at the endless ripples across the waters surface.

"But now that life is over, and you're wasting my time." Naruto interjected as rain dripped from his whiskers.

"Its not too late, Naruto! You could hav-...?!" Sasuke's words were cutoff as Naruto instantly appeared in front of him.

Because of the strong childhood bond between this pair of friends, Naruto placed a Flying Thunder God Seal across Sasuke's outfit weeks ago. This allowed Naruto to move with a such speed that not even the 3-tomoe Sharingan could follow him.

Naruto's right hand then reached out before squeezing down on Sasuke's throat while lifting him into the air. During this, Sasuke punched and kicked Naruto multiple times only to receive no reaction.

"I could have what?" Naruto questioned while squeezing down even tighter around Sasuke's throat.

This action prevented Sasuke from giving an answer while he struggled to breath. During this intense struggle, Sasuke's sheath fell from his outfit before sinking into the water below.

"The best you can do is criticize my methods? I've sacrificed everything. I have lied, stolen and murdered all for the good of this world. What have you given?! What have you sacrificed!?" While speaking, Naruto's grip became so tight that multiple joints and bones could be heard popping from Sasuke's neck.

"You are blind, this whole world is blind... You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty." After he spoke, Naruto dropped a gagging Sasuke atop the waters surface.

Naruto's right foot then buried itself against Sasuke's stomach, forcing him to fall back over 20ft. Sasuke flipped, twisted and slide across the waters surface before slamming against a distant cliffside.

This action created an extended period of silence as multiple portions of rock and stone fell atop Sasuke. At the same time, the sound of rain hitting stone grew more frequent and intense.

Displaying a lack of interest, Naruto quickly turned around before walking away. As he walked, Sasuke's sheath slowly floated back up to the waters surface barely inches away from Naruto.

This sheath then erupted into a fierce explosion of blue lightning that electrified both Naruto and the surrounding water. This explosion completely paralyzed Naruto as a pair of hands reached out from the blinding amount of lightning.

These hands each gripped one of Naruto's ankles before dragging him below the waters surface. Surrounded by water, this magnified the electrical current that was assaulting Naruto.

Suddenly, this chakra-filled lightning was funneled towards each of Naruto's hands before being completely absorbed. During this, a submerged Sasuke swung his left fist against Naruto's face.

Afterwards, both of Sasuke's crimson red eyes bulged as Naruto's left hand preformed the half Tiger Seal. This realization forced Sasuke to swim to the waters surface before jumping back over 10ft.

While flying backwards through the air, Sasuke's right hand weaved through the half Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit and Tiger Seals. At the same time, the amount of rumbling thunder overhead grew in frequency.

Water Style: Liquid Bullets. Naruto concluded before exhaling a fierce barrage of chakra-filled water projectiles that launched out from below the lake's surface.

Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu. Sasuke responded to Naruto's water attack by spewing numerous balls of fire from his mouth.

Upon impact, these endless projectiles created a massive cloud of steam as each of the battling friends continued to exhale. Orbs of water enveloped and extinguished multiple flames while balls of fire evaporated various projectiles of liquid.

Soon, the torrent of water spewing from Naruto's mouth began to douse and smother Sasuke's technique. Over several seconds, Sasuke's constant stream of fire was slowly pushed back before he was bombarded by several orbs of water.

This consecutive attack knocked Sasuke back over 5ft before he preformed a backflip in midair, allowing him to land atop the lake's surface. At the same time, Naruto floated to the lake's surface before slowly standing atop the rippling water.

Both of Sasuke's feet then stomped across the rippling surface while charging towards Naruto. During this, Sasuke flung his last handful of shuriken at Naruto, cutting through numerous drops of rain as they advanced.

Like before, each of these shuriken were deflected by some unseen force before sinking into the water below. Afterwards, Sasuke swung his right fist forward only to be caught by Naruto's left hand.

Because of the increased perception granted to him by his 3-tomoe Sharingan, Sasuke saw that Naruto was about to swing his own right fist out. Utilizing this knowledge, Sasuke was able to raise his own left hand before catching Naruto's punch.

I can see...!? Sasuke panicked, slightly overwhelmed by the sudden improvement in his eyesight.

Naruto then swung his right leg out in a counter clockwise fashion, attempting to knock Sasuke off his feet. However, the increased perception from his 3-tomoe Sharingan allowed Sasuke to notice this attack before Naruto even moved his leg.

I can see! As this thought progressed, Sasuke was almost left speechless at the sheer level of his new perception.

Because of this, Sasuke pushed each of Naruto's hands away before grabbing his approaching kick. Sasuke then twirled his entire body in a counter clockwise fashion, pulling Naruto into the air while robbing him of his balance.

As he was pulled through the air, Naruto twisted his entire body downward before placing both hands atop the waters surface. This allowed Naruto to extend his left foot out before kicking Sasuke directly in the jaw.

This kick knocked Sasuke over 10ft into the air before he preformed a backflip and regained his composure. Sasuke then flung a kunai down at Naruto before plummeting through the air.

Like the shuriken, this kunai was deflected by some unseen force before sinking into the water below. At the same time, Sasuke hurled his right fist forward while falling directly in front of Naruto.

Because of his decades of experience, Naruto effortlessly dodged this attack before grabbing Sasuke's arm and torso. Utilizing his increased perception, Sasuke twisted his right foot forward in midair before kicking at Naruto's face.

At the last moment, this kick was deflected by some unseen force as each of Naruto's violet eyes bulged. This deflection allowed Sasuke to contort his upper body in midair before swinging his left fist against Naruto's face.

Despite the ferocity of Sasuke's punch, Naruto didn't even react as the fist was lodged against his whiskered face. Sasuke's increased perception then noticed that Naruto was about to kick him in the stomach but he was unable to dodge this attack.

This kick knocked Sasuke back over 5ft before he began backflip across the waters surface. During this, Naruto appeared directly beside Sasuke before sweeping his left leg out in a clockwise fashion, knocking Sasuke on his back.

Naruto then raised his right leg vertically into the air, resembling the type of kick that Rock Lee would use. This kick was then thrust down with extreme force, slamming against Sasuke's stomach while forcing him to sink below the waters surface.

This kick was so powerful that it created a vortex of air in the center of the lake while Sasuke continued to sink. This vortex took several seconds to dissipate before a collection of bubbles and foam rose to the surface.

The shockwaves from this kicked created numerous waves of water to resonated out before crashing against the distant cliffsides. While this occurred, thunder continued to rumble and roar through the cloudy night sky.

After several moments, a distant Sasuke emerged from a raging wave of water before jumping into the air. Sasuke then landed atop the lake's surface before charging forward with such speed that minor waves of water rippled out from his movements.

Naruto then instantly appeared in midair beside Sasuke, forcing the Uchiha to gasp with shock. This gasp was then muffled once Naruto swiped his left foot out in a horizonal fashion, kicking Sasuke directly in this face.

This forced Sasuke to briefly fly back before placing his right hand atop the waters surface and preforming a backflip in midair. This allowed Sasuke to land atop the lake's surface with one foot before staggering and falling backwards, unable to maintain his balance.

During this struggle, Naruto appeared directly in front of Sasuke before kicking the Uchiha in his chest. This kick knocked Sasuke on his back atop the waters surface while Naruto jumped over 10ft into the air.

While laying on his back, Sasuke clapped both hands together before weaving through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals. At the same time, Sasuke inhaled a staggering amount of air, forcing each of his cheeks to bulge.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaled a condensed yet large spray of fire that instantly evaporated the surrounding rain.

This spray shot directly upwards like a geyser of flames, filling the air with embers. As this fire approached Naruto, he extended his right hand down while each of his violet eyes pulsated.

This action released a shockwave of some unseen force that completely dispersed Sasuke's technique. This unseen shockwave then surged downward before pinning Sasuke to the waters surface with a chaotic amount of force.

This created a minor crater of water with Sasuke as the epicenter, unleashing multiple waves and torrents of wind that rupture against the distant cliffsides. The level of force pressing down against Sasuke was so intense that he couldn't even keep his crimson eyes open.

As fierce currents of wind ruptured across his face, Naruto plummeted through air before slamming his right foot into Sasuke's stomach. This action caused Sasuke to once again sink below the waters surface as a pillar of water erupted from the force of this impact.

This created a brief period of silence as Naruto stood atop the rippling lake. After several seconds, numerous kunai erupted out from the waters surface barely inches away from Naruto before soaring towards his face.

Despite the close nature of this attack, Naruto managed to twist and contort his head at multiple different directions just in time to dodge each of these kunai. Afterwards, Sasuke protruded out from the waters surface before hurling his right fist at Naruto.

As this fist approached, Naruto effortlessly deflected it with the back of his left hand before slamming his forehead against Sasuke's. Even though Sasuke wore the headband of Konoha, this action still caused his forehead to swell with pain.

Ignoring this pain, each of Sasuke's 3-tomoe Sharingan began to glow with a bright red aura. Suddenly, Naruto swung his right fist out in a horizontal slash only for Sasuke to duck under this approaching punch, utilizing his increased perception.

Sasuke then lunged forward while hurling his left fist out only for Naruto to sidestep his attack at the last moment. Both Sasuke and Naruto then became embroiled in a fierce hand-to-hand exchange, testing decades of experience against inhuman levels of perception.

During this fierce confrontation, the surrounding water violently thrashed upon each impact. At the same time, a transparent mixture of blue and purple chakra filled the air as this battle between friends grew more intense.

As this confrontation continued to extend, multiple pairs of hands erupted out from the waters surface before grabbing each of Naruto's ankles. Afterwards, Sasuke jumped back over 10ft as 3 separate lightning clones arose from the water.

These clones then violently exploded into a consecutive current of chakra-filled lightning, electrifying Naruto. Despite the high voltage of this attack, Naruto didn't even react as multiple arcs of lightning erupted through his body.

Hoping to utilize this moment to his advantage, Sasuke flung 3 kunai at Naruto only to be deflected by some unseen force. Suddenly, a 5th Sasuke sprang from the waters surface directly below Naruto, forcing him to gasp with shock.

Since Naruto's eyes were unable to react, Sasuke unleashed a fierce uppercut against his childhood friend. This punch forced Naruto to soar over 5ft into the air before Sasuke grabbed each of his ankles.

Sasuke then threw Naruto through the air with all his might, forcing the young Uzumaki soar over 20ft before slamming against a distant cliffside. The force of this impact broken off multiple sections of nearby stone and rock that fell atop Naruto.

While this occurred, the 1st Sasuke began running towards the 2nd while clapping both hands together before weaving through the Dog, Boar and Ram Seals. During this, an intense collection of thunder rumbled overhead.

"Transformation Jutsu!" The 1st Sasuke screamed before erupting into a puff of smoke.

An exact copy of Sasuke's distinct sword then flung from this smoke cloud before landing directly in his right hand. Sasuke's grip around his weapon then tightened before he surged across the waters surface.

Both of Sasuke's 3-tomoe Sharingan then bulged once his increased perception noticed dozens of boulders soaring towards him. Despite his high level of perception, Sasuke knew there was no way he could dodge all of them.

This realization caused Sasuke to grip the hilt of his sword with both hands before funneling chakra into his weapon. Sasuke was hoping to electrify his blade but his level of chakra control wasn't high enough.

Refusing to give up, Sasuke swung his sword forward in a vertical fashion, cutting clear through a piece of rock. As this rock was cut in half, Naruto's right fist soared between the pieces of stone before slamming into Sasuke's face.

This punch forced Sasuke to plummet backwards before preforming a backflip in midair. After regaining his balance, Sasuke noticed that Naruto was falling through the air beside him.

This caused Sasuke slice his sword out in a horizontal fashion, causing a black chakra-rod to abruptly phase out from Naruto's right palm. Sparks then littered the air as Sasuke repeatedly slashed and dragged his blade against Naruto's chakra-rod.

These repeated attacks caused the sound of metal striking metal to pierce the rain-filled air. Soon, these attacks grew more frequent and violent as the pair of battling friends fell to the waters surface.

Each attack between these friends forced the surrounding water to violently quake while sparks filled the air. During this, Sasuke's Sharingan each glowed with a bright crimson aura while studying Naruto's movements.

Suddenly, Naruto dropped to the waters surface before extending his left foot out while sliding in a counter clockwise fashion. This forced Sasuke to jump into the air before aiming his right foot down at Naruto's chest.

As this foot approached, Naruto twisted his back against the waters surface while kicking his out foot against Sasuke's. This action completely disrupted Sasuke's balance while Naruto's quickly managed to stand up.

Naruto then slashed his chakra-rod out in a horizontal fashion only to be parried by Sasuke's blade. Sasuke then utilized the leverage created by this attack to regain his balance in midair, allowing him to extended his right foot out at Naruto's face.

At the last moment, this kick was deflected by some unseen force before Naruto tried to impale Sasuke. Because of his advanced perception, Sasuke managed to parry this attack with his blade, filling the nearby air with sparks.

With each second that passed, Sasuke's eyes continued to study and observe Naruto's fighting style. Soon, Sasuke began to mirror and copy each of Naruto's movements with his own.

This type of fight style forced Sasuke to extended his right foot out at Naruto's waist only for the latter to jump off this attack. While Naruto hovered through the air he extended his own left foot out at Sasuke's face.

Utilizing his increased perception, Sasuke's managed to effortlessly catch this kick before Naruto landed atop the water. Naruto then swiped his right leg out in a horizontal fashion a Kage-level speed, an action that Sasuke noticed but couldn't react to.

This kick knocked Sasuke to the waters surface before Naruto's chakra-rod completely phased out from his hand. Naruto then gripped this chakra-rod in a reverse grip fashion before thrusting it through Sasuke's chest.

Instead of him, he stabbed a lightning clone that resulted in a fierce explosion, shocking Naruto. At the same time, Sasuke's sword flung across the waters surface before erupting into a puff of smoke.

Multiple kunai then erupted out from this cloud of smoke before soaring through the air at Naruto. During this, the real Sasuke surged out from the dissipating smoke cloud while each of his crimson eyes throbbed various times.

As this kunai approached Naruto, they were each deflected by some unseen force before sinking into the water below. Afterwards, Sasuke stood directly in front while hurling his right fist forward.

Because of his decades of experience, Naruto managed to dodge this punch before twisting his entire body in a clockwise fashion. While this occurred, Naruto extended his right foot out before kicking Sasuke directly in the face.

This kick forced Sasuke to fall back before sliding over 5ft across the waters surface while groaning with pain. Each of Sasuke's crimson eyes then bulged after their increased perception saw Naruto's shadow.

This realization allowed Sasuke to roll across the waters surface just in time to dodge a fierce kick from Naruto. This created a geyser of water at Sasuke's previous location before he finally managed to regain his balance and stand up.

After standing, Sasuke swung his right foot through the air in a horizontal fashion at Naruto's face. As this kick approached, Naruto managed to lean back just in time as Sasuke's foot soared mere inches away from his nose.

After dodging this attack, Naruto swung his own right foot through the air only for Sasuke to jump over his leg. Each of Naruto's violet eyes then glanced upwards as Sasuke soared over him before landing behind him.

Naruto then dropped to the ground before sliding his left leg out in a counter clockwise fashion only for Sasuke to jump over this attack. While Sasuke hovered in the air, Naruto stood up just in time to block several kicks from the young Uchiha.

After failing to kick Naruto, Sasuke pulled his last kunai loose before twirling the object around his right index finger multiple times. Sasuke then held this weapon in a reverse grip fashion before slicing it down in a slanted verdatical fashion.

Because of his extensive experience, Naruto managed to sidestep this attack before Sasuke finally landed atop the waters surface. Without a moment of delay, Sasuke slashed his reverse gripped kunai out in a horizontal fashion only for Naruto's left hand to grab his wrist, stopping his attack.

Utilizing his high level of perception, Sasuke tossed his kunai into his left hand before slicing out at Naruto's arm. This attack was met by a fierce parry from Naruto's chakra-rod, filling the air with an intense display of sparks.

Naruto then completely overwhelmed Sasuke by disarming him, knocking his final kunai over 10ft into the air. Afterwards, Naruto attempted to impale Sasuke by thrusting his chakra-rod out like a spear only for the young Uchiha to sidestep this attack.

Moving at Jounin-level speed, Sasuke's left hand reached into his satchel before pulling a smoke bomb loose. Sasuke then threw this smoke bomb directly at Naruto's face only to be deflected by some unseen force before harmlessly sinking into the water below.

During this confrontation, Sasuke's crimson eyes continuously shifted between Naruto and his chakra-rod. These crimson eyes allowed Sasuke to narrowly avoid a horizontal slash from Naruto's chakra-rod before kicking the young Uzumaki directly in the stomach.

This attack forced Naruto to stagger backwards while Sasuke jumped over before preforming a front flip in midair. While flipping, Sasuke extended his right leg out while his advanced perception focused on the kunai falling towards him.

This advanced perception allowed Sasuke to effortlessly kick the hilt of his falling kunai down at Naruto. Because his violet eyes were unable to react, Sasuke's kunai was able to slice across Naruto's face before sinking into the lake, staining the nearby water with blood.

This attack forced Naruto to briefly stagger while partially turning his whiskered face around. During this, Sasuke landed atop the waters surface barely inches away from Naruto.

Naruto's entire body then contorted forward while thrusting his chakra-rod out at Sasuke's stomach. Despite his improved reaction time, Naruto's chakra-rod tore into Sasuke's tunic before he barely managed to dodge the attack by jumping backwards.

This created a 10ft gap between the pair of battling friends as portions of Sasuke's tunic fell to the waters surface. At the same time, Sasuke began to pant heavily while gasping for air, a consequence from using up so much chakra.

As Sasuke gasped for air, steam began to pour from the wound across whiskered face. After several seconds, this wound was completely healed before Naruto began to pop and snap his own neck in numerous different directions and angles.

I can't keep this up for much longer... I don't have the chakra. Sasuke analyzed his predicament

An extended period of silence filled the air while Sasuke began playing multiple different scenario's and plans through his mind. During this, Sasuke's mouth fell open with shock as Naruto was replaced with the transparent image of Itachi.

This image filled Sasuke with utter rage and hatred, forcing the nearby water to thrash. Sasuke's trembling right hand then weaved through the half Ox, Monkey and Rabbit Seals at a blinding level of speed.

After preforming these Seals, a blinding eruption of blue lightning flickered into existence across Sasuke's entire right hand. With each second that passed, the sparks of lightning that flickered from this technique grew more frequent and chaotic.

"Not again... Never again! NEVER AGAIN!" Sasuke's trembling voice screamed while the transparent image of Itachi began to pulsate.

Suddenly, the distant memory of Itachi's crimson eyes throbbed through out Sasuke's mind. This memory filled Sasuke's head with the image of Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan, an image that haunted his childhood.

"BECAUSE OF YOU!" As he screamed, Sasuke surged across the waters surface while sparks of lightning flickered from his technique.

Dad... Is there something beyond the 3-tomoe Sharingan? Sasuke remembered a distant conversation with his father.

Oh... Already interested in Sharingan at such a young age? Well... The stern, rigid and veteran voice of Fugaku Uchiha spoke out.

There is a level of Sharingan beyond the average 3-tomoe... But very few Uchiha have ever unlocked it. As this memory progressed, Sasuke approached the transparent image of Itachi.

However, its a level of Sharingan that requires the greatest of all sacrifices... A level of Sharingan that represents the extreme pain all Uchiha grapple with. These memories fueled Sasuke's technique with even more chakra.

Honestly, I hope will you never have to unlock this level of Sharingan, my son. The Mangekyō Sharingan... Because it requires a terrible price. After this memory ended, Sasuke grinded his teeth together as he finally stood directly in front of Itachi.

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke's enraged voice echoed through the rain-filled crater, resonating off the distant cliffsides.

This created the sound of lightning piercing flesh while Sasuke downcast his face before staring at the rippling water. Sasuke was left utterly paralyzed by his vision, a vision that was contorted and blurry, preventing him from seeing anything but a thick haze.

While Sasuke struggled to correct his vision, he failed the noticed that his right hand had torn through a portion of Naruto's right lung. Despite this injury, Naruto's left hand somehow managed to grab Sasuke's right wrist before snapping it in half.

"GAAUua-...?!" The pain-filled voice of Sasuke grunted in response while falling on both knee's.

As Sasuke fell, his right hand was pulled loose from Naruto's chest, showering the Uchiha with drops of blood from his childhood friend. Afterwards, a massive pillar of steam erupted from the whole inside Naruto's chest as it healed in a matter of seconds.

This created an extended period of silence as Naruto towered over a groaning Sasuke. While groaning, Sasuke held his broken wrist close to his chest as pain coursed through his entire body.

"Think carefully on your choice here today, Sasuke. If you choose to fight, if you choose war, it is a path that few can turn from once the first steps are taken. And in the end, you will have nothing left to sacrifice." Naruto spoke as a deep frown bloomed across his face.

This voice brought Sasuke back to reality as he finally realized that Itachi was just a figment of his imagination, there was only Naruto. This realization created an intense feeling of regret that boiled inside Sasuke's stomach.

"You were my brother, Naruto... I-... I-..." Sasuke mumbled under his breath, unable to find the proper words.

"We all have our heroes, and when we watch them fall... We die inside." Naruto replied as the deep frown on his face grew even deeper.

"You still don't understand, do you?" After speaking, a brief period of silence filled the air.

"In battle, words are swept away, leaving only actions... Mercy, Sacrifice, Anger and fear, these are pure moments of expression. Actions speak louder than words." This statement forced Sasuke to blink each of his hazy eyes numerous times while blood dripped from them.

Suddenly, Sasuke raised his face before staring directly into Naruto's violet ripple-pattern eyes. This revealed multiple streams of blood leaking from Sasuke's new eyes, eyes that resembled three intersecting red ellipse, the Mangekyō Sharingan.

The image of Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan forced Naruto to violently seizure before falling on both knees. During this, Sasuke's vision began to adjust while the constant haze from his eyesight slowly dissipated.

Over the next several seconds, Naruto's seizure grew more violent as he began to gag and foam at the mouth. Soon, a black beak slowly protruded out from his mouth while his entire throat bulged.

This beak then began to wiggle and squirm before the head of a raven popped out from Naruto's mouth. Because Naruto was busy gagging while Sasuke was struggling to see, neither of them noticed the Mangekyō Sharingan that was resting inside the raven's left eye.

This Mangekyō Sharingan consisted of a 4-pointed black pinwheel that was completely surrounded by crimson red. This Sharingan glowed like a sun in the night sky as the 1-eyed raven finally wiggled itself loose from Naruto's throat.

This left numerous black feathers that floated through the air as Naruto gasped multiple times while struggling to breathe. Afterwards, both Naruto and Sasuke each sat on their knee's atop the waters surface as one gasped for air while the other struggled to see.

Sasuke's vision then finally cleared up before he glanced at the black raven that was flying in circles overhead. This caused Sasuke to catch a brief glimpse of the Mangekyō Sharingan that rested inside the raven's eye, a Mangekyō Sharingan that instantly hypnotized Sasuke.

Suddenly, the raven's crimson eye slowly closed as Sasuke was knocked unconscious before falling directly in front of Naruto. This left a crouched Naruto hovering barely inches away from Sasuke as drops of rain dripped from each of his whiskers, staining the Uchiha face.

This moment stretched on for what felt like years as Naruto stared at the face of his childhood friend and brother. Soon, the now blind raven landed atop Naruto's left shoulder while thunder rumbled in the distant night sky.

"I would have let myself die; to preserve you." Naruto mumbled while his face was barely inches away from Sasuke's.

"I loved you, ya'know… As one loves a champion." As Naruto spoke, an intense collection of kind and joyful memories with Sasuke drifted through his mind.

"You were all that I could I not be..." While speaking, Naruto slowly stood up as the blind raven continued to stand atop his left shoulder.

"Forgive me, Sasuke." After he spoke, Naruto turned around before walking away as the sound of heavy rainfall resonated through the Valley of the End.

This left an unconscious Sasuke floating atop the lake's surface while multiple drops of rain bombarded his face. This was the most horrific moment of Sasuke's life, the moment when he lost his 2nd family.


	61. Chapter 61

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Ishimaru Taki - The crow/raven will have a dramatic effect on Sasuke's character as a whole, but it will be very subtle since that's how Kotoamatsukami works.**

 **biginferno - I'm glad.**

 **tenellis - You bring up the Curse of Hatred that is prominent through out the entire Uchiha clan. A curse that only Itachi, Shisui (and if we stretch it, Fugaku) ever broke free from.**

 **I understand the Uchiha clan is a clan filled with hatred and violence, Tobirama is my favorite canon Hokage after all. However, being an Uchiha doesn't by default mean you're a violent killer, just look at Shisui.**

 **You cannot compare Sasuke to Gaara, Tayuya or Dosu because Naruto spent his actual childhood with Sasuke.** **You bring up political significance and that's the point, Sasuke can't come with Naruto because of politics.**

 **Naruto doesn't need Sasuke's eyes to control the tailed beasts because he doesn't want to control the tailed beasts, he wants them to have a choice in their destiny. Using Sasuke's Sharingan as a tool to control the Tailed beasts would be extremely, EXTREMELY out of character for Naruto.**

 **As I have stated before, Sasuke would never leave Konoha and Naruto knows this because of their extensive childhood together. You can't confuse canon Sasuke with this Sasuke because this Sasuke actually had a childhood bond with Naruto unlike canon Sasuke.**

 **Naruto doesn't want Sasuke to become unstable, Naruto wants Sasuke to live a happy life. If Sasuke went with Naruto then his life would basically be over, because that's the path Naruto is walking.**

 **Sasuke has a choice, to give into to hatred or to move on like Shisui, Itachi, Kakashi and Fugaku all did. I believe your looking at this Sasuke from a canon perspective instead of this story. This is not canon Sasuke.**

 **Naruto can't be hypnotized or effected by Sasuke's Sharingan because he has the Rinnegan. And this power transcends to Kurama since Naruto's Rinnegan are always prominent, even when he's in his tailed beast form.**

 **Finally - Naruto is by no means a sociopath, he is a dark hero.** **Naruto isn't some batshit crazy murderer at all.**

 **If you think Lelouch Vi Britannia is a sociopath than of course you would think Naruto is a sociopath. However, if you think Lelouch is a dark hero that sacrificed everything for the world then you will be default think Naruto is a dark hero who sacrificed everything for the world.**

 **Naruto is not Pain, he will not force the world into peace and that's why he told Sasuke 'You just don't understand'. The comparison between Pain and Naruto can be made but they have two completely different philosophies. The only thing they agree on is collecting the tailed beasts, not how to use them.**

 **As I have said before, life is full of different perspective and our perspectives of Naruto/Sasuke are clearly different. I strongly disagree with your assumptions about Naruto and Sasuke but I thank you for taking the time to express your opinion.**

 **deltadragon373 - In terms of Japanese mythology, the Susanoo makes perfect sense because of how Kishimoto named certain** **Mangekyō Sharingan techniques. However, if we remove the mythology and look at in solely from a narrative perspective, its broken.**

 **Omegarealism - You cannot call a chapter filler if it progresses the narrative, that's an oxymoron. Filler by its very nature doesn't progress the narrative but every single flashback I've written has progressed the narrative.**

 **I appreciate you taking the time to read my story and I'm glad you think its a good story but I feel like you don't understand what a narrative is.**

 **I will ask you again, name me one chapter I wrote that didn't progress the narrative because you can't. You can't just call Madara vs Hashirama a filler chapter because its a flashback, it progresses Naruto's character and the narrative as a whole.**

 **You can say 40%-60% of my story is filler but unless you can specifically point to a single chapter that actually is filler, I feel like this conversation won't go anywhere.**

 **I understand what retard/autism means and that's why I get so depressed when I read certain reviews. Because I actually know some autistic people who are really smart and it shocks me how stupid some people are.**

 **I asked you to educate yourself because you simply don't understand what a "narrative/plot" is. College is (of course) stupid and a waste of time, I'm not telling you to go to college, I'm telling you to take time out of your day and expand your horizon.**

 **Sadly, I actually understand your perspective but you obviously don't understand mine. And that's why I encourage you to educate yourself, so you can grow as a person.**

 **Hiatagi-Satori - Yea, I fucking love that apathy line.**

 **Nara - Don't worry, no one hates me more than I hate myself. The ships are carved in stone and they won't be changed. Except for Sakura, I can't decide if she'll be single or if she'll be with Sakon.**

 **The comparison between Naruto and Zeus can be made but I don't see him as some whore that wonders the land shoving his dick in random girls. I can see Karin or Isaribi flirting with Naruto, along with a handful of female side characters that he will meet and spend time with during his journey.**

 **However, anime generally consists of a loud mouth Tsundere (Tayuya) that slowly falls in love with the main character (Naruto). I can understand a threesome with Isaribi or Karin joining NarutoxTayuya simply because Suigetsu and Haku aren't main characters yet but** **Naruto will only put his dick inside someone if it advances the plot.**

 **Fuyuriku - I really appreciate you, I'll stop using numbers when I can.**

 **That Guy - Minato was able to go Sage Mode in literal seconds during the 4th shinobi world war. So by that logic, Minato should have been able to go Sage Mode in seconds when Obito attacked, but he didn't. Because Kishimoto loves to pull dogshit plot-holes out his ass - constantly.**

 **And that's the point, the point is Minato shouldn't have been able to use Sage Mode in the first place. There is no excuse.**

 **jtcooke96 - Thank you, that means a lot to me. I'll keep your review in mind.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 61: The Land Of Sound! A Welcomed Guest.**

 _Saturday 4:37am, June 16th 58SSP. Deep inside the Land of Rivers._

A calm and confident Kabuto stood in the center of a deep and dark forest. This young yet elite shinobi was surrounded on all sides by a collection of rag-tag mercenaries and various Rogue ninja.

The night sky was cloudless and clear, allowing numerous rays of moonlight to sprinkle in from the foliage overhead. Also, a faint yet constant gust of wind blew in from the South with rapid succession, never ceasing.

"They're late." Kabuto complained after pulling a pocket watch loose from his satchel.

Suddenly, the sound of pain-filled screams echoed through the dark forest followed by sadistic laughter. This sound greatly alarmed the group of mercenaries and Rogue ninja while Kabuto smiled from ear-to-ear.

After several seconds, the silhouette of some unknown figure before walking through a pair of nearby trees. As this figure approached, his sadistic laughter resonated through the forest.

"Good morning, everyone! Do any of you have time to hear about our lord and savior, Jashin?" This unknown man asked before multiple rays of moonlight illuminated his figure.

His hair was short and grey while his bangs slicked back, drawing focus to his distinctive purple eyes. His outfit consisted of a shin-length black robe that was covered with multiple red clouds.

The front zipper of this robe was halfway open, revealing a scratched headband from the Village Hidden in Hot Water around his neck. Over this headband was a Jashin amulet, a symbol that consisted of an upside down triangle with a circle around it.

Underneath this robe, the man was shirtless with a pair of grey pants that matched his shinobi shoes. These shoes were also lined with white fabric that wrapped around his ankles and shins.

His finger and toe nails were each painted dark green, a deep contrast to his purple eyes. Also, he wore a unique orange ring on his left index finger with the Kanji for 'three' sprawled across it.

In his right hand, this man held a triple-blade red scythe that perfectly matched the crimson color of blood. This scythe was attached to dense metal chain that extended up the right sleeve of his robe.

In his left hand, this man was dragging the corpse of a blood stained mercenary across the ground by his collar. This corpse stained the ground with crimson liquid as the unknown man continued to laugh in a sadistic fashion.

"My, my... I'm afraid you're to late, Hidan. We already preformed our daily worship to lord Jashin." Kabuto exclaimed with a twisted smile across his face.

"Awh!? What!? Really?! I can't believe I missed it!" Hidan complained with a sincere tone before dropping the blood-stained corpse to the ground.

"I didn't come all the way out here to listen to your weird religious babble." The voice of a 2nd man spoke out before appearing between a pair of nearby trees.

This man was extremely tall with tan skin and brown nail polish on his finger and toe nails. Also, his eyes had an unusual coloring; green irises with no pupils and red sclerae.

Similar to Hidan, his outfit consisted of a shin-length black robe that was covered by several red clouds. Unlike Hidan's outfit, this robe was completely zipped up giving off the appearance of a raise-collar.

This collar led to a grey hood and mask that completely covered his entire face except for his eyes. Over this hood was a scratched headband from Village Hidden by a Waterfall. Underneath this, the man wore a pain of grey pants that matched his shoes, the exact same shoes that Hidan wore.

The most prominent feature of this man was a collection of stitches that lined each of his wrists. These stitches drew attention towards the dark green ring worn on his left middle finger, a ring that had the Kanji for 'North' sprawled across it.

"Whaaat?! What did you just say, Kakuzu? Did you just call lord Jashin 'weird'?" Hidan questioned with a harsh and demented tone while the grip around his scythe tightened.

"What's wrong with speaking the truth?" Kakuzu mumbled in response.

This statement forced Hidan to violently stabbed his triple-bladed scythe into a nearby tree. During this, Kabuto continued to smile in a twisted fashion while pushing his glasses up slightly.

"Heh... Heheheh… GAHAHAHAH! Oh, man! You're seriously calling the Way of Jashin 'weird', aren't you?" Hidan laughed with a mixture of joy and bloodlust.

"That's a very great sin! A sin that can't be forgiven... No matter what!" While speaking, Hidan's right hand gripped the hilt of his scythe before pulling it loose.

"There you go again, being a religious nut." Kakuzu mumbled, forcing Hidan to lick the blades of his scythe while giggling with delight.

"Before you continue, I'd like to get down to business." Kabuto interrupted.

"I'm only here because Sasori put in a good word for you, what is it?" Kakuzu exclaimed.

"I'd like to hire you for a bounty." Kabuto explained with a smile wide across his face.

"I don't care about money, that won't help me worship lord Jashin." Hidan interjected.

"Quiet! I'm talking business." Kakuzu mumbled, forcing Hidan to shout numerous insults at him.

"Are you familiar with the bounty on lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto asked while pushing his glasses up slightly.

"Of course, that man has a 3 million Ryo bounty... I'd love to collect his head." Kakuzu mumbled while crossing both arms in front of his chest, unaware of Orochimaru's fate.

"Well, I have a proposition for you... I'll pay you 5 million Ryo if you collect a different head." Kabuto proclaimed, forcing each of Kakuzu's eyes to widen with interest.

"Where did a runt like you acquire that kind of money?" Kakuzu questioned, earning a slight chuckle from the elite apprentice of Orochimaru.

"There was once a profitable organization ran by a man named Gato… Sadly, he died a couple of months ago and his little gang began to fall apart... Lucky for them, I stepped in." Kabuto explained before smiling in a fashion that was eerily similar to Orochimaru.

"A runt like you took over Gato's business? Yea right." Kakuzu scoffed, forcing the dozens of mercenaries and Rogue ninja around Kabuto to enter a tense stance, each of them paid for their loyalty.

"Well, well... I gotta say, I'm quite impressed." As he spoke, Hidan abruptly walked up behind Kakuzu before poking his head over the latter's right shoulder.

"Stop wasting time! I could be making a sacrifice right now!" Hidan complained, forcing Kakuzu to sigh in a dramatic fashion.

"Speak up, runt. Give me the name of your bounty and I'll go collect." Kakuzu ordered, causing the smile across Kabuto's face to stretch from ear-to-ear.

This created a brief period of silence as the constant breeze from the south evolved into a dense gust. This forced multiple trees and tree branches to swish through the air under this intense breeze.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Kabuto responded before numerous leaves flickered through the night sky as he began to weave various plans from the shadows.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Land of Sound._

A stiff of frigid breeze of cold hair blew in from the north, bombarding against Tayuya's bare legs, face and arms. This breeze of wind forced her to abruptly wake up before twisting her head from side to side.

Tayuya sat in the middle of a large grove while resting between a pair of roots with her back against a tree. On the opposite side of this grove was a sleeping Dosu, curled up like a dog while using the mane on his back like a blanket.

"One eyed bitch..." Tayuya mumbled, jealous that she didn't have her own blanket.

Between Tayuya and Dosu was a flickering fire that barely had enough wood to keep it alive. Tayuya tried to stand up and get closer to this dying heat source but her wounds were to severe.

"Are you okay?" Gaara asked with a kind, caring and gentle tone as he sat atop a nearby tree branch while staring up at the night sky.

"No, I'm not! Where the fuck is that nerd at?" Tayuya complained, eager for Naruto to feed her.

"He left a few minutes ago, there's a fire in the distance and he wanted to check it out." Gaara explained, filling Tayuya with rage.

"What?! That little bitch was here and he didn't even wake me up?" Tayuya complained before mumbling various insults under her breath.

"Well get me some firewood then, I'm freezing!" After she complained, Gaara slowly stood up before nodding in approval.

Gaara's entire body then erupted into a minor explosion of sand, forcing thousands of grains to float through the air. During this, Tayuya sighed in a loud and dramatic fashion while her stomach roared out of hunger.

This left Tayuya alone with a sleeping Dosu while the cold weather from the Land of Sound forced her to shiver. Soon, Tayuya's shivering grew in frequency as she raised both knees against her nonexistent chest.

After several seconds, Tayuya began thinking about how warm Naruto was. This train of thought forced Tayuya to briefly think about hugging Naruto for warmth before instantly shaking the idea from her mind out of embarrassment.

This embarrassment forced Tayuya to downcast her face before staring at the grass-covered ground, consumed by thoughts of food and warmth.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, several yards away._

A small town of wooden shacks and houses burned with intense flames, illuminating the early morning sky. At the same time, various cries of pain and death filled the air as helpless citizens fled from a group of ruthless Sound shinobi.

"Keep the healthy ones alive, Kabuto's orders." The voice of Misumi ordered the various surrounding Chunin while they ransacked the burning town.

Ever since his failed match against Kankuro during the Chunin Exams, Misumi fully defected from Konoha before officially joining Otoga. This caused Misumi's outfit to completely change from his previous appearance.

His mask, bandana and gloves were all gone while he wore a short-sleeved back shirt. This shirt matched his ankle-length pants and shinobi shoes while drawing attention to his short yet spiky black hair. Finally, his most prominent feature was a pair of clear and round framed glasses that rested across his pale-skinned face.

"I'm not so sure about this, Orochimaru told us these towns were off limits because they supplied him with funds." Yoroi interjected, a former leaf shinobi who defected after his lost to Sasuke during the Chunin Exams.

Like Misumi, Yoroi's outfit had completely changed from his previous appearance inside Konoha. He wore a sleeveless black shirt that matched his ankle-length pants and shinobi shoes. This outfit also matched his short black hair and round framed black glasses that concealed his eyes, drawing attention to his tan skin.

"Kabuto said Orochimaru wouldn't mind, I haven't seen Orochimaru since the Chunin Exams anyway." Misumi explained while a pair of Sound Chunin dragged numerous corpses through the street.

Suddenly, a young girl who was barely 12yrs old began running through the street with 4 separate kunai lodged in her right arm. This girl was followed by an elderly man who was struggling to run with his cane.

"Run, Sasame!" The elderly man pleaded before a pair of Chunin knocked his cane away, forcing him to fall face first into the ground.

This statement forced the young girl the run with even greater speed as blood dripped from her arm. During this, a group of Chunin began kicking the elderly man while laughing.

"That one isn't worth keeping. Want me to get her?" Yoroi asked while glancing at the terrified Sasame.

"Nah, I'll get her." Misumi replied with a smile on his face before causally walking after the retreating child.

"You just like killing kids, don't you?" Yoroi joked with a slight laugh.

"You're one to talk, you've killed more kids than me." Misumi chuckled in response.

Yoroi and Misumi were as close as two friends could be, they've known each other since childhood. This level of trust and loyalty gave them absolute confidence towards one another.

Soon, Sasame tripped over a rock before falling face first into a dirt-covered road with a heavy thud. This left the young girl completely paralyzed as pain surged through her left ankle.

Her outfit consisted of an Otoga-style sleeveless vest that was a mixture of different shades of purple. Below this so wore a pair of black shorts with a kunai pouched strapped to her right thigh.

Around each of her wrists she wore a pair of black armbands that were extremely similar to Tayuya's. These armbands matched her shinobi shoes and the hat she wore over her waist-length bright orange hair, a hat that allowed a small ponytail to protrude out the top of her head.

"No! Sasame!" The elderly man screamed as multiple Chunin continued to kick him while laughing.

After several seconds, Misumi finally stood behind a terrified Sasame while she struggled to crawl away. Despite the horrific circumstance, Misumi was laughing with joy as his right hand pulled a kunai loose.

Confident in Misumi's abilities, Yoroi turned around before focusing on the burning town, eager to finish his orders. Yoroi then walked towards the elderly man while various Chuunin pulled screaming children and mothers loose from their homes.

Suddenly, the nearby ground quaked as a pillar of dust and debris erupted from Misumi's previous location. This action forced Yoroi to turn around while dozens of Chunin stopped what they doing.

This pillar of dust and debris existed for several moments before partially dissipating, revealing an unknown silhouette that stood in front of Sasame. The limp body of Misumi was sprawled across a small crater of crumbled rocks and cracked earth.

Streams of fresh blood leaked and poured from this crater as Misumi was completely devoid of life. Protruding out from Misumi's back was a black chakra-rod that was held by some unknown figure. During this, a blind raven circled overhead multiple times while several black feathers to plummeted to the ground.

This image forced each of Yoroi's concealed eyes to bulge before the cloud of dust and debris fully dissipated. This revealed a quiet Naruto that towered our Misumi's corpse while Sasame was huddled on the ground behind him.

Naruto's face was almost expressionless, giving off no clear hints about his thoughts or emotions. Because of his fight with Sasuke, there was a gaping hole across his Anbu robe over his chest.

"Do you feel it, that feeling inside your heart? I felt that feeling, once..." Naruto mumbled as Yoroi was left utterly speechless while staring at Misumi's corpse.

"It was just like this, when my father was murdered right before my very eyes... By a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village." As he spoke, dozens of nearby Chunin entered a Taijutsu stance while unsheathing multiple kunai.

"Because of the existence of shinobi, conflicts by there very nature will intensify. Do you understand? Can you even comprehend?" After speaking, Yoroi's pain-filled scream pierced the air before ordering his Chunin to attack.

This sound forced an injured Sasame to turn around before glancing up at Naruto's back. During this, the distant sun began to rise in the west, illuminating Naruto's silhouette as Sasame stared at him with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

This was a very important moment in Sasame life, the moment when she first looked up at her new ideal.

* * *

 _20 minutes later, 5:11am._

"Oooh, fuck... I would stab a bitch for some food right now." Tayuya groaned as streams of sand were stacking piles of wood atop the nearby fire.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't find any more berries." Gaara apologized while sitting beside the fire.

"This place used to be known as the Land of Rice Paddies, get me some rice!" Tayuya exclaimed, displaying great knowledge by the Land of Sound.

"Shows how much you know, Orochimaru demolished most of the Rice fields." Dosu explained while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

This created a brief moment of silence as Tayuya sighed in a loud, drawn-out fashion. At the same time, Tayuya's left hand pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I seriously hope you die." Tayuya sighed, earning a slight chuckle from Dosu.

Suddenly, the sound of nearby twigs snapping filled the air while leaves were crunched by various footsteps. These sounds garnished the attention of Dosu, Tayuya and Gaara as they all turned their heads in response.

After several seconds, a collection of numerous children, women and men slowly entered the grove. Each of these people wore clothes that were torn and tattered were several of them were covered in bruises.

Dosu and Tayuya were instantly able to identify these people as citizens from a nearby town. Their town was the closet out-door settlement located next the Orochimaru's underground Sound Village.

Many of these children ran past their mothers and fathers before huddling around the freshly stoked fire. This was a sight that greatly overwhelmed Gaara, he had never before seen so many people in such poor conditions.

"What the fuck is this?" After Tayuya spoke, her eyes focused upon a distant Naruto as he carried Sasame into the grove.

Behind Naruto was a collection of elderly men and women, many of which struggled to walk. Despite the poor conditions these people suffered from, Tayuya was more focused on food instead of them.

"You better have food for me." While speaking, Naruto glanced directly at her.

This forced Tayuya to downcast her face with embarrassment, unable to look directly at Naruto's violet eyes. Tayuya would never admit it, but she was completely infatuation with Naruto's ripple-patterned eyes.

"There's food in the village, lets go." Naruto exclaimed, causing Gaara's stand to instantly douse the nearby fire.

"Orochimaru would never let _them_ in the village." Dosu remarked with a condescending tone while glancing between the dozens of poor citizens that littered the grove.

Dosu then felt a sinister chill rush up his spine while Naruto's violet eyes glared directly at him. These eyes completely hypnotized Dosu before his entire body twitched for what felt like minutes.

During this, numerous streams of sand rose from the earth before helping each of the elderly and injured citizens walk. As this occurred, Sasame and Tayuya were also picked up by a cloud of sand before a cold breeze of air rushed in from the north.

After several seconds, Dosu finally regained his senses before slowly standing up while staring at Naruto's back. At the same time, Tayuya began to shiver and shake while glancing between Naruto and the ground various times.

"Hey... Nerd." Tayuya mumbled in a low voice, speaking so quietly that Naruto barely even heard her.

"Tayuya?" Naruto asked, creating a brief period of silence as Tayuya swelled with embarrassment.

"Yo-... You should carry me." Tayuya stuttered but abruptly biting her tongue.

Without the constant company of a fire, Tayuya was freezing under the rigid weather that was common place inside the Land of Sound. Even during the summer months, this land was constantly shrouded with frigid weather that blew in from the Land of Snow and the Land of Frost.

Tayuya then felt a powerful wave of warmth radiating out from Naruto as he crouched down before picking her up bridal style. During this, Tayuya continued to bite down on her tongue while internally screaming several insults at herself.

All Tayuya could do was criticize herself as Naruto escorted her and the surrounding citizens to the Sound Village. Tayuya was so embarrassed that she didn't even notice a blind raven that was flying overhead.

* * *

 _10 minutes later, 5:39am._

Tall and dense oak trees towered through the air, cascading the entire forest floor with shadows. This collection of trees surrounded a man-made stone outcrop that was topped with purple roof shingles.

A descending stone pathway from this outcrop led to a wide door that was covered by a large arch. This arch had various paintings of snakes that adorned and decorated its stone surface.

This pathway was filled with numerous Land of Sound citizens that Naruto escorted down below the earths surface. This led to a narrow and seemingly endless hallway that stretched on into an unseen abyss.

Lining the sides of this hallway were multiple prison cells that were each filled to capacity. The people inside these cells were so spiritually broken that they didn't even look up as Naruto entered the underground village.

As Naruto walked past the first pair of prison cells, the surrounding metal abruptly cracked and snapped. This forced the group of citizens behind Naruto to stop in their tracks as Gaara and Dosu walked out in front of them.

Suddenly, several bars from the nearby cages were broken off by some unseen force before flying towards Naruto. As these bars approached, Naruto continued to walk forward causing the bars to harmlessly collide against one another before falling to the ground.

This forced the sound of metal striking stone to resonate through air, causing Tayuya to briefly twitch inside Naruto's arms. At the same time, this sound brought each of the surrounding prisoners back to reality as they all stared at Naruto.

Each pair of prison cells that Naruto walked past were broken by some unseen force before pulling the pieces of shattered metal towards him. As Naruto continued to walk down the endless hallway, this littered the entire path with various piles of broken steel bars.

This created a period of silence as Naruto finally stood at the end of the hallway while none of the prisoners even moved. Soon, Gaara and Dosu began walking down the extended hallway with a large group of Sound citizens behind them.

This revealed a large and expanded room with multiple support beams sprawled across the open space. Various torches flickered atop these support beams, reflecting against the purple tinted bricks that lined the entire Sound village.

Naruto waited in this large room for several moments as a large group of citizen flooded the room. Among these citizens was the young and injured Sasame who was constantly staring at Naruto with admiration in her heart.

"Dosu, take them to the food market." Naruto ordered the hunched back Sound shinobi, earning a brief glare from Dosu before he nodded in approval.

Dosu then began escorting the large group of Sound citizens down a nearby hallway. At the same time, Gaara walked beside Dosu while his sand carried various elderly and injured citizens, including Sasame.

"What the fuck about me? I'm hungry too." Tayuya complained while staring at the floor, unable to look at Naruto's face.

Instead of earning a response, Naruto turned to the right before walking towards a distant hallway that was dimly-lit. This action filled Tayuya was rage while her empty stomach rumbled.

"Fuck you, where are we going? Feed me." As she spoke, Naruto's footsteps echoed through the dark Sound Village.

"The wounds in your legs are infected. Food can wait." Naruto explained, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Go fuck yourself you whiskered bitch, feed me." Tayuya protested.

After several seconds, Naruto approached a door-less archway that lead into an expansive and impressive laboratory. This room was lined with massive bookcases and selves that were plastered across every corner of the room.

A connected catwalk lined the upper sections of the room, resting above each of the numerous bookcases. Various steel doors lined sections of this catwalk but each of them were closed.

As Tayuya continued to fling insults at Naruto, she was placed atop a large stone table that was covered with vials, books and unknown jars filled with liquid. Afterwards, Naruto walked around the room while gather various jars and vials together before placing them beside the enraged Tayuya.

"Are you done yet? I'm hungry." While speaking, her stomach rumbled several times.

"Almost." Naruto mumbled as he began pouring and mixing various liquids together.

This response forced Tayuya to breath in a dramatic and drawn-out fashion, she didn't have a lot of patience. This lack of patience only fueled Tayuya's rage as each second felt like weeks.

Tayuya then twitched as Naruto's left hand caressed her injured thigh while intently staring at a vial of liquid. This forced Tayuya to bite her lip as Naruto waited several seconds for the liquid to properly mix.

"This may hurt." After he spoke, Tayuya scoffed in response.

"I'm not some weak little bitch. I can handle it, just hurry up." Tayuya complained.

Suddenly, Tayuya's entire left leg throbbed with pain as Naruto began pouring a clear liquid atop her wounds. This pain forced Tayuya to drag her dirty nails across the stone table.

As this pain grew more intense, Tayuya's right hand reached out before grasping Naruto's left hand. The pain-filled kunoichi then squeezed down on Naruto's hand while groaning with pain.

At the same time, Tayuya began biting her lip with such force that she began to blood. This created a trail of blood that fell from her lip before trailing across her chin.

Once this pain began to subside, Tayuya tossed Naruto's hand free from her grip before staring at the floor. Afterwards, Naruto grabbed Tayuya's chin before tilting her face up.

This forced Tayuya's entire body to twitch as she stared directly into Naruto's violet eyes. Tayuya was so hypnotized by these ripple-patterned eyes that she didn't even notice when Naruto wiped the blood off her face.

Naruto then used his thumb to wipe the blood from Tayuya's lip as she began to lean forward. During this, Tayuya felt a odd feeling inside her stomach while she continued to stare directly into Naruto's eyes.

This odd feeling began to resonate from Tayuya's stomach to her throat as she inched closer to Naruto's face. This was a feeling that Tayuya could not explain, a feeling that she never before.

At the last moment, a nearby steel door swung open just in time for Tayuya to regain her senses. This forced Tayuya to glanced up while Naruto continued to clean her wounds.

"Welcome, Karin." Naruto mumbled as the red-haired silhouette of a 12yr old girl appeared atop the nearby catwalk.

Karin was left utterly speechless as she stared at Naruto, the same boy that saved her life during the Chunin Exams. While this occurred, Tayuya glanced between Karin and Naruto multiple times.

"Who the fuck is she?" Tayuya asked before twitching as Naruto cleaned her wounds.

"She was brought here after the Chunin Exams." Naruto remarked, causing Tayuya to narrow each of her brown eyes.

"She looks like some weak bitch, why is she here?" Tayuya complained, forcing a timid Karin to cower.

"Because she doesn't have a home." Naruto explained, briefly stunning Tayuya.

Tayuya understood how it felt to be homeless, that was her entire life before Orochimaru. However, Tayuya was able to survive that period of life because she strengthened her resolve.

"Whatever..." Tayuya stuttered while glancing at the floor.

As Tayuya sat in front of Naruto with her wounds being cleaned, she briefly thought back to her childhood. A childhood that she hated with every single fiber of her being.

At the same time, a quiet and timid Karin glanced over the nearby catwalk while staring at Naruto. This was a very important moment in Karin's life, the first moment in years that she felt genuine happiness.


	62. Chapter 62

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Point out my mistakes.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 62: A Town Of Outlaws! The Shadow Of Orochimaru.**

 _Saturday 7:37am, June 16th 58SSP._

Naruto stood isolated and alone in his laboratory, a room illuminated by various unknown liquids contained in numerous jars. Each of his violet eyes were focused upon a nearby jar with a decayed left hand inside.

The skin on this hand was dirt brown while portions of rotten bones protruded out the fingertips. Wrapped around the pinkie finger of this hand was a slate blue ring with the Kanji for 'void' sprawled across it.

After staring at this ring for what felt like minutes, Naruto extended both arms out before removing the protective class around the decayed hand. This hand was the former left hand of Orochimaru, a hand that was cut off barely four years ago by Itachi Uchiha.

Naruto's right hand then grasped the blue ring before a pair of violet-ripple patterned pulsated through his mind, eyes that were not his own. This forced Naruto to stagger backwards while knocking a nearby jar of glass to the ground.

Afterwards, the sound of feet stomping across a distant hallway floor could be heard. After several seconds, Tayuya walked out from the distant hallway before yawning into her left hand.

"Hey, the food here sucks. I'm going to check around a nearby town, wanna come with?" Tayuya asked, confused that she even cared enough to ask.

Tayuya's right arm was pinned against her nonexistent chest by a bundle of white linen fabric. This fabric was also wrapped around her right shoulder and elbow.

Naruto took several moments to respond while he glared at Orochimaru's slate blue ring, a ring from his days inside the Akatsuki. Suddenly, Naruto's right hand reach out before swiping the ring loose from Orochimaru's decayed hand.

Naruto then concealed this ring inside his robe while ignoring the violet rippled-patterned eyes that radiated from it. During this, Tayuya glanced at the gaping hole in Naruto's outfit, the result of Sasuke's final attack.

"I don't think you should be walking so soon." Naruto exclaimed, causing Tayuya to roll her eyes in response.

"I'm not some week little bitch, I can handle myself." Tayuya protested.

At this moment, multiple pairs of footsteps began echoing from the hallway behind Tayuya, forcing her to turn around. Soon, Gaara walked out from the darkness with a confident Sasame and timid Karin behind him.

"Gaara, how is everyone?" Naruto asked before a freshly healed Sasame dashed past Gaara.

This forced various streams of sand to surge after her before she dropped to the ground and bowed at Naruto's feet. This action stunned Gaara while forcing his sand to freeze in midair.

"I am Sasame Fuma. Please, train me." The orange haired kunoichi begged while concealing her blushing face.

This request forced each of Naruto's eyes to narrow while the distant memories of Orochimaru drifted through his mind. Sasame was the cousin of Arashi Fuma, the most distinguished and powerful of all Fuma clan members.

This collection of memories only forced Naruto to frown after he remembered what Arashi turned into, a creature that even Orochimaru feared to deal with. This created a brief period of silence as Naruto pondered what to say.

"They let anyone in this village, don't they?" Tayuya complained.

This statement forced Sasame to glance up before looking at Tayuya before crumbling under her stern gaze. During this, a timid Karin was cowering behind Gaara's gourd.

"I looked after everyone you brought here... I helped a lot of them, but... We're out of medicine..." Karin stuttered while glancing between Naruto and the floor.

"It looks like we can go into town, Tayuya." Naruto proclaimed, earning a cheerful scoff in response.

"Good, I know a really good pork shop at a slum hole town along the east road." Tayuya explained, filled with joy at the thought of delicious food.

"The people here have been whispering amongst themselves... There seems to be a shadow cast over this land." The tranquil voice of Gaara spoke out.

Gaara's words forced Sasame to downcast her face in shame while Naruto simultaneously stared at her. The Land of Sound was a direct creation by Orochimaru, a stain on the once tranquil memory that was the Land of Rice Paddies.

"Sasame and Karin will come with us, it will save time if we spilt up in town." Naruto exclaimed, forcing Tayuya to dramatically sigh.

"This is bullshit, we shouldn't be dragging these 2nd rate kunoichi around." Tayuya complained before lowering her gaze once Naruto glanced at her.

"Tayuya, try to be more considerate." Naruto asked.

"Go fuck yourself." Tayuya protested.

Both Sasame and Karin were shocked by Tayuya's rampant use of insults, they never heard another girl speak like that. This caused each of the young kunoichi to glare at Tayuya with a mixture of confusion and admiration.

Without staying another word, Naruto walked past the group of sound kunoichi before strolling down the dimly-lit hallway. Afterwards, Gaara quickly trailed after Naruto while Tayuya snapped at Karin and Sasame as she walked by.

This pair of Sound kunoichi then glanced at one another before timidly trailing after Tayuya until they all disappeared into the dark hallway.

* * *

 _30 minutes later, on the Eastern road of Otoga._

Numerous rays of bright sunlight sparkled down from the cloudless sky, illuminating the nearby rice fields. The Eastern road was the last portion in the Land of Sound that retained its fabled rice fields, an economic treasure.

Naruto and Gaara walked infront of Tayuya, Karin and Sasame as they each strolled down the long dirt-filled Eastern road. As Naruto led this group down the road, his Anbu hood was pulled far over his face, concealing his violet eyes.

As this group of ragtag friends walked down the road, the constant shadow of a distant raven soared through the air overhead. Tayuya was the only kunoichi that noticed the raven but she didn't care enough to investigate.

"I'm so happy that one eyed bitch isn't with us." Tayuya remarked, making no attempt to hide her disdain for Dosu.

"You shouldn't speak so poorly of him, Tayuya. He's sacrificed much for the Sound Village, that's why I trust him to watch over it." Naruto explained while distant memories drifted through his mind.

"I don't give a fuck about the Sound Village, I'm leaving after I get done eating." Tayuya argued, confusing Sasame and Karin as they each stared at her Sound Village attire.

Suddenly, the sound of distant screams filled the air as a drunken fist fight erupted at the entrance to a nearby town. This pair of battling drunks swung chairs against one another before they each passed out and hit the ground.

Afterwards, a half naked man was knocked through a wooden window, sending numerous splinters of wood across the a section of road. As this man laid unconscious on the ground, a pair of children ran up before stealing his shoes and running away.

"This place is a little... Rough." Gaara spoke with a tranquil voice.

"Yes, but we should still split up to save time." Naruto remarked as they finally entered the danger-filled town.

Its streets were lined with numerous posters and advertisements, some promising discounts while others guaranteed a free night of sleep. These streets were also filled with an proportionate mixture of drunks, tradesmen and thugs.

"I'm going to the food market." Tayuya proclaimed before walking past the group of ragtag friends.

"Take Karin and Sasame with you, the food market is beside a couple of medicine shops." Naruto explained, forcing Tayuya to instantly shake her head in protest.

"Fuck no, I'd rather go by myself." Tayuya complained.

"Stop acting like you're better than us! I'm a shinobi to!" Karin screamed before abruptly hiding by Sasame.

"I have more fucking talent in my broken shoulder than both of you put together." Tayuya argued.

"Then what's the problem with bringing us along? If you're so much better than us we shouldn't even slow you down." Sasame spoke in a vaguely sarcastic tone.

"Whatever, just shut up and don't say anything." Tayuya mumbled before turning around and disappearing down the street with Sasame and Karin behind her.

This left Gaara and Naruto alone in the center of a bustling street as they each glanced at one another. After several seconds, the pair of jinchūriki both disappeared into a nearby alleyway.

* * *

 _10 minutes later._

Tayuya led the pair of Sasame and Karin down an eerily deserted alleyway, a short-cut to the food market. As this group walked, two silhouette's appeared atop the surrounding rooftops before observing the Sound kunoichi for several moments.

These silhouette's were completely undetected by Karin and Sasame while Tayuya pretended not to notice. However, her sheer lack of patience soon began to overwhelm her.

With her patience depleted, Tayuya abruptly turned around before throwing a handful of shuriken passed Sasame and Karin. This caused the sound of sadistic laughter to fill the air as the pair of silhouette's dodged the approaching shuriken.

Afterwards, a barrage of kunai was hurled at Tayuya, Karin and Sasame, forcing each of them to jump out of them way. The scarred face of an elderly man then appeared behind Tayuya before being punched directly in the face.

This sent the elderly man flying backwards before slamming against a pair of barrels, breaking them in the process. At the same time, a middle aged man appeared beside Karin before striking out at her with an oddly shaped scissor-like weapon.

This attack managed to fill the air with blood as Karin's entire body was cut in half before she erupted into a puff of smoke. A pair of wooden lodges then tumbled from this smoke cloud while Sasame hurled multiple kunai at the attacking man, forcing him to retreat.

Suddenly, a rather large and grotesque hunchback man with buckteeth phased half way out from the ground. As quickly as he appeared, this man clapped both of his giant hands into the Ram Seal.

"Earth Style: Antlion Jutsu." The hunchback man spoke with a harsh and rigid tone.

His technique abruptly forced the entire alleyway to shift into sand while using his body as an epicenter. This managed to completely disrupt Karin and Sasame while Tayuya jumped against a nearby wall.

"Oh great, its you losers! Kamikiri, Jigumo and Kagerō!" Tayuya yelled, shocking Sasame with her knowledge of the Fuma clan.

Tayuya's knowledge gave Sasame the determination to regain her balance, allowing her to grab Karin before jumping onto a distant wall. Soon, Kagerō's technique began to expand before swallowing portions of nearby buildings.

"Even a member of the Sound Four isn't immune to lord Orochimaru's orders, any ninja who enter this land must die." The stern voice of Kamikiri declared.

He had short smooth black hair and dark blue eyes with thick eyebrows while a pair of sideburns framed each side of his face. His outfit consisted of a short sleeve brown shirt with a raised collar and a red-colored zipper line running down to the end of his shirt on the right side.

Below this, he wore black pants that matched his belt and his pair of fingerless gloves. Finally, his most prominent feature was the scissor-like weapon held in his right hand.

"Its a shame, you were always my favorite from the Sound Four." Jigumo spoke with a twisted tone.

Jigumo was an elderly bald man was spider-like limbs and a large scar across his right eye. His outfit was modest, just a sleeveless green shirt with a pair of tattered grey pants that matched his shinobi shoes.

While this conversation unfolded, portions of nearby earth and buildings were simultaneously being sucked towards Kagerō. Usually, a group of armed shinobi would interfere and help in this confrontation, but Kagerō, Jigumo and Kamikiri were the police inside the Land of Sound.

"Don't act so high and mighty you piece of trash. You're just a discount Kidōmaru." Tayuya insulted the bald Jigumo, forcing him to snarl with fury.

Soon, Kagerō's technique ceased before he completely disappeared underground. At the same time, Tayuya's laughter filled the air as her body swelled with excitement.

"This is gonna be great, I haven't been able to stretch my legs in weeks." As she spoke, several lines began to spread out from the Seal on the back of Tayuya's neck.

These lines gave off a fiery appearance while sprawling across Tayuya's body in a jagged and zigzag pattern. After several seconds, these lines covered portions of Tayuya's face and both of her arms before the fiery lines cooled and became black.

This sudden surge in strength allowed Tayuya to move her broken right arm in a stiff fashion. Utilizing this strength, Tayuya bit her right thumb before slamming her bloody palm against the wall that she stood on.

"Summoning Jutsu." Tayuya's joy-filled voice pierced the air before a massive cloud of smoke erupted from her technique.

This created an extended period of silence as Karin and Sasame looked on with admiration, shocked at how confident Tayuya was. During this, Kamikiri, Jigumo and even the concealed Kagerō each laughed with a sadistic tone.

After Tayuya's cloud of smoke dissipated, each of the previously laughing Chunin gasped with shock. Three eerie-looking giants towered behind a smiling Tayuya while her prized flute was held in front of her face with both hands.

All of these giants were different in appearance while each of them possessed a unique and specific purpose. However, all three of them were very large and muscular.

One giant wore a dark green full-body suit with ragged hair that covered its face and a large studded metal club as a weapon. Another was shirtless and wore dark pants but it was also bald and blindfolded, drawing attention to the various scars across its head and thorn-like weapons tied to each arm.

The final giant had its entire upper body covered in bandages with brown pants worn below the waist. Its head was completely inverted with several needles pinned over its bandaged-wrapped eyes. Also, because this giant had no arms it didn't have any weapon to use.

Evidence for Tayuya's deep love of purple, each of these giants wore an inverted purple bow around their waist. This inverted bow was standard attire for all elite ninja from Otoga but Tayuya had adopted the piece of fabric into her own style.

"Jigumo…" Kamikri stuttered, earning a quick nod in response.

"Right, I'll be careful." Jigumo remarked while entering a tense stance.

"Hahah... I'll play a little melody of death for you." Tayuya chuckled before blowing air into the musical holes of her flute.

This created an reparative sensation of music that echoed through the air, forcing Kamikiri and Jigumo to each gasp. At the same time, the giants behind Tayuya began to swish and sway as if they were dancing to her music.

Suddenly, these giants each disappeared with a shocking amount of speed, easily moving at Jounin-level. Afterwards, a blurred giant appeared directly in front of Kamikiri before swinging his studded metal club down.

This attack was so fast that Kamikiri barely managed to dodge it before his previous location was crushed. This forced multiple sections of roof shingles to crack and shatter before plummeting to the sand-filled alleyway.

As Kamikiri soared through the air, Tayuya's shirtless giant slammed against him with extreme force. This impact flung Kamikiri back before slamming itno a nearby wall with a heavy thud.

At the same time, Jigumo was forced to sidestep a consecutive series of attacks from Tayuya's armless giant. This forced the entire alleyway to shake and quake while music rippled through the air.

While this occurred, Karin and Sasame listened to this sinister music while their hearts were filled with admiration. This pair of young girls had never before seen a kunoichi as powerful as Tayuya.

While a twitching Kamikiri rested atop the ground, both his eyes bulged as a massive giant charged towards him. This giant swung its studded metal club out in a horizontal slash before Kagerō phased out from the ground.

This allowed the large hunchbacked man to protect Kamikiri by sacrificing himself to this fierce attack. This caused Kagerō to gag as a studded metal club was slammed against his stomach, forcing to fly back against Kamikiri.

During this, a panicked Jigumo was barely able to dodge a concentrated assault from two separate giants at the same time. Afterwards, his one good eye focused and narrowed upon Tayuya while she played her flute.

Jigumo then extended both arms out before numerous spiders began drifting out from his body. These spiders drifted through the air while they were each connected to Jigumo by a thin layer of spider webs.

After several seconds, Karin and Sasame unleashed a barrage of shuriken that cut through a vast number of these webs. This left Jigumo completely unprotected as Tayuya's shirtless giant cut his entire body in half.

Gotcha… Tayuya concluded before Jigumo's bisected body erupted into a puff of smoke.

After this cloud of smoke dissipated, a bundle of broken logs fell to the ground while Karin and Sasame gasped in shock. This filled Tayuya with rage while she continued playing her flute.

Damnit, its just a substitution. As this train of thought progressed, Tayuya glanced around the nearby alleyway.

Suddenly, Tayuya realized that Kamikiri and Kagerō had completely disappeared. This realization forced Tayuya's 's shirtless giant to kick over a pair of barrels while shuffling through the sand-filled alleyway.

After several moments of searching, Tayuya stopped playing her flute before sighing in a dramatic fashion. At the same time, each of her summoning's erupted into a giant puff of smoke.

"Wow... She's amazing..." Karin stuttered under her breath.

"Yea..." Sasame mumbled in response.

"The bunch of cowards bailed, they couldn't even stop a 14 year old girl. Pathetic." Tayuya remarked as the Seals across her body slowly began to recede.

Karin and Sasame each stared as these Seals with interest before they completely disappeared underneath Tayuya's clothes. Afterwards, Tayuya began to mumble various insults under her breath while rewrapping her broken arm with the linen fabric Naruto gave her.

As the pair of nearby kunoichi stared at Tayuya with amazement. Tayuya herself was filled with fury and anger, upset that she let the group of Sound shinobi get away.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, on the other side of town._

Naruto and Gaara stood in the center of a dimly-lit room that was filled with the smell of perfume and make up. This room was lined with a large bar and numerous booths and tables positioned across the dark environment.

Half naked women walked through this room while serving and waiting on an endless amount of elderly men. This was a brothel filled with over exposed women, an area that Gaara and Naruto were far to young to enter.

"This is... Unique." Gaara mumbled while glancing between dozens of poorly clad women.

"Jiraiya-Sensei told me that information gathers in these places." Naruto explained.

Suddenly, a group of barely clothed women blocked Naruto's path before rubbing up against him. At the same time, other women attempted to surround Gaara only for multiple streams of sand to keep them at bay.

"Hey there, young man. Could you help me make some money?" A middle-aged woman asked with a seductive tone while rubbing against Naruto's chest.

After several seconds, these women placed her hand over the exposed portion of Naruto's pale chest while giggling. During this, Gaara was filled with utter confusion at his surroundings.

Instead of replying with words, Naruto pulled a bulging purple satchel loose with his right hand before jingling in. This sound garnished the attention of every single women in the room as they began to mentally count the amount of Ryo Naruto had.

"I'm looking for a man, his name is Arashi." Naruto proclaimed, earning a chorus of innocent giggles in response.

"I can't help with that... But I can help with something else." A young and beautiful woman spoke in a flirty tone while rubbing her face against Naruto's.

"Naruto... I think Tayuya told me about these types of women. Are they whores?" Gaara asked, using a word that he didn't even understand.

This statement forced the previous crowd of women around Naruto to completely disappear. Afterwards, Naruto and Gaara stood in the center of the brothel for several moments without any interaction.

"Gaara. We have to work on your words." Naruto mumbled, making a mental note of Gaara's innocence.

"I've heard of Arashi." A half naked woman spoke out before walking between Naruto and Gaara.

She wore a loose red colored dress that was strapped around her massive chest by a thin layer of fabric around her neck. This outfit clung to her petite waist drawing attention to the lower section of her dress that was halfway open, showing off her smooth legs.

She was pale-skinned with numerous layers of make up and lipstick sprawled across her face in an organized fashion. Finally, her hair was dirty blond and extremely wavy, framing the sides of her beautiful face from multiple angles.

"One of my regulars knows about him, wanna _come_...?" As she spoke, her large breasts jiggled with even the slightest of movements.

"Yeah." Naruto replied, ignoring the obvious sexual undertones.

This caused the seductive women to turn around before escorting Naruto and Gaara to the back of the room. After several moments, Gaara and Naruto were led into an isolated alleyway behind the brothel.

"His home is in the back of this alleyway." The seductive woman spoke, causing each of Naruto's concealed eyes to narrow.

"Oh?" Naruto mumbled before causally taking several steps forward.

Soon, Gaara trailed after Naruto before the pair of jinchūriki completely entered the isolated alleyway. This created an extended period of silence as their footsteps echoed through the air.

Suddenly, a collection of wooden bars slid down across the previous entryway, trapping the pair of jinchūriki. Afterwards, dozens of shinobi archers appeared atop the surrounding rooftops.

These shinobi were members of the honored Fuma clan, members that refused to join Orochimaru after the Land of Sound was formed. This clan was well known for their highly trained archers and natural talent with chakra threads.

Despite the high prestige of this clan, they each wore poorly tattered clothes that were covered in holes. However, they also held many weapons, bows and arrows of extremely high quality, evidence that they valued combat.

"Heheh… Trapped like rats." A young, black haired teenager chuckled.

"What, it's just a pair of kids! Do they even have money?" A rather large and bald man spoke out.

This question caused the seductive dirty blond from earlier to slowly walk up behind this group of Fuma clan members. This woman earned many stares and glances as nearby men glared at her with lust.

"Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes. The whiskered one is loaded with money." As she spoke, Gaara crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"Stop the idle chatter and take care of them." The voice of a stern looking man ordered.

His outfit consisted of a sleeveless black shirt that matched his partially torn pants. Around his hands and feet, he wore a pair of matching black gloves and shinobi shoes.

Over this, the man wore an open shin-length white robe with purple flames lining the bottom. The insides of this tunic was also purple while the symbol of the Fuma clan was sewn into the back.

His face was rigid and scarred with cheek-length brown hair that framed both sides while a red linen band was tied around his forehead. Finally, he wore a massive Zanbato sword strapped across his back at a slanted vertical angle.

"Right, boss!" A chorus of Fuma clan members responded before unsheathing numerous arrows as they each took aim at the pair of jinchūriki.

"Gaara..." Naruto mumbled, earning a brief nod of approval from his friend.

At this moment, a condense volley of arrows was unleashed upon the trapped jinchūriki. As these arrows surged through the air, various streams of sands rose from the ground before completely enveloping Naruto and Gaara.

This forced dozens of arrows to stab and pierce into a newly created orb of hardened sand. This action left the surrounding Fuma clan members utterly speechless as they each gasped with shock.

Soon, Gaara's sand began to crumble and dissolve, littering the alleyway with sand and arrows. During this, the leader of the Fuma clan twitched numerous times while glaring at the pair of jinchūriki.

"Hanzaki…" Various Fuma clan members began to whisper while glancing at their leader.

"You punks..." Hanzaki stuttered while glancing between Gaara and Naruto.

"We're in a hurry. I assume you know where Arashi is?" Naruto asked, forcing every single Fuma clan member to gasp at the mention of Arashi's name.

"You're a puppet of Orochimaru aren't you?!" Hanzaki yelled before pulling his massive Zanbato free from his back.

"We were once a proud shinobi clan before that snake came to this land! But now we've been reduced to thieves!" As he screamed, a deep frown grew across Naruto's face.

"No more! I will end this now as the head of the Fuma!" After screaming, Hanzaki leaped into the air while lifting his large Zanbato with both hands.

"Boss!" Numerous Fuma clan members yelled with concern, each of them filled with respect and loyalty towards Hanzaki.

"For the Fuma!" Hanzaki's proud voice pierced the alleyway before slashing his massive sword down in a vertical slash.

Suddenly, the sound of metal snapping in the air could be heard as Hanzaki's fabled Zanbato was shattered by some unseen force. This forced a paralyzed Hanzaki to gasp while staring at a faint violet glow that radiated out from underneath Naruto's hood.

This force then hurled Hanzaki back with such strength that he shattered the distant wooden bars. At the same time, multiple Fuma clan members dropped to the alleyway before running to the aid of their leader.

As these clan members advanced, they were each enveloped and trapped by numerous streams of sand. Afterwards, an injured Hanzaki struggled to stand up before walking towards Naruto.

"You punks! How dare you do that to the boss!" We won't let you do anymore!" A pair of trembling Fuma clan members threatened as sand swished around their angles.

"Stop it, you guys!" Hanzaki ordered before brazenly limping across Gaara's sand.

The stern Fuma clan head then dropped to his knees in front of Naruto before bowing his head in respect. This action forced every nearby Fuma clan member to gasp with shock.

"Kill me, but spare my clan!" Hanzaki begged with pride oozing from voice.

This statement forced dozens of Fuma clan members to yell in protest before Hanzaki ordered them to shut up. Hanzaki then dug his gloved fingers into the ground while he waited for an honorable death.

"You're being overdramatic." Naruto mumbled, forcing each of Hanzaki's downcast eyes to bulge.

"Arashi is an enemy of the Sound Village and a traitor to the Fuma clan... I'm just here to hunt him down." As he spoke, his words filled the entire Fuma clan with a mixture of hope and disbelief.

"You can't! Arashi is someone that even Orochimaru feared! You can't defeat him!" Hanzaki protested while abruptly raising his head.

"His reputation doesn't concern me. I only care about his location." Naruto explained, forcing Hanzaki to gasp.

This created an extended period of silence while Hanzaki twitched and trembled multiple times. After several seconds, the veteran Fuma clan head regained his resolve before standing up straight.

"Arashi has been a curse on my clan ever since Orochmaru first came here. If you kill him, if you liberate my clan... What would you ask in return?" Hanzaki asked with a noble tone, the Fuma clan was everything to him.

"Join the Sound Village." Naruto replied, briefly stunning Hanzaki.

"Absolutely not! Orochimaru himself leads that village!" Hanzaki argued.

"The Sound Village is under new leadership." Naruto remarked, forcing the surrounding Fuma clan members to listen with interest.

"New... Leadership?" Hanzaki stuttered.

"Join the Sound Village. As a united nation, you could bring peace and stability to this land while restoring prestige to the Fuma clan." Naruto explained, causing Hanzaki's mouth to fall open with shock.

"Division among shinobi creates conflict. And when shinobi exist, conflict will by its very nature intensify." After he spoke, it took Hanzaki several moments to regain his composure.

"You aren't the first to make such promises and claims to our clan... _He_ did aswell, but it was a lie." Hanzaki spoke as the twisted face of Orochimaru drifted through his mind.

"I'm well aware of the promise that Kimimaro and Orochimaru made with your clan. That's why I'm asking you to join the Sound Village." Naruto replied, creating a brief period of silence.

Hanzaki stood directly in front of Naruto for what felt like minutes while staring at his concealed face. The veteran Fuma clan head was focused on the constant violet aura that leaked out from underneath Naruto's hood.

"If you liberate my clan... I will do whatever you ask." Hanzaki declared before slightly bowing his head.

Suddenly, nearby Fuma clan members were freed from their cocoons of sand before this sand funneled towards Gaara. This created multiple streams of sand that drifted through the air before pouring inside Gaara's gourd.

At the same time, Naruto causally strolled past Hanzaki before walking towards the only exit to the isolated alleyway. This garnished the attention of every single Fuma clan member as they stared at Naruto with hope in their hearts.

"Come, we have must to discuss." Naruto spoke before leaving a stunned Hanzaki in the alleyway.

Gaara then slowly walked past Hanzaki while streams of sand continued to pour into his gourd. Afterwards, Hanzaki began trailing after the pair of jinchūriki with his loyal Fuma clan members close behind.

This was an extremely important moment for Hanzaki Fuma. The moment when he would finally restore glory to the Fuma Clan.


	63. Chapter 63

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: daspeedforce - Yes, the Susanoo was indeed created as a match for** **jinchūriki opponents** **. However, I also hate how Kishimoto handled the tailed beasts so that doesn't change my perspective.**

 **Instead of making enemies/characters smarter he just made them bigger because Kishimoto is like Akira Toriyama. They both love to fetishize combat by giving people a REALLY big number. A number that's bigger than all of numbers, instead of just writing a smart villain.**

 **The only way Kishimoto knows how to convey strength is to make a character/attack/explosion REALLLLY big. That way the reader goes "WOAH, that guys number is soooooo big".**

 **This is why jinchūriki devolve into gundam battles. This is why Kishimoto invented the Susanoo. This is Naruto won every battle by spamming Rasengan. And this is why Madara had to beat the entire 4th division by himself, so the reader could see how big his number was.**

 **And that's actually a segway into** **Sage Mode, arguably the most overpowered ability in the series and its barely even explained or developed.**

 **Instead of writing Sage Mode in a convincing manner, Kishimoto used Sage Mode as some Deus ex machina. He gives Minato Sage Mode for no reason while Hashirama uses a Sage Mode that isn't even explained. (Insert meme about Snake Sage Kabuto)**

 **Its never stated that Hashirama is using Toad Sage Mode, but it doesn't look like Snake Sage Mode. Its just a random Sage Mode that only exists for the plot.**

 **And that's a problem. We could've had a Snake Sage Sasuke. A Slug Sage Sakura. A Monkey Sage Konohamaru. A Butterfly Sage Choji or a Spider Sage Shino.**

 **But instead... We got punched in the nuts with Naruto Shippuden before Kishimoto poisoned the Uchiha fanbase by creating Susanoo. There are other ways to rival a** **jinchūriki-level opponent then making the enemy bigger and I really hate the direction Kishimoto took in Shippuden.**

 **Sharingan didn't have to devolve into giant Kaiju battles of chakra. There are other ways to convey a characters strength than giving them a really big weapon/attack and that's something that Kishimoto struggles to understand. He doesn't know how to write a smart villain.**

 **Deepthoughts42 - I personally think Minato would've already been in Sage Mode before he started fighting Tobi. After Minato saved Naruto and Kushina, he briefly fought the nine tails before Tobi reappeared.**

 **His wife and child were just threatened with death. His village was being stomped and burned by the rampaging nine tails. And he knew that a masked man still stalked his village, eager to hurt him. Because of these things, I argue Minato would've been Sage Mode before he even fought Tobi.**

 **In regards to Kurama's Yin half helping Minato enter Sage Mode by speeding up the accumulation of Natural energy. That's a very good theory but sadly its points out the direct problem I'm making.**

 **Kishimoto never explained why Minato could go Sage Mode. We as readers are forced to bend and contort the story with headcanon just to make sense of it, and that's a problem.**

 **When you're building/writing a world, you want the abilities of you characters to be perfectly understood by the readers. This way, readers gain a sense of reality and satisfaction with characters when they achieve something that should have been impossible.**

 **GunBlade2019 - I didn't have Sasuke use anything that he didn't already display. I've shown Sasuke using Lighting Style against Guy and Neji as a little bit of a foreshadowing for his fight with Naruto.**

 **I personally think Sasuke was rather weak, that's why the Naruto vs Sasuke fight was only 2 chapters. Sasuke didn't have the chakra reserves to keep up with Naruto. That's why Sasuke became exhausted from chakra exhaustion so quickly, lightning and fire style take a lot of chakra.**

 **Average Genin can't even use Fire Style or Lightning Style because it takes up to much chakra.**

 **HighPaladinRin - That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.**

 **biginferno - Sasame will be a key figure in the Land of Sound Arc. She is basically a female version of Inari atleast from a Narrative perspective.**

 **When telling a story, each chapter needs to progress the Arc, each Arc needs to progress the Season and every Season needs to develop the narrative.**

 **Every Arc needs a beginning, middle and end. Just like every Season needs a beginning, middle and end. This also means that every Arc/Season needs a villain to defeat and some side characters to redeem/develop.**

 **This is when characters like Sasame, Dosu, Hanzaki and Zabuza come into play. Side characters that I try to develop and flesh out so the world feels alive. Villains need a presence in the story and so do side characters.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 63: Red Clouds Gather Overhead. A Moment Of Embarrassment.**

 _Saturday 4:38pm, June 16th 58SSP._

Water dripped and leaked from numerous stalactites that lined the roof of a dark and foreboding cave. This cave was filled with 9 transparent silhouette's that flickered in and out of existence, giving off an ethereal appearance.

Each of these figures stood in a tight circle with unique rings worn across their individual fingers that glowed. The most prominent feature of these figures were their black robes with red clouds, clouds that illuminated the dark cave.

These silhouette's varied in shape and size, one figure was hunchbacked and short while another was tall with a large sword strapped to his back. One had a large and puffy ponytail while another wore a mask that concealed their entire face, leaving only their right crimson eye visible, a 3-tomoe Sharingan eye.

"So, Orochimaru is dead." A hunchbacked silhouette proclaimed, earning a chorus of twisted laughter in response.

"That takes me back... We haven't gathered together like this since he left our organization..." A sword wearing silhouette chuckled.

"Its been at least four years since Itachi cut off his hand... Hahahah." After he laughed, a brief period of silence filled the cave as drops of water dripped to the ground.

"I heard he was after the Sharingan..." The voice of Hidan spoke out from a flickering silhouette.

This forced many of the assembled members to glare at a crimson eyed silhouette, a figure that possessed a pair of 3-tomoe Sharingan. Instead of responding, this shiloutte stood completely still for what felt like minutes before someone else finally spoke.

"We still haven't been able to replace him with a tenth member since he stole his ring." The voice of Kakuzu resonated from an ethereal silhouette.

"I don't know why this meeting was called, but I got an interesting bounty the other day... From your spy, Sasori." After he spoke, an inquisitive hum filled the air.

"Oh? How is Kabuto?" The hunchbacked silhouette mumbled in response.

"He offered me a feudal lords ransom to kill the nine tails jinchūriki." Kakuzu explained, creating a brief period of silence.

"Capturing the tailed beasts is our highest priority, including the nine tails." A divine voice echoed from a spiky haired a silhouette, a figure that possessed the same violet ripple-patterned eyes as Naruto.

"I'm surprised the Leaf Village would let their jinchūriki run loose. They're making our job too easy." Sasori hummed.

"I heard he fought your little brother... Itachi." Kakuzu remarked, forcing the crimson eyes of Itachi to briefly twitch.

"That puts a wrench in our plans... We still need at least three years to gather supplies before we act." The sword wearing silhouette exclaimed before flicking numerous times.

"We'll have to move our plans forward. The tailed beasts cannot be allowed to roam free, and the Leaf Village must be investigated to judge their remaining strength." The violet eyed silhouette declared with a commanding tone.

"I will investigate Konoha." Itachi interjected, earning several glances from the group of shadowy figures.

"I was a member of Konoha's Anbu, so I'm familiar with the village. I'll be able to sneak in without being noticed." After he spoke, multiple silhouette's nodded in approval.

"That reminds me, my spies in Sunaga say the one tail has also escaped their village. Seems the jinchūriki are getting overconfident." The shadowy and hunchbacked figure of Sasori explained.

"Oh? Sunaga too? That village is basically nothing without their jinchūriki." Kakuzu remarked.

"If the jinchūriki keep leaving, the shinobi villages will become shadows of their former power." Sasori exclaimed.

"These jinchūriki sound like they understand art." A ponytailed silhouette interjected.

"Yea, yea I get it... Art is an explosion, you say that every day." Sasori mumbled.

"The six tails was also pronounced as a Rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village last week... The time to move would be now." Kakuzu grumbled.

"The jinchūriki famous for his Bubble techniques? I call dibs on that one, his jutsu must be explosive." The ponytailed silhouette interrupted, earning a dramatic sigh from Sasori.

"So it is decided... Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasori, Kisame and Itachi. You each have your own goals, goals that have brought you to us..." The violet eyed silhouette exclaimed.

"But the Akatsuki has a shared goal. So go and fulfill your missions." After speaking, each of the flickering silhouette's began to distort and warp before completely fading from reality.

This left three flickering silhouette's that remained in the room without a single word being spoken for minutes. The silhouette of a woman with chin-length hair, a masked man with a crimson right eye and a spiky haired shadow with violet ripple-patterned eyes.

Soon, each of these silhouette slowly faded from existence before the entire cave was cascaded in darkness. This was beginning of the end, the moment when the curtain first opened on the Akatsuki.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the Sound Village._

An exhausted and panting Sasame was sprawled across the dimly lit stone floor as Dosu towered over her. The hunchbacked shinobi had spent hours training Sasame under Naruto's orders.

Sasame had a shinobi background, but it was among the poorly trained Fuma clan that didn't join Orochimaru. Because of this, Sasame's shinobi's skills were barely on par with Karin or Ino.

The room was littered with various shuriken and kunai while several bruises covered Sasame's face. Despite her exhaustion, the twin image of Naruto and Tayuya drifted through her heart, filling her with admiration and determination.

After they got done eating along the Eastern road, Gaara retrieved the group of 3 Sound kunoichi before escorting them back to the Sound Village. However, Naruto was nowhere to be seen during this excursion, a fact that Tayuya complained about.

This lack of Naruto only fueled more strength into her training while the sparkling memory of Naruto drifted through her mind. Without Naruto, Sasame would surely be dead.

Soon, the sound of footsteps stomping through a nearby hallway mixed with Sasame's gasps for air. After several seconds, the silhouette of Hanzaki Fuma came into view, filling Sasame with joy.

This joy was so strong that Sasame abruptly stood up and raced towards Hanzaki before embracing him with a hug. At the same time, Dosu mumbled various words underneath his bandaged wrapped mask.

"Thank goodness you're safe. I was wondered sick." Hanzaki exclaimed.

"Relax... You're not my dad." Sasame mumbled with an embarrassing and love-filled tone.

"I had great respect for your farther. Ever since he passed away..." Hanzaki spoke in a low tone, causing Sasame to stare at the stone floor.

"Yea, yea... I know." Sasame once again mumbled, fully aware of Hanzaki's pride.

Hanzaki was an honorable and selfless man, he always put the Fuma clan first. This is why so many Fuma clan member felt nothing but loyalty and respect for Hanzaki.

"Frankly, I don't even know how you earned that Sound ninja outfit. You don't deserve it." Dosu insulted the orange haired kunoichi.

"I-... I stole it..." Sasame stuttered.

"Are you one of Orochimaru's puppets?!" Hanzaki accused the bandaged shinobi, forcing him to sigh in response.

"I'm just training the runt." Dosu mumbled before he slowly shuffled down a nearby hallway.

"But why!? What's in it for you?!" Hanzaki questioned, forcing Dosu to narrow his one visible eye while walking away.

In his youth, Dosu was born as a crippled and defected child, causing his parents to abandon him at a rundown orphanage. Because of his hunchback posture and bent spine, many of the workers at this orphanage refused to deal with him while others prevented him from being adopted.

However, on Dosu's tenth birthday the orphanage was the victim of a fierce shinobi conflict, littering the entire compound with bodies. Surprisingly, among this chaotic outcome a crippled Dosu managed to survive despite the odds.

This explosion left Dosu trapped underneath a collection of broken rubble for what he considered to be years. Afterwards, Dosu was left utterly shocked when Orochimaru appeared and saw something that no one else did, he saw a future in Dosu.

This is why Dosu had such a tense relationship with Naruto. He obeyed the blond haired boy without resistance but inside, he questioned what made Naruto and Orochimaru so similar.

This line of thought forced the memory of Kimimaro's death to float through Dosu's mind. This memory was the moment of Naruto tearing Kimimaro's soul loose directly in front of Dosu, an act the one eyed shinobi didn't fully comprehend.

These collections of thoughts continued to circle and shift through Dosu's mind before he fully faded away from Sasame and Hanzaki's view. Afterwards, the sound of his faint footsteps echoed through the underground village.

Because I was once a runt. Dosu admitted before disappearing into the dark hallways that circled through the Land of Sound.

* * *

 _Four hours later, 8:49pm._

Tayuya, Karin and Sasame sprinted down the mud-filled Western road leading from Otoga. Thunder rumbled overhead as rain poured down across the Land of Sound.

Behind these kunoichi was the quiet pair of Naruto and Gaara, the faces of these jinchūriki were partially concealed by their Anbu hoods. This group of ragtag friends was walking towards a distant hotel that gave off a poor and run-down vibe.

Portions of outside wood were covered in rot while various wooden windows were broken and cracked. A half broken wooden sign with the Kanji for "Caution" rustled violently in the rain-filled breeze as it clung atop the hotel entryway by a single rusty nail.

The outside trees were dead and devoid of all leaves while a stormy and foreboding night sky rumbled in the distance. During all of this, a raven was circling overhead in the dense rain-filled sky.

Despite the poor looking nature of this hotel, all 3 Sound kunoichi eagerly rushed through its doors. Afterwards, the pair of walk jinchūriki trailed behind them before taking several moments to enter the building.

The front room of this hotel was eerie and dimly lit with multiple cobwebs the flickered under the nearby candlelight. These lights looked freshly lit but the check-in desk was covered in dust, as if no one had touched its surface in years.

Suddenly, Karin twitched and screamed with a terrifying pitch as an intense roar of thunder rumbled overhead. This scream forced each of her accompanying friends to plug their ears with both hands.

"Fucking shit. Don't do that bitch." Tayuya snapped, forcing a timid Karin to stare at the floor with embarrassment.

"If there's no one here to check me in I'll just go find my own room." After speaking, Tayuya strolled beside the dust-covered desk before walking up an old and rotten staircase.

This staircase was extremely frail and warped, causing an eerie creak to fill the air with each step Tayuya took. This sound utterly terrified Sasame and Karin as they hurled together while shaking.

Because Tayuya was so abrasive, she wasn't even effected by the tense and apprehensive air that filled the hotel. This allowed Tayuya to casually walk upstairs before investigating a set of doors.

After several seconds, Tayuya realized that neither of these doors had locks on them, allowing the red haired kunoichi to fling each of them up. These rooms were in remarkably good condition considering their surroundings.

Each of these rooms were filled with a pair of short, straw-filled beds. These beds were topped with multiple pillows and thin sheets that were colored with a mixture of various purple shades, a trademark fashion in the Land of Sound.

On the distant walls of these rooms were pair of mud-covered square framed glass windows. Old paintings and pictures from the Land of Rice Paddies decorated the surrounding walls, evidence to the sheer age of the hotel.

Various dressers and desks filled these rooms but they gave off a freshly cleaned appearance. Extending down from both ceilings was a set of fans that Tayuya turned on, illuminating the pair of rooms.

Content with these surroundings, Tayuya picked a room before strolling in and kicking her shoes off. These shoes then hit the nearby wall before falling to the ground in a oddly organized fashion.

Afterwards, Tayuya untied the invert purple bow from her petite waist before placing it atop a near dresser. The kunoichi then leapt atop a nearby bed without a care in the way before landing with a heavy thud.

Tayuya then began to snuggle and rub against this bed in a dramatic fashion while a timid Sasame and Karin slowly entered the room. This pair of Sound kunoichi then instantly jumped up and screamed as thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Shut the fuck up. I haven't slept on a bed in weeks and I don't want you two losers to ruin this." Tayuya snapped, causing Karin and Sasame to whisper amongst themselves.

"Besides, I'd rather sleep in the same room as that blond nerd than you pieces of trash." While she spoke, an outside tree branch was scratching against the nearby window.

"What's your deal?" Sasame mumbled.

"My deal is that I can't stand worthless people. Neither of you contribute to anything, I don't even know why you're here." Tayuya exclaimed in a harsh and condescending tone.

"We helped you during that ambush!" Karin protested.

"Even if I was alone with both arms broken and behind my back I could have taken those three losers. You would both be dead without me." Tayuya argued, creating a brief period of silence.

"You just wanna be alone with Naruto..." Sasame whispered in a hushed tone.

This statement forced Tayuya to abruptly swell with embarrassment and she didn't understand why. After subduing this feeling, Tayuya flung a pillow directly at Sasame's face, knocking her to the ground.

"Shut your mouth, bitch!" Tayuya screamed, unaware that her voice was leaking into the parallel room that contained Naruto and Gaara.

"Is he seeing anyone?" Karin asked, forcing Tayuya to briefly stutter.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Tayuya questioned.

"You don't want him, so that means he isn't seeing anyone else, right?" Karin pleaded while taking several steps forward.

"I don't know and I don't care." Tayuya snapped before burying her face into a pile of pillows.

"I think his whiskers are pretty cute..." Sasame mumbled after finally recovering free Tayuya's pillow attack.

"His whiskers are adorable." Karin interjected.

"You both sound so fucking pathetic. Stop drooling over that nerd." Tayuya insult the pair of kunoichi.

"That seems kind of hypocritical. When we first met I remember you begging for him to carry you." Sasame mocked the hat-wearing kunoichi.

These words forced Tayuya to briefly freeze before slamming her forehead into the bed railing. At the same time, Tayuya began to internally insult herself various times.

Suddenly, Tayuya hurled another pillow through the air at Sasame only for the latter to dodge it at the last moment. During this, the ceiling overhead began to creak and crack multiple times as if someone was upstairs.

"Do you like him?" Karin asked, leaving Tayuya utterly speechless.

"N-... No! I just don't hate him." Tayuya stuttered.

"I think you like him." Sasame teased the stuttering kunoichi.

"I think you're both pieces of shit." Tayuya snapped out before standing up and walking past both kunoichi.

"Where are you going?" Karin asked.

"Away from you." Tayuya remarked before slamming the door behind her as she left the room.

The embarrassed Tayuya then walked from her room to Naruto's before flinging the door open. Unlike her room, this room was still cascaded with an aura of foreboding darkness.

Ignoring this uneasy feeling, Tayuya flicked the light on before glancing at a downcast Naruto who was sitting on the end of a nearby bed. After noticing this, Tayuya turned off the light while closing the door behind her.

Tayuya then causally walked up to Naruto's bed before pulling the sheets loose and wiggling in with a sigh of comfort. After several seconds, Tayuya stretched both feet out before rubbing them against Naruto, soaking up the warmth that radiated from his body.

This created an extended period of silence as rain bombarded the rooftop from overhead. During this, Tayuya made a mental note of how comfortable and cozy she was, she hadn't felt this relaxed in years.

"Hey... Where did ketchup go?" Tayuya mumbled while repeatedly rubbing her feet against Naruto.

"There's a moon out tonight, so he's on the roof." Naruto replied with an oddly depressed tone.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Tayuya questioned.

"I'm just thinking." Naruto mumbled while further downcasting his face.

"Well think quietly, I'm going to bed." Tayuya proclaimed.

Soon, the only sound that Tayuya could hear was the soothing melody of rain striking wood. This melody was magnified by Naruto's warmth, overwhelming Tayuya before she fell asleep within seconds.

* * *

 _7 hours later, Sunday 4:32am, June 17th 58SSP._

A sleepy and yawning Tayuya staggering back into Naruto's room after an extensive search for the bathroom. Because Tayuya was so abrasive, she took off her pants to pee but she never put them back out.

This left Tayuya with her iconic tunic that barely concealed her pale-skinned legs. Also, Tayuya continued to wore her pair of black armbands and her favorite hat.

After she finally finished yawning, Tayuya dived into Naruto's bed before snuggling against what she considered to be a pillow. This pillowed radiated sheer warmth and heat with each moment that Tayuya snuggled against it, causing her to groan with delight.

This groaning instantly turned into a gasp after a hand suddenly gripped Tayuya's hair in a gentle fashion. This sensation forced Tayuya to abruptly jolt up and dash towards the nearby light switch and turning it on.

Tayuya was then left briefly stunned after looking at Naruto, he hadn't moved a muscle since she went to sleep. This realization caused Tayuya to briefly stutter as she swelled with confusion and embarrassment.

"What the fuck are you doing? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Tayuya asked.

"I'm just thinking." Naruto whispered in a depressed tone.

"About what?' Tayuya investigated.

"The only thing that goes through my mind are bad memories." Naruto mumbled, forcing each of Tayuya's brown eyes to sparkle.

The pantless kunoichi then appeared directly in front of Naruto before poking him in his downcast face. Soon, Tayuya began poking Naruto in the face multiple times in a comedic fashion.

"I know how you can make some good memories. Buy me breakfast." Tayuya explained with sheer joy resonating from her voice.

Soon, Tayuya briefly twitched after catching a glimpse of Naruto's eyes, causing a brilliant idea to surge through her mind. This idea caused Tayuya to pull her hat loose before sliding it onto Naruto, forcing his short and spiky blond hair to cover his eyes.

"That's much better." While speaking, Tayuya began running both hands through her messy, uncombed and disorganized hair.

This action forced multiple strains of bright red hair to plummet through the hair before clinging to Naruto's outfit. At the same time, Naruto finally realized that Tayuya wasn't wearing any pants.

For several seconds, Tayuya continued to run both hands through her hair in an attempt to straighten it only to fail every time. Soon, Tayuya noticed that Naruto was staring at her so she decided to stare back.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" After she spoke, Naruto pointed at her exposed legs.

This finally brought Tayuya began to reality as she stared down at her pale-skinned legs. Usually, Tayuya really didn't care if she was half naked because she used to change cloths all the time in front of the Sound Four.

However, these memories only filled Tayuya with confusion as an odd feeling swelled inside her stomach. She never felt like this when changing in front of the Sound Four so she didn't understand why she did now.

This feeling inside her stomach grew more overwhelming with each second that Naruto stared at her. Suddenly, Tayuya bit down on her lip with extreme force while the odd feeling inside her stomach expanded to her chest.

"Shouldn't you put some pants on?" Naruto asked, forcing Tayuya to grind her teeth together.

An embarrassed Tayuya then pushed Naruto back onto his bed before grabbing her pair of discarded pants. She then quickly pulled these pants over her petite frame before sighing in an embarrassed fashion.

Eager to forget about this moment, Tayuya quickly grabbed Naruto by the collar of his robes before dragging him out the room. This allowed Tayuya to pull a staggering Naruto through the eerie hallway before walking downstairs.

"Welcome to Caution Inn! I'm Sunari, did you enjoy your stay?" A middle-aged and purple haired woman from behind the check-in desk spoke out.

She was pale-skinned and wore a tattered brown apron over her shirt and pants, both of which were a unique mixture of different purple shades. These clothes deeply contrasted her blue civilian shoes that.

"This inn fucking sucks. You don't even have a lock on the doors." Tayuya complained, earning a cheerful laugh in response as Sunari observed her messy hair.

"I'm sorry, did you want to lock your boyfriend inside?" Sunari remarked with a slight giggle, forcing Tayuya to briefly stutter.

"Go fuck yourself. Bring me food." Tayuya snapped before dragging Naruto to a nearby table and pushing him into a booth.

The embarrassed kunoichi then squeezed into the booth opposite from Naruto before bouncing both legs up and down while waiting. Because Tayuya was so embarrassed, this period of waiting seemed to stretch on for hours as she stared at the bare table between her and Naruto.

After several moments, a still laughing Sunari brought in a plate of fresh rice topped with fish. This food managed to restore Tayuya's composure, causing her previous embarrassment to disappear before she began stuffing her face.

Sunari then returned to the check-in desk before another middle-aged woman appeared from a distant room. These women then both began to point and glance between Naruto and Tayuya while giggling.

"Shut the fuck up!" Tayuya's screamed between her mouthfuls of rice.

Despite her protest, the pair of gossiping women continued to giggle various times while mumbling to one another. Tayuya wanted to ignore these women but she facing directly towards him.

Suddenly, Tayuya pushed her plate across the table and stood up before pushing Naruto further inside the booth and sitting beside him. This action forced the pair of gossiping women to burst into laughter while Tayuya mumbled under her breath.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked.

"Whatever, just go fuck yourself." Tayuya snapped before sulking down inside the booth, to embarrassed too finish eating.

"Are you thirsty? I can go get you a cup and fill it up with water." Naruto questioned, earning a dramatic sigh from Tayuya in response.

Soon, Sunari approached the table with a saucer full of wooden cups and a pitcher of water. The middle-aged women then placed two cups atop the table before filling each of them with water as a smile consumed her entire face.

"Oh don't worry about that, young man. I'm sure you already filled her up." Sunari chuckled, causing Tayuya to abruptly faceplant into the wooden table.

Sunari then busted with laughter as she returned to her check-in desk while Naruto stared at a downcast Tayuya. Afterwards, Tayuya raised her face before continuously slamming it against the table multiple times.

At this moment, Naruto held his right hand out just in time to catch Tayuya, forcing her to bite his hand. She then began to claw and bite his arm in a dramatic fashion before throwing it aside.

"You're acting weird." Naruto exclaimed.

"Fuck you, you're more weird than me." Tayuya retorted before stealing the fish off Naruto's plate.

"You don't even act like that jackass I hung out with in the Leaf Village." While speaking, Tayuya stuffed her face with fish.

"People change..." Naruto mumbled while downcasting his whiskered face.

"Whatever, but I was thinking about all those dogshit tailed beasts you mentioned a few days ago." Tayuya interjected before swallowing a mouthful of food.

"You obviously don't understand what you're doing. Tailed beasts are prized as national monuments for each village, you can't just walk in and take them." As she spoke, Naruto's whiskers briefly twitched.

"If you start taking tailed beasts, you'll be placed on the five great nations bounty, that's a bounty that would even crush Orochimaru." After speaking, Tayuya stole Naruto's entire plate of food.

"And since you left the border of your village, that means you're a Rogue ninja now. A bounty on you would put suspicion on that trash village of yours." Tayuya was so focused on her food that she didn't even notice the frown across Naruto's face.

"There is nothing left that connects me to Konoha. I'm sure the elders will distance themselves from me soon..." Naruto whispered.

"That doesn't mean shit... A Rogue ninja is still a Rogue ninja... Your village will be held responsible." Tayuya spoke while chewing her food.

"I'm an enemy to everyone... Even Konoha." Naruto mumbled while staring at the floor.

"Bullshit, your wasting more time on the Sound Village than I would." Tayuya remarked.

An extended period of silence then filled the air as Tayuya finished her cup of water before stealing Naruto's. At the same time, Tayuya ignored the various giggles that a distant Sunari was releasing.

"You should stop acting all big, bad and tough when you're around me... You're just a little kitten." After speaking, Tayuya flicked one of Naruto's whiskers in a playful fashion.

Despite Naruto's brutal exterior since leaving Konoha, Tayuya still treated him as the quiet kid that she first met. This gave Tayuya a rather unique perspective of Naruto, she understood that he was stronger than Orochimaru but she didn't even consider him a threat.

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt..." Naruto muttered in response.

Suddenly, a spoonful of rice and fish was pressed against Naruto's downcast mouth. Afterwards, Tayuya began to repeatedly shove this spoon against Naruto's face until he finally opened his mouth.

"I won't eat all of your food, just most of it." Tayuya spoke before spooning even more food into Naruto's mouth.

Soon, Tayuya's laughter filled the air as Naruto began to gag on a mouthful of rice. This was a type of laughter that Tayuya never felt before, a laughter filled with joy and happiness.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, near the western border to the Land of Sound._

A distant sunrise illuminated the air, unleashing various rays of sunlight that sparkled across a field of grass. This field was covered with blood, flesh and bone that littered the ground with numerous Sound shinobi corpses in the distance.

Infront of this field was a wooden Buddhist shrine that was nestled in front of a large mountain. This mountain neighbor a dense and dark forest, the horrifying Howling Forest, because of the distant winds that would blow through its trees and distort words.

The sound of flesh tearing, bulging, oozing and contorting filled the air, magnified by nearby screams. These screams belonged to the partially concealed bodies of Kamikiri and Jigumo, both of which were covered in blood.

These bodies then disappeared as the sound of flesh pulsating and throbbing could be heard. This sound resonated from a gelatinous and pus-filled mass of beating flesh and veins

"Kagerō... Kotohime… Where is Sasame?" A mound of humanoid shaped flesh and ooze spoke out before the silhouette of two young girls slowly approached.

Contradicting her previous appearance, Kagerō was no longer a large and grotesque hunchbacked man. Instead, she was now an extremely pale-skinned 14 year old girl, more pale than Orochimaru.

Her eyes were solid blue while her hair was a pale shade of green and shoulder-length, leaving a pair of bangs that framed each side of her face. Her outfit consisted of a thigh-length single strapped white dress that clung to her right shoulder, drawing attention to a metal collar worn around her neck.

Beside Kagerō was a 15 year old girl known as Kotohime. a girl with long black hair that was cut in a hime-style, drawing attention to her black eyes. Her attire consisted of a pale green form-fitting vest that was partially opened in the front, revealing sections of her cleavage and stomach.

Also, she wore a Sound-style skirt and scarf made from the iconic camouflage-pattern known through out the Land of Sound. Finally, her skirt was tied around her petite waist with a black belt that matched her shinobi shoes.

"She's chosen to side with Hanzaki... She think's we're traitors." Kagerō spoke with a hushed and tranquil tone.

"She's just worthless trash. Orochimaru has given us true power." Kotohime remarked with a manipulative smile across her face.

Suddenly, the previous mound of flesh and ooze began to bubble and contort. After several seconds, this mob of flesh managed to completely transform and morph into a fully clothed young man.

He had long, smooth and chin-length pale purple hair that drew attention towards his grey eyes, eyes that were partially concealed by his bangs. He was pale-skinned with eerily soft and reassuring face.

His outfit consisted of a pale green short sleeve shirt with a white collar and dark grey pants. Finally, he wore a pair of black armbands around each wrist that were oddly similar to Tayuya's and Sasame's.

At this moment, a chilling gust of wind blew in from the north, forcing the nearby trees and grass to rustle. During this, Kagerō's and Kotohime's hair wavered in the intense breeze while staring at their leader.

"Today is a new today. The Fuma Clan will rise again." The voice of Arashi Fuma spoke in a commanding and dominant tone.

Arashi was the champion and savior of all Fuma, destined to restore their once great name. This prophecy forced many of his clan members to eagerly follow him after Orochimaru promised power, while others like Hanzaki and Sasame refused.

Arashi was a prodigy, trained by Orochimaru himself and feared through out the entire Land of Sound. This was the level of power and prestige that Arashi had reached.

Soon, Arashi would unleash this power and purge all who stood against him.


	64. Chapter 64

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Every once in awhile there will be an entire chapter that's basically just an easter egg to Avatar, The Last Airbender.**

 **This is one of those chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 64: Pure Terror! Twisted Reunion...**

 _Sunday 9:19pm, June 17th 58SSP._

A bright and warm fire flickered in the deep, dark forest that paved the western regions in the Land of Sound. Beside this fire sat a group of five individuals, each of them varying in shape and size.

"And suddenly, they heard something down the hall in the darkness... OOooouhh." Tayuya spoke with a spooky tone.

"Like a ghost that could be heard but not seen, until then... It came into the torch light...!" As she spoke, Tayuya began to tower over the nearby fire, creating a demonic shadow while flicking her left fingers.

"And then they knew...! The kunai of Wai Fung was haunted! WUUAuuaaAHHH!" While screaming in a spooky fashion, Tayuya's left hand pulled a kunai loose before holding it over the fire.

Afterwards, an extended period of silence filled the air as Sasame, Karin, Naruto and Gaara all sat around the fire in utterly silence. After several seconds, Gaara coughed to break the silence.

"I think I like 'The Man With A Sword For A Hand' better..." Sasame muttered, referring to a previous ghost story that Tayuya told.

"Yea... You may be a good kunoichi but you're a terrible story teller." Karin mumbled before avoiding Tayuya's stiff gaze.

"I got one... And this is a _real_ ghost story." Naruto interjected, garnishing everyone's attention.

In response to this, Tayuya hurled her kunai to the ground before sitting down with a heavy thud. At the same time, Tayuya was rolling each of her brown eyes multiple times in a dramatic fashion.

"Is this one of those... A friend of my cousin, knew some guy that this happened to type of stories?" Tayuya retorted with a scoff.

"No... This happened to Orochimaru." Naruto remarked, causing Tayuya to instantly tense before leaning in with interest.

Soon, the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the nearby fire as Naruto paused for dramatic tension. During this, a blind raven was perched atop a nearby tree branch that flicked in the fire's shadow.

"One winter, when Orochimaru was just a child... A fierce snow storm buried half of Konoha for weeks..." Naruto whispered in a spooky tone.

"Two weeks later, Orochimaru finally realized that one of his classmates was missing..." While speaking, his words forced a scared Sasame and Karin to swallow the wads of spit that swelled in their throats.

"So Orochimaru and Jiraiya went to go check on this classmate and his family... When they finally got to his house they realized that no one was home, there was just a fire that flickered in the fire place..." As he spoke, Karin and Sasame began to huddle together while shaking.

"Jiraiya then went out to search the streets while Orochimaru stayed in the house... And that's when he heard it... He heard a voice... _I'm so cold, and I can't get_ warm." Naruto's spooky story even forced Tayuya to huddle tight while an expressionless Gaara continued to listen.

Naruto then took a brief pause while letting the tense build in his story. During this, Tayuya glanced at Naruto several times only to look away whenever he glanced back.

"And then Orochimaru turned around, and he saw his classmate standing by the fireplace... His skin was solid blue and stiff, as if he was frozen... Causing Orochimaru to run outside for help..." These words forced a terrified Karin and Sasame to huddle behind Tayuya.

After several seconds, Naruto stood up before standing over the fire in a spooky fashion. While this occurred, the sound of muffled words and voices resonated through the woods, doubling the eerie tension.

"But by the time everyone got back, he was already gone..." After speaking, Sasame and Karin each poked their heads over one of Tayuya's shoulders.

"Where did he go...?!" A trembling Karin asked.

" _No one knows._.. His house is still empty to this day inside Konoha, but some say they can still see smoke rising from his chimney... Like he's still trying to get warm." Naruto then allowed a brief period of silence to fill the air as everyone judged his story.

"Much better than Tayuya." Gaara remarked, immune to the haze glare that his words earned from the red haired kunoichi.

"All four of you can go fuck yourselves. You're just upset that my path was faster." Tayuya proclaimed, referring to their day long journey.

"Tayuya, we basically wasted all day walking in a circle..." Naruto protested.

This created a brief period of silence as Sasame and Karin both giggled before earning a stiff glare from Tayuya. Because of his extensive memories, Naruto could easily have navigated his team through the Land of Sound within a day but Tayuya insisted that she should lead.

Suddenly, both of Gaara's pale green eyes bugled before he abruptly stood up. The sand jinchūriki then stared off towards a distant mountain while gasping multiple times.

"Wai-...?! Did you all hear that?" Gaara asked before crouching down and placing his left palm across a patch of sand.

"I hear people under that mountain... And they're screaming." After speaking, his words abruptly caused Tayuya, Karin and Sasame to all leap behind Naruto before hiding.

Soon, Tayuya regained her resolve before standing up and acting like nothing happened. The embarrassed kunoichi then causally sat beside Naruto while avoiding his violet eyes.

"Pfft… Nice try, you can't hear shit from here." Tayuya argued.

"I can feel the vibrations in my sand. I hear them screaming, so many of them are screaming." Gaara spoke with sincerity while rubbing both hands across a patch of sand.

"Y-... Yo-... You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories..." Karin stuttered while clinging to Naruto's right arm.

An extended period of silence then filled the air, mixing with the concerned expression across Gaara's face. After several moments, this expression of concerned morphed into sadness.

"The screaming just stopped..." Gaara spoke with a hushed tone while all vibrations through his sand ceased.

"Okay... Now I'm _really_ scared." Sasame admitted while snuggling against Naruto's left leg.

After speaking, the only thing that could be heard for minutes was the sound of the nearby fire crackling. While this occurred, Gaara continuously stared off towards the distant mountain with saddness sprawled across his face.

"Hello! Children." The voice of a elderly lady shrieked, forcing Tayuya, Karin and Sasame to each scream in panic while clinging to Naruto.

This lady wore an ankle-length kimono that was made up of various purple shades, drawing attention to her blue civilian shoes. Each of her hands were concealed between the sleeves of her kimono, giving off an elderly-like posture as she walked.

The skin on her face was old and tattered, covered with various wrinkles and sores that denoted her age. Finally, she had thick shoulder-length white hair that covered each of her shoulders with a pair of thin bangs framing each side of her face.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to frighten you. My name is Hama." The elderly woman spoke before gently smiling at the pair of friends.

"You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night... I have an inn nearby. Why don't you come back with me for some sweet tea and warm beds." As she spoke, her words instantly brought a smile to Tayuya's face.

Before Naruto was even able speak out, Tayuya put her hand over his mouth before kicking him to the ground. During this, Gaara was still focused on the distant mountain.

"Yes!" Tayuya screamed, always happy for a warm bed.

Soon, Tayuya stood up before grabbing Naruto by the collar and dragging him with her as they followed Hama. At the same time, it took Gaara several moments to finally tear his attention away from the mountain before following his group of new friends.

* * *

 _20 minutes later._

The group of five friends sat at a small and narrow table inside the kitchen of Hama's inn. It was a simple and rustic building, barely able to fit more than five people at once but still just as cozy as any home.

Hama's inn consisted of a two-story wood building that was lined with various wooden windows on all corners and walls. Strangely, there was only one entrance which was very usually for inn's.

This group of friends were all enjoying fresh and warm cups of tea that were freshly poured by Hama. This tea was radiating steam with freshly mixed sugar dissolving into the herbal beverage.

"Thanks for letting us stay here tonight. You have a loving inn." Karin spoke with a kind and caring voice while smiling at the elderly Hama.

"Aren't you sweet?" Hama asked in a rhetorical fashion while smiling back at the young kunoichi.

"Yea, this place isn't even that terrible." Tayuya complimented the innkeeper, earning an elderly chuckle in response.

"That reminds me... You children some be more careful, people disappear in those woods you were camping in." Hama spoke with a serious tone, causing Sasame and Karin to both twitch.

"What do you mean 'disappearing'?" Gaara asked, still concerned about the previous screams he heard.

"Don't you children know? You were camping in the Howling Forest." Hama explained, causing each of the five friends to gasp with shock.

"I didn't think we were that far north... Tayuya, this is why you should've just let me lead." Naruto interjected.

"Go fuck yourself, bitch." Tayuya retorted before chugging her cup of tea.

This realization of their previous camp site forced Karin and Sasame both to tremble. At the same time, Gaara was sipping his tea while thinking about the previous screams he heard.

"Terrible things have happened in that forest through out the centuries... Terrible things. Some say that if you enter the forest during the full moon, you don't come out." Hama spoke with a sad and depressed tone while staring at the floor.

Hama then stared at the ground for several moments, clearly battling with her thoughts. During this, Tayuya stole Naruto's cup of tea right out from his hand before finishing it.

"Who wants more tea?!" Hama spoke out in a caring voice while she jolted back to life.

This caused Tayuya to extend Naruto's cup out before receiving a freshly poured class of tea and chugging it in seconds. Also, Sasame and Karin each received another cup of tea.

"But don't worry, you'll all be safe here... How about I escort you each to your rooms and you can take a long nap?" Hama asked politely.

"Can we have a shared room?" Karin asked while glancing between Naruto and the floor.

"I don't think that would be very elderly of me. But nice try." Hama replied with a wide smile across her face.

"Whatever, I'm not some baby. I can sleep by myself." Tayuya proclaimed before standing up and following Hama out of the room.

After several moments, Karin and Sasame soon trailed after Tayuya, leaving Gaara and Naruto alone in the room. Each of these jinchūriki then stared directly at one another with absolute trust.

"I fear this is a waste of time... Arashi clearly isn't in these Lands anymore." Gaara asserted.

"You will often find what you're looking for when you finally stop looking." Naruto explained, using an old proverb that was past down from the 3rd Hokage.

Naruto then stood up and trailed behind the same path that Tayuya took with Gaara fast behind, each of them eager to change the Land of Sound.

* * *

 _10 hours later._

Tayuya was sprawled halfway across the floor with her left leg barely clinging to a bed while pillows littered her surroundings. Also, drool was leaking from her mouth as she snored, staining the nearby floorboards, a result of her constant tossing and turning.

Tayuya was completely shirtless with just her pants, armbands and hat still on, preventing her with getting any drool stains. This caused her non existent chest to rise and fall with each extended snore that she released.

Soon, two distinct shadows appeared over Tayuya's snoring face as sunlight sparkled in from the nearby window. These shadows belong to Karin and Hama, both of which had snuck into the sleep kunoichi's room.

"Good morning, princess. It's time to go shopping." Hama proclaimed with a loud yet soothing voice, causing Tayuya to wake up with a yawn.

The shirtless kunoichi to began to rub her eyes while her messy hair was sprawled across the wooden floor. After several moments, a sour look stretched across Tayuya's face once she realized her sleep had been interrupted.

* * *

 _30 minutes_ later. Monday 9:49am, June 18th 58SSP.

A depressed Tayuya walked beside Naruto and Gaara while carrying an assortment of vegetables. This was the price for their free stay at Hama's hotel, they had to help her carry everything.

While Tayuya was hating her time in town, Sasame and Karin was ecstatic with being beside Hama. The elderly woman seemed to be very knowledge and moved surprisingly well for her age.

At this moment, Hama just finished a cheap deal for several pounds of fish before forcing Naruto to carry it. Afterwards, Hama, Karin and Sasame all walked ahead of the group together.

"That Mr. Yaoi seems to have a thing for you... Maybe you should go back and try to get some free sausages?" Karin spoke with a mixture of innocence and seduction.

"You would have mean using my feminine charm and body to take advantage of that man..,?! You and I are going to get along so well!" Hama remarked with an elderly chuckle.

Soon, Karin, Sasame and Hama began walking with such speed that they basically deserted their friends. This left Tayuya, Naruto and Gaara alone inside a bustling marketplace.

"You wont have any cherry banana's until next week?! That's ridiculous, Tsu." A large and elderly man beside a nearby food stale questioned with disbelief.

"Well... It's all the disappearances lately. I can't send anyone to get them because it's a two day trip..." Tsu explained, causing his customer to quickly gasp.

"Oh, that's right... Tonight is the full moon..." The large customer stuttered.

"Exactly, I can't loose another delivery boy. Literally half the town has disappeared." Tsu remarked.

As this conversation was unfolding, Tayuya, Gaara and Naruto each walked by. Tayuya didn't really care while Naruto and Gaara listened with special intent.

"People disappearing in the woods... Weird stuff happening during the full moon and those screams I heard?" Something is seriously wrong with this town." Gaara spoke with a tranquil voice.

"I bet if we just take a walk around town we can find out more about what's going on." Naruto exclaimed.

"And then we can go somewhere else because this place fucking sucks." Tayuya interjected before Sasame, Karin and Hama all came back into view.

"Why don't you all just take those things back to the inn.. I just have to run a couple more errands, I'll be back in a little while." Hama explained with a eerie smile across her face.

"This is a mysterious little town you have." Gaara spoke out, earning a quick glance from the elderly Hama.

"A mysterious town for mysterious children." Hama remarked with a creepy smile that was prominent across her face before she turned around and walked away.

This filled Gaara with utter suspicion while Tayuya and Naruto managed to shake in off. At the same time, Sasame and Karin began leading the way back to the hotel, eager to get lunch started.

* * *

 _30 minutes later._

The group of five friends stood around the table in Hama's kitchen. Each of them were organizing various vegetables and fruits into the surrounding cabinets.

"That Hama seems a little strange... Like she's hiding something." Gaara spoke while stacking apples into a nearby bowl.

"That ridiculous… She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay. She kinda reminds me of an old friend..." Sasame interjected as the memory of Kagerō floated through her mind.

This created an extended period of silence as Karin and Sasame began placing fish into Hama's freezer. During this, Tayuya was sitting atop Hama's kitchen counter while kicking her legs through the air.

"But what did she mean by that comment...? Mysterious children..." Gaara remarked before grabbing his chin and entering an inquisitive stance.

"Maybe its because she found four strange kids and a badass girl camping in the woods at night." Tayuya interrupted, always happy to stroke her ego.

This statement forced Gaara to fill the room with an inquisitive hum as Gaara was deep in thought. Gaara turned around before walking towards a distant wooden staircase.

"I'm gonna taking a look around." As he spoke, Gaara became walking up the staircase as a timid Karin and Sasame trailed behind him.

"Gaara, I don't think you should be sneaking around someone's house." Naruto exclaimed while following everyone else upstairs, leaving Tayuya alone.

"We'll be fine." Gaara protested while flinging various hallway doors open before poking his head inside.

After sever moments, Gaara because escorted the group of investigating friends further down the hallway. While this occurred, Naruto accidently stepped on a creaking floorboard, causing him to glance down.

The floorboard was clearly old, giving off a great contrast to the surrounding young pieces of wood. The most prominent feature of this floorboard were three drops of dried blood that caught Naruto's attention.

While walking over this board, Naruto smelled a fierce and decaying smell, causing him to briefly gag. While Naruto gag, Karin, Sasame and Gaara continued to investigate the house.

"Sh-... She could be home any minute..." Sasame stuttered while nervously biting each of her fingernails.

"You're gonna get us all in trouble... This is rude." Karin spoke out before Gaara grabbed the handles to a nearby closet.

"I'm not finished yet... Something is wrong, I can feel." Gaara explained before pulling both closet doors open.

This caused various wooden puppets to fall halfway out of the closet, resting barely inches away from Gaara's face. These puppets managed to completely terrify Sasame and Karin while Gaara and Naruto didn't even react.

This filled the air with the girly screams of Sasame and Karin as the clung to one another. Afterwards, they each waited for Naruto to catch up before they huddled around him.

"Okay, Gaara... That is pretty creepy." Naruto admitted while glancing between the high quality puppets.

Soon, Karin regained her composure before walking past Naruto and approaching the opened closet. She then grabbed both doors before slowly closing them in a respectful fashion.

"So she has a hobby... There's nothing weird about that." Karin mumbled before Gaara strolled past her, walking even further down the dark hallway.

"Gaara! You've looked enough! Hama will be back soon." Sasame protested while hiding behind Naruto.

Suddenly, Gaara found a wooden staircase that lead to the attic, allowing him to dash up stairs. After several seconds, Sasame, Karin and Naruto all walked up behind him.

This attic was covered in cobwebs and spiders that clung to the distant corners. The most interesting feature of this room was a large wooden door that decorated a nearby wall.

Fueled by his suspicion, Gaara marched towards this door before pulling on it multiple times only to realize its locked. Streams of sand then began pouring from Gaara's gourd before funneling into the locked doorknob.

"Just an ordinary puppet loving innkeeper, huh? Then why does she have a locked door in her attic?" Gaara asked with an accusatory tone.

"Probably to keep people like you from shifting through her stuff!" Karin argued.

This statement forced Gaara to crouch down while his sand continued to shift and funnel into the doorknob. At the same time, Gaara's pale green eyes were staring through the keyhole into the empty room on the other side.

The room was devoid of all furniture, cloths and windows, drawing attention to the small purple chest that rested inside. This chest filled Gaara with even further suspicion, forcing his sand to expand and grow.

"It's empty, except for a little chest." Gaara exclaimed while a twitching Sasame clung to Naruto's right arm.

"Gaara! What are you doing? You're breaking into a private room!" Karin screamed in protested.

Soon, Gaara's sand managed to unlock the door before rays of light sparkled down upon him and his friends. Afterwards, Gaara stood up and boldly entered the room while staring at the purple chest.

"I have to see what's in there." Gaara explained, still focused on the distant screams that he heard from the mountain.

"We shouldn't be doing this..." Naruto mumbled while continuing to follow Gaara.

Gaara then reached out and grabbed the purple chest before picking it up with both hands. The elite sand jinchūriki then fumbled with the chest for several minutes while his left hand molded sand into a hardened key.

"Almost there..." Gaara whispered while wiggling his key into the lock.

"This is crazy! I'm out of here..." Karin stuttered before turning around and walking away.

"Almost... There..." Gaara spoke out before the sound of an unlocked keyhole filled the attic.

This forced Karin and Sasame to directly appear beside Gaara, squeezing him between them like a sandwich. During this, a thin layer of sand formed between Gaara and each of the young kunoichi.

Each of their faces and eyes glowed like sparkles stars as Gaara pulled his key loose. A high amount of dramatic tension then filled the air as each of the friends slowly opened the chest.

"I'll tell you what's in the box." Hama's eerie voice erupted through the dark room, causing Sasame and Karin to scream with shock.

Afterwards, an embarrassed Gaara turned around before bowing his head in an unspoken apology. At the same time, he extended the purple chest out with both arms before Hama picked it up with both hands.

This created a tension moment of anticipation as Karin, Gaara, Sasame and Naruto all stared at the treasure chest with varying degrees of interest. After several moments, Hama pulled a fancy purple comb loose that was adorned with the Fuma Clan symbol.

"An old comb!?" Karin yelled with disappointment, upset that the treasure was so boring.

"It's my greatest treasure... It's the last thing I own from my childhood inside the Fuma Clan." Kama spoke with a wide smile, forcing each of Sasame's eyes to sparkle.

"You're from the Fuma Clan!?" Sasame screamed in disbelief.

"Yes, just like you." Hama answered with a smile, shocking everyone with her knowledge.

"How did you know?!" Sasame questioned.

"I heard you all talking around your campfire." Hama explained.

"I wanted to surprise you with a traditional Fuma Clan dinner." As she spoke, her words filled Naruto with suspicion, surprised that an elderly woman could conceal her presence from him.

"I knew I felt a bond with you!" Sasame screamed while running forward and hugging the elderly Hama.

"And I knew you were keeping a secret... So I guess everybody wins..." Gaara explained, ignoring the heated glare that Karin directed at him.

"But I'm sorry we were sneaking around." After speaking, the group of friends each bowed their heads with respect.

"Apology accepted." Hama replied.

"So if you're a Fuma Clan member, does that mean you can teach me some techniques after dinner?" Sasame asked, earning a slight chuckle in response.

"Well, I'm sure I can show you a trick or two. We can practice in the woods after dinner." Hama explained before turning around and walking away.

"Can I come to?" Karin pleaded, earning a nod of approval from Hama.

"Of course dear. A friend of Sasame is a friend of mine." Hama remarked.

"But I heard there's going to be a full moon tonight. Is it safe to be outside with all the disappearances?" Naruto asked as Hama began to partially disappear from view.

"Oh... Three powerful kunoichi outside together, I'm sure we'll will be just fine." Hama remarked with a kind smile across her concealing face.

Soon, this hidden smile morphed into an eerie and sadistic grin, showing off Hama's yellow teeth. After several moments, the creepy silhouette of Hama disappeared down stairs while Naruto was filled with a mixture of suspicion and distrust.

* * *

 _2 hours later._

Hama and Sasame walked together beside a nearby entrance to the Howling Forest, each of them barely inches away from the other. Despite Hama's extreme age, she moved just as fluently and easily as Sasame.

"Before we get started with training... We should probably talk about chakra threads." Hama remarked, earning a quick nod from Sasame.

"Growing up near other shinobi, you're completely surrounded by other sources of chakra. Of course, even if you weren't surrounded by these shinobi, you could just create threads with your own chakra." While speaking, each of her words were absorbed by Sasame's brain.

"However, sometimes there will be no other shinobi, and sometimes you won't have any chakra to mold... That reminds me..." After speaking, Hama stopped walking before staring directly at Sasame.

"Did you know that you can even create chakra threads from pure air?" After she spoke, her words caused Sasame to gasp with shock.

"What do you mean...?" The young, orange haired kunoichi muttered.

At this moment, Hama turned around before weaving each of her hands through the air in an artistic and surprisingly young fashion. After several moments, thin wires of chakra green chakra pulsated into existence between Hama's finger and a nearby tree.

The entire world was made up of chakra, a substance that 4existed for thousands of years, even before the Sage of Six Paths. Trees, grass, leaves and even the air itself was filled with this powerful and ancient substance.

Suddenly, Hama began to twist and contort each of her glowing fingertips, causing the distant tree to snap and crack. Soon, this tree was completely shattered into dozens of pieces while a sadistic smile bloomed across Hama's concealed face.

At the same time, a smiling Sasame stood directly behind Hama while watching with interest. Sasame had only ever seen two people display such high-levels of knowledge about the Fuma Clan, Kagerō and Arashi.

"You need to keep an open mind, Sasame. There's chakra in places you never even think about." Hama exclaimed before the dark smile on her face morphed into a kind one.

The pair of Fuma Clan members then continued their walk beside the Howling Forest. Each of them trading stories about the ancient and proud Fuma clan.

* * *

 _7_ hours later, Monday 8:12pm, June 18th 58SSP.

Gaara and Tayuya each strolled down a dark street inside the half deserted town near Hama's inn. Because of the time and constant disappearances, this town was basically empty with no real signs of life of humanity.

"Why the fuck didn't Naruto come with us?" Tayuya complained with a huff.

"He said there was something at the inn that kept bothering him. He wanted to stay behind." Gaara explained, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

After walking for what like minutes, both Gaara and Tayuya heard the sound of nails getting hammered into wood. Soon, they each walked around a nearby corner before spotting any elderly man that was nailed wooden boards in front of his windows.

"Excuse me, sir." Gaara interrupted the elderly man mid-swing, forcing him to slam a hammer against his own thumb.

This forced the elderly man to drop multiple wooden boards to the ground along with his hammer. At the same time, distant lights were being smothered through out the town as surviving townsfolk prepared to hide.

"OWWAAUuah… Fucking shi-..." The elderly man grumbled in response as his thumb throbbed with pain.

"WHAT?! Can't you see I'm busy? We got a full moon rising." After speaking, the man struggled to pick up his hammer and a wooden board.

Suddenly, several streams of sand erupted from the ground before placing each of these boards against the man's window. Afterwards, another stream picked up his hammered before slowly nailing each of the boards into place.

"I wanted to ask you about that. There seems to be a lot of disappearances happening, do you know why?" Gaara asked, earning an inquisitive hum in response.

"I heard it four nights ago... When it came and took my neighbors." The elderly man explained before glancing at a nearby house that was partially demolished with it's front door and windows broken.

"It sounded horrible... I could hear my neighbor, Zui, screaming as something dragged him and his wife way." While speaking, his words caused each of Gaara's eyes to narrow with interest.

"They were dragged away? So they weren't just killed right here?" Gaara questioned.

"Yea, they were dragged away. By something... Some disgusting mass of flesh and veins." The elderly man remarked before glancing towards a distant mountain.

"I peaked out my window just it time to see it dragging them towards that mountain." As he spoke, his words instantly caused Gaara to gasp with shock.

The elite sand jinchūriki then stared at the distant mountain for what felt like minutes while both of his pale green eyes bulged. At the same time, Tayuya was yawning with boredom while she thought about Naruto and food.

"Oh no... I did hear people screaming under that mountain! The missing townspeople have to be there!" Gaara panicked while an intense and eerie feeling pierced the air.

Despite Gaara's concern and panic, Tayuya didn't even care or really pay attention. She barely even had enough interest to follow Gaara after he started running towards the distant mountain.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A quiet and isolated Naruto stood atop the hallway inside the 2nd floor of Hama's inn, staring at the ground. His focus was directed at a suspicious old floorboard that contrasted the surrounding wood, Naruto was obsessed with the three drops of blood that stained it.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind Naruto before he was embraced with a seductive hug from Kotohime. Kotohime was one of the Jounin-level Fuma clan members that decided to join Orochimaru for power.

Despite her appearance, Kotohime was arguably at a level of skill even beyond Tayuya. However, she rarely used her kunoichi skills and instead just tried to seduce or manipulate her opponents with her body.

This type of mindset caused Kotohime to rub and grind her body against Naruto's while hugging him. At the same time, she was dragging and clawing her hands across Naruto's chest, stomach and thighs.

"Judging from those whiskers, Id say you're some type of cat or fox... Mind if I check for a tail?" Kotohime teased with a seductive tone.

"Kotohime." Naruto whispered with an Orochimaru-like tone, forcing the seductive kunoichi to abruptly gasp.

Kotohime then jumped back before sliding over 5ft across the wooden floor. Afterwards, she clapped both hands into the Ram Seal before creating threads of chakra around her hair.

This allowed Kotohime to essentially turn her entire hair into a hardened weapon as multiple strands swished through the air. During this, Naruto continued to stare at the blood stained floorboard while his was back directed towards Kotohime.

"I don't know how you learned my name... But lord Orochimaru ordered me to kill anyone that interferes with the Sound Village." Kotohime's tone instantly shifted from seductive to serious.

At this moment, Kotohime's entire body was gripped by some unseen force before she was pulled towards Naruto. As she approached, Naruto turned around just in time to grab her throat with his left hand.

This completely disrupted Kotohime's Hair Binding technique before she began to struggle for air. During this struggle, an intense blush covered her face as Naruto choked her for several seconds.

Soon, Kotohime managed to open her eyes before being instantly hypnotized by Naruto's Rinnegan. These eyes pulsated through Kotohime's mind for minutes as her entire body twitched and trembled.

While Kotohime twitched, Naruto dropped her to floor before she fell unconscious, unable to endure his violet ripple-patterned eyes. Afterwards, Naruto turned around before once again directing his attention at the blood stained floor board.

Naruto then abruptly crouched down before shoving both hands around the edge of this wooden board. After getting a good grip, Naruto pulled this board loose with extreme easy before dropping it to the ground while each of his violet eyes bulged with shock.

Resting underneath the floorboards was the rotting and decayed corpse of Hama. Her skin was brown with patches of dead hair that clung to her decaying corpse and blood stained clothes.

Bugs crawled, slithered and oozed around this rotting corpse, forcing Naruto to briefly gag. This brought attention to the stiff and horrifying face of Hama, a face contorted into a death-filled scream, as if fear itself had killed her.

This created a dark realization inside Naruto as he finally confirmed a frightening thought. Karin and Sasame were alone in the Howling Forest with a stranger.


	65. Chapter 65

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: kamui5 - We've been in Season two since the Naruto Retrieval Arc began (since Orochimaru died),** **Naruto will meet Itachi in Season two and Kabuto is the main villain of this Season. I'm treating this story like an anime.**

 **GunBlade2019 - I'm very picky about Tayuya's character because I really dislike how most NarutoxTayuya fanficts handle her. Tayuya isn't some discount Karin, she's a tomboy.**

 **Tayuya would never apologize. She would never wear a dress or make up and she would never gossip with other girls, she's a tomboy. This is why I've put so much effort into developing her abrasive personality.**

 **Tayuya does not give a fuck and that's a key point of her character, she doesn't like to show emotion. This is why I've never had her blush and instead I just make her embarrassed.**

 **Even in canon, Tayuya constantly screamed insults at her teammates in the Sound Four because that's just her personality. This is why Tayuya is the ideal Tsundere, because she does not give a single fuck.**

 **For example, Tayuya would never say, 'Naruto... I love you.' Instead Tayuya would say, 'Naruto... I really don't hate you.' because that's just the type of girl she is. Tayuya could literally be choking on Naruto's dick and talking shit about him at the same time.**

 **This is why I love the idea of Tayuya being Naruto's anchor to reality, because that constant time together will develop their relationship.**

 **Hiatagi-Satori - I will try my best to make every single Arc unique and interesting, this is why I chose the horror/Chakra thread theme of the Fuma Clan. Hopefully future readers can look back on this Arc and say it's their favorite.**

 **Bosma19 - I will keep your review in mind for future chapters, I promise.**

 **animeficfan - Depending on which Arc/Season we're on, I can sometimes write a single chapter in five hours while others take me five days. The more I enjoy something the easier it is for me to focus on.**

 **Sometimes I can stare at a single paragraph for over thirty minutes just trying to find a word that fits. While other times I can write a paragraph in ten seconds and just move on.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 65: The Puppetmaster! Redemption Of The Fuma Clan.**

 _Monday 9:24pm, June 18th 58SSP._

A full moon sparkled overhead through a partially cloudy sky, sprinkling rays of moon light down upon the Land of Sound. Several of these rays pierced the nearby tree branches before illuminating a shadowy figure.

This figure was a panting and concerned Gaara that dashed between various tree branches deep inside the Howling Forest. This elite sand jinchūriki was running full speed towards a distant mountain while a bored Tayuya went home to check on Naruto.

After running for what felt like minutes, Gaara approached a wooden Buddhist shrine that decorated the large mountain. This allowed Gaara to notice pools of dried blood and intestines that stained the surrounding grass.

Using nearby sand to sense the vibrations in the earth, Gaara once again heard screaming from underneath the mountain. These vibrations led Gaara deep into the shrine before multiple streams of sand pulled a section of floorboards loose.

This revealed a gaping hole that was carved into the very earth, leading into the dark abyss below. Filled with compassion and the desire to save others, Gaara leapt into this dark abyss without a single ounce of fear, eager to discover the true power of love.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

An isolated Karin sat in the distance while Sasame and Hama stood in the center of a small grove filled with violet flowers. During this, various rays of moonlight intermingled with the surrounding trees while mumbled voices and sounds could be heard in the distance.

"Woah... These flowers sure are beautiful..." Sasame spoke with an awed and hushed tone.

After speaking, the orange haired kunoichi began to gently stroke a pair of nearby flowers. While this occurred, she also leaned forward before smelling the fresh and vibrant plant that was native to the Land of Sound.

"They're called Sound Lilies and they're my favorite part about living here, they only bloom a few weeks each year." Hama explained while standing with a hunched elderly posture.

"Yea... One of my old friends used to talk about these flowers all the time..." Sasame remarked as the kind memory of Kagerō drifted through her mind.

This statement forced Hama to completely freeze while her face briefly twitched. At the same time, a distant Karin was glancing up at the full moon overhead.

"That's sweet dear... But I'm sure that friend would want you to focus on these flowers here." Hama exclaimed with a wide smile while pointing at a nearby bundle of flowers.

"What do you mean?" Sasame questioned.

"These flowers are like all plants, and all living things. They all have chakra in them, my dear child." Hama replied.

"But I've struggled just to use the Chakra Thread technique... Why do you think I can do it now?" Sasame asked while staring at the ground with a despondent expression across her face.

"Because you remind me of an old friend." Hama explained, earning a glance from Sasame before she smiled in response.

"And I'll tell you what I once told her... You can create chakra threads from anything." While speaking, Hama twirled her entire body in a counter clockwise fashion while extending both arms out.

This action created numerous chakra threads that rose out from the surrounding flowers before funneling towards Hama's fingers. This level of concentrated chakra also caused each of her fingers to glow with a bright green aura.

After several moments, Hama began to twist and contort each of her fingers before redirecting her chakra threads at a nearby trees. Afterwards, the elderly Fuma clan member managed to completely shatter the entire tree in a matter of seconds with ease.

However, this process also drained all chakra from the nearby flowers, leaving them colorless and devoid of all life. This realization left a sad expression on Sasame's downcast face.

While Sasame stared at this dead circle of flowers, a frigid gust of wind blew in from the north, rustling the nearby trees. While this occurred, a distant Karin began to shiver and freeze before the warm image of Naruto drifted through her mind.

"That was incredible...! Its a shame about the Lilies though..." Sasame spoke with a mixture of joy and depression.

"They're just flowers..." Hama remarked with the wave of her right hand.

"When you're a Fuma Clan member in a harsh and dangerous land, you do what you must to survive." As she spoke, her tone was filled with depression and regret before staring at the ground.

"And that's why I want to show you the ultimate technique of all Fuma Clan members... It can only be preformed by the most skilled members of the Fuma Clan." After speaking, these words earned an admiring glance from Sasame.

"Bu-... But what if I fail?" Sasame stuttered.

"The secret is passion, my dear." Hama explained before glancing directly up at the full moon overhead.

"Think of someone you care about, like that old friend of yours." After she spoke, Hama inhaled a deep breath of air while staring the moon.

This breath was so significant that Hama's posture became straight while the veins across each arm bulged and throbbed. During this, faint rays of moonlight sparkled down from the cloudy night sky before illuminating Sasame's face.

"I can feel it, Sasame. I can feel the warmth of chakra in the air... I've never felt so alive." While speaking, an eerie and foreboding smiled spread across Hama's concealed face.

Because of their short relationship with Naruto, Karin and Sasame didn't have a Flying Thunder God Seal on their outfits, leaving them completely isolated. This is why Hama's smile was so dark and twisted, because she knew that no one could stop her in time.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of flesh bubbling and contorting filled the air while a humanoid shaped mound of skin crawled through a partially deserted town. As this pulsating mound of mass advanced, the disjointed faces of Arashi, Kamikri and Jigumo throbbed into appearance.

Several fires and pillars of smoke filled the nearby air, pouring from abandoned houses that Arashi searched and destroyed. This created various bright lights that pierced the cloudy night sky.

Soon, Arashi charged at a nearby house from tearing and clawing at the wooden boards the surrounded in. This created screams of panic from the inside as cowering residents swelled with fear.

"Oh? Is that you, Arashi?" The voice of Naruto spoke out from atop a nearby roof.

This sound garnished the attention of Arashi's bubbling and pulsating mass of flesh, causing him to briefly contort. Afterwards, the throbbing face of Arashi smiled in a crooked and sadistic fashion, revealing his jagged teeth.

"Yes! Another body for my collection!" Arashi screamed in response with spewing spit from his mouth.

"Is this what you've devolved into, Arashi? Just a mound of flesh?" Naruto asked.

"No! The old Arashi is dead!" Arashi retorted before his eyes turned solid white.

"The person you see here is just a block of flesh kept alive by Ninja Art: Cadaver of Puppets!" While screaming, Arashi's back began to bubble and contort while various pus-filled blisters ruptured and oozed.

As the sound of gouging flesh pierced the air, the disjointed face of Jigumo merged together before throbbing. Afterwards, Jigumo's shattered jaw unhinged itself before hundreds of spiders protruded from his nose and mouth.

This unleashed numerous spiders that leapt through the air while others crawled and squirmed across the ground. Instead of surging at Naruto, these spiders wiggled towards the nearby houses before crawling inside.

The sound of panicked screams then grew in volume as parents fought to protect their children. While this occurred, the sadistic laughter of Arashi mixed with screams for help.

Suddenly, three silhouette's rushed past a distant house before running down the street while screaming. These silhouette's garnished the attention of Arashi, causing a portion of bubbling flesh to surge out towards them.

As these silhouette's approached, Arashi's twisted smile became distorted with shock as various explosive tags sprawled across their bodies. A large portion of flesh then enveloped these bodies before a fierce explosion filled the air.

This hurled sections of burnt and contorting flesh into the air before littering the surrounding house. At the same time, a fresh pillar of smoke and debris erupted from Arashi's previous location.

After this cloud of smoke took several moments to dissipate, the gelatinous and pus-covered figure of Arashi came into view. Organs and intestines hung from Arashi's bubbling mass of flesh, dripping atop the nearby ground.

As these pus-covered organs fell, they each began to crawl and slither back towards Arashi. Afterwards, they began to clump and mold to him before his mound of flesh began to pulsate a throb.

Damn... Clones?! Arashi's panicked.

Soon, Arashi's sense of reality came back, allowing him to notice each of the nearby houses had been abandoned. His field of vision then bulged before focusing on the nearby silhouette of Naruto.

This whiskered Rogue ninja stood in the center of a dark street that was surrounded by burnt and abandoned houses. Also, numerous shadowy figures were running into the distance behind Naruto before completely disappearing.

"Flesh! I need more flesh!" As Arashi's horrific screams pierced the air, blisters across his body began to rupture and ooze.

Various hands then protruded out from these blisters, giving Arashi over eight hands that jolted out in multiple angles. Blood and ooze then began to drip from each of these hands as Arashi weaved through several Hand Seals.

"Flesh Style: Organ Barrage!" While speaking, Arashi's multiple hands preformed the Rat, Boar, Horse, Tiger, Dog, Rat and Horse Seals.

After speaking, Arashi's entire chest and throat bugled while his veins throbbed. Afterwards, Arashi exhaled a fierce bombardment of flesh-covered organs that shot out from his mouth like bullets.

As these organs soared through the air, a black chakra-rod phased out from Naruto's right hand before he gripped the object like a sword. During this, an unseen force deflected each of Arashi's organs before knocking them to the ground.

After landing, each of these organs cracked and ruptured before hundreds of spiders surged out in all directions. At this moment, Naruto's left hand weaved through the half Tiger, Ox, Dog, Rabbit and Snake Seals.

Naruto then inhaled a staggering breath of air, causing his whiskered cheeks to bulge. At the same time, Arashi's sadistic laughter began to once again pierce the air.

"Wind Style: Great Breach." Naruto exhaled a condensed torrent of air while pointing at Arashi.

The level of density in this air was so severe that Naruto slid back over 5ft while casting the technique. While this occurred, each of the surrounding spiders were hurled back by Naruto's technique.

After several seconds, Naruto's torrent of air approached Arashi before slamming him against a nearby wall. Afterwards, Arashi's flesh began to bubble and contort before he stood up and charged forward.

Arashi didn't know who he was fighting and he didn't even know where he was, he just needed more flesh.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Gaara was sprinting down an unlit and foreboding tunnel that was filled with darkness. This sand jinchūriki was guided only by the vibrations of nearby screaming that resonated through his sand.

Soon, these vibrations morphed into audible sounds that Gaara could actually hear as he advanced. After several moments, Gaara ran past a sound corner before entering a small dimly lit cave that was filled with various prisoners.

Some of these prisoners were alive, while others were half eaten and rotten from decay. Blood, intestines and organs were sprawled across the nearby walls and floor, a sight of horror that not even Gaara had seen before.

"We're saved...!" An elderly and pale man cheered while chained to a pillar of stone.

This statement managed to free Gaara from his brief moment of horror before he rushed towards the prisoners. Utilizing his vast control over sand, Gaara forced portions of nearby stone and earth to crumble and crack.

This created several streams of sand that circled through the air before striking several of the nearby prison chains. Once these prisoners were freed, mothers rushed to daughters while fathers embraced their sons.

"What happened here?" Gaara asked with pure concern filling his voice.

"It was demon! A demon and a witch!" The elderly man screamed in response.

"A witch?! What do you mean?!" Gaara questioned while each of his pale green eyes narrowed with interest.

"It's some little girl that can take on new forms! She's able to transform her body to a degree that's far beyond even shinobi standards!" A young and injured teenager explained.

"She was disguised as some harmless old woman when I first met her! But she can control people, like some dark puppetmaster!" Another teenaged boy spoke out.

This statement forced each of Gaara's eyes to bulge with shock as his mind pieced everything together. During this, multiple streams of stand continued to free nearby prisoners.

"Hama!" Gaara accused the elderly innkeeper, earning over a dozen nods of approval in response.

"Yes! The innkeeper!" A young woman confirmed after being freed.

"I knew there was something creepy about her!" Gaara admitted, still trying to understand the concept of emotions.

At this moment, each of Gaara's eye once again bulged after a dark realization settled over him. Sasame and Karin were in danger.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of muffled and distorted words echoed through the Howling Forest. These sounds filled Sasame and Karin each with an eerie filling as they stared at Hama's back.

The elderly woman had been staring up at the moon for what felt like minutes. With each second that passed, her veins continued to bulge and throb under her breath.

At this moment, a gust of dense wind blew in from the north, forcing the nearby trees to rustle. While this intense breeze flew through the air, Karin and Sasame both began to shiver.

"What I'm about to show you is a technique that is revered for its high level of chakra-control..." Hama explained with a twisted smile sprawled across her concealed face.

"Some would say that a chakra thread is only useful for puppets... And that is true, from a center point of view." After she spoke, the twisted smile across her face grew more prominent and disturbing.

"It's a technique that even I struggled to master... But a certain man helped me reach my full potential." As she spoke, the face of Orochimaru drifted through her mind.

Suddenly, a brief period of silence filled the air as Hama's smile morphed into a gentle and kind one. During this, several memories of her childhood with Sasame began to float through her mind.

"The clan will once again be in a place lit by sunlight... That's what he said, that's what he promised..." After speaking, the twisted laughter of Orochimaru pierced her mind.

"Other shinobi clans have always been suspicious and envious of our talent for chakra threads, but not him." While speaking, distorted words and sounds resonated from the surrounding trees.

"Before we Fuma settled in the Land of Sound, the third shinobi world war left use homeless and desolate... I was barely even old enough to crawl when we first settled here." After she spoke, her words filled Sasame with utter confusion.

"But the third shinobi war ended two years before I was even born... And I'm twelve." Sasame spoke out, creating a tense period of silence.

"That would mean you're around my age..." While speaking, Sasame was unable to notice the disturbing grin across that grew across Hama's face.

"When I grew old enough to fight, the feudal lord died and his successor inside the Land of Rice Paddies was a fierce expansionist, so he forced our clan to attack neighboring lands." Hama continued her previous train of thought, acting like Sasame didn't even speak.

"Time after time I was forced to retreat while my friends died, before I was eventually captured and imprisoned along with other members from my clan." As she spoke, Hama realized that Sasame and Kotohime were her only remaining friends.

"My old friend fought for the feudal lord... She didn't talk about it much though." Sasame interjected as the memory of Kagerō drifted through her mind.

At this moment, the sound of distant voices and whispers grew more frequent, causing Karin to tremble with fear. At the same time, bright rays of moonlight illuminated Hama's twisted figure.

"The guards in that prison were cruel, sometimes they forgot to feed us for weeks while other times we went without water for days..." Hama continued speaking, acting like she didn't even hear Sasame.

"I felt helpless, isolated and alone... But each night, I could feel chakra permeating through the air. Even if I didn't have any chakra to use, other people did..." After speaking, an uneasy feeling jolted up Sasame's spine.

"I knew there had to be something I could do to escape... Then, I realized that where there is life, there is chakra. So the rats that scurried across the floor of my prison were just skins filled with chakra..." These words forced Sasame to swallow a wad of spit that swelled in her throat.

"I then spent weeks developing my technique... practicing on rats every day before I finally used it to make my escape..." As she spoke, a brief gust of wind blew against her face, causing hair to conceal her eyes while giving off an eerie appearance.

"Human puppets." These words caused Sasame to instantly tense and freeze.

"Controlling the chakra in another body, enforcing your own will over theirs... Once you control this technique, you can control anything... Or anyone." After speaking, Hama glanced back at a frightened Sasame.

"But to reach inside someone and control them... I don't know if I want that kind of power." Sasame muttered in response.

Suddenly, Hama turned around while gusts of northern wind bombarded the surrounding trees. This wind eventually blew several leaves loose before twirling each of them through the air.

"That choice is not yours! The power exists! It's your duty to the Fuma clan!" Hama argued before taking several steps forward.

"Sasame! This world tried to wipe us out! They tried to erase our entire clan and culture, think of your mother!" These words forced Sasame to stagger backwards.

Sasame's mother died over five years ago after sacrificing her life to give Sasame enough time to escape from Rogue ninja. This was a traumatic memory for Sasame, a memory that she only told one person in her entire life.

"Ka-... Kagerō?" Sasame stuttered while each of her hands twitched and trembled.

At this moment, Hama blinked each of her eyes before they turned solid blue, as blue as the ocean. At the same time, the throbbing veins across Hama's arms began to crack and splinter.

Soon, Hama's entire body and outfit began to crack, as if her cloths weren't even real. After several moments, a bright silhouette ruptured from Hama's back like a butterfly breaking free from his cocoon.

This revealed the pale-skinned body of Kagerō with ooze and slim dripping from her hair and dress. This gave the young kunoichi a butterfly-like appearance, something that was very unique.

"Orochimaru promised us the light." Kagerō explained with a soft tone and a expressionless face.

"I told you, he's using you!" Sasame retorted, Hanzaki was well aware of Orochimaru's tricky.

"We're some of the last Fuma clan members. You should understand what I'm talking about, Arashi is our only hope." Kagerō remarked, making an excuse for everything she did.

This statement forced each of Sasame's eyes to bulged while both her legs trembled. Sasame was filled with a dark realization, the idea that Arashi was responsible for all the nearby disappearances.

"I-.. It's you! You and Arashi are making people disappear!" Sasame accused her childhood friend.

"We're doing it for the clan. For us, you have to carry on our legacy." Kagerō replied with an emotionless tone.

"I won't! I won't turn humans into puppets and I won't allow you to keep terrorizing this town!" Sasame screamed while pointing at Kagerō with an accusatory tone.

Suddenly, each of Kagerō's fingers erupted with an aura of green chakra before Sasame was completely paralyzed. Afterwards, threads of chakra stretched out from key chakra points inside Sasame's body before connecting to Kagerō's fingers.

The ability of using chakra threads was not an ability exclusive to the Fuma, but their clan specifically specialized in the ability. These high level of chakra threads allowed Fuma clan members to overwhelm enemy chakra points with their own chakra.

This ability had two purposes, to block the flow of chakra inside enemies while giving completely control to the caster. Because of this, Sasame was forced to grunt and groan with agony as Kagerō began to contort her limps into uncomfortable angles

"I don't want to do this." Kagerō admitted with a dry tone before flinching as three kunai surged towards her.

Because of the density inside Kagerō's threads, she was able to deflect the approaching kunai just with her chakra. Afterwards, a timid and scared Karin began to tremble and stagger backwards.

Kagerō then began to weave and wave each of her chakra-infused hands through the air, forcing Sasame to kneel. At the same time, various distorted voices and whispers filled the air.

Soon, Kagerō tore her left hand free from Sasame before directing it towards Karin, shooting five threads of chakra out. This allowed Kagerō to control each of the kunoichi with five fingers.

"I guess I'll just take you to Arashi." While speaking, the faint appearance of a brief frown stretched across Kagerō's face.

"Yo-... You know where he is!? Don't you?!" Sasame accused her childhood friend, upset that Arashi chose Orochimaru instead of her.

"You just don't have it, do you? The resolve." Kagerō asked in a rhetorical fashion. She knew that Sasame had never experience life or death combat before.

Because Kagerō had been subjected to such a brutal lifestyle in her childhood, she was now completely devoid of all emotion. This left her face, voice and tone completely expressionless and difficult to understand.

However, this void of emotion was completely breached by Sasame's presence, filling Kagerō's conscious with numerous flashbacks of her childhood friend. During this, tears began to stream down Sasame's face as memories of her own childhood with Kagerō drifted through her mind.

These collections of memories managed to briefly weaken Kagerō's resolve while strengthening Sasame's. Because of this, each of Sasame's finger began to glow with a bright orange chakra, matching her hair.

This bright chakra managed to completely free Sasame while a shocked Kagerō looked on with awe. While this occurred, Karin was staring at Sasame with pure admiration in her heart.

"You're not the only Fuma clan member! My resolve is stronger than yours, Kagerō! Your technique is useless on me!" Sasame declared before outstretching both chakra-infused hands out towards a nearby tree log.

This action caused ten orange chakra threads to jolt out before wrapping around the log as distorted voices filled the air. Sasame then hurled the log through the air towards a stunned Kagerō.

Regaining her composure, Kagerō quickly managed to harden her chakra threads into steel-like strength. The expressionless Jounin then sliced the approaching log into several pieces without any effort at all.

While slicing this log in half, various splinters and pieces of wood filled the air, obstructing Kagerō's vision. This created a brief gap of time where Sasame hurled two more logs at Kagerō.

After noticing these logs, Kagerō briefly panicked before releasing Karin from her chakra threads. The butterfly-like Jounin then lashed out at the approaching logs with ten separate chakra threads.

Because of her sheer experience, Kagerō once again shattered Sasame's attack without any effort. Afterwards, Kagerō extended both hands out towards Sasame before dozens of chakra threads erupted out.

These chakra threads surged forward like a wave, barely resembling chakra threads anymore. Despite this fierce attack, Sasame's recent admiration for Naruto and Tayuya left her utterly confident in her resolve.

This allowed Sasame to retract each of her threads before hardening her fingertips with pure chakra. This novice Fuma clan then dispersed the attacking wave of chakra threads while a surprising degree of expertise, shocking Kagerō.

This action left dozens of broken and shattered green chakra threads that littered the air while Sasame's eyes sparkled with pure determination. At the same time, Kagerō's shock soon morphed into regret as a collage of Sasame drifted through her mind.

This left Kagerō briefly stunned before multiple orange chakra threads wrapped around her shoulders and waist. These threads then twisted and spun her entire body through the air in a counter clockwise fashion, causing her to flail like a ragdoll before hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

After several moments, Kagerō attempted to stand up only for multiple streams of sand to pour over her pale limbs. This sand completely entrapped the butterfly-like shinobi as Gaara slowly appeared between a pair of trees.

Soon, an entire mob of poor and tattered citizens appeared from the darkness behind Gaara. Each of these citizens followed Gaara like how a sheep followed their shepherd.

"That's her! That's the freak!" An elderly man yelled, forcing Gaara to instantly recoil.

Kagerō herself also visibly twitched at this insult while Sasame downcast her face with shame. Afterwards, a group of citizens walked past Gaara before trying to arrest Kagerō.

As these citizens approached, each of them were detained by a hardened cocoon of sand. Gaara then calmly walked past these citizens before once again standing between them and Kagerō.

"Please, let me and my friends deal with her." Gaara pleaded, earning a stiff period of silence before various adults nodded in approval.

A timid Karin then slowly approached while Sasame towered over a downcast Kagerō. During this, numerous distorted words and whispers filled the air.

"Then let us leave this forest. I'm worried about my friend." As he spoke, the whiskered face of Naruto drifted through his mind.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Walls of flesh and bone protruded out from the ground like a vast scar that stained the land. Geysers of blood, walls of bone, pools of intestines and throbbing veins of flesh littered the ground in a 60ft wide radius.

This flesh-covered scar was once the very same village that Arashi and Naruto fought in. Except now, the entire landscape had been converted to flesh because of Arashi's unique technique, a technique created by Orochimaru.

The technique that Arashi used allowed him to absorb and merge with entire bodies. This mass consumption of flesh and organs gave Arashi an enhanced degree of abilities but also rendered him mentally unstable.

Because Orochimaru invented this technique, Naruto understood exactly how Arashi's technique worked. This is why Naruto allowed Arashi to spread his flesh-covered landscape out across homes and alleyways.

In order to infect the land, Arashi attached and merged his fleshy body with the earth. This allowed Arashi to spread his fleshy mass out in all directions, weakening his true body.

This left Naruto barely 10ft away from the throbbing and flesh-covered carcass of Arashi. This carcass pulsated with the irregular beat of nine separate hearts, evidence to amount of bodies that Arashi had absorbed.

At this moment, Naruto threw his chakra-rod through the air like a spear at Arashi's collection of hearts. However, this object was deflected in midair by a wall of flesh.

"Oh, I see..." Naruto mumbled before a three pronged kunai slid down his left sleeve and into his hand.

Naruto then hurled this kunai through the air towards a nearby cliff. At the same time, Naruto surged across the flesh-covered landscape while dodging various geysers of blood.

As Naruto advanced, a bundle of five identical explosive tags slid down his right sleeve and into his hand. These tags made up one of Tobirama's signature techniques, the Tandem Explosive Tags.

Naruto understood that Arashi could only be purged from the world by righteous fire. This is why he charged head first towards the pulsating figure without any doubt or fear in his heart.

As Naruto approached, each of the tags in his hand began to glow with a bright light. At the same time, Naruto leapt over a vertical stream of flesh before contorting his entire body upside down in midair.

While Naruto hovered in the air, he hurled his handful of explosive tags out. During this, numerous streams of flesh surged towards Naruto.

"Tandem Explosive Tags!" After he spoke, each of Naruto's tags erupted into a condensed and precise explosion.

After exploding, each of these tags created two more explosive tags that abruptly exploded. This created an unending cycle of condensed and concentrated explosions that's forced the entire ground to shake.

These explosions continued for minutes as hundreds of tags were created in a matter of seconds. So many tags were created that the previous land of flesh was soon reduced to a large crater in the ground.

This left a massive pillar of dust, debris and smoke that littered the air while the blurred figure of Naruto appeared beside a nearby cliffside. Naruto was standing beside the same kunai that he previously threw.

This created an extended period of silence as Naruto pulled his kunai loose before concealing it inside his Anbu robes. After several moments, a tree branch was hurled at Naruto's back before being snapped in half by some unseen force.

"That's for leaving me with Ketchup. He wanted to waste time on some lame civilians, so I came and found you." Tayuya complained before walking up behind Naruto.

"You should feed me, I haven't eaten all day." After speaking, each of Tayuya's eyes bulged after she looked over Naruto's shoulder.

Tayuya had become so accustomed to treating Naruto like a child that she sometimes forgot just how powerful he was. This realization caused Tayuya to accidently rest her chin atop Naruto's left shoulder while marveling at his power, power that could be hers.

While this occurred, a blind raven flew through the air before landing atop Naruto's right shoulder. This filled the nearby air with black feathers that floated around the pair of friends.

This display gave Tayuya a mental excuse for being some close to Naruto, she was following him for power. Soon, Tayuya began to daydream about the power that Naruto could give her, eager to accomplish her dream.

* * *

 _Tuesday 7:45am, June 19th 58SSP._

Rays of sunlight sparkled down between thick layers of foliage that covered the underground entrance into Oto. These rays illuminated the fresh Fuma clan symbol that hung over the entrance into Oto.

Hordes of happy, smiling and joy-filled citizens surrounded the entryway into Oto, a rare sight for the Land of Sound. These mobs were gathered around the silhouette's of five individuals that stood in front of Oto's underground entrance.

This was a sight and feeling that Gaara never felt before, other people admiring him for who he was. At the same time, Tayuya was stomping and kicking people that got in her way.

"Because of you, we will rebuild the Fuma clan." Sasame spoke with a respectful and flirty tone while staring at Naruto's whiskered face.

Naruto wore his Anbu hood up over his face, concealing his ripple-patterned eyes while an aura of violet covered his face. This aura of violet light was observed by Sasame and each of the Fuma clan members that stood behind her.

Suddenly, Hanzaki stepped forward from the crowd of Fuma before staring at Naruto's outfit. Naruto finally replaced his damaged Anbu robes with a normal one by copying Gaara's.

After several moments, Kagerō and Kotohime each came into view aswell. These kunoichi were arguable some of the greatest Jounin inside the Fuma clan, and both were manipulated by Orochimaru to betray their land.

Because of this, Naruto was very kind and respectful to each of the kunoichi, eager to correct what he considered to be his mistake. This gave Oto a fierce collection of Jounin-level Fuma clan members, held together by Hanzaki.

"I truly am indebted to you! I-... I may have lost Arashi! But I've gotten Kagerō and Kotohime back!" As she spoke, each of her friends smiled towards Naruto in a flirty fashion.

At this moment, the shuffling footsteps of Dosu echoed through the entryway into Oto. Soon, the hunchbacked shinobi slowly came into view before approaching Naruto.

"We heading out already?" Dosu asked, still suspicious about Naruto's true identity as Orochimaru.

This created a brief period of silence as Naruto took several seconds to respond. During this, a blushing Sasame glanced between Naruto and the ground numerous times.

"You're staying here, Dosu." Naruto exclaimed, forcing Tayuya to instantly smile.

"I know how you feel, Dosu. You are kind and gentle, you don't want others to be abandoned, like you were." While speaking, a shocked Dosu gasped while his visible eye bulged.

"I want you to save here. Work with the Fuma clan and restore this Land to its greatness." These words managed to completely convince Dosu that Naruto was genuinely telling the truth, Orochimaru would never be so kind and straight forward.

This realization left Dosu utterly stunned and unable to respond for what felt like minutes. During this, Naruto slowly approached the hunchbacked shinobi before gently gripping the metal gauntlet worn across his right arm.

A black inked Seal then sprawled into existence across Dosu's gauntlet before fading from reality. This was the mark of the Flying Thunder God Seal, a Seal that would never disappear.

A stunned Dosu then briefly recoiled while staring at his gauntlet with intent. The bandaged shinobi had never before seen such high levels of Fuinjutsu, even from Orochimaru.

"It's my mark. Consider it a gift." Naruto explained.

Suddenly, a blushing Sasame pushed Dosu aside before standing in front of Naruto and staring at his lips. While this occurred, Sasame also grabbed each of Naruto's hands.

"Please, accept my gift..." Sasame muttered before pressing her lips against Naruto's.

This action created a disgusted feeling inside Tayuya's stomach, a feeling she never felt before. However, instead of reacting Tayuya just pretended like she didn't care.

After several moments, Sasame finally pulled away before embracing Naruto with both arms. At the same time, a seductive Kotohime grinned from ear-to-ear in a flirty fashion.

"Let's just leave already..." Tayuya muttered.

"Where are we going, anyway?" After she spoke, Naruto turned around before approaching his friends.

"It's a surprise." Naruto mumbled in response, filling Karin with pure hope.

"I'll lead!" Karin shrieked while running past Tayuya before grabbing Naruto's hands.

Thanks... Naruto. Dosu mentally praised the whiskered jinchūriki.

The red haired Uzumaki then slowly pulled Naruto passed a growling Tayuya. While this occurred, Karin was daydreaming about a chance of being alone with Naruto, jealous that Sasame got to kiss him.

Karin's 13th birthday was tomorrow and she was eager to utilize the occasion in her advantage. This filled Karin with pure happiness as she escorted Naruto, Gaara and Tayuya away from the cheering crowds of Oto as they journeyed into a bright sunrise.


	66. Chapter 66

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Just because I hate Hinata that doesn't give me an excuse to waste her character, that would be bad writing. Even though I want Hinata to die, I will be treating her with respect, until the day she dies.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 66: S-Rank Rogue Ninja! Konoha Infiltration.**

 _Tuesday 7:45am, June 19th 58SSP._

A dense and thick morning mist filled the surrounding air of Konoha. This mist partially obstructed almost everything in view, displaying a level of distortion that even surpassed Zabuza Momochi.

Magnifying the eerie tension of this mist, the sound of rustling jingle bells pierced the air from an unseen location. This sound continued to ring and rupture through the air while four leaf Chunin guarded the western gate into Konoha.

This was a difficult time for Konoha since they lost their Hokage and jinchūriki, leaving them in a critical power vacuum. Because of this, their level of current security was basically nonexistent.

Soon, a pair of silhouette's came into view upon the road, causing each of the guarding Chunin to tense. The most prominent trait that could be noticed about these silhouette's were the bright red clouds that covered their outfits.

As these silhouette's approached, it became apparent that they each wore outfits very similar to Hidan and Kakuzu. However, both of these figures wore a bamboo hat with white linen fabric hanging from the sides, shrouding each of them with mystery.

These figures then causally walked past the group of four Chunin without even saying a word. This action was so condescending that it briefly stunned each of the Chunin, shocked that someone would be so confident.

"U-... Uu-... Um..." Izumo Kamizuki muttered while struggling to regain his composure.

This statement forced the pair of shadowy figures to stop walking before one of them extended his left hand out. This man then pointed at the group of four Chunin, causing each of them to fall unconscious before hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

The pair of shadowy figures then continued their infiltration into Konoha as the sound of rustling jingle bells and deep snoring filled the misty air. Soon, this pair of shadowy figures disappeared into the morning mist, beginning their long mission.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A concerned and agonized expression was sprawled across Might Guy's face as he stood in front of the window in Kakashi's hospital room. Biwako, Homura, Koharu and an injured Jiraiya also filled the room.

Guy was adorned in the iconic white and red robes worn by all Hokage while his hat was held behind his back with both hands. The weight in his heart grew with each second as a tense silence filled the air.

Over the past few days, the 3rd Hokage had finally been buried before Guy was officially made the 5th Hokage. This was evidence that Konoha was finally starting to move on.

"We have over a dozen statements from separate Jounin, Naruto Uzumaki killed the 3rd Hokage and Danzo Shimura." Homura spoke out.

"We also received word that he crossed the border into the Land of Sound some days ago, meaning our jinchūriki is officially a Rogue ninja." Koharu interjected.

"We don't have the Jounin to handle an official retrieval team so there is only one option left... I nominate to list Naruto Uzumaki as a Rogue, wanted for crimes of murder and high treason." As she spoke, each of her words forced Kakashi and Jiraiya to twitch.

This created an extended period of silence as Jiraiya, Kakashi and Guy were each filled with regret. During this silence, the face of Rock Lee drifted through Guy's mind.

"Naruto is Lee's best friend..." Guy mumbled with a defeated tone.

"A friend would never leave his comrade for death, lord Hokage..." Homura muttered.

"We barely managed to recover the Uchiha in time, let alone the other Genin and Chunin that were foolish enough to leave." Koharu explained.

"Losing the Sharingan would be a terrible disaster considering everything else." As she spoke, each of her words filled Kakashi with depression.

"The Aburame clan heir, the Akimichi clan heir, the Yamanaka clan heir and the Inuzuka clan heir each almost lost their life's in that failed attempt to retrieve our jinchūriki." After speaking, Homura nodded his head in approval.

"Right, we must compare the importance of our most crucial clans to the prestige of the nine tails. Is one Rogue ninja really worth ten shinobi?" Homura asked, creating a brief period of silence.

At this moment, Guy slid the nearby window completely open before poking his head out. The elite 5th Hokage then stared out across the mist-filled village of Konoha for what felt like minutes.

"I heard Ino and Choji left the hospital yesterday..." Kakashi muttered in response while sprawled out in his hospital bed.

"Yes, many of our Genin have managed to heal from their injuries but others are still in critical condition." Koharu exclaimed.

"Is Lee going to make it...?" Guy asked with a heavy tone while each of his hands twitched.

"Your student sustained fatal injuries to his chest, lord Hokage. His recovery will take days if not weeks for his lungs and vital organs to heal." Biwako explained, lifting a huge burden over Guy's heart.

"And that is why I approve Koharu's nomination to make Naruto an S-Rank Rogue Ninja, wanted for killing the 3rd Hokage." As she spoke, the innocent memory of her dead husband floated through her mind.

This statement created a tense period of silence as Jiraiya crossed his left arm in front of his chest. At the same time, a dense breeze of morning air blew into the room.

"I agree with the nomination." Homura spoke out, causing Kakashi and Jiraiya to briefly twitch.

"As the Hokage, you must approve the nomination by signing this document." After speaking, Homura calmly walked up behind Guy before handing him a piece of paper.

Guy gripped this paper with both hands before staring at it, forcing it to slightly wrinkle under his strength. During this, a downcast Jiraiya and Kakashi were each staring at the floor.

"Even if he is a Rogue ninja, I'm not giving up on him." Jiraiya muttered, earning a dark glare from Biwako.

"That child is responsible for killing my husband, the 3rd Hokage." Biwako interjected before Jiraiya matched her glace with his own.

"The Naruto I know would never do this. He isn't Orochimaru, I don't believe anything you're saying." Jiraiya argued.

"Regardless of your beliefs, no leaf shinobi is allowed to leave the Land of Fire without consent." Biwako protested.

"Naruto Uzumaki is a Rogue ninja, so there is only one option left." Koharu proclaimed.

Suddenly, the paper between Guy's hands began to slightly crumble as his grip on the page grew more intense. While this occurred, the entire room stared at Guy's back, waiting for a decision from their Hokage.

"I agree." Guy spoke out, filling Kakashi with dread.

The elite 5th Hokage then turned around before walking towards his childhood rival. Afterwards, Guy towered over his downcast friend for what felt like minutes.

"I will let you sign for me, Kakashi... Since he's your student." While speaking, Guy placed the piece of crumble paper atop Kakashi's lap.

"We need the official signature of the Hokage! Not your advisor!" Koharu protested as Guy walked back towards the opened window.

Instead of responding, Guy jumped onto the windows ledge before staring out across Konoha. At the same time, Homura and Koharu each approached Guy while begging him to sign the page.

"Kakashi is my advisor, so his signature is mine." Guy proclaimed, silencing the pair of Konoha council members.

"I'm going to preform my daily laps around Konoha to clear my head, be safe!" After speaking, Guy jumped out the window before plummeting four stories to the ground.

Afterwards, the elite 5th Hokage began dashing over rooftops and houses with Kage-level speed. During this, Guy was filled with utter regret for his failure to protect Lee and Tenten.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

An angry and depressed Kiba sat atop the roof of the Konoha Academy. This Inuzuka clan member was staring at a transparent image of his childhood self beside Naruto, a classmate that completely surpassed him in every degree.

Ever since the failed Naruto retrieval mission, Kiba had been completely enraged over his failure. Kiba spent weeks training to surpass Naruto only to get swatted away like a fly.

This level of hesitation also transferred to Akamaru, a dog that couldn't even bring himself to fight Naruto. This is why Kiba felt so worthless, because he felt like a total failure.

This train of thought only fueled Kiba with more rage while he continued to stare at the transparent image of Naruto. After several moments, Kiba hurled a kunai through the air before it stabbed into Naruto's previous location, forcing his transparent figure to disappear.

This action caused Akamaru to briefly cower while rubbing against Kiba's leg. At the same time, beads of sweet dripped from Kiba's face while he grinded his teeth together.

"Damnit... I was nothing to him... Never, never again..." Kiba stuttered under his breath, determined to surpass Naruto and regain his pride.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A panting and dirt-stained Tenten sat in the center of a small clearing in the forest around Konoha. This dirty kunoichi was surrounded on all sides by numerous humanoid target dummies, each of which was scarred with dozens of kunai and shuriken.

Scythes, spears, swords and staves littered the ground around a gasping Tenten. Also, the sound of distant birds chirping mixed with Tenten's heavy gasping.

Tenten was severely disappointed in herself for failing to bring Naruto back. Personally, she didn't really care that much about Naruto but she understood how important he was to Lee.

This is why Tenten was so devastated when she heard about Lee's injuries, injuries that were far worse than hers. Tenten managed to recover and leave the hospital after just two days, but Lee would be stuck there for weeks.

"It's still not enough..." Tenten muttered before slowly standing up and charging at a nearby target dummy.

Tenten always felt like the weak-link in her team, she always felt like she was dragging Neji and Lee down. Because of this, Tenten would never allow herself to fail again, never.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A depressed and quiet Konohamaru stood in front of the Hokage office, staring up towards the facial monument that clung to the nearby cliffside. All of Konohamaru's focus and attention was directed towards the stone face of the 3rd Hokage.

Old man... What would you think of me, right now? Konohamaru asked himself.

While the honorable grandson pondered his purpose in life, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji were sitting inside a nearby Dango restaurant. This trio of friends were each being treated to an all you can eat snack, a treat for their recovery from the hospital.

This left a smiling Kurenai and Asuma who sat beside one another in the same booth as team 10. Each of these Jounin were smiling at the sheer amount of Dango that Choji was stuffing in his mouth.

Because Choji was a stressful eater, he managed to suppress his dark and depression thoughts by eating. However, Shikamaru himself was staring at the floor while deep in thought about Naruto.

This left Ino with a mixed expression of disgust and joy on her face. Disgusted at how much food Choji was eating but happy to have both teammates beside her.

Ino had always been rather indifferent about Naruto, never really hating him or liking him. The only reason Ino even tried to bring Naruto back was to surpass Sakura, something she utterly failed to do.

Soon, Ino became to ponder about her future in life, a life as the weakness member inside team 10. This was a thought that weighed heavily on her shoulders, the idea that she always dragged everyone else down.

While Ino sunk deep into thought, she did even notice the pair of shadowy figures that sat in the distant corner. Each of these figures wore black robes with red clouds, earning a stiff glance from Kurenai and Asuma every few seconds.

Soon, each of these Jounin entered a tense posture while the smiles on their faces shifted into a stern expression. This created an eerie period of silence while each Jounin carefully observed the shadowy figures, barely able to discern their true features.

One of these figures was an extremely tall and muscular man with pale blue skin and sharp, triangle-shaped teeth. This man also had an odd set of three gills underneath each eyes, giving him a shark-like appearance.

The rest of his facial features were concealed by the hat he wore, drawing attention to his pale blue hands. Because this man was eating, Asuma noticed an odd yellow ring worn on his left pinkie finger, a ring with the kanji for 'south' carved into it.

The most prominent feature of this man was the large bandaged sword that rested in the booth next to him. The hilt of this sword was yellow and gave off a shark bone-like appearance, drawing attention to the small fish skull that rested on the end.

Because of this sword, Kurenai and Asuma both concluded the shadowy figure to be some type of shinobi. However, neither of these elite Jounin could discern the facial features of the second man.

Soon, this man reached out with his right hand before grabbing his cup of tea. This allowed Kurenai and Asuma each to notice an odd red finger worn across his right ring finger.

The kanji for 'scarlet' was carved across the bright red of this ring. Also, this ring was very similar to the 'south' ring, as if they were both made by the same person.

These black robed figures were so elite that none of the Genin in team 10 even noticed their presence. This forced Kurenai and Asuma each to freeze while waiting for a call to action.

Suddenly, the Hokage-robed Might Guy entered the restaurant, earning a chorus of cheers and applause from nearby patrons. Guy wore the iconic Hokage hat strapped across the back of his shoulders, allowing his reflective black hair to shine in the fluorescent lighting of the restaurant.

"Oi... Kurenai, Asuma. How's it going?" Guy asked with a nonchalant tone as he approached his childhood friends.

This statement caused each of the tense Jounin to finally advert their attention away from the shadowy figures. At the same time, Guy acting completely normal while observing the shadowy figures with his peripheral vision.

"O-... Oh! Lord Hokage, we're just eating with my students." Asuma exclaimed before blinking in morse code at Guy, earning a nod of approval in response.

"That's good, I just left the hospital." Guy remarked before smiling at the three Genin from team 10.

"I was visiting Lee and Sasuke." After he spoke, the nearby 'scarlet' figure abruptly twitched his hand at the mention of Sasuke's name.

"How are they doing? Kakashi's student reminds me a lot of Obito." Asuma exclaimed, earning a cheerful laugh from each of his friends.

After this laughter ceased, it became apparent that the pair of shadowy figures completely disappeared from there previous location. This left an empty booth with rays of steam pouring up from half eaten Dango and cups of tea.

This forced the stern face of Guy to slowly nod his face towards Kurenai and Asuma. Afterwards, a tense period of silence filled the air as each Jounin nodded their heads in response.

Suddenly, Guy instantly disappeared with a blur, displaying a great level of speed. Unlike average Jounin or Kage that moved using the Body Flicker Technique, Guy moved with the pure strength of his muscles.

Guy had constantly been training his entire life, first for his father, then for Kakashi and now for Konoha. During this surge of speed, the smiling face of Might Dai drifted through Guy's mind.

Father... A single word pierced Guy's mind as he trailed after the shadowy figures.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A timid Hinata and quiet Shino stood in the center of an empty playground inside Konoha. This was the playground that many friends inside the Konoha Academy visited during their childhood, filling each of them with various memories.

"Its been awhile since we both came here..." Hinata muttered in a sheepish tone while staring at the floor.

Hinata was utterly embarrassed and heartbroken at her failure to bring Naruto back. Also, Shino was filled with regret for failing to protect Kiba and Hinata.

"When we came here as kids, I always wanted to approach him..." As she spoke, the whiskered memory of a child Naruto drifted through her mind.

"Every day I wanted to approach him. But I was always warned against it." After speaking, the innocent memory of Naruto grew into his current violet eyed self.

"Hinata. Naruto is gone, you have to move on." Shino interjected with a dry tone.

Suddenly, a dense breeze of wind blew into from the south, forcing numerous tree leaves to float through the air. At the same time, an extended period of silence filled the air as Hinata pondered her childhood with Naruto.

"He was always pushing forward, always trying to better himself and those around him... While all I do is stutter..." Hinata mumbled in response.

"Hinata, just let him go. I don't want to say this... But you heard what he said to you." Shino proclaimed, filling the air with a tense silence.

"You're nothing to him... He didn't even see you. Naruto's never seen you, you've always just been some fly on the wall, someone that he never even paid attention to." As he spoke, a distant sun began to pierce the morning mist, casting light upon Hinata's shadow.

Shino then waited for a response for what felt like minutes as he stared at Hinata's back. During this, the timid kunoichi didn't move a muscle as she sunk deep into her thoughts.

"Seriously, to him, you're just some irrelevant girl that spent your days fantasying about a future that would never exist. It's like Naruto barely even noticed your existence." While speaking, multiple tree leaves continued to float through the air before gently falling to the ground.

"I know that..." Hinata murmured, forcing Shino's mouth to fall open as he gasped with shock.

"I've always known... But doing nothing at all will only bring greater pain..." As she spoke, her words forced Shino's concealed eyes to bulge and twitch.

"I know what I must do... I must clear my own path. And perhaps then, the day will come... The day when I can be like him." After speaking, Hinata glanced up at the distant sun while the memory of Naruto drifted through her mind.

"I want to be apart of this village, Shino. I want people to care about me like I care about him." With each word that was spoke, the kind laughter of Naruto echoed through Hinata's mind.

"That's why I'm aiming for the title of Jounin, a proud kunoichi of Konoha." These words were spoken with a level of confidence that Hinata had never displayed before.

"Hinata..." Shino mumbled with his mouth still ajar in shock.

"I will work hard, and connect to the people of this village. My moment with Naruto has brought me clarity..." Hinata explained before taking several steps towards the distant sun.

"Before that moment with Naruto, I was blinded by hesitation and doubt... Before Naruto, my ties with others was always a burden. I could never speak for myself or fight for myself, so I was forced to depend on others..." Each word that she spoke forced Shino's entire face to twitch while his concealed eyes tremble in shock.

"But he was always pushing me to redefine my ties, to grow strong and create my own future... I think I finally understand Naruto... I finally understand what it means to be a kunoichi." As she spoke, Hinata thought back on her match against Neji, a match that Naruto cheered for.

"It's because of Naruto, in our final moments together we connected. I could feel the conflict inside of him, the saddness, the suffering, feelings that Naruto could've shared but instead he shouldered the burden for himself." While speaking, Shino didn't understand what she was talking about, and it would take him years to understand.

"One day, Shino... I would like to become precious to others too. I don't want to be seen as some coward that hides behind my friends…" After speaking, Hinata turned her face around just enough to reveal a smile towards her childhood friend.

"I want to be seen as a proud kunoichi. A kunoichi that stands as tall as Narutol... So he'll finally understand me, as I understand him." As she spoke, Shino was left utterly speechless at her display of confidence and resolve.

After several moments of hesitation, Shino finally regained his resolve before smiling back at his teammate. Afterwards, Shino slowly approached Hinata before gently grabbing her left shoulder and standing beside her.

"We'll both become Jounin, together." Shino spoke with a faint layer of emotion in his voice.

"Together." Hinata muttered in response before the pair of teammates glanced up at the sun, together.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

An isolated and injured Sasuke sat alone in his hospital bed, staring at his sheets with a blank expression across his face. The only sound that could be heard was the faint sound of a nearby clock ticking, a sound that resonated in Sasuke's ears for what felt like years.

While this occurred, a pair of dark shadows flickered in and out in existence between the various hallways in the hospital. These shadows moved with such speed and expertise that citizens and hospital staff didn't even perceive their existence.

Soon, these shadows created an eerie tension that filled the air as they approached Sasuke's door. These shadows then towered in front of the door before a brief period of silence filled the air.

Suddenly, Sasuke heard someone knocking at his door but he was so deep in thought that he didn't even react. After several seconds, a smiling Sakura entered Sasuke's real room while Guy's right foot shot out his fake room.

"DYNAMIC! ENTRY!" The dramatic voice of Might Guy filled the air as his foot hurled into the face of a shark-like man, knocking him clear through a nearby wall.

Because of the eerie tension that Guy felt, he purposefully changed Sasuke's room number on the hospital desk to confuse people. Because of her constant visits, Sakura actually knew where Sasuke's real room was while the par of red clouded individuals didn't.

Guy's kick was so powerful that it partially obscured the entire hallway with dust and debris while shockwaves of wind resonated outward. These shockwaves managed to blow off the bamboo hat of the nearby figure, revealing the expressionless face of Itachi Uchiha.

His face was rigid and stern, a face that personally killed women, men and children. He had chin-length black hair that was tied in a low ponytail and concealed underneath the raised collar of his robes, robes that made up the iconic outfit of all Akatsuki members.

Itachi's most prominent feature were his 3-tomoe Sharingan eyes, eyes that he always kept activated. These eyes greatly contrasted the slashed headband of Konoha worn over his forehead and the purple nail polish painted over his finger and toe nails.

"The village that was once at the height of its glory has been brought to its knees... How sad." Itachi mumbled in a low tone while Guy stared at his hands and feet.

Because of Guy's extensive childhood rivalry with Kakashi, he spent decades training to fight a Sharingan user, training to avoid direct eyesight and hand movement. This left Guy as one of the greatest threats to Itachi, something the latter was fully aware of.

"I'm glad to see you've become Hokage, though." After speaking, the shadow silhouette's of Itachi's teammate rose from the nearby wall.

"My, my... How unlike you, Itachi... Do you still have lingering affections for your old home?" The voice of Kisame Hoshigaki spoke out.

The force of Guy's kick knocked Kisame's hat loose, revealing his spiky dark blue hair that was shaped like a shark fin. This also brought attention to a slashed headband of Kiri worn over his forehead and his shark-like eyes that contrasted the dark purple nail polish worn over his finger and toe nails.

Kisame stood with a partially slouched posture for several moments before finally standing up straight. Afterwards, he managed to pull his massive sword loose from his back with just his right hand, displaying an incredible feat of strength.

Suddenly, Itachi unzipped the raised collar of his robes from the inside, revealing a necklace with three silver rings that had red gems inside them. This revealed a mesh armor gray shirt that Itachi wore underneath his robes, matching his pants.

After unzipping his robes, Itachi allowed his left hand to protrude out from his open outfit in a carefree fashion. During this, Guy's eyes glanced between the pair of gathered feet and hands with alarming speed.

"I must say, I'm surprised you noticed us." Itachi murmured, acting like Kisame didn't even speak.

"Every single day I preform 5,793 laps around this village... And today I noticed a group of Chunin sleeping in front of the western gate." Guy exclaimed while his shiny heard reflected off the hallway lights.

"You two chose a bad day to invade my home... I'll finish the pair of you off right now." After speaking, the elite 5th Hokage entered a perfect Taijutsu stance while a grim expression spread across his face.

This statement forced each of Itachi's crimson eyes to narrow while Kisame chuckled for several moments. Afterwards, Kisame raised his massive sword into the air before preparing to charge.

"Kisame, stop." Itachi ordered, forcing the shark-like Rogue ninja to grunt while holding his bandaged blade high in the air.

"If you fight this man, you'll die." These words forced Kisame to gasp while both of his white eyes bulged with shock.

"We came here to investigate, not start a war... I'm leaving." After speaking, Itachi's body began to contort and morph into dozens of crows.

This display briefly stunned Kisame, he had never seen Itachi so eager to retreat. During this dazed moment, Guy's feet echoed through the hallway as he charged towards Kisame.

Guy then hurled his right fist against Kisame face, forcing his entire body to erupt into water. Guy's fist then surged into the wall behind Kisame, shattering the entire wall with just one punch.

Water then littered the floor as a flock of crows flew through distant hallways. Two S-Rank Rogue ninja just retreated from Might Guy, the strongest shinobi inside Konoha.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Sakura sat directly beside Sasuke's bed while discussing various aspects of her day. Sakura had been talking for over five minutes straight but Sasuke didn't hear a single word.

His right wrist was broken and covered in white linen fabric. This left this entire right arm wrapped in fabric that held his wrist next to his chest.

Sasuke's eyes were solid black and devoid of all emotion while he stared at his bed sheets. At the same time, he didn't even notice the flock of crows that flew past his windows.

"I got out a couple of days ago... Do you like the flowers? I got them from Ino's shop." Sakura spoke while pointing at a pair of pink cherry blossom flowers.

Instead of responding or even reacting at all, Sasuke continued to stare at his bed sheets. This created a frown on Sakura's face as she began to worry about him.

He's probably thinking about Naruto... Sakura thought, Sasuke had been awake for over a day but he hadn't said a single word.

Sakura had just heard of Naruto's nomination into the bingo book from Kakashi, knowledge she shared with Sasuke. This was a realization that filled each of the Genin with various degrees of disbelief, Sasuke didn't believe anything he heard.

This created an extended period of silence as Sakura sat beside Sasuke's bed for what felt like minutes. Soon, Sakura picked up an apple from a fruit basket she brought before placing it on Sasuke's lap.

"Here, have some fruit." After speaking, Sasuke continued to stare at his bed sheets as if he didn't even here Sakura.

Bright rays of sunlight soon began to radiate in from the nearby windows as the morning mist finally faded away. This illuminated Sasuke's empty face with various rays of sunlight, allowing Sakura to notice the blank expression in his eyes.

"Sasuke..." As she spoke, Sakura's hands gently gripped Sasuke's left thigh, causing her heart to pound inside her nonexistent chest.

"Do you want to talk about it? Do you want to talk about Naruto?" After speaking, Sasuke's eyes finally twitched back to reality at the mention of Naruto's name.

"What is there to talk about?" Sasuke murmured.

"Nothing, I suppose..." Sakura stuttered in response as her grip around Sasuke's thigh tightened.

An extensive period of silence then once again filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of Sasuke's clock ticking. During this, Sakura's hands became warm from holding onto Sasuke's thigh.

"Sasuke... Dwelling on Naruto's decision won't bring him back. You should eat." While speaking, Sakura's right hand picked up the apple in Sasuke's lap before holding it in front of his face.

This statement didn't even earn a reaction from Sasuke, forcing the frown across Sakura's face to deepen. Afterwards, Sakura began to lean in closer to Sasuke, happy that she could be so close to him.

"I miss him... Okay? Is that what you wanted me to say?" Sasuke muttered as Sakura was barely inches away from his downcast face.

"I just don't understand how he could leave the village... I don't understand how he could leave me..." After speaking, Sakura bit her lower while hovering next to Sasuke's face.

"It was a surprised for all of us..." Sakura whispered.

This response forced Sasuke to abruptly raise his head before glancing at Sakura. This forced each of their noses to press against one another as they stared into each others eyes.

"It was wrong! He's a shinobi of Konoha! He belongs with us..." Sasuke proclaimed, ignoring how close he was to Sakura's face.

Utilizing this moment to her advantage, Sakura leaned in before pressing her lips against Sasuke's for several moments, Afterwards, Sakura leaned back with a smile on her face, confident that she had finally won the love of her life.

"He's one of us..." As Sasuke whispered these words, Sakura remembered just how insignificant she really was to him.

This realization forced each of Sakura's legs to tremble while her green eyes briefly twitched. During this, Sakura downcast her face before staring at the floor, concealing the tears that began to swell in her eyes.

"He made the decision, Sasuke." Sakura whispered in a depressed tone.

"What choice did we give him!?" Sasuke screamed in response while throwing his bed sheets to the floor, knocking the apple from Sakura's hand.

"The moment there was any suspicion about his innocence the council turned their backs on him... we turned our backs on him." As he spoke, Sasuke stood up from his bed before approaching a nearby window.

This prompted Sakura to stand up before walking behind Sasuke and hugging him. Sakura was so close to Sasuke they could feel each others heartbeats through their chests.

"We didn't turn our backs on him, we both tried to bring him back... But it's a shinobi rule to never show emotion." Sakura whispered while her trembling hands clung to Sasuke's body.

"He made the decision, Sasuke... You can't dwell on that, you should get some rest." While speaking, Sakura rested her chin atop Sasuke's right shoulder.

"I'm not tired..." Sasuke murmured while glancing through his window at Konoha, observing the massive village that was recovering from Orochimaru's attack.

A tense silence then filled the air as Sasuke downcast his face before staring at the floor. During this, Sakura's heart began to throb from being so close to Sasuke.

"You can't take responsibility for Naruto's decision, Sasuke..." Sakura mumbled into her teammates ear.

"How would you feel if I betrayed Konoha and left the village?" Sasuke asked, creating a period of silence as Sakura bit her lip in response.

"That's not the same." Sakura protested.

"It's precisely the same. Naruto is a member of team 7 just like me, I cared about Naruto just as much as you care about me." Sasuke argued.

"How well would you sleep if I failed you..." These words forced Sakura to tighten her embrace around Sasuke.

"Not very well... But you've never failed me, Sasuke. And you never will." Sakura exclaimed before a heavy silence filled the room.

These two members of team 7 then stood in a constant embrace for what felt like minutes. While this occurred, each of them began to wonder about the future of Konoha, and the future of team 7 as a whole.


	67. Chapter 67

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: TheOldNick - That quote was a reference to "Until The Day I Die" by Story of the Year. That song always plays through my head when I think about Hinata because I just really want her to die already.**

 **It's a daily struggle for every author to avoid the problem of favoritism and Hinata is the polar opposite of this problem, she's a character I don't care about.**

 **tenellis - In the very end, Naruto will.**

 **Hiatagi-Satori - I'm glad.**

 **kamui5 - That realization will be a massive point of Konohamaru's development as a character. Konohamaru learning the truth about Naruto will be like how canon Sasuke learned the truth about Itachi.**

 **BKpro - Itachi is in this** **weird loophole in canon because back in early part 1 of Naruto, Kishimoto didn't know if Itachi was gonna be evil or good yet. Because of this, Itachi was still trying to find his place in the plot which his why a lot of his statements contradict his abilities.**

 **If we look at this from a (canon) power scaling perspective, 30yr old Orochimaru beat 30yr old Jiraiya when he left the village. Orochimaru then spent 10ish-20ishyrs training in canon while Jiraiya walked around the world getting his dick wet. This means Orochimaru got way stronger than Jiraiya in that time gap.**

 **Then 13yr old Itachi foot stomps 45ish year old Orochimaru in less than two minutes without even trying. It's extremely difficult to talk about Itachi in part 1 Naruto because back then he still wasn't fleshed out yet so Kishimoto didn't know how powerful he was going to be.**

 **However, this doesn't really change my point. I argue Jiraiya is nothing to Orochimaru (base or Sage Mode). Orochimaru has more survivability which means he has a higher chance of walking out of the fight alive (unless Jiraiya Seals him).**

 **This is why I had Jiraiya and Orochimaru fight Naruto at the same time, as a symbolic display of this difference. Orochimaru was able to regrow limbs and entire bodies in seconds while Jiraiya got a single arm cut off and it's gone for life.**

 **Itachi did admit that Jiraiya would kill him and Kisame (Episode 83 of Part 1 Naruto). However, that makes no sense because there is nothing canon Jiraiya could do against canon Itachi, canon Jiraiya is such a moron that he looked Itachi directly in his eyes.**

 **I'm comparing Jiraiya and Orochimaru via survivability. I'm not comparing them through their confrontations with Itachi.**

 **And even if I did, I argue Itachi was just lying so he didn't have to fight Jiraiya and Naruto. Since he considered both of them 'allies' but again, Part 1 Itachi is in a weird limbo of loopholes and contradictions.**

 **Finally, in regards to the tan tunics that the Sound four wear, they're called tunics on the Wikia. The tan outfit worn over Tayuya's torso is called a 'tunic' on the Naruto Wikia which is why I call it a tunic.**

 **m'j doom -** **I understand that right now the title makes no fucking sense because there is no Pantheon of Gods and we're almost 70 chapters in. However, this is a rather long story so please give me time.**

 **I also understand that some people are only here for NarutoxTayuya, GaaraxFu or HakuxKarin. Also, some people may just be here for the Rinnegan and all of these options are fine.**

 **I don't blame you for skipping over some chapters, especially if you're only here for shipping or Rinnegan moments. But please, just give me time. This isn't some 45 chapter story, this story will have 3-5 seasons and I plan for each season to be 30-40 chapters.**

 **biginferno - Thank you.**

 **jtcookie96 - I'm also excited for Sasuke to use his** **Mangekyō Sharingan and to develop his future as a whole. That's why this entire Arc will heavily focus on Sasuke with a few minor moments devoted to the other Konoha 11.**

 **We already spent an entire Arc following Naruto around after he left Konoha, now we need to focus on Sasuke and Sakura for a little. I'm glad someone noticed that Ashoka line.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 67: Future Of The Uchiha Clan! Sakura's Broken Heart.**

 _Tuesday 10:22am, June 19th 58SSP._

Multiple crows and ravens were nestled inside a sand-covered ravine atop a cliff that bordered the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers. These dreadful scavengers were feasting on the decayed flesh of the 4th Kazekage, Rasa.

This was a sight that mentally scarred a group of veteran Jounin as they towered over the ravine. Without Gaara, Kankuro, Temari and Baki, the village of Suna was basically an insignificant shadow of their former power.

"Look at his corpse... He must've been dead for at least a week..." An unnamed sand Jounin spoke out.

His entire face and hair was wrapped in bandages and the headband of Suna, concealing his facial features. Also, he wore the iconic tan shinobi flat jacket of Suna, allowing him to blend in with the sand.

"Bu-But... How, how Kanaki?! The Konoha crush just happened four days ago!" A nearby Chunin spoke out.

He wore the iconic flat jacket of Suna and a tan bandana of Suna worn over his bald head. He also had a large bandaged figure strapped to his back in a fashion very similar to Kankuro.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kanaki asked before a brief period of silence filled the air as his five Suna shinobi teammates leaned in to listen.

"He was dead before the invasion." This statement forced each of the shinobi to gasp with shock as their eyes bulged.

This was a realization that was almost to staggering too believe. The idea that some shadowy figure had directed Suna into ruin.

Suna was in a crippled state of weakness, a state that left them barely able to defend their own borders. Because of this, Suna sent a treaty begging for peace with Konoha and the return of all prisoners, a treaty of submission.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A quiet and anxious Sakura stood inside Kakashi's and Jiraiya's hospital room. The young kunoichi wore a traveling backpack across her shoulders with a set of satchels and pouches strapped around each thigh.

"I already talked to the 5th Hokage... I just wanted to say goodbye." Sakura spoke as she stood beside Kakashi's hospital bed.

The elite Jounin was still staggered and exhausted from his usage of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Also, Jiraiya was still covered in bandages with his entire right arm missing from the below his elbow.

"Tsunade is a fierce and beautiful woman... Say hello for me." Jiraiya exclaimed while the jiggling breasts of Tsunade Senju bounced through his mind.

"Are you sure you have to leave, Sakura? It's a long journey ahead." Kakashi spoke, displaying great concern for his student.

"Today, I begin my search for Tsunade… The next time you see me, I will be a great kunoichi." Sakura remarked with hope dripping from her voice.

This created an extended period of silence as Kakashi thought back across his time with team 7. The innocent members of team 7 were now completely gone, replaced only with a shattered team.

This reminded Kakashi of his own childhood, and his life without Rin, Obito and Minato. These memories were a constant weight on Kakashi's shoulders, a weight that never relented.

"I'm surprised the council members would allow you to leave, since that failed little stunt of yours" Jiraiya interjected, forcing Sakura to lower her face with shame.

"I will redeem myself... I will become a kunoichi worthy of Sasuke's love." Sakura exclaimed, forcing the pair of elite Leaf shinobi to glance at one another.

"Sakura... You shouldn't plan your entire life on just getting in someone's pants... I speak from experience." Jiraiya spoke with a deep and depressing voice as the face of Tsunade drifted through his mind.

"You will plan and plan your entire life for a moment that never comes... It's a burden that's heavy to bare." As he spoke, the air around Jiraiya began filled with a depressing aura.

"I have to make him recognize me, I will. The day will come when Sasuke sees me as an equal, and as his lover." Sakura argued, earning a dramatic sigh from Jiraiya in response.

"You're to late anyway." Jiraiya murmured, creating a confused expression across Sakura's face.

"What do you mean?" The pink haired kunoichi asked.

"Sasuke left the hospital a few hours ago, I saw him walking down the street from my window." Jiraiya explained, causing each of Sakura's green eyes to bulge with shock.

This knowledge caused Sakura to abruptly turn around before dashing towards the nearby door. Afterwards, Sakura surged through the hallways of the Konoha hospital at Chunin-level speed, beginning her search for Sasuke.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A depressed and downcast Sasuke slowly walked down a crowded street in the market district. The sound of hammering nails and construction filled the air as nearby volunteers worked to repair their village.

This was the strong 'Will of Fire' that was so prominent among the citizens of Konoha. This was a belief that everyone inside the village and nation as one family, a strong family.

However, this idea only created more weight that bore down atop Sasuke's shoulders as he thought about Naruto. Sasuke was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't even notice the various glances from nearby citizens.

Sasuke wore a pair of Leaf green hospital pants and a matching shirt. This outfit brought great contrast to the white linen wrapped around his broken right wrist, holding it next to his chest.

Sasuke's black hair was loose and uncombed, framing his expressionless face. Also, Sasuke left his headband inside his hospital room, revealing his pale-skinned forehead.

Just forget about me, act like I never existed. Naruto's voice resonated through Sasuke's mind, casting him further into depression.

This thought forced Sasuke to drift back into time. Soon, Sasuke became overwhelmed by distant memories of his childhood.

 _-Flashback-_

 _Sunday 3:13pm, March 10th 53SSP._

A 7 year old Sasuke was crouched in the distant woods of Konoha. He was hiding behind a tree in a popular training location that was littered with wooden target dummies and bullseyes.

He wore a long sleeve black shirt with a raised collar and the Uchiha clan symbol on its back. This shirt matched Sasuke's loose black hair and solid black eyes, giving great contrast to his grey shorts and shinobi shoes, worn ever since his entrance into the Academy.

Sasuke was staring through the nearby trees at a 14 year old Shisui Uchiha, a man that Sasuke considered to be a 2nd brother. Because of this close bond Shisui almost wore the exact same outfit as Sasuke, except his shirt was short sleeved while he wore grey pants instead of shorts.

The most prominent feature of Shisui was the headband of Konoha worn proudly across his forehead. This headband brought great contrast to his crimson 3-tomoe Sharingan, a Doijutsu that was the pinnacle of all Genjutsu and extremely rare among the Uchiha clan.

After glancing at Shisui for several moments, Sasuke glanced towards a bullseyes that was concealed behind a nearby boulder. This bullseyes was completely concealed from Shisui's view by collection of tree branches and rocks, any average shinobi would never be able to hit it.

Shisui stood in the center of a vast training ground, surrounded on all sides and angles by various different targets and bullseyes that filled the forest. This created a brief period of silence as Sasuke once again stared at Shisui with pure admiration and love in his heart.

At this moment, each of Shisui's eyes began to release a thick crimson aura, allowing them to glow in daylight. Afterwards, Shisui appeared in a blur over 20ft in the air, displaying a level of the Body Flicker technique that was far beyond Jounin-level.

Shisui then began to twist and contort his entire body through the air in a rapid yet organized fashion. During this, the elite Uchiha clan member was able to pull loose multiple kunai before holding four of them in each hand.

While holding this collection of kunai between his fingers, Shisui was continued to twist through the air. Soon, Shisui began to plummet head first towards the earth before he hurled his bundle of kunai loose in all directions.

The speed of these kunai was so quick that Sasuke only perceived a blurred line as they surged through the air. While these kunai rushed towards there targets, Shisui managed to move at Kage-level speeds before pulling two more kunai loose and throwing them through the air.

These final kunai managed to strike a pair of two other kunai in midair, changing their course of direction. At the same time, this action created a spray of sparks that briefly filled the air.

This impressive display of shinobi skills filled the air with the sound of metal striking metal as Shisui landed atop the forest floor with both feet. Afterwards, the sound of metal piercing wood filled the air after Shisui's kunai managed to hit each of the bullseyes with perfect precision.

This was a display of perception and power that rivaled even Itachi, a display that forced Sasuke's mouth to fall open with shock. Sasuke then stared at the bullseye behind the nearby boulder for what felt like minutes while marveling at Shisui's perfect throw.

Sasuke never imagined that Shisui could actually hit the target because of its impossible angle. This is why Sasuke was left utterly speechless for several moments as he repetitively stuttered.

"Wow! Nice one, big brother! You even hit the target behind the boulder!" Sasuke exclaimed before standing up, demonstrating his close bond to Shisui.

"Hahah... I couldn't do it without your cheerful attitude, Sasuke." Shisui chuckled in response.

"Alright then! My turn!" Sasuke yelled while pulling a kunai loose in each hand, holding them in a reverse grip fashion.

"Sasuke, we should go home. I thought Naruto was going to visit you tonight." Shisui remarked with a smile, earning a timid groan in response.

"Geez... But you said you were going to teach me a new shuriken jutsu today...?" Sasuke muttered.

"I'll teach you and Naruto a new shuriken jutsu." Shisui exhaled with a heavy laugh.

"Deal... But first!" Sasuke retorted before charging towards a pair of nearby targets.

"He-... Hey! Don't careful!" Shisui panicked.

Soon, the sound of Sasuke hitting the ground with a heavy thud filled the air. This caused Shisui to rush towards him with Jounin-level speed while a flock of crows flew into the air from a nearby tree branch.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

A laughing Shisui carried a dirt-stained Sasuke through the streets of Konoha like a backpack. As Shisui laughed, Sasuke's own laughter soon began to mix into the air as the pair of brotherly Uchiha walked down a dirt-filled road.

"Why is the one with a hurt ankle laughing?" Shisui chuckled with his kind and iconic sense of humor.

"I'm just thinking about this test on Genjutsu me and Naruto have tomorrow... I'm going to get a perfect score and he'll fail again, like always." Sasuke explained with a proud tone.

"Oh? Don't you think that's strange?" Shisui mumbled, causing Sasuke to tilt his head in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Seems a little weird that he would do so poorly in school. I mean, he trains with you every day." Shisui remarked, forcing Sasuke to hum as his brain began to piece everything together.

"Do you think he's pretending to be stupid?" Sasuke questioned, earning a vibrant laugh in response.

"I'm just thinking about how close you two have become, you're true friends." Shisui spoke with a corny and father-like tone, making Sasuke cringe.

"That's not true at all... He's just a rival..." Sasuke muttered before staring at the ground.

This created a brief period of silence as Shisui continued to carry Sasuke down the street. During this, Shisui smiled from ear-to-ear in a gentle fashion, happy that Sasuke had someone to bond with.

Naruto's just there to help me reach father... Sasuke told himself as the face of Fukgaku Uchiha floated through his mind.

Soon, father will approve of me, he will believe in me like he believes in big brother. While these thoughts progressed, the face of Itachi Uchiha pierced Sasuke's mind.

After several moments, Sasuke became lost in thought about his future with Naruto. While this occurred, Shisui continued to smile with joy in his heart, happy that innocence still existed in the shinobi world.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"Is this where father works? I've never seen it in person before." Sasuke asked while Shisui carried him past the Uchiha Police Force headquarters.

The building was large and made of a bright marble that stood out among the wooden village. This building was basically a monument of pride and honor for Sasuke while most Uchiha saw it as a curse.

"Yep, this is where Fugaku works... He's the chief of police after all." Shisui remarked, causing each of Sasuke's black eyes to sparkle.

"Dad is so cool..." Sasuke murmured with awe.

"Your dad sure is, only exceptional shinobi can crack down on the crimes of other shinobi after all." Shisui spoke while glancing back at Sasuke with a smile.

"Are you going to join the police force soon? You've been a Jounin for two years and you already have your own squad." Sasuke exclaimed.

"Hahah... Well... I'm not sure." Shisui chuckled in response.

"Why not?" Sasuke questioned in a rhetorical fashion, not even giving Shisui time to respond.

"When I grow up, I'm going to join the police force so I can become just like father some day." As he spoke, a smile bloomed across his young face, a very rare occurrence for the young Uchiha.

"Well... When you grow up, I want you to make a promise." Shisui spoke with an innocent voice and tone as they began to finally approach the end of the street.

"A promise?" Sasuke mumbled.

"Promise me that you'll become the first Uchiha Hokage." Shisui requested, earning a brief moment of silence before Sasuke stuttered with shock.

"But I can't even earn my fathers attention... How would I ever become Hokage?" Sasuke murmured while staring at the ground, lacking any confidence in his abilities.

"That's what friends are for, Sasuke. People who guide you and help you, people who cheer you up whenever you're feeling down." Shisui explained with a wide smile on his face.

Suddenly, the whiskered 7 year old boy known as Naruto Uzumaki ran down the street while laughing and giggling. Naruto was incredible happy despite the hateful glares and whispers that were directed towards him.

"Yo, Sasuke! Iruka-Sensei is taking me out for all you can eat Ramen! Wanna come with?" Naruto asked with a cheerful tone.

This statement earned a loud chuckle from Shisui while Sasuke scoffed in response. After several moments, Sasuke's stomach rumbled as he slowly admitted defeated before climbing off Shisui's back.

"Yea, yea... Whatever, you didn't have to come get me." Sasuke remarked, earning an innocent laugh in response.

"Don't be like that, you love it when I come get you, ya'know!" Naruto proclaimed before he and Sasuke quickly turned around and began running off into the distance.

This created a brief moment of silence as Shisui stared at the pair of shinobi, shinobi that he considered to be his younger brothers. Seeing Naruto and Sasuke bond so well almost brought a tear to Shisui's eyes as he dreamed of a brighter future for the shinobi world.

"Later Shisui!" Naruto screamed before he and Sasuke disappeared from sight.

This action forced Shisui to smile from ear-to-ear while daydreaming about the beautiful future that Naruto and Sasuke had together. After several moments, the kind and innocent expression across Shisui's face instantly became stern and rigid, a face that had seen dozens of battles.

I'm doing this for them... Because of the friendship that Naruto and Sasuke share... Shisui concluded before staring up at the bright sunset overhead.

That's why I'm going to stop the Uchiha coup. After these thoughts progressed, Shisui disappeared in a textbook perfect Body Flicker technique.

Shisui was determined to prevent the Uchiha coup, he was determined to protect the innocence inside Naruto and Sasuke. However, Shisui had no idea this was a last time Naruto or Sasuke would ever see him alive.

* * *

 _Two days later._

Numerous rays of bright sunlight sparkled down over Konoha from a cloudless blue sky. These rays of sunlight illuminated three figures that stood beside a small lake in the center of Konoha.

A partially burnt and bandaged Sasuke stood atop a long wooden dock overlooking this small lake with Naruto and Fugaku Uchiha behind him. Sasuke had spent weeks perfecting and mastering the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, and now he was determined to show it off to his father.

This created an brief and tense period of silence as Sasuke began calmly inhaling various breaths of air. While this occurred, Naruto began to mentally cheer his friend on while Fugaku crossed both arms in front of his chest.

Fugaku was a proud, noble and stern man, traits that were worthy for the clan head of all Uchiha. This traits combined with the high expectations placed on Sasuke left him a very difficult man to please.

Fugaku had short shoulder-length brown hair with a pair of bangs that framed his face, contrasting his black eyes. Fugaku also had a very rigid and stern face that he passed onto Itachi while Sasuke inherited his mothers face.

His outfit consisted of the iconic Konoha flat jacket worn over a long sleeved Uchiha police force black shirt. This shirt matched his pants, a collection of fabric with the Uchiha police force symbol sewn into both shoulders and shins.

His most prominent and distinguished feature was a black, open-front apron that brought attention to the headband of Konoha around his waist. This apron was knee-length with multiple white diamonds sprawled across the bottom.

Because of these high expectations for Sasuke, it was a daily struggle for him to walk in his brothers shadow. However, the shadow cast by Fugaku was an even larger shadow because every great father leaves greater shoes to fill.

This shadow filled Sasuke with anxiety as he pressed both hands together before weaving through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals. At the same time, Sasuke inhaled a insignificant amount of air, forcing each of his cheeks to puff out.

The sound of Naruto repetitively clapping his hands together then filled the air as he cheered for his friend. During this, the rigid, stern and veteran face of Fugaku was devoid of all emotion and expectations.

This is a daily struggle that Sasuke was forced to overcome, the struggle of living in his brothers shadow. The struggle that his father constantly compared him to his old brother.

Sasuke had the highest grades in his class, he was number one in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, studies and even the individual ranking. However, these grades were still nothing compared to Itachi, forcing Fugaku to barely take notice.

Failure is not an option! Sasuke concluded before arching his spine backwards.

Sasuke then funneled even more chakra into his upcoming technique, a high amount of chakra that Fugaku instantly detected. This created a sudden shift in the air as Fugaku focused all of his attention on Sasuke.

"Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!" The young Uchiha exhaled a condensed spray of fire while leaning forward.

This fire bathed the surrounding air with an orange tint while nearby water rippled and thrashed from the heat. Average Genin couldn't even use Fire Style but Sasuke was preforming such a technique at 7 years old.

Soon, this chakra-filled spray of air continued to pour of from Sasuke's mouth for what felt like minutes. At the same time numerous embers resonated through the air, floating past Fugaku's rigid and stern face.

The amount of fire pouring from Sasuke's mouth created minor shockwaves of wind that forced his black hair to rustle in the breeze. After several moments, this spray of chakra-filled fire finally began to dissipate and fade before Sasuke turned around and anxiously stared as his father.

This action caused the sound of burning steam to fill the air as Sasuke's dissipating fire evaporated portions of nearby water. While various streams of steam rose into the air, Sasuke began to smile at his father while waiting for his approval.

At this moment, Fugaku causally turned around before walking away. This forced the smile across Sasuke's face to morph into a frown.

Afterwards, a sheepish Naruto approached Sasuke before grabbing his left shoulder in a brotherly fashion. During this, Fugaku continued to walk away without saying a word, causing Sasuke to downcast his face before staring at his fathers shadow.

Suddenly, Fugaku finally stopped walking as he stood at the far entrance of the wooden dock. A brief period of silence then filled the air as several clouds drifted by overhead.

"That's my boy." Fugaku spoke with a proud and fatherly tone.

This statement forced Sasuke's mouth to fall open with shock before staring at his fathers back. Sasuke had spent years working to earn his fathers approval and he finally got it.

This approval caused each of Sasuke's black eyes to tremble while sparkling with emotion. At the same time, Naruto was smiling from ear-to-ear, extremely happy for Sasuke.

"You've done well. From now on, set high goals for yourself and bring honor to the Uchiha crest that is worn across your back." As Fugaku spoke, each of his words filled Sasuke with utter joy.

Soon, the shocked expression across Sasuke's face morphed into a wide smile while he continued to stare at his fathers back. As this occurred, a small flock of crows flew overhead while staring intently at the pair of Uchiha clan members.

"Of course, father!" Sasuke yelled with a respectful tone before slightly bowing his head.

"And... Let me say one final thing." Fugaku interjected, earning the attention of both Naruto and Sasuke.

"Don't chase after your older brother anymore." While speaking, Fugaku turned his head just enough to glance at Sasuke with his right eye.

This request forced Sasuke to briefly stutter and gasp with confusion. Also, Naruto tilted his head while pondering the request, confused about Fugaku's words.

"What do you mean... Father?" Sasuke murmured after several seconds.

"Itachi has chosen his own path. You must chose your own aswell." Fugaku explained.

"Is this about Shisui disappearing? Big brother said he didn't know what happened." Sasuke mumbled, forcing Fugaku to conceal his face.

"Sasuke. You're my youngest son, and I haven't held you once since you were a child, have I?" Fugaku asked before staring up at the bright sun overhead.

This statement created a tense period of silence as Sasuke stuttered numerous times. Fugaku was displaying a level of emotion that Sasuke had never seen before.

"It's a difficult part of our clan, Sasuke. The curse of hatred that is prominent among most Uchiha, the desire for power." As he spoke, Fugaku was displaying a level of depth and great knowledge about the Sharingan, truly worthy of the clan head title.

"It will be a difficult life, Sasuke. And a difficult struggle to endure..." After speaking, Fugaku began to slowly walk away.

"When that desire for power comes, I want you to ask yourself something... Who are you fighting for? If the answer is yourself, than you've already failed." These words brought an eerie silence to the air.

"But I believe in you completely... Because you're my son." This statement forced the smile across Sasuke's face to bloom into a loud chuckle.

"Yes! Whatever you say, dad!" An ecstatic Sasuke yelled in response before once again bowing towards him father.

This was a very crucial moment for Sasuke, the first moment in his entire life where his father finally approved of him. However, this was also one of the last times Sasuke would ever see his father alive.

* * *

 _Two weeks later._

Sasuke sat in a partially filled classroom of the Konoha Academy. This class had just got back from recess, leaving most of the students missing and late.

"Is that him? The Uchiha?" A distant classmate asked while sitting over three rows behind Sasuke.

"Yea, I heard he was Itachi's brother. Think he's as good as him?" Another classmate spoke out.

"No way... Itachi was a legend, did you hear what he did to the Uchiha clan? That kid is stuck in his shadow for life." A third classmate interjected, causing Sasuke to lower his head with shame.

Suddenly, the sound of crunched potato chips filled the air as a nearby Choji began stuffing his face with food. During this, a nearby Shikamaru sighed in a loud and dramatic fashion.

"Geez... Recess is over already? What a drag, I'm still not used to this place." A 7 year old Shikamaru mumbled.

"Do you want some of my chips, Shikamaru?" Choji asked, demonstrating the deep bond that he's always shared with Shikamaru since childhood.

While this conversation unfolded, Sasuke abruptly stood up before leaving the room. Afterwards, Sasuke left the Academy before skipping class for the rest of the day, uninterested in anything other than his past.

The young 7 year old Sasuke had been completely alone since the Uchiha massacre. This massacre was an event that occurred barely over a week ago, leaving Sasuke scarred with the horrific and blood-stained images of his dead parents.

After roaming the streets of Konoha for what felt like hours, Sasuke finally decided to visit Shisui's old training ground. This was a location that took Sasuke over thirty minutes to reach, since Shisui's training ground was on the far side of town.

Soon, Sasuke was running through a pair of trees in a dense forest as he raced towards Shisui's training ground. Suddenly, Sasuke heard the sound of metal striking wood that filled the air, fueling him with hope that Shisui was still alive.

This hope gave Sasuke the strength to charge forward into the kunai littered grove before gasping with shock. This shock originated from a 7 year old Naruto who was standing in the center of the grove, training.

"Oh... Hey, Sasuke...!" Naruto mumbled in a quiet tone, nervous about talking to Sasuke ever since the Uchiha clan massacre.

"I thought you were sick? Iruka said you stayed home today." Sasuke muttered in response.

This created a brief period of silence as Naruto gripped the back of his head in an Iruka-like fashion while giggling. During this, Sasuke couldn't help but smile at Naruto's laugh, the first time he smile since the Uchiha massacre.

Naruto always had an effect on Sasuke, he always had a way of understanding him when no one else did. This is why Sasuke felt so comfortable and relaxed next to Naruto, this is why they were best friends.

"I may have made up a little lie so I could sneak out and do some practicing." Naruto explained.

"I'm trying to get stronger, for Shisui." This statement left Sasuke utterly shocked as his entire mind throbbed.

Soon, a startling realization flooded over Sasuke as he realized just how important Naruto was to him. Sasuke lost his Father, Mother, Two brothers and his entire clan, but he still had Naruto.

This realization forced Sasuke to clench each of his fists tight while staring at the forest floor. At the same time, a tense feeling filled the air as Naruto glanced at Sasuke with an anxious expression spread across his whiskered face.

"I'm going to avenge Shisui! And the Uchiha clan, Naruto!" Sasuke proclaimed before striking his right fist against a nearby tree.

"I should've been there... I should've stopped him..." As he spoke, Sasuke downcast his face before his legs began to twitch.

At this moment, a dense breeze of wind blew in from the south, blowing several leaves loose. These leaves floated and drifted through the air for several moments, dancing around the pair of childhood friends.

"I don't care how long it takes or what I have to do...! I will gain the power to kill Itachi!" After speaking, a tense silence filled the air as Sasuke dragged his nails through a nearby tree.

Suddenly, Naruto took several steps forward before gripping Sasuke's shoulders in a brotherly fashion. This action brought Sasuke began to reality as he finally noticed the bundle of leaves that floated around him and Naruto.

"You have to remember what your dad said, Sasuke... You have to follow your own path." Naruto exclaimed, forcing Sasuke's mouth to fall open with shock as he gasped.

"We all have paths in life, we all have a hill that we'll die on... That's what Iruka taught me." As he spoke, a strong brotherly aura resonated between the pair of young shinobi.

"We each have our own paths, Sasuke. Paths that will lead to the restoration of both the Uzumaki and the Uchiha clans... Paths that I hope we'll walk together." After speaking, each of Sasuke's black eyes bulged before twitching various times.

"Remember, your dad was constantly talking to your mom and telling her things about you... I'm sure those were positive things because your dad loved you, just like Iruka loves me." After he spoke, Sasuke's entire body began to tremble.

Suddenly, Naruto began to smile at Sasuke for several moments before he finally began to smile back. This created a moment of love and respect as early morning birds began chirping and singing in the distance.

This was a very important moment for Naruto and Sasuke as a whole. A moment when Sasuke placed all faith and hope into his own path, a moment he would never forget.

 _-Flashback ends-_

An isolated and depressed Sasuke walked down an empty street of Konoha while staring at the ground. Sasuke was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't even react when a smiling Sakura ran in front of him.

Sakura had planned this moment in her head all morning, she was eager to get another kiss before she left. However, she soon noticed the depressed aura that was oozing out from Sasuke.

"He-... Hey, Sasuke... I'm going on a mission and I just wanted to check in on you before I left..." Sakura stuttered as Sasuke walked slowly towards her.

"I don't know how long I'll be gone... Or if I'll come back at all, hah... Just joking, I'll totally come back... For you." As she spoke, a downcast Sasuke continued walking towards her.

"Bu-... But, um... I'd really like to get another kiss before I left, or maybe a date?" After speaking, each of Sakura's green eyes bulged as Sasuke walked past her without even rising his head.

This action left Sakura utterly speechless as her lip began to quiver while each of her limbs twitched. During this, Sakura downcast her face before staring at the ground as streams of tears poured from her eyes.

Sakura was always in the background to Sasuke, he barely every noticed her or paid attention. This was a harsh realization to Sakura, it was a pain that cut deep into her heart.

Despite her rampant growth and displays of love, Sasuke never took Sakura seriously, he never recognized her as an equal. This created a tense period of silence as Sasuke calmly walked away while Sakura's tears began to bombard the ground.

Without saying another word, the heartbroken Sakura then quietly began her journey to the western gate of Konoha. This was the last moment Sakura would see Sasuke for several months, and it was a moment that seared itself into her mind.

While this occurred, a downcast Sasuke began his aimless journey through Konoha. During this journey, the rigid and stern face of Fugaku Uchiha drifted through his mind.

Dad, I wonder what kind of things you said about me to mom... I wish I could hear those things. Sasuke thought while drifting through Konoha's populated streets.

I wonder... What would you say about me right now, dad? After these thoughts progressed, a depressed Sasuke disappeared into the dense crowds of Konoha.

Sasuke was deep in thought, searching for his purpose and goal in life. This was a very deep search for Sasuke, a search that would take him to lands far beyond Konoha.


	68. Chapter 68

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Point out my mistakes.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 68: Enter: The Land Of Snakes! Choji Akimichi: A True Friend.**

 _Tuesday 1:24pm, June 19th 58SSP._

"Sakura! Sakura!" The voice of Ino Yamanaka echoed through the air as she ran towards the western gate.

Sakura was adorned in a collection of satchels around each thigh and a large backpack strapped across her shoulders. The young kunoichi was mere moments away from beginning a long and dangerous journey.

Soon, Ino finally approached Sakura before leaning forward while gasping for air. During this, Sakura stared out across the village of Konoha with a mixture of regret and joy.

"I heard you were leaving the village?! What are you thinking!? You'll get killed out there!" After speaking, Ino finally noticed the broken expression that filled Sakura's eyes.

"Remember when we used to fight over Sasuke? Remember when we used wrestle over him?" Sakura asked without even looking at Ino.

"U-... Um, yea. Is that why you look so sad? Cheer up! I saw Sasuke walking around this morning so I know he's out of the hospital." Ino exclaimed, eager to cheer her childhood friend up.

"He won't see me, he won't see the real me... He'll just see me as some annoying fangirl." Sakura murmured before staring at the ground.

This statement created a sheepish smile across Ino's face as she shrugged both shoulders. During this, neither of these Genin noticed that Might Guy was preforming his daily laps around the village.

"Well... You are kind of an annoying fangirl... But you're still his annoying fangirl." Ino joked, forcing Sakura to tightly clench both of his fists.

"H-... Hey, I didn't mean it like that..." After speaking, Ino finally notice that Sakura was shaking.

"I've tried so hard... I put in so much effort and work so that I could grow... But he still doesn't notice me, he still doesn't acknowledge me." Sakura exclaimed.

"If I stay in this village, he'll only see me as a nuance... Instead of a lover..." After speaking, Sakura tilted her face up before turning around.

This allowed Sakura to stare out from the large western gate of Konoha, giving her a great view of the dirt-filled road. During this, a concerned expression sprawled across Ino's face, she had never seen this side of Sakura before.

"That's why I'm going to find Tsunade Senju, one of the three Sanin... And I'm going to beg her to train me." These statement forced Ino's mouth to fall open with shock.

"Don't be ridiculous! Even if you find her, you never know if she'll say yes!" Ino protested.

"Don't leave! Just stay here and you'll win Sasuke over in time." While speaking, Ino was unable to see the deep frown across Sakura's face.

"I'm nothing to him, Ino. I spent all morning thinking about him and he didn't even have time to say goodbye." Sakura explained with pain dripping from her voice.

"But that will change, because the next time you see me... I will be a powerful kunoichi." As she spoke, Sakura glanced up at the bright sun overhead.

"What about your parents? I can't believe they'd just let you leave the village." Ino argued.

"They don't know yet... But that's okay, the 5th Hokage approved my mission and I already visited Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura remarked.

Suddenly, an extensive period of silence filled the air as Ino stared at Sakura's back for several moments, Afterwards, Ino rushed towards her childhood friend before hugging her with both arms in a loving fashion.

"Everything is changing so quickly... Just last week we were all looking forward to the Chunin Exam finals, and now..." Ino spoke out before her voice trailed off mid sentence.

"And now our childhood is dead..." Sakura muttered, forcing the hug from Ino to tighten.

"Be careful out there... Ms. Forehead." Ino teased.

Ino then spun Sakura around before kissing her forehead. This kiss forced Sakura's entire face to turn as pink as her hair.

"And come back in one piece... For me." While speaking, Ino smiled with love and respect towards Sakura.

Soon, Sakura also began to smile as she continued to blush. After several seconds, Sakura turned around before beginning her long journey away from Konoha.

This was a moment that stretched on for what felt like hours as Ino watched Sakura disappear into the horizon. This was a tough moment for Ino, the moment when her best friend left the village.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A downcast and depressed Sasuke walked down a busy street inside the food marketplace. This was a district inside Konoha that was filled with numerous restaurants and shops, like the iconic Ichiraku Ramen stand.

This filled the air with a mixture of sautéed pork, roasted chicken, floured noodles and delicate sweet treats. However, Sasuke was so consumed by his thoughts that he didn't even notice these delicious scents.

This constant distraction caused Sasuke to bump into a smiling Anko before falling to the ground. This also forced Anko to drop her very last Dango to the ground before screaming with a mixture of pain and rage.

Afterwards, Anko spun around before dramatic grabbing Sasuke by the collar of his outfit. Anko then raised Sasuke into the air while grinding her teeth together with rage.

"Do you have any idea what you just did, kid?!" Anko screamed while violently shaking Sasuke through the air.

This created an extended period of silence after Anko finally noticed the empty expression across Sasuke's face. This realization caused Anko to throw Sasuke into a nearby wall with a heavy thud, bringing him back to reality.

"He-... Hey! What's you're problem!?" Sasuke yelled after slowly standing up.

This statement caused Anko to appear directly in front of Sasuke with a textbook perfect Body Flicker technique. This blur of speed forced Sasuke to stagger back before pressing against the stone wall of a nearby building.

After regaining his balance, Sasuke leaned forward before Anko smothered him with her large and barely concealed breasts. This caused Sasuke to squirm and wiggle for air while Anko's laughter filled the air.

"What's the matter, runt?" Anko asked before Sasuke fell to the ground and gasped for air.

"Why are you so down in the dump? My boytoy is stuck in the hospital for at least another week, do you even know what that means?!" While speaking, Anko once again grabbed Sasuke by his collar before slamming him against the nearby wall.

"It means you're annoying me!" Sasuke shouted.

Suddenly, a kunai appeared in Anko's left hand before she cut a wound across Sasuke's neck. Afterwards, a snake-like tongue slithered out from Anko's mouth before licking the blood off Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke's entire face then turned a bright shade of red as Anko dragged her teeth across his neck. This filled Sasuke with an emotion he never felt before, something he didn't understand.

"It means I won't be getting any dick for days." Anko explained before dropping Sasuke to the ground with a heavy thud.

"So why is that my problem? Just leave me alone already." Sasuke complained.

Sasuke then took several moments to stand up before Anko leaned forward and gently rubbed her forehead against his. During this, Anko's snake-like tongue slithered out her mouth before licking Sasuke's face numerous times.

"You should ask Kakashi what this tongue can do." Anko spoke with a playful and seductive tone.

"I don't care! Leave me alone!" Sasuke protested, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Geez, you're no fun at all. No wonder you're so depressed." Anko exclaimed, causing Sasuke's tone to abrupt shift before he downcast his face.

"Kakashi says you act a lot like Obito, but I don't see it." After she spoke, Sasuke crossed both arms in front of his chest while scoffing.

"I don't care." Sasuke argued before trying to walk away.

"You're just sad cause Naruto left." Anko interjected, forcing Sasuke to freeze mid step while staring at the ground.

"How did you know about that?" Sasuke asked.

This created a brief period of silence as a collage of memories with Naruto drifted through Sasuke's mind. While this occurred, Anko walked up behind Sasuke before resting her chin atop his head.

"Who do you think brought you back? I was returning from my mission in the Land of Sound when I found you half-dead inside the Valley of the End." Anko explained, causing each of Sasuke's concealed eyes to twitch.

"You know, this makes me think back to when I was your age..." As she spoke the face of Orochimaru pierced her mind, followed by his wicked laughter.

At this moment, Anko wrapped both arms around Sasuke while smelling his hair. Sasuke was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't even react to this sexual harassment.

"I'll tell you what made me feel better... Power." After the elite kunoichi whispered these words into Sasuke's ears, each of his eyes sparkled to life.

The desire for power was more than some urge to bring Naruto back, the desire for power was a trait engraved in all Uchiha. It was a heavy burden that constantly weighed down on Sasuke.

When that desire for power comes, I want you to ask yourself something... Who are you fighting for? If the answer is yourself, than you've already failed. The stern and sage-like voice of Fugaku Uchiha resonated through Sasuke's mind.

Forget about me, act like I never existed. The voice of Naruto forced each of Sasuke's fists to tightly clench.

That's what friends are for, Sasuke. People who guide you and help you, people who cheer you up whenever you're feeling down. The tranquil voice of Shisui pierced Sasuke's mind.

Sasuke was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't even react when Anko began to fondle him. These were deep and heavy thoughts, thoughts that held Sasuke down with the weight of an ocean.

"Listen to me and you'll get enough power to accomplish anything, maybe even accomplish those pathetic dreams of yours in the future." After speaking, Anko's snake-like tongue draped across Sasuke's right cheek.

M-... My dream...?! Sasuke internally stuttered while a dark realization filled his mind.

Sasuke didn't have a dream or a plan in life without Naruto, they were supposed to rebuild their clans together. Sasuke wanted to rebuild the Uchiha police force and his clan as a whole, but he wanted Naruto beside him at every step.

No, my dream isn't in the future... My dream is in the past. As these thoughts progressed, Sasuke's mind was pierced by the transparent image of Shisui, Naruto and Itachi.

Each of these people once held strong brotherly bonds with Sasuke, but all of these bonds were shattered now. This left Sasuke isolated and alone, devoid of any true friends or family.

Soon, the only image inside Sasuke's mind was the childhood face of Naruto. After several moments, this face grew and matured into Naruto's current violet eyed self.

At this moment, Anko gently kissed Sasuke on the cheek before walking down the streets. This kiss brought Sasuke back to reality before he glanced at Anko while stuttering.

"If you want power, follow me." Anko tempted the 12 year old Uchiha.

This statement forced each of Sasuke's black eyes to twitch before his legs briefly trembled. Sasuke then began trailing after Anko, eager to discover the true meaning of power.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"What are we doing here?" Sasuke asked while standing in the center of team 7's iconic training ground.

After observing his surroundings for several moments, Sasuke's eyes focused on the nearby monument. This monument forced Sasuke to remember who Obito actually was, he was Kakashi's old teammate.

"H-... Hey... Did Kakashi really say I act like Obito?" After speaking, Anko rested her chin atop Sasuke's head.

"Yea... But I don't see it. Obito was a runt but he wasn't as weak as you." Anko remarked, earning a loud snort from Sasuke in response.

The young Uchiha then pushed Anko away before crossing both arms in front of his chest. At the same time, a flock of crows flew overhead while focusing intently on Sasuke.

"Anyway, do you see these three logs over there?" While speaking, Anko pointed towards a set of wooden logs that protruded out from the ground.

"Of course, Sakura got tied to those logs when team 7 was first made." Sasuke explained before the innocent smile of a young Naruto pierced his mind.

"Well... Kakashi and I fucked on those logs." Anko exclaimed, forcing Sasuke to abruptly recoil before gagging.

Soon, Anko's joyful laughter filled the air, mixing in with Sasuke's gagging. After several moments, Anko crossed both arms in front of her barely concealed chest before entering a serious and teacher-like posture.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke asked.

"I just wanted to get in my last laugh before we begin." Anko explained, causing Sasuke to tilt his head in confusion.

"Begin what?" Sasuke questioned.

This question caused Anko to bite her right hand before slamming it atop the ground. Afterwards, various black kanji seals sprawled out from Anko's blood-covered palm in multiple directions.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Anko shouted before a pillar of smoke erupted into existence.

This cloud of smoke completely concealed Anko from Sasuke's vision, filling the Uchiha with anticipation. Soon, this curiosity swelled as the sound of hissing filled the air, sounding like a large reptile.

This cloud of smoke then began to partially dissipate, revealing portions of a massive purple-scaled snake. After this smoke completely disappeared, Sasuke noticed that Anko was calmly standing between a massive 30ft long snake that was coiled around her.

This snake was a member of the viperid family, giving it a lethal dose of venom that could kill a human in seconds. His head was shaped like a diamond and he had bright blue snake-like eyes that greatly contrasted his purple scales.

"What do you want now, Anko?" This large and extremely dangerous snake asked while bowing his head to Anko.

This was a display of power that left Sasuke utterly speechless. Soon, Sasuke thought back to Naruto's display of the Summoning technique during the Chunin Exam, a display that still left him envious.

"T-... That snake can talk?!" Sasuke almost choked on his words.

This statement garnished the attention of Anko's snake, causing him to glare at Sasuke. Despite Sasuke's tough exterior, he quickly crumbled under the gaze of this fierce snake.

"This snake is called Kakashi. I named him after your Sensei because they're both my bitch." Anko explained, earning the attention of Sasuke and Kakashi.

"I thought we talked about your language?" Kakashi muttered while slithering his face towards Anko's.

Suddenly, Anko's right hand began to violently poke Kakashi's nose multiple times. During this, Sasuke's mouth fell open with shock at Anko's bold display.

"I said you're my bitch, get over it." Anko declared, completely devoid of all fear.

"How did you summon that?!" Sasuke questioned, eager to learn such a power.

This question created a wide smile across Anko's face as she pushed Kakashi to the side with one hand. Afterwards, the elite Kunoichi licked blood off her right hand before showing it to Sasuke.

"Just draw some blood and use the Summoning technique, of course you need to sign a contract first." Anko explained.

"If you don't sign a contract, then you're just dragged away to some random ass place. It's different for everybody" After speaking, Kakashi nudged his snake face against Anko's.

"Why do you have to waste my time on stuff like this? That kid is too weak." Kakashi proclaimed.

This statement caused Sasuke to abruptly grind his teeth together before biting his left hand. At the same time, Anko became distracted after she began arguing with her massive snake.

With blood dripping from his left hand, Sasuke crouched damn before slamming his palm atop the ground. This created numerous black kanji seals that sprawled out from Sasuke's palm in multiple directions.

This action finally garnished Anko's attention, causing her to surge forward only to trip over Kakashi's tail. The elite kunoichi then quickly stood up before rushing towards Sasuke.

"Wait! You haven't signed a contract yet!" Anko shrieked.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Sasuke's voice pierced the air, causing Anko to panic.

Sasuke then erupted into a puff of smoke before his entire body disappeared. Afterwards, Kakashi and Anko glanced between one another multiple times.

"My boyfriend is going to kill me..." Anko murmured.

Soon, Anko dispersed her large summoning before running off towards the village. During this, Anko began to plan out different excuses to tell Kakashi if he asked about Sasuke.

As Anko disappeared from view, the crumb-covered figure of Choji came into view from behind a nearby tree. The young Akimichi clan heir was eating in the woods when Anko and Sasuke came by so he decided to sit and watch.

This allowed Choji to directly witness the Summoning jutsu, a technique that greatly interested him. After several moments, Choji stood up before walking into team 7's training ground while licking potato crumbs off his fingers.

Choji had always been a quiet and timid boy, he never wanted to hurt people or cause violence. However, many people mistook Choji's gentle nature for weakness, a lethal mistake to make.

Suddenly, Choji accidently bit his right index finger while licking the potato crumbs off. This drew blood from Choji's finger before it trailed across his bandaged hand.

This blood caused Choji's eyes to sparkle with hope as the face of Ino, Shikamaru and Asuma drifted through his mind. Choji wanted to protect them, he wanted them to be safe.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Choji screamed before slamming his right palm atop the ground.

This action created numerous black kanji seals that sprawled out from Choji's palms in multiple directions. Afterward, Choji erupted into a heavy puff of smoke before his entire body disappeared.

Both Sasuke Uchiha and Choji Akimichi were now missing, each of them were in locations that very few humans ever visited. Locations that were on the complete opposite side of the planet, near ancient and forgotten lands.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled in from the overhanging tree foliage, illuminating Sasuke's vision. He stood atop a giant-sized tree branch that towered over an endlessly jungle.

This jungle was vibrant and lush with the sound of running water and streams in the distance. However, the constant hissing of a massive reptile pierced the land, a hissing that never stopped.

Because Sasuke just got out of the hospital, he still wore his hospital shirt and pants. This meant Sasuke had no weapons and ninja tools to rely on, not even his sword.

Soon, Sasuke noticed swamps in the distance that appeared to stretch on for miles. These swamps were enveloped on all sides by a thick forest, the same forest that Sasuke stood in.

Suddenly, Sasuke got the urge to look up before his eye face contorted with horror. Over twenty separate snakes were nestled and resting in the tree branches overhead, each of them easily over 30ft long.

After several moments, one of these snakes noticed Sasuke before hissing loudly, alerting the nearby snakes. This caused multiple giant snakes to slither and surge out towards Sasuke from various different angles.

Despite his injuries, Sasuke managed to dodge each of these attacks before leaping into the air. The young Uchiha then plummeted over 20ft before landing atop a tree branch.

However, this tree branch began to shift and wiggle on impact before Sasuke finally realized it was a massive snake. This snake was over 60ft long and 10ft wide with Leaf green scales, dwarfing any kind of snake that Sasuke ever saw.

After noticing Sasuke, this massive snake lunged out with it's triangle shaped face. This snake surged with such speeds that Sasuke barely even managed to dodge it.

After dodging this attack, Sasuke jumped through the air before tripping over a pair of vines. Afterwards, Sasuke realized these vines were actually venomous snakes.

At this moment, the massive green snake behind Sasuke surged out again before striking a nearby tree. This tree was over 70ft tall and 10ft wide but it quickly collapsed under the weight of such an attack.

This action filled the air with the sound of wood snapping and breaking. During this, a stunned Sasuke fell atop a nearby tree branch before each of his black eyes bulged with shock.

This shock then grew into fear as a massive tree began falling through the air towards him. This fear caused Sasuke to scramble onto his feet before running full speed across a pair of tree branches.

Soon, hundreds of snakes across the forest floor also began to slither and hide from the falling tree. This created various clouds of dust and debris as multiple trees and tree branches were crushed under the heavy tree.

The weight of this impact forced to entire ground to shake and rupture, robbing Sasuke of his balance. The young Uchiha then fell backwards over 20ft through the air before hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

Suddenly, a large red-scaled snake with a oval head popped out from a set of nearby bushes. This snake then slowly slithered out towards Sasuke while he tried to stand up.

However, Sasuke noticed a crippling pain that shot through his left ankle, forcing him to fall back down. Afterwards, Sasuke was left utterly helpless as the large red snake got closer to his face.

At this moment, a small and average sized snake protruded out from a nearby bush. This snake was solid white with bright purple eyes that focused intently on Sasuke.

This snake then moved with a blur of speed that Sasuke could even perceive. Allowing the small snake to unhinge it's mouth before digging a pair of retracted fangs into Sasuke's ankle.

These fangs unleashed an agonizing amount of pain that surged through Sasuke's entire body. Forcing the young Uchiha to grunt, groan and scream with agony.

This pain was so severe that Sasuke didn't even notice the large red snake that was barely inches away from his face. For some reason, this red snake completely stopped all hostility and aggression towards Sasuke after he was bit.

An extended period of silence then filled the air, silence pierced only by Sasuke's constant groaning. After several minutes, Sasuke struggled in a vain attempt to stand up before noticing an odd feeling inside his right arm.

This feeling forced Sasuke to sit up straight before unraveling the white linen wrapped around his right arm. While this occurred, Sasuke didn't even pay attention to the massive red snake that hovered beside him.

Soon, Sasuke tossed a bundle of linen fabric to the ground before squeezing and bending his right wrist multiple times. Sasuke's right arm was completely devoid of all pain and injuries, a result that briefly stunned Sasuke.

After several moments, Sasuke noticed that his ankle was also devoid of all pain, allowing him to finally stand up. Afterwards, Sasuke stared down at a solid white snake that was staring directly at him.

This allowed Sasuke's black eyes to reflect off the snake's purple eyes as they entered a tense staring contest. This white snake then turned around before slowly slithering away.

This left an odd felling inside Sasuke before he got the sudden urge to follow the white snake. During this journey, the white snake led Sasuke through bushes, streams, rivers and even over trees.

This was a long and fierce journey that was littered with numerous snakes, each of which was deadly poisonous. However, while many snakes slithered next to Sasuke and even followed him, none tried to attack or harm him.

After traveling for what felt like hours, Sasuke was finally brought to a moss-covered swamp. This created a tense period of silence as Sasuke noticed dozens of snakes that slithered through the mossy liquid.

Multiple trees and tree roots protruded out from the swamp at varying angles and directions, displaying hundreds of different colored snakes. These trees greatly contrasted a large stone cave that rested in the center of the swamp.

Suddenly, the white snake slithered into this swamp before looking back at Sasuke. This action forced Sasuke to grind his teeth together before slowly pulling his hospital shirt off and throwing it to the ground.

The young Uchiha then dived head first into the mossy swamp before swimming past dozens of snakes. Each of these snakes came within mere inches of Sasuke but never bit or restrained him.

After swimming for several minutes, Sasuke found solid earth before pulling himself loose from the mossy water. Afterwards, various snakes slithered out from the swamp before coiling around Sasuke's ankles.

These snakes continued to coil around Sasuke as he wiped bundles of moss off his naked torso. Some of these snakes were then hit with moss but none of them even react.

Ignoring these snakes, Sasuke walked head first into the dark and unlit cave before disappearing from sight. This allowed Sasuke to notice just how massive the cave was, it appeared to stretch on for miles underground.

Because of this, Sasuke was cascaded in darkness for what felt like hours as he calmly walked through the dark cave. At the same time, a constant hissing filled the air, a hissing that could be heard across the entire Land of Snakes.

"Hello...?! Is anyone here?" Sasuke asked while distant shadows flickered in concealed corners.

This created an eerie period of silence as Sasuke felt like he was being stared at. Because of this, Sasuke's 3-tomoe Sharingan instinctively activated, bathing the entire cave with a bright crimson aura.

At this moment, a massive white snake rushed at Sasuke from the distance, forcing him to stagger backwards before falling down. Sasuke was then completely paralyzed as he stared up into a pair of yellow snake eyes, eyes that pierced his very mind.

These eyes belonged to the legendary white snake sage, the most powerful and oldest snake in existence. This snake was so powerful and ancient that she even trained the Sage of Six Paths almost 1,000 years ago.

Because of her sheer age, the Sage was an extremely large and albino rat snake, easily over 300ft long. The Sage was so massive that her body was wrapped in several thick coils through out the cave.

Among these coils were a set of golden circular bands that denoted the Sage's power and position. She also wore a turban with two pointed edges and a red orb on top, drawing attention her orange headdress.

Finally, she wore a sparkling chain with a green orb around her neck. This chain was one of the Six Senjutsu Necklaces, items worn only by the Six Sage's.

After his panic began to fade, Sasuke also noticed a long cigarette holder that protruded out from the Sage's mouthful. Afterwards, the Sage blew a thick and heavy gust of smoke down on Sasuke, forcing him to gag and cough.

"Wha-... What's the big idea?!" While speaking, Sasuke struggled to stand up as he coughed and gagged.

"Silence." The elderly Sage ordered, forcing Sasuke to once again stagger backwards before falling down.

"Let me guess... You want power?" After speaking, the elite Sage blew another thick gust of smoke out at Sasuke.

Despite his desire to answer, Sasuke was coughing so severely that he couldn't even talk. This created an extensive period of silence, a silence pierced only by Sasuke coughing before he finally stabilized himself.

"Yes! Power to save my friend!" Sasuke shouted as the whiskered face of Naruto drifted through his mind.

This statement created a visible expression of confusion across the Sage's face. The Sage had spent centuries training humans in the art of snake Senjutsu but never before had she received the same answer as Sasuke.

"In my experience, only those who are greedy enough to sacrifice everything for power come to this cave... Snakes usually devour their own." The wise Sage spoke out, causing Sasuke to swallow of wad of spit that swelled in his throat.

"I don't care! I need power to save my friend, so give me power!" Sasuke ordered before standing up straight.

The young Uchiha then staggered backwards into a nearby wall as the Sage shoved her massive face against this. The Sage then once again released a thick cloud of smoke that forced Sasuke to cough.

"I don't just teach anyone who comes to my cave... You'll have to pass a set of three tests." The Sage explained while Sasuke continued to cough.

"Whatever! Just bring out the tests already, I'm in a hurry!" Sasuke proclaimed.

At this moment, the great Snake Sage inhaled a staggering breath of smoke before holding it in for several moments. The Sage then exhaled this cloud of smoke down upon Sasuke, forcing him to cough.

"Very well... Let us begin." The Sage exclaimed, filling Sasuke's eyes with hope.

This was a very important moment and milestone for Sasuke. The moment when he took his first steps towards becoming a Snake Sage.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A quiet and anxious Choji stood atop a large lily pad that floated across a massive lake. This lake was surrounded on all sides by tree-sized flowers, flowers that stretched up into the clouds.

The water in this lake was pristine, clear and tranquil. Allowing Choji to notice the beautiful collection of flowers that somehow survived and bloomed under water.

Each of these flowers were covered in rays of blue, purple, yellow, red and green. This bathed Choji's entire surroundings in a colorful aura as rays of sunlight sparkled down from overhead.

Soon, Choji gasped after noticing a flock of human-sized butterflies that soared through the air overhead. These butterflies were each covered in vibrant and bright colors, decorating the cloudless blue sky with beauty.

At this moment, dozens of normal-sized butterflies surged out from nearby flowers before completely enveloping Choji. These butterflies pushed and nudged the innocent Choji towards a distant isle that rested at the center of the lake.

As Choji approached this isle, he noticed a collection of cocoons that were being guarded by numerous butterflies. After several moments, Choji finally reached the isle before walking up onto its magical shoreline.

The flock of minor butterflies then continued to nudge Choji past the massive butterflies, pushing him further into the isle. Soon, Choji was pushed into a large grove that was lined on all sides by tree-sized flowers.

Choji's face was then bombarded with gusts of wind from a massive butterfly that was hovering in the grove. This butterfly was beyond any other butterfly, it possessed four separate wings that were each over 40ft long and solid blue.

These wings contrasted the solid white body of the butterfly but matched its blue eyes and limbs. This butterfly also had a pair of blue antennae protruding from its head, each of which were over 10ft long.

Strangely, this butterfly wore a solid white cleric hat with a blue orb resting on top. Finally, the butterfly also wore a large chain with a blue orb around its neck, one of the Six Senjutsu Necklaces.

With each gust of wind that stroked Choji's face, he could feel an aura of confidence and respect that surged through him. This created an extensive period of silence as Choji gazed at the massive butterfly with awe.

"Welcome, Choji Akimichi." The feminine and tranquil voice of the massive butterfly resonated through the air.

This voice shocked Choji because he heard before, a voice that he constantly heard in his dreams. Also, this butterfly didn't even open its mouth to speak but Choji still heard her words.

"H-... How do you know my name? Who are you?" Choji muttered.

"We have always known about you, Choji. I'm the Blue Butterfly Sage." The massive butterfly explained.

At this moment, flocks of solid blue butterflies poured into the grove from all angles. However, these butterflies were each made of pure chakra, the same type of butterflies that helped Choji whenever he was in danger.

"We have always watched over you, Choji." As the great Butterfly Sage spoke, Choji's mouth fell open in shock.

Suddenly, the faces of Ino and Shikamaru each pierced Choji's mind. These faces forced the obese shinobi to drop on both knees before bowing in respect to the Butterfly Sage.

"Great Sage... I want to save my friends..." Choji mumbled while pressing his face against the ground.

Choji was disappointed in his failure to bring Naruto back, but he also disappointed for not being able to protect Ino and Shikamaru. This created a heavy burden on the young Akimichi clan heir, the burden of failure.

"What about yourself? You want nothing for yourself?" The great Sage asked, her voice piercing Choji's mind.

"I'm nothing without my friends." Choji answered, creating a smile across the Sage's mouth.

"Very few humans come to this isle, Choji." The elegant Sage spoke into Choji's mind.

"This is a sacred place, a place of purity and innocence." As she spoke, Choji noticed a soothing sound that resonated through the air.

"The fact that you're even here is proof that you're worthy... Come to us, my child." After speaking, Choji was lifted into the air by a faint gust of wind.

This wind then gently carried Choji through the air before placing him in front of the great Sage. Choji then stared at a pair of blue antennae that gently swished through the air towards him.

One of these antennae pressed itself against Choji's forehead while the other pressed against his heart. Afterwards, a bright blue light erupted from Choji, briefly concealing everything from view before taking several moments to dissipate.

Choji then raised both hands in front of his face only to frown before glancing at the Butterfly Sage. This Sage was oozing happiness and joy into the air with each flap of her wings, forcing Choji's frown to grow into a smile.

"I don't understand... I don't feel any different?" Choji mumbled with shame while staring at the ground.

"It requires a certain action, Choji, an action of absolute clarity and resolve." The Sage spoke into Choji's mind.

"What do you mean?" Choji asked, eager to protect his friends.

Suddenly, hundreds of chakra butterflies began flying around Choji's feet and legs, concealing them from view. While this occurred, Choji glanced up at the Blue Butterfly Sage for guidance and aid.

"Only an act of love greater than an act of hatred can save your friends." The Sage explained before Choji's entire lower body was concealed by flying butterflies.

"Wait! I still have so many questions!" Choji pleaded as his everything below his neck was concealed by butterflies.

Soon, Choji's mouth, eyes and ears were all concealed by blue butterflies. Despite the dangerous situation that Choji found himself in, he didn't feel a single drop of fear.

"But I give you a warning... The lifespan of a butterfly is short and sweet, so if you use this technique..." The Sage's voice echoed through Choji's mind before he erupted into a puff of smoke.

You'll die. Was the single phrase that burnt inside into Choji's mind as he appeared inside team 7's training ground.

At this moment, Choji's stomach began to rumble and roar before he dashed towards Konoha in search for food. Choji was so focused on food that he failed to realize what just happened, he failed to comprehend his destiny.


	69. Chapter 69

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz.**

 **A/N: tenellis - I'm glad you liked it.**

 **GunBlade2019 -** **I think Sakura (at least in this story) is a very realistic character because in life, you can't always get what you want. Many of these people(like Sakura) are so crippled by their love that they imagine a false scenario in their head where everything works out in the end.**

 **This is why Sakura is so determined to become a powerful kunoichi. Because in her head, she's convinced herself that Sasuke will love her if she's powerful.**

 **Sakura is a very sad and controversial character who really only cares about Sasuke. The argument can be made that Sakura also cares about Ino, but her main focus in life is/has and will always be Sasuke.**

 **However, Sakura doesn't just want in Sasuke's pants, she wants in his heart too. Sakura is the most immature member of team 7 so it will take extra time for her to grow.**

 **Omegarealism - Sasuke has to be developed, he is Naruto's main rival. The plot demands that Sasuke be strong and I have to explain why he's strong or else it would be a Deus Ex Machina/ass pull.**

 **Also, I have no idea why you keep calling Sasuke gay. Sasuke had a chance to be gay with Naruto when they kissed in the first canon episode, but they both gagged with disgust. They also kissed in episode 194 of part 1 Naruto.**

 **This is why I don't like NarutoxSasuke stories, Sasuke being gay is not realistic. There are very few Yaoi couples in Naruto that I actually consider realistic and Sasuke isn't one of them.**

 **Finally, you're asking me to do the same thing Steven Universe does, shove the main character into every chapter even though he shouldn't be there. The entire world doesn't revolve around Naruto (yet), he's the main character but he's not the only character.**

 **m'j doom - Future chapters will address the other four Sages and who all will be getting Sage Mode. Sage Mode will be extremely important to this story because of how I treat the Sage of Six Paths, the only person who ever mastered all six Sage Modes.**

 **GhostRiderCouldKillSuperman - Sabaku no Gaara is just the Japanese version of Gaara of the desert. Sabaku isn't Gaara's actual last name because his last name is never given.**

 **We know the Kazekage supposedly has their own 'clan' but its name is never given. That's why Gaara, Rasa, Kankuro and Temari don't have last names.**

 **World War Wolf - I have a lot of respect for Avatar the Last Airbender and I like the Cabbage guy. I've tried to squeeze in as many easter eggs as I could and I will continue to add more when it's realistic.**

 **Theredhood44 - Honestly, I don't think there will be a time skip in this story. If there was a time skip, it would be after Pain/Nagato is defeated but I don't think there will be a time skip.**

 **Kushina will definitely make another appearance in this story, but I don't know about Minato.**

 **I'm sorry but Kin is already dead, along with Zaku. I had to sacrifice them for the plot so Orochimaru could summon the 1st and 2nd Hokage with Edo Tensei.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 69: Freedom: Life's Greatest Treasure! A Race For Power.**

 _Tuesday 4:35pm, June 19th 58SSP._

A collection of thick and numerous clouds drifted through mountain tops and man-made spires. This was the fabled village of Kumo, the Village Hidden by Clouds.

This village was positioned between various mountains and cliffsides, providing great natural protect from invasion. However, this also made travel and trade into Kumo extremely difficult if you didn't know the proper path.

Because of its location, every building inside Kumo was carved into stone and mount sides, giving a unique aesthetic to the Cloud village. This brought attention to a massive spire of blue metal that was topped with lush trees and bushes.

This was the Raikage's office, a building that towered over all other buildings in Kumo. Inside this office was the elite 4th Raikage seated at his desk and accompanied by a pair of unknown lightning shinobi.

The Raikage had dark skin with an extremely large and muscular build and a blond moustache with a goatee that framed his face. He wore the iconic Raikage robe and hat which concealed his hair while he was shirtless underneath, revealing his rock hard abs.

Around his wrists, the Raikage wore a pair of golden vambraces that matched the golden belt around his waist. This belt had a boar's face engraved in the center, greatly contrasting the Raikage's grey pants and shoes along with his Kumo-style shin guards.

"Really? The 3rd Hokage?" A kunoichi of Kumo spoke out.

She had waist-length pale blond hair that was tied into a ponytail with linen bandages. This hair partially concealed a vast amount of the Kumo headband that covered the kunoichi's forehead.

She was extremely pale, as if she rarely saw sunlight. This brought attention to the bright red lipstick she wore and her dark eyes.

Her outfit consisted of a short-sleeved black and purple blouse that matched her shin-length black pants and purple shinobi shoes. Each of these fabrics had the faint yet distinctive pattern of clouds sprawled across them.

She also had thick layers of linen wrapped around each of her ankles and wrists. This brought attention to the purple fingerless gloves that she wore on both hands with a chain of blue beads wrapped around her left forearm.

Finally, she had a red sash wrapped around her waist in a slanted angle with kunai pouch strapped to her right thigh.

"You heard me right, Yugito. And, Konoha has already elected a 5th Hokage." The harsh and rigid voice of the 4th Raikage pierced the room, otherwise known as A.

"I can't believe Konoha would allow their jinchūriki to roam loose." Yugito exclaimed while crossing both arms in front of her small chest.

"Suna has also allowed their jinchūriki to break free... This is the moment that Kumo has waited for, Konoha and Suna are weak." A explained before leaning back in his chair.

As this conversation unfolded, a nearby man was dancing with earbuds in both ears. This man was popping, locking and twirling as he danced to his music while mumbling words to himself.

He had dark skin with a large and muscular build that was extremely similar to the 4th Raikage. This man also had blond combed back hair and a goatee that was similar to the 4th Raikage's.

He wore a pair of oval shaped sunglasses that concealed both eyes from view and a tattoo of two blue octopus tentacles beside his left eye. These glasses brought attention to the white linen headband of Kumo that was wrapped around his forehead.

His attire was the Kumo-standard Jounin outfit, a white one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket. He also wore an ankle-length white scarf that matched his Kumo-style gloves and shin guards.

He appeared to be very advanced in combat, wearing seven different sword strapped across his back. The hilts of these swords were red, matching the rope-like belt that was tied around his waist and hung to his knees.

His most prominent features was a black inked tattoo of the kanji for 'iron' across his right shoulder. This tattoo was the Iron Armor Seal, a seal specifically used by Kumo to seal the sacred Gyūki into their jinchūriki.

"What are your orders, lord Raikage?" Yugito asked as the nearby man continued to dance.

"MmmmmmMMMH." A grumbled while his stern gaze focused on the dancing man.

"B!" As the Raikage screamed, he stood up before abruptly punching his entire desk in half. However, B was so distracted by his music that he didn't even notice this fierce display of strength.

At this moment, A's entire body was engulf in a bright blue aura of solid lightning. This lightning increased the Raikage's speeds to God-like levels, he was easily one of the fastest shinobi alive.

This level of speed allowed the 4th Raikage to instantly appear in front of B before lodging his right fist forward. This fist was infused with solid lightning, electrifying B before he was flung back over 20ft.

B then crashed through a distant window on the Raikage's office before falling over 60ft to the ground. Afterwards, the Raikage's hat fell to the floor as he snorted with rage.

After several moments, the aura of lightning around A dissipated before he slowly picked up his hat. The elite 4th Raikage then strolled back to his chair before sitting down in front of his broken desk.

"He means well, lord Raikage. He's just a little dim." Yugito exclaimed while bowing her head with respect.

"He's an idiot, Yugito. You've always been the superior jinchūriki of our village." A remarked, causing Yugito to abruptly snap into attention.

"War with Konoha is on the horizon, I'm sending B off to Turtle Island to train and perfect his tailed beast." As he spoke, Yugito nodded in agreement.

"I need you to find the nine tails and one tails jinchūriki, It's confirmed they left the village of Konoha together." After speaking, the 4th Raikage stood up before turning around and approaching a nearby window.

"This moment could make Kumo into the next superpower of this world, if our village had four jinchūriki..." His words cutoff midsentence before he turned his face around just enough to glance at Yugito.

"I understand, lord Raikage. What are their descriptions?" Yugito asked.

At this moment, a young man with short and shaggy blond hair busted into the room. Similar to Yugito, he had extremely pale skin and dark eyes.

His outfit consisted of the standard Kumo-style one-strap-over-one-shoulder white flak jacket with a sleeveless black shirt underneath. He also wore a black headband of Kumo around his forehead that matched his elbow-length arm-guards.

Finally, he wore a sideways knee-length black apron the hung over his entire left leg. This apron matched his pants and his Kumo-style shin guards.

"Lord Raikage! Lord Raikage!" The blond man screamed in a panic.

"What it is, C?" The 4th Raikage grumbled.

"We just got news from inside the Land of Sound! Both of the missing jinchūriki have be seen there!" C reported before rushing to the Raikage and kneeling down.

"Oh? Where are they now?" A questioned, eager to expand Kumo's power and prestige.

"We suspect they should be inside the Land of Steam." C explained after raising his face from the floor.

"Really? That close to our border?" Yugito interjected.

The only piece of land that stood between the Land of Steam and the Land of Lightning was the Land of Frost. This was a small and partially isolated land that was constantly concealed in a year-long winter.

"Now is the time to move, Yugito. You're a perfect jinchūriki, you're loyalty is without question are your skills surpass even my brother... That's why I trust you to complete this task." The 4th Raikage proclaimed in a proud tone before sitting back down in his chair.

"Visit Darui for a proper description and gather supplies before you leave... Good luck." As he spoke, his tone of voice was heavy and harsh.

This amount of praise forced Yugito to bow her head in respect before turning around and walking towards the door. During this, the elite jinchūriki began thinking about ways to help and aid her village, the same village that called her a freak.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Spires of rock, stone and earth decorated the land while stretching up towards the cloudless sky. This was the revered Village Hidden by Rocks, the shinobi village known as Iwa.

Iwa was positioned in the center of a deep and mountain-covered crater. Similar to Kumo, each of the buildings inside Iwa were carved into solid stone and earth.

The aesthetic of Iwa was extremely rustic and natural, not a single house was made of wood. This gave Iwa an appearance that was quite similar to Kumo, a village of stone houses with spires on top.

The most prominent and distinguished feature of this village was a tall man made spire that towered over Iwa. This spire was the office of the Tsuchikage and it was positioned directly in the center of Iwa.

This insides of this office were very simplistic and natural, made entirely out of stone without any windows. The office was almost barren with two unknown figures inside, the 3rd Tsuchikage who sat at his desk and a unknown Iwa shinobi.

The Tsuchikage's desk and chair were each covered in a red fabric that matched the nearby curtains, curtains that hung over windowless walls. This red deeply contrasted the surrounding stone and rock.

In the far corner of this room was a pair of busts that depicted the 1st and 2nd Tsuchikage's. The most prominent feature of this room was a large stone pedestal in the center with swallow water around it.

This pedestal consisted of intricate stone monument that had a smooth and shiny rock on top. The water around this pedestal was a small pond filled with various other rocks and stones.

This monument was the sacred Stone Monument of Iwa, a depiction of their stone will. This created a unique blend of water, stone and red that mixed together inside the office.

"Konoha is weak, we can finally get revenge for the 3rd Shinobi World War." The stern and elderly voice of the 3rd Tsuchikage spoke out.

The Tsuchikage was a vert short and old man with a white triangular shaped beard and a sharp moustache that hung off his face. He was tan-skinned with a big red nose and thick eyebrows.

His attire consisted of the iconic Tsuchikage robe and hat that concealed a large portion of his bald head. This outfit matched his dirt-brown shinobi shoes, pants and under shirt.

"Of course, lord Tsuchikage…" The exhausted voice of a nearby man interjected.

He was extremely tall, easily over 7ft which allow him to tower over most shinobi and citizens. He was also heavily armored, wearing a set of red Steam Armor with a furnace on his back that emitted minor streams of steam.

His red armor was plated and completely concealed a vast amount of his tan-skin, leaving only his pale brown eyes visible. He even wore a plate of armor across the bottom half of his face, concealing his mouth from view.

Underneath this facial armor, he wore a white face mask with a hood over his head, drawing attention to the white headband of Iwa across his forehead. Over this white hood was a red Kasa hat made entirely of armor.

Over this Steam Armor, the shinobi wore a black Gi with each of the sleeves torn off, matching his black gloves. Finally, he wore a bronze-colored band around his neck that clung to his armor.

"Han. You're the strongest jinchūriki of Iwa and your skills with Steam Jutsu are known worldwide because of your exploits during the last war." The elderly 3rd Tsuchikage spoke out, otherwise known as Ōnoki.

"Roshi is still in seclusion why trying to master his tailed beast... So you alone will have to accomplish this task." As he spoke, Han bowed his head.

"Suna and Konoha have both lost their jinchūriki. If we can take each of them for ourselves, the military strength of Iwa will easily be tripled." Ōnoki explained.

This statement forced each of Han's eyes to narrow while a tense silence filled the room. Han was a very depressed man who loathed and detested humanity for his harsh and treatment from the village of Iwa.

The life of every jinchūriki was the same, they were each mocked, hatred and feared. Even the eight tails and two tails of Kumo, creatures who had their own monuments and Muriel's behind the Falls of Truth were still feared and hatred by a majority of their village.

Even now as the 3rd Tsuchikage directly spoke to Han, he treated the five tails jinchūriki like some weapon of war instead of a shinobi from Iwa. This is why Han had no hope or trust for the people of Iwa, because no one trusted him.

"The one tails and nine tails are each traveling through the Land of Steam. Because of your mastery over steam, I feel you are the best shinobi to handle this mission." After the 3rd Tsuchikage spoke, Han clenched both of his fists.

Han suspected this mission was just an excuse for the village of Iwa to get rid of him. An idea that Ōnoki made no attempt to deny.

"Where did you acquire this information, lord Tsuchikage?" Han questioned.

"I've paid a powerful organization to bring me this knowledge." Ōnoki remarked as the image of a red cloud drifted through his mind.

"What would you have me do, lord Tsuchikage?" Han asked with a heavy weight in his voice.

"Locate the jinchūriki of the one and nine tails. Then bring them back to me, even if you have to use force." Ōnoki ordered, receiving a quick nod of agreement from Han.

"Of course, lord Tsuchikage." Han exclaimed before turning around and walking towards a nearby door.

As Han walked away, a broad smile sprawled across Ōnoki's elderly face, happy to finally get rid of the five tails jinchūriki. During this, Han began to contemplate a life outside of Iwa, a life of freedom and purpose before he disappeared from view.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A thick fog of mist filled the air with several grass-covered mountains in the background. This mist constantly enveloped the village of Kiri, the Village Hidden by Mist.

Kiri's architecture consisted of cylindrical-like sky scrapers that were constructed with pale green stone bricks. Each of these sky scrapers were lined with numerous windows and topped with vegetation growing from their roofs.

Amidst these endless sky scrapers was a large and wide building, the office of the Mizukage. This building was surrounded by an endless network of stone walkways and paths that sprawled throughout the village of Kiri.

The interior of the Mizukage's office was adorned in a wide arrange of windows that were each covered by ocean blue curtains, matching the blue tinted walls. There was also a large desk and matching chair with a large blue circular rug sprawled across the floor.

This office was filled with three figures, the newly established 5th Mizukage and her two aids. Also, pictures of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Mizukage's were all framed across the wall above a distant door.

"So, they're all in the Land of Steam?" The 5th Mizukage asked.

The 5th Mizukage was an extremely tall woman with a slender build and fair-skin, almost 6ft tall. This brought attention to her ankle-length spiky auburn hair that was tied into a top-knot with a blue band on top.

A large portion of her neck and face were concealed by strands of her auburn bangs. These bangs completely covered her right eye from view, drawing attention to her bright blue lipstick and green eyes.

Her outfit consisted of the iconic Mizukage robe with several feminine adjustments to show off her figure. These adjustments left her robe completely strapless, revealing her fair-skinned shoulders and a glimpse of her large chest.

Her robe was closed in the front with a zipper, causing the fabric to tightly cling against her impressive chest. Also, her robe was kept open on the front-right side from the waist down, revealing an ocean blue short skirt worn underneath her robes.

Underneath her robe, the Mizukage wore a full-bodied mesh armor outfit that contrasted the blue nail polish on her fingers and toes. This armor covered the entire Mizukage's body from her ankles to just above her large breasts, slightly higher than her robe.

She also wore an ocean blue sash wrapped around her petite waist. Finally, her shoes were a pair of grey shinobi shoes that were lined with metal shin-guards reaching over her knees.

"Correct, lord Mizukage. The jinchūriki of Suna and Konoha are both running loose inside that land... Aswell as Utakata, our six tails jinchūriki." A nearby man spoke out in a wise voice.

He was a middle age man with pointy blue hair that was styled into a sharp tip on top with the headband for Kiri worn over his forehead. His most distinctive feature was a tag-like talisman wore in each ear with the kanji for 'to hear' on them.

His attire was a Kiri-styled stripped grey suit worn underneath an ankle-length green haori with white trimmings. Also, he wore a blue sash wrapped around his waist with various pouches and satchels attached to it.

"If we send a detachment of Anbu now, I'm sure we can secure all three of them." As he spoke, the Mizukage crossed both arms in front of her large chest.

"I severely doubt that would work, Ao. I don't think average Anbu can stand up against someone like Utakata…" The 5th Mizukage argued, otherwise known as Mei Terumei.

"Maybe we should send Chōjūrō?" After she spoke, Ao sighed in response.

"Chōjūrō doesn't have the confidence to pull off a solo mission of this importance." Ao exclaimed, always doubting Chōjūrō for the boys pessimistic attitude.

"Hmmm... You're right." Mei admitted.

"I'm confident a division of Anbu can handle these jinchūriki, lord Mizukage." Ao proclaimed before taking several steps forward.

"Utakata's technique is well known to our Anbu while the one tails jinchūriki is made of sand, so it'll easily crumble to concentrated Water Style jutsu." While speaking, his words forced the Mizukage to nod in agreement before briefly pausing.

"What about the nine tails?" Mei asked, creating a stern ridge across Ao's face.

"He's just a child, lord Mizukage. Utakata is the real threat." Ao protested, creating a tense period of silence before Mei nodded in agreement.

"Very well." Mei spoke out before calmly placing both hands atop her desk.

"I hoped to avoid conflict, but if the other villages get their hands on those jinchūriki… Kiri will be finished." As she spoke, Ao nodded in agreement.

"We lost the three tails almost 15 years ago now, and without Utakata, Kiri has no jinchūriki." Ao admitted with a bitter tone, disappointed at the weak state of power Kiri was in.

"Give my orders to Tsurugi, I want each of these jinchūriki to be handled like Rogue ninja. Bring them back no matter the cost." Mei ordered with the flick of her right hand, causing Ao to bow before turning around and walking towards the distant door.

This was the beginning of a tense future for the Land of Steam. A future where multiple nations and champions would battle for the future of the shinobi world.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Kakashi was sitting in a wheelchair inside a corner of the iconic Hokage office. His limbs were limp while his visible left eye was solid white from exhaustion.

Kakashi had been pushed through the streets of Konoha at Kage-level speed. This left the elite Jounin completely speechless and dazed for minutes.

During this dazed moment, Guy was preforming squats in front of the iconic Hokage desk. Guy preformed these squats with uttermost precision and power, stretching several muscles.

Guy's Hokage hat and robe were hanging on a nearby coat rack. This left Guy with his full body green jumpsuit and a pair of blue shinobi shoes.

"896... 897... 898... 899-...?!" Guy counted his number of squats aoud before the door into his office was opened.

"Lor-..." Biwako spoke out before freezing midsentence after walking in on Guy mid-squat.

"O-... Oh? What is it, lady Biwako?" Guy asked while partially turning his head around.

This created an extended period of silence as Guy stood mid-squat with Biwako staring at him. This was a very awkward moment for Biwako, a moment that she struggled to move past.

"U-... Um... Yea... We need to discuss a treaty from Suna." Biwako stuttered before staring at the white eyed Kakashi that sat in the corner.

This statement caused Guy to straighten his back before jump atop his Hokage desk. The elite 5th Hokage then began to stretch each of his legs and arms in multiple angles.

This caused beads of sweat to build on Biwako's face as she endured Guy's exercise. After several moments, Guy kicked the nearby coat rack, knocking his Hokage hat and robes into the air.

Guy then jumped up before preforming a backflip in midair while adorning his Kage hat and robes. The 5th Hokage then landed in his chair with a heavy thud before smiling, releasing a bright twinkle from his shiny teeth.

"What's wrong with him?" As she spoke, Biwako pointed at the dazed Kakashi.

"I took him from the hospital a few hours ago and wheeled him around, he's been like that ever since." Guy explained.

Suddenly, Asuma and Kurenai each escorted the sand Jounin known as Baki into the room. Baki had been imprisoned ever since his capture at the hands of Jiraiya, and the time to pass judgement had finally come.

"Who is he?" As he spoke, Guy was popping the joints in his neck.

"This is the man who almost killed Hayate." Biwako exclaimed, forcing Guy to abruptly tense.

The elite 5th Hokage then began pressing each of his knuckles together, popping them numerous times. During this, Baki swallowed a wad of spit that swelled in his throat.

"Hayate is a good friend of mine." Guy spoke with a stern voice while folding a piece of paper on his desk.

Soon, Guy created a paper airplane that he gently threw into the air towards Kakashi. The front end of this plane then rammed into Kakashi's left eye, causing him to abruptly jolt while waking up.

This sudden burst of movement also sent a crippling wave of pain through Kakashi's body. Causing the elite Jounin to crumble and groan before he finally came back to reality.

The airplane in Kakashi's ear then fell to the ground while an expression of disbelief spread across Baki's face. Afterwards, Kakashi was able to analyze his surroundings with an impressive level of deductive skill, despite his injuries.

"There is one thing I'm curious to know..." Kakashi mumbled while glancing at Guy.

"What happened to Orochimaru?" As he spoke, Kakashi shifted his attentions towards Baki.

"How should I know? I was imprisoned before the invasion even began! Just order my execution and move on already, war with Suna is the only option!" Baki protested, ashamed to be held as a prisoner of war.

This created a tense silence in the room as Guy and Kakashi glanced at one another. During this, a quiet Biwako stood in the distant corner while observing the newly elected 5th Hokage.

"You already have Gaara! Just wipe Suna off the map and get this over with." As Baki spoke, a stern expression sprawled across Guy's face.

"Suna's jinchūriki is no longer in Konoha. He left the village with our jinchūriki." Guy explained before clasping both hands together in front of his face.

This response forced Baki's mouth to fall open with shock as he gasped. Baki considered Gaara to be many things, but not a traitor.

As this conversation unfolded, Biwako walked past Baki before approaching Kakashi. The elderly woman then handed a freshly delivered treaty from Suna into Kakashi's exhausted hands.

"This village is my family, and Suna invaded that family" As Guy spoke, his clasped fists clenched with such strength that they could crush goal into diamonds.

Suddenly, a tense period of silence filled the room, a silence pierce only by the sound of Guy's muscles popping and stretching. While this occurred, Kakashi read through Suna's treaty with surprising speed despite his injuries.

Asuma and Kurenai with both impressive and dumbfounded by Guy's display of maturity. Despite his constant childish demeanor, Guy could occasionally act very serious and decisively, but only on occasion.

At this moment, Guy surprised everyone in the room by instantly appearing in front of Baki. The elite 5th Hokage then embraced the Sand Jounin with a crippling bear hug, cracking several bones.

"But your village just didn't have enough youth to show you the right way!" While shouting, Guy's voice shifted into a comedic tone.

"Guy..." Kakashi mumbled, causing the 5th Hokage to abruptly drop a white-eyed Baki to the ground.

"What is it, Kakashi?" Guy asked after his comedic tone shifted back into a serious and stern one.

"Suna wants Baki, Temari and Kankuro along with the other Sand ninja we captured..." Kakashi explained before struggling to scratch his head, barely able to move.

"The terms in this peace treaty are twice as good as the one they broke, sending them back would actual-...!?" His words were suddenly cut-off midsentence as Anko kicked the nearby door open with her foot.

The nervous Anko then nonchalantly strolled into the office before propping herself up against Kurenai's right shoulder. During this, the elite kunoichi had several beads of sweat dripping from her face.

"Dear, are you alright?" Kakashi asked, fully aware that Anko only got nervous when she was hiding something.

"Oh, yea, no, I'm good." Anko stuttered while beads of her sweat dripped atop Kurenai's shoulder.

"You were bitching about a treaty and some prisoners, keep talking about that and don't worry about me." As she spoke, Anko began to repeatedly tape her right foot atop the floor.

This created an extended period of silence as the entire room stared at Anko with disbelief. At the same time, Anko began to whistle in a nonchalant and innocent fashion.

"Uh, right... Asuma, Kurenai, can you take Baki back to prison before escorting him and the rest of the Sand ninja to the western gate?" Kakashi mumbled.

"Of course." Both Asuma and Kurenai replied in unison before grabbing an paralyzed Baki and dragging him out the room, closing the door behind them.

After several moments, Biwako, Kakashi, Guy and Anko were left alone in the Hokage's office while everyone stared at the latter.

"You seem nervous, dear." Kakashi exclaimed.

"Yea, no, I'm good. Just ready for some dick and Dango." Anko stuttered as drops of her sweat bombarded the floor.

This statement caused Biwako to sigh while pinching the bridge of her nose. Back when she was Anko's age, ladies just didn't talk with that kind of language.

"Anyway, Hayate! Bring them in!" Biwako interjected while staring at the closed door.

Suddenly, the door into Guy's office was flung opened before the coughing man known as Hayate entered. Behind him, the elite Jounin was escorting an annoyed Sakon and Kidōmaru into the room.

Upon entrance, both Kakashi and Guy stared intently at Kidōmaru's six arms, arms that resembled a spider. These arms also garnished Anko's attention, causing her to step directly in front of Kidōmaru.

"Hey! You're one of Orochimaru's runts, aren't you?" Anko asked, earning a scoff from Kidōmaru in response.

"What's it to you, hag?" Sakon interrupted while gently combing his blue bangs with his left hand.

At this moment, Sakon and Kidōmaru were each grabbed by the collar of their tunic before Anko slammed them against a nearby wall. This created an audible mumble from Sakon's back as his brother, Ukon, was pressed against the wall.

Afterwards, a snake-like tongue slithered out from Anko's mouth before draping across her face. This action forced Sakon and Kidōmaru to both gasp with shock, speechless because Anko reminded them of Orochimaru.

"I take that as a yes... Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." As she spoke, Anko's snake-like tongue slowly dragged across Sakon's chin.

Suddenly, the elite kunoichi dropped both Sakon and Kidōmaru to the ground before turning her attention towards Kakashi. During this, the 5th Hokage stood up from his chair before approaching the window behind him.

"Give me control of these rats and I'll whip them into shape." After speaking, Kakashi sighed in response.

"I don't think that's a good idea, they are responsible for killing the 3rd Hokage..." Kakashi protested.

"I thought Naruto did that?" Anko argued, creating a tense period of silence as Kakashi stared at the floor.

"Besides, Konoha is low on ninja. So just let me straighten these two out." While speaking, Anko licked her lips in a Orochimaru-like fashion.

This statement forced Sakon and Kidōmaru to each swallow a wad of spit that swelled in their throats. At the same time, Guy hummed in a inquisitive manner for an extended period of time.

"I trust you, Anko." Guy exclaimed before smiling with his iconic smile, causing his white teeth to sparkle.

"Awesome!" Anko exclaimed before a pair of brown snakes slithered out from each of her sleeves.

These snakes then quickly wrapped around Sakon and Kidōmaru before muffling their screams. This allowed the purple-haired kunoichi to causally drag each of the Sound ninja out of the room.

As Anko disappeared from sight, Kakashi began to think back on her previous display of anxiety. Guy, Asuma and Kurenai had never seen Anko that nervous before but Kakashi understood her perfectly.

Kakashi understood that Anko was hiding something, something he would have to investigate later.


	70. Chapter 70

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: This is the last chapter of the Curse of Hatred Arc.**

 **Point out my mistakes, I try to catch them all but some will occasionally slip through.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 70: Steps One, Two And Three! Whose Laughing Now, Orochimaru?**

 _Tuesday 7:47pm, June 19th_ 58SSP.

A slouched Sasuke was sitting inside the dark Ryūchi cave, a cave that was home to the White Snake Sage. Sasuke and the sacred Snake Sage had each been seated for several hours while smoking some unknown substance.

This substance was rather harsh on Sasuke's lungs, causing him to cough each time he inhaled. This substance also increased his heartrate and gave him bloodshot eyes.

This substance was apart of the first trial that Sasuke had to pass. The inhalation of a native plant that naturally grew inside the Land of Snakes.

This native plant was of a bright green bud with various purple and white hairs that grew around it. The Snake Sage insisted this was some type of snake plant that increased perception when smoked.

As Sasuke and the Snake Sage smoked together, other snakes continued to bring in more colorful plants and buds. Soon, the surrounding smoke became so dense and thick that Sasuke could barely even see the Snake Sage.

"Ho-... How long do we have to do this?" Sasuke asked before erupting into a harsh cough.

"We're already done, I'm just enjoying myself." The Snake Sage exhaled a cloud of thick smoke down on Sasuke.

This response caused Sasuke to abruptly stand up before dramatically pointing at the Snake Sage. The young Uchiha then once again erupted into a series of harsh coughs.

"Enough of this! If I finished your first trial then lets move on to step two already!" Sasuke complained, forcing the White Snake Sage to exhale a cloud of smoke in response.

"You're much more impatient than the last one who came to me." The Snake Sage explained, causing Sasuke to gasp.

This created a brief period of silence as Sasuke thought back to the Chunin Exams. Back to the first time he ever saw Orochimaru.

Sasuke didn't know much about Orochimaru, he barely even knew his name. However, Sasuke knew that Naruto had dramatically changed after his battle with Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru?! Don't compare me to that snake!" Sasuke protested, earning another cloud of smoke in response.

Sasuke then once again began to cough in a fashion quite similar to Hayate. During this, the White Snake Sage towered over the young Uchiha like an adult standing over a child.

"No... Kabuto was the last one who came to me, who actually left yesterday." The Sage interjected, forcing Sasuke's mouth to fall open with shock.

Kabuto was the same shinobi who stood between Sasuke and a four-tailed Naruto during the Chunin Exam. Because of this, Sasuke personally blamed Kabuto for his inability to save Naruto.

"If you leave now, you could probably catch up with him." As she spoke, Sasuke's 3-tomoe Sharingan instinctively activated.

"Is that the next trial?!" Sasuke questioned while taking several steps forward.

"It's on the way to the next trial..." The Sage answered with a vague and confusing tone.

"Which way is that?" Sasuke asked, earning another cloud of smoke in response.

"I've helped you enough, find Kabuto and you'll find your next trial." The Sage replied, creating a stern face across Sasuke's eyes.

"Oi... How about, you look into my eyes?" Sasuke spoke out before each of his crimson eyes bulged while staring directly into the yellow eyes of the Snake Sage.

This created an extended period of silence while Sasuke's eyes released a bright red glow. At the same time, numerous snakes began to slither between the dark corners of Ryūchi cave.

"I'm far beyond your pathetic Genjutsu." The Sage remarked, causing Sasuke to gasp.

"Now leave this cave and go find Kabuto... Or fail, and fed my young." As she spoke, dozens of different colored snakes slithered out at Sasuke.

These snakes these chased and zagged towards the young Uchiha, forcing him to retreat through the cave. Soon, Sasuke finally exited the legendary Ryūchi cave before bathing in the early night air.

Faint rays of moonlight sparkled in from overhead, piercing the dense foliage from swamp trees. These rays of light illuminated several large snakes that slithered across the moss-covered swamp water.

Suddenly, a frigid gust of wind blew in from the south, forcing a shirtless Sasuke to shiver. The only thing Sasuke had left with him from Konoha were his leaf green hospital pants.

After several moments, the previous white snake that led Sasuke to Ryūchi cave slithered out from the nearby water. Sasuke then engaged with an extended staring contest with this snake, allowing their crimson and purple eyes to reflect off one another.

"What do you want now? I'm in a hurry." Sasuke muttered.

The white snake then slowly slid past Sasuke before slithering around the stone exterior of Ryūchi cave. After a brief period of hesitation, Sasuke quickly trailed after the snake while he continued to shiver.

Soon, Sasuke was led behind Ryūchi cave before approaching a pair of swamps trees. Each of these trees were protruding out from the mossy-covered water with several tree branches hovering above the water.

Sasuke then noticed the white snake was pointing its head towards these branches. After realizing that he had no other options, Sasuke leaped forward before dashing across various tree branches.

As Sasuke jumped through the air, the violet eyed silhouette of Naruto pierced his mind. This silhouette forced Sasuke to move with even greater spend before he disappeared into a thick bundle of foliage.

* * *

 _Two hours later._

Rays of moonlight sparkled down on a dark silhouette who stood in the center of a massive field that was barren of all trees. This silhouette belonged to the brilliant shinobi known as Kabuto.

"My, my... This is taking forever." Kabuto complained while talking to himself.

The young shinobi stood atop an ancient and worn stone tablet that rested in the center of a dense marshland. Large portions of the surrounding land were completely soak in water and mud, a great place for thousands of snakes to live.

This tablet was circular with a large moss-covered stone snake that stood coiled on top, easily over 8ft tall. This stone snake held its mouth shut tight with multiple vines wrapped around its face.

Because of Kabuto's advanced knowledge, he knew this snake was actually an ancient fountain that contained special water. A fountain that had been completely dormant since Orochimaru first visited the Land of Snakes over 40 years ago.

This water was the next trial necessary for Kabuto to take one step closer towards Sage Mode. However, it was also the very same water that Sasuke needed for his own trial.

As Kabuto observed the stone snake, each of his eyes bulged as several fireballs hurled through the air towards him. These chakra-filled fireballs forced Kabuto to sidestep to the left before rolling across a portion of grassy earth.

Each of these flames then scorched the nearby snake sculpture. Burning portions of its ancient and sacred stone while scorching off vast amounts of moss.

Afterwards, Kabuto finally noticed that a distant Sasuke was charging towards him. This realization forced the white-haired shinobi to grin while pushing his glasses up against his face.

"Well, well... I'm afraid this isn't my style. I'm kind of an introvert, so I'd rather not get directly involved." As Kabuto spoke, his left hand pulled a small vial of purple liquid loose from his medicine pouch.

Kabuto then hurled this vial onto a patch of nearby earth before it shattering into dozens of piece. However, Sasuke's perception was so advanced because of his 3-tomoe Sharingan that he easily jumped over this pool of purple liquid.

While hovering through the air, Sasuke noticed that dozens of nearby snakes were swarmed towards the unknown liquid. During this, Sasuke finally landed atop the ground before once again charging at Kabuto.

As Sasuke approached, a giggling Kabuto used his left hand to pull a syringe loose from his medicine pouch. This syringe was filled with the Senjutsu-tainted blood of Orochimaru.

Despite Orochimaru's fierce capabilities with Snake Senjutsu, he was unable to master Snake Sage Mode. However, Kabuto was determined to surpass his old master in every way.

At this moment, Kabuto's giggling evolved into a manic and twisted laughter that filled the night air. At the same time, Kabuto injected the Senjutsu blood of Orochimaru directly into the veins on his right arm.

This act caused each of Kabuto's veins to abruptly shifted into a dark shade of purple. Also, his previous laughter morphed into pain-filled screams, screams that were so horrific that Sasuke was briefly stunned before standing still.

Soon, the volume of Kabuto's screams increased even higher as he fell on both knees. The young shinobi then began to repeatedly slam his skull against the nearby stone snake.

This was the result of Kabuto struggling to contain the residual energy of Snake Senjutsu. A level of Jutsu that was so lethal and deadly that only a handful of shinobi had ever obtained its power.

Suddenly, portions of skin across Kabuto's right arm before to shift and morph into a pale white color. During this, his pain-filled screams morphed back into a twisted laughter as he stared at the ground.

Kabuto then tilted his face up before smiling at Sasuke, revealing his right eye was now solid yellow. This eye also gave off a snake-like appearance, extremely similar to Orochimaru's eyes.

As Kabuto continued to laugh, he extended his right arm out before several white snakes bubbled out from his skin. Each of these snakes then swished through the air in multiple different directions and angles at the approaching Sasuke.

Because of his advanced perception, Sasuke was easily able to deflect several snakes with just the back of his hands. Afterwards, a snake lunged at Sasuke's chest before he abruptly kicked the serpent in its jaw.

At this moment, each of these white snakes detached themselves from Kabuto's arm. This allowed each of the snakes to slither closer towards Sasuke.

This rampant approach from several snakes forced Sasuke to leap into the air before clapping both hands together. The young Uchiha then weaved through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaled a condensed spray of chakra-filled fire.

This fire rained down across Kabuto's snakes while scorching portions of nearby grass and earth. Soon, this fire even approached Kabuto before he jumped back and hid inside the muddy water of the nearby marshlands.

After several moments, smoke rose from various blades of grass and burnt snakes. At the same time, minor pillars of steam rose from nearby water that was partially evaporated, mixing with the smoke-filled air.

Sasuke then landed atop solid ground before his flames took several seconds to dissipate. Afterwards, Sasuke noticed a laughing Kabuto slowly pulling himself up from the cold marshland water.

Suddenly, Kabuto's entire right arm became solid white before he clapped both hands together in front of his chest. The young yet elite shinobi then weaved through over forty separate Hand Seals in a matter of seconds, preforming a Kakashi-level feat.

While Kabuto preformed these Hand Seals, each of Sasuke's 3-tomoe Sharingan began to glow with a bright red aura. Sasuke then began to perfectly copy Kabuto's movements by clapping his own hands together and preforming the very same seals.

Despite Kabuto's advantage in time, Sasuke's advanced perception allowed him to weave through dozens of Hand Seals with a blur of speed. Soon, Sasuke managed to finally catch up with Kabuto before they each began to weave through the same seals at the same time.

At this moment, both of these battling shinobi clapped their hands into the Bird Seal. Afterwards, they each extended their hands out before glancing at one another while using the Bird Seal to enhance their focus.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Both shinobi declared in unison.

This statement forced surrounding pools of muddy water to mold and twist together behind each of the battling shinobi. Because of their surroundings, this water was dirt brown instead of ocean blue.

After several seconds, two rotating dragons of water twirled into existence before roaring. These dragons were easily over 30ft long and each of them was infused with Jounin-levels of chakra.

This was Sasuke's first display of Water Style, a type of nature transformation that he never personally learned. However, the unique abilities of his Sharingan allowed Sasuke to effortlessly copy and preform the same technique as Kabuto.

Suddenly, each of these water dragons rushed towards one another before colliding like a fierce tidal wave. This created numerous drops of water that rained down and bombarded each of the shinobi.

As a wave of thrashing water concealed both shinobi from one another, Kabuto pulled a handful of senbon loose with his left hand. The elite heir of Orochimaru then hurled these senbon through the air, causing them to pierce the rushing water.

Each of these senbon were then instantly detected by Sasuke's advanced perception. This perception allowed Sasuke to casually dodge these weapons.

Afterwards, both of Sasuke's crimson eyes bulged as Kabuto's right hand protruded out from the ground. A single white snake then wrapped around Kabuto's arm before extending out and biting Sasuke's ankle.

This bite sent a lethal amount of poison into Sasuke's body before he managed to kick Kabuto's hand away. The young Uchiha then tripped over his numb foot before falling to the ground.

As he fell, Sasuke's right hand weaved through the half Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit and Tiger Seals. At the same time, Sasuke inhaled so much air that each of his cheeks bulged.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaled a fierce bombardment of chakra-filled fireballs.

However, each of these fireballs were directed up towards the sky instead of Kabuto. Causing the fireballs to evaporate in the high night sky while Kabuto began to laugh.

Sasuke then finally hit the ground with a heavy thud while groaning with pain. Afterwards, Sasuke sat up before leaning his back against the large stone snake.

Soon, the steam from Sasuke's evaporated Fire Style began to funnel in the sky. These funnels then morphed into clouds as faint strikes of lightning erupted through the night sky.

As multiple flashes of blue lightning soared through the cloudy sky, a chuckling Kabuto slowly approached Sasuke. After several seconds, Kabuto became briefly stunned after Sasuke also began to laugh.

"What do you think is so funny?" Kabuto asked, even his advanced intellect saw no possibility of Sasuke winning the battle.

Suddenly, a downpour of fresh rain erupted from the clouds overhead. During this, Sasuke's left hand weaved through the half Ox, Rabbit and Monkey Seals before reaching out towards Kabuto.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Hound." Sasuke's voice pierced the rain-filled air as his left was engulfed with blue lightning.

This lightning then surged towards Kabuto before taking on the shape of a fierce dog. This lightning that made of this beast then flickered in and out of existence numerous times.

After approaching Kabuto with the speed of lightning, Sasuke's technique erupted into a fierce explosion. This explosion sent multiple arcs of lightning through the rain-filled air, shocking Kabuto's partially wet figure.

Sasuke used Fire Style to create rainfall before using that rain to electrify his opponent. This was evidence of Sasuke's high intellect and deductive skills.

Soon, Kabuto was forced onto both knees while screaming with agony before Sasuke's lightning dissipated. However, despite the ferocity and damage of Sasuke's technique, Kabuto was able to shrug it off and stand up after several moments.

"Is that the best you got? Orochimaru would do worse to me on a Thursday afternoon." Kabuto remarked before one again approaching Sasuke.

As Kabuto was barely 10ft away, Sasuke's entire body throbbed with pain from the poison that infected him. At the same time, the tomoe inside Sasuke's Sharingan began to spin and rotate.

Suddenly, each of Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan swirled into existence. The emergence of this powerful Doijutsu forced streams of blood to trail from Sasuke's eyes.

After several moments, blood began to drip onto the ground below Sasuke's downcast face. While this occurred, Kabuto stood barely 3ft in front from Sasuke while towering over him.

"How does it feel to fail?" As Kabuto spoke, the poison inside Sasuke's body began to spread.

"This kind of moment makes you think, doesn't it?" After speaking, Sasuke dragged his partially numb finger nails against the stone snake behind him.

"It makes me think about when you failed Naruto." While speaking, Kabuto spoke with a mocking tone that was eerily similar to Orochimaru.

These words forced the veins inside Sasuke's Sharingan to become flooded with blood. Afterwards, Sasuke glanced up with such frenzy that Kabuto briefly staggered backwards.

A crippling pain then erupted from Sasuke's right eye as he focused on Kabuto. During this, Kabuto continued to stagger backwards before he tripped at the last moment.

As Kabuto fell, his entire right arm was engulfed was chakra-filled black flames. Kabuto then hit the ground with a heavy thud before rolling over several times while screaming with pain.

As Kabuto's screams pierced the air, Sasuke abruptly closed his right eye as blood continued to pour from it. At the same time, Sasuke began to pant and gasp for air as his left Mangekyō Sharingan glared at Kabuto.

Despite the intense downpour of rain, the black fire across Kabuto's arm continued to burn. After several seconds, Kabuto's left hand was engulf with an aura of blue chakra before he quickly cut his right arm off at the shoulder before it fell to the ground.

This created a brief period of silence as each of the battling shinobi gasped for air. During this silence, the sound of heavy rainfall mixed with the black fires across Kabuto's severed right arm.

"I'm done here, I've learned all I need to know." Kabuto exclaimed before erupting into a dense puff of smoke.

Soon, each of Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan faded back to their 3-tomoe state before receding entirely. After this occurred, Sasuke titled his head back against the stone snake behind him as poison surged through his body.

Suddenly, the previous white snake that escorted Sasuke to this location slithered out from a nearby portion of marshland water. This snake then coiled up in front of the stone sculpture for several moments while Sasuke slowly faded from the world.

At this moment, the ancient eyes of the stone snake briefly glowed purple before its sacred mouth opened. This caused a stream of ancient yet purified water to pour into Sasuke's mouth, forcing him to briefly gag.

After catching his breath, Sasuke began drinking mouthfuls of this water to quench his thirst. Sasuke was so busy drinking that he didn't even notice when a medium-sized snake slithered up next to him.

This snake was easily over 20ft long but he was still just a baby, evidence that his mature size would be gigantic. His scales were dark blue, giving great contrast to his bright green snake-like eyes.

After Sasuke finally finished drinking, his wet mouth fell open with shock after noticing the close proximity of the blue snake. This created a tense period of rain-filled silence as Sasuke's black eyes reflected off the snake's green eyes.

"I've never seen a human before." The snake spoke with an oddly calm and soothing voice.

"What are you doing here, human?" As the snake spoke, his tongue slithered out various times while draping across Sasuke's blood-stained face.

Soon, the constant downpour of rain managed to finally wash the blood off Sasuke's face. Afterwards, the young Uchiha grinded his teeth together while scoffing with defeat.

"Let me guess, you're here to eat me cause I failed the trial?" Sasuke asked, confident that killing Kabuto was the trial.

"No, my name is Aoda and I'm the third trial." The blue snake explained before his tongue once again draped across Sasuke's face.

"So what's the deal? Do I beat you into submission or drag you back to the Sage?" Sasuke question, creating a brief period of silence.

"Drag me back to the Sage." Aoda remarked with a calm tone.

These words and the sense of serenity from them created great confusion inside the young Uchiha as he stared directly into Aoda's green eyes. After several moments, drops of rain began to drip from Sasuke's wet hair and face.

"I don't suppose you'll make that easy for me?" Sasuke asked before his entire body tensed as he prepared for combat.

"I don't mind." Aoda replied with a calm tone.

"What's your deal? You seem more calm than most snakes." Sasuke mumbled before Aoda's tongue dragged across his face in response.

"I'm quite simple, but I would like to know your name." Aoda responded.

"I'm Sasuke, but let's get this over with. I'm in a hurry." The young Uchiha explained before standing up.

Suddenly, Aoda nudged his face against Sasuke before the Uchiha fell down on his snout. Aoda then raised Sasuke into the air before turning around and slithering towards a distant forest.

As Sasuke rested on top of this blue snake, he began to fantasize about the future power that he would obtain. Power he could use to bring Naruto back.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

The blue snake known as Aoda escorted Sasuke to the front of Ryūchi cave before waiting outside. This caused the young Uchiha to once again enter Ryūchi cave completely alone, something that most men wouldn't even dream of doing.

This left Sasuke isolated in the dark tunnels of Ryūchi cave for what felt like hours as he struggled to find his way. After searching for so long, Sasuke was about to give up before he saw a pair of yellow snake eyes flicker in the distant.

"Oi! I finished the three trials, so train me already!" Sasuke ordered before stomping his right foot atop the stone ground.

This sound echoed and resonated through out the entirety of Ryūchi cave, displaying its sheer size. Soon, this sound was overwhelmed by a dense hissing, the hissing of a large reptile.

"You've done very well, are you ready for the next step?" The Snake Sage asked while slithering amongst unseen and dark corners.

"Yea, yea, Yeah! Hurry up!" Sasuke complained, creating a brief period of silence.

"Are you sure? This is a process that even Orochimaru barely survived. There will be no turning back." The Sage explained, earning a scoff from Sasuke in response.

"Hurry up!" Sasuke remarked, earning a sinister giggle in response.

At this moment, the White Snake Sage shot out from a distant corner before slithering towards Sasuke. The Sage then opened her mouth before a pair of retractable fangs unfolded out.

These large fangs then buried themselves into Sasuke's right shoulder before pumping pure Senjutsu energy into his body. This energy then overwhelmed Sasuke before he fell on both knees after the Snake Sage retracted her fangs.

Sasuke's screams then echoed throughout Ryūchi cave for what felt like minutes as his entire body began to burn from the inside. This pain soon forced Sasuke to faceplant into the cold ground before rolling with agony.

As time passed, the amount of pain coursing through Sasuke's body grew more intense and chaotic. Suddenly, this pain became so intense that Sasuke fell unconscious atop the floor of Ryūchi cave.

This filled the entire cave with a thick aura of darkness as the White Snake Sage towered over Sasuke's body. This was an important moment for Sasuke, a moment that would change his life forever.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A pair of black silhouette's walked down the moonlit dirt road outside of Konoha. Each of these figures wore the iconic Akatsuki robes as they slowly walked away from a distant Konoha in the background.

"I still don't think we had to retreat... Even if I couldn't deal with the 5th Hokage, I'm sure you could go toe-to-toe with him." Kisame proclaimed as half of his face was concealed by the bamboo hat he wore.

This created an extended period of silence as Itachi causally walked down the road ahead of Kisame. While this occurred, Itachi was deep in thought about his younger brother.

Shisui, it looks like your Mangekyō Sharingan was actually used on Sasuke. Itachi concluded, fully aware that Sasuke was under the subtle effects of Kotoamatsukami.

"I wonder... What are you thinking about right now, Itachi?" Kisame asked before giggling, unable to see Itachi's stern and rigid face.

Itachi was the very definition of unpredictable, even his own father could never understand what he was thinking. Because of this, Itachi was constantly mistrusted and suspected even by his own allies.

Instead of responding with words, Itachi allowed silence to fill the air as he and Kisame walked away from Konoha. After several moments of silence, Kisame's previous giggle evolved into a deep laughter.

"After all the time we've spent together. I like to think I understand you a little bit, Itachi." As he spoke, his words forced each of Itachi's crimson eyes to narrow.

"You wanted to kill you own brother with your hands, didn't you Itachi?" While speaking, each of Kisame's words were filled with a slight chuckle.

"You don't understand me, you don't even understand yourself." Itachi argued with a dry yet sincere tone.

"You haven't changed since the day we first met, you're still just some thug who got lost in the mist." After speaking, Kisame abruptly stopped walking mid step.

"You don't even know why you're here and you have no idea where you're going... Am I wrong?" After he spoke, Kisame pulled his bandaged blade loose with one hand.

Suddenly, Kisame sliced this massive weapon down with extraordinary strength, cutting Itachi in half before crashing into the ground. This created a small crater of crumbled earth and stone while Itachi's bisected body morphed into a swarm of crows.

"Hahahah... I always wanted to go head-to-head with you like this." Kisame chuckled as dozens of crows merged together barely 3ft behind him.

Soon, these crows contorted into Itachi with a reverse-grip kunai held in his right hand. This reappearance forced Kisame to turn around while swinging his bandaged blade out in a horizontal slash.

This blade was the legendary Samehada, one of the seven sacred swords that once belonged to Kiri. Despite the legendary name of this blade, Itachi managed to parry Kisame's attack with a normal kunai.

However, the force of this impact pushed Itachi backwards through the air over 10ft while his bamboo hat fell to the ground. At the same time, various sparks were created from this fierce collision.

While hovering through the air, Itachi preformed a backflip before landing atop the ground with one foot. Itachi then pushed off the ground with such force that a cloud of dust erupted from his previous location.

This push allowed Itachi to surge through the air towards Kisame while slicing his kunai out in a horizontal slice. However, Kisame was able to parry this attack by slashing his revered Samehada down in a vertical fashion.

This impact created a shower of sparks that sprayed across the nearby ground. Also, the weight of this collision forced the surrounding earth to crack and crumble.

Itachi's entire right arm then recoiled from the strength as Kisame's attack. At the same time, Kisame briefly staggered backwards before regaining his balance.

The elite fish-like shinobi then held his bandaged Samehada in a slanted vertical fashion in front of his chest. This allowed Kisame to parry a fierce upper kick from Itachi, a type of Taijutsu that was taught amongst Konoha Anbu.

The force of this kick caused Kisame to recoil while Itachi spun his entire body in a clockwise fashion. During this, Itachi also sliced his reverse-grip kunai out in a horizontal slash.

As Itachi's attack rushed out, Kisame once again sliced Samehada down in a vertical fashion. This caused each of the battling shinobi to inch closer towards one another as the entire world slowed down.

At the last moment, an orange masked figure abruptly appeared between Itachi and Kisame. This figure then fell victim to their fierce combination of attacks before falling on his back.

After attacking this figure, Itachi jumped back over 10ft while Kisame calmly stood over the unknown corpse. This corpse belonged to the oddest and strangest of all Akatsuki members, Tobi.

His outfit consisted of the iconic Akatsuki robes and shoes with a pair of grey pants. Underneath this robe, he wore a long-sleeve black shirt that covered his neck and the lower half of his face, matching his black gloves.

His most prominent feature was an orange mask with a spiral pattern that focused around his right eye, a 3-tomoe Sharingan eye. This orange mask greatly contrasted against the shinobi's short and spiky black hair.

Finally, he wore one of the ten iconic Akatsuki rings on his right pinkie finger. This ring had the kanji for 'Sign of the boar' engraved upon it with a deep forest green underneath.

Suddenly, this masked figured jumped up in a dramatic and comedic fashion. At the same time, a joy-filled smile spread as Kisame's face before he chuckled.

"Mom and dad! Stop fighting!" Tobi pleaded while waving his hands through the air.

Instead of responding with words, Itachi simply turned around before continuing his journey down the road. Because of this, Tobi grabbed Itachi's hat before comedically running past him and hiding behind a nearby tree.

Soon, Itachi approached this tree before Tobi poked his butt out and began to shake it. Afterwards, Tobi stuck his head out while partially holding Itachi's hat over his masked-face, as if he was flirting.

"Where are you going... Itachi-Senpai!" Tobi exclaimed with a joyful voice.

Despite this display of emotion, Itachi walked past Tobi without even acknowledging him. This forced the masked shinobi to dramatically cry, forcing Kisame to laugh.

After several moments, Kisame rested his massive Samehada atop his right shoulder before approaching Tobi. Kisame then wrapped his left arm around the crying Akatsuki member while he continued to laugh.

"Don't let Itachi bother you, Tobi. I for one really enjoy your cheerful personality, it brings light into our organization of doom and gloom." Kisame remarked before he and Tobi began trailing after Itachi.

"Do you think Itachi-Senpai would buy me some dumplings?" Tobi asked with pure innocence radiating from his voice.

"Heheh… I'm sure he would, if you asked politely." Kisame giggled in response.

As these three Akatsuki members continued to walk, they were on a journey back to their hideout inside the Land of Rivers. A journey that would be filled with jokes and puns from the comical Tobi.


	71. Chapter 71

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: kamui5 - Kabuto is a big deal because he's the main villain of Season two. He will continue to antagonize main characters and even side characters from the shadows, I stress from the shadows because Kabuto is an introvert.**

 **ArmouredxSaint -** **I feel like we're talking about two different flashbacks. That scene was a reference to when Nagato used the Gedo Mazo in front of Danzo. The scene you're talking about is when he summons the Gedo Mazo in front of Hanzo.**

 **The Gedo Mazo doesn't automatically 'rip out someone's chakra'. You're referring to when Nagato had the Gedo Mazo pierce his body with all those chakra-rods during his battle with Hanzo, but that has nothing to do with what I wrote.**

 **Zabuza is still alive because Naruto treated the Gedo Mazo like a summoning, like Obito during the 4th SWW or Nagato in front of Danzo. Naruto didn't have the chakra-rods pierce his body like Nagato did, so that little chakra-dragon thing that rips out chakra on contact isn't relevant.**

 **Also, if Naruto did copy Nagato, like you claim. Then Naruto would be left paralyzed and in a wheelchair just like Nagato. But Naruto isn't paralyzed because that's not how the Gedo Mazo works.**

 **The flashback you keep referring to has no basis or validity to this conversation. Because that scene clearly contrasted the difference between just summoning the Gedo Mazo (like Naruto), and having the Gedo Mazo pierce your body with chakra-rods. (like Nagato).**

 **I'm very analytical and introspective so If I see valid criticism, I will always agree. However, you're declaration about there being 'too many inconsistencies' is false. I do have problems with grammar but the overall plot is quite solid. (Except for Isobu)**

 **If the Gedo Mazo did automatically rip chakra out (like you claim). Then Choji and his father would have instantly died from just touching the Gedo Mazo during the 4th SWW. But that didn't happen because that's not how the Gedo Mazo works.**

 **If you still think I'm wrong or if you have evidence to prove I'm wrong, then please share that evidence or point me to it. But respectfully, I feel like you just don't understand what the Gedo Mazo actually does.**

 **GunBlade2019 -** **I've basically replaced Zetsu with Tobi and I'm honestly shocked with how well it works out. Zetsu is so insignificant and pointless that I can literally remove him from the story and basically no one cares or notices. Tobi is even wearing Zetsu's ring.**

 **The only reason Zetsu exists in canon is so Kishimoto can go 'Well, Zetsu was spying on everyone at the same time, that's why Zetsu knows everything'. But I personally think that's very lazy writing.**

 **Bkpro - Yes, because that's what an easter egg is.**

 **Lovesick97 - In terms of canon, you're correct but this isn't canon. Naruto spent six years with Iruka and since Kakashi constantly saved Naruto/Iruka, I figured it was common sense for Naruto to at least know his name.**

 **As of Chapter 1, Naruto didn't know what Kakashi looked like. But he still knows his name because that's how important Kakashi is, he constantly looked after Naruto from the shadows.**

 **In regards to your 2nd review, Naruto broke so easily in chapter one because he is an emotional child, just like Nagato. It was not some easy jab at the plot and it was not an ass pull at all, I've been foreshadowing a Nagato-like Naruto since chapter one.**

 **Naruto becoming emotional really isn't even that much of a stretch, canon Naruto cried like a baby when Iruka stood up for him. In response to 'just nerd them for the EASY plot', I don't understand how being a nerd is easy plot.**

 **If Naruto was some autistic sperglord (like canon) then yes Naruto's life, fighting, his character arc and development would be easy to understand. But saying a nerd is easy plot is just factual wrong, nerds are much more complicated than some retard.**

 **I'm genuinely curious, how is Naruto becoming a civilian realistic? No shinobi village would allow their** **jinchūriki to become some useless civilian, they're supposed to be weapons of wars.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 71: Karin's 13th Birthday! Adventure: The Land Of Steam.**

 _Wednesday 8:59am, June 20th 58SSP._

A smiling Karin pulled Naruto down a dirt-filled road with various trees and natural hot springs in the background. Karin had both hands clasped around Naruto's left hand and wrist, allowing her to notice just how warm he was.

Behind these two Uzumaki clan members was a calm Gaara and a furious Tayuya. The red-haired kunoichi grinded her teeth together with rage while staring at Karin.

Tayuya didn't understand why she was so mad, but she was pissed. The idea of Karin touching or kissing Naruto forced Tayuya's blood to boil with each thought

While these friends walked, a blind raven soared high overhead, barely even within sight. However, various black feathers also fell from the raven as it flew, blanketing the nearby air with feathers.

These group of friends were traveling down the western road in the Land of Steam. This land was otherwise known as the Land of Hot Water, a country renowned world-wide for its beautiful and natural hot springs.

The Land of Steam shared a border with the Land of Sound, the Land of Fire and the Land of Frost. The southern border to the Land of Steam was also coastal, allowing prosperous naval trade with the Land of Water, otherwise known as the Land of Mist.

The Land of Steam was home to the Hidden Village known as Yu, a shinobi village with strong inclinations towards pacifism. Yu prided itself as the village that had forgotten war.

Because of this, the shinobi of Yu worked inclusively inside the Land of Steam, keeping the road safe for tourists. However, this also meant that Yu's military power was rather insignificant and basically untrained compared to the five great nations.

Despite this lack of power, Yu's position as a neutral country preserved its beauty and innocence. Many young citizens in the Land of Steam had never even seen or experienced war.

"We're almost there! You'll pay for everything, right?" Karin asked while glancing back and smiling at Naruto.

"If it makes you happy. I hope you have a good birthday." Naruto muttered, forcing Tayuya to internally scream.

Soon, this group of friends approached a fork in the road with a signpost pointing in two opposite directions. The bottom sign pointed south to 'Yu' while the top sign pointed north to 'Bamboo town' and 'The Boiling Springs'.

Without even hesitating, Karin turned to the north while continuing to pull Naruto behind her. This action forced Tayuya to bite her own tongue while clenching her left fist with rage.

While this occurred, Gaara and Tayuya continued to trail after Naruto while bright rays of sunlight filled the air. After several moments, Gaara finally noticed the angry expression across Tayuya's face.

"Are you okay?" Gaara questioned with a polite and humble tone.

"Go choke on a dick." Tayuya retorted, filling Gaara with confusion.

The journey north then stretched on for what felt like hours as Tayuya glared at Karin with utter hatred. Tayuya even thought about trading Karin back for Dosu, because at least Dosu didn't touch Naruto.

Despite this vast level of hatred, Tayuya didn't even understand why she was so mad. Tayuya convinced herself that she didn't care about Naruto but that didn't stop her rage from swelling.

After walking for several minutes, this group of friends approached a nearby wooden inn, 'The Boiling Springs'. This inn surrounded a large and natural hot spring, one of many that filled the Land of Steam.

Karin heard about these hot springs on her journey through the Land of Sound but she never got to visit them. However, the young kunoichi was now going to utilize these hot springs in her plan to seduce Naruto.

This plan filled Karin with hope and joy as she pulled Naruto into the wooden inn. At the same time, Tayuya was filled with hatred and disgust while a new emotion spread through her body, jealousy.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Tayuya sat on the rock-covered side of a natural hot spring with both feet soaking in the warm water. Despite this comforting water and location, Tayuya was still filled with rage as she glared at the nearby Karin.

Karin stood knee-deep in the boiling water while giggling as she pressed her glasses up against her face. Karin had completely stripped down before wrapping a single white towel around her petite body.

This allowed Tayuya to notice dozens of bite marks that covered Karin's arms and legs. Some bite marks extended even further, covering her neck, stomach and thighs but Tayuya didn't care enough to ask about them.

In contrast to Karin, Tayuya still wore her standard outfit with linen fabric wrapped around her broken right arm. This fabric held Tayuya's arm against her nonexistent chest while her shoes were resting on the nearby ground.

The surrounding walls were basically just a narrow wooden fence, barely separating the extensive collection of hot springs. Many of these hot springs were segregated between girls and boys, separating the group of friends.

The air was filled with thick and dense steam that partially concealed everything from view. This steam soon forced Tayuya to sweat before she pulled her hat loose and tossed it to the ground.

This caused Tayuya's humid hair to cling against her sweaty neck and face. After several moments, a single drop of sweat dripped from her nose before falling into her lap.

"Do you think Naruto is naked yet?" Karin asked with a seductive tone.

This question greatly flustered Tayuya as the image of a naked Naruto briefly drifted through her mind. Afterwards, Tayuya shook the image from her head before hurling one of her shoes against the side of Karin's head.

The force of this impact knocked Karin's towel loose before she plummeted into the hot water with a heavy splash. This created a brief period of silence as Tayuya took of deep breath of air while kicking her feet through the water.

Soon, the bubbles from Karin's previous position began to cease without Tayuya even reacting. After several moments, Karin abruptly stood up from the water before dramatically pointing at Tayuya.

"What's your problem?!" Karin questioned, earning a hostile scoff in response.

"Your face is my fucking problem." Tayuya retorted.

"You're just mad because your arm is broken... So you can't hug Naruto!" Karin teased, causing Tayuya to throw her last shoe in response.

Karin was barely able to dodge this shoe before it soared through the air and slammed against a distant fence. This shoe then hit the ground with a heavy thud as Karin began to giggle.

"You know... I can help with that arm of yours, for a price." As she spoke, Karin pulled her glasses from her face before slightly blushing.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Tayuya remarked.

"I was hoping to be alone with Naruto... Maybe you could grab the sand kid and walk away for a few hours." Karin exclaimed, causing Tayuya to snort.

"That will never fucking happen." Tayuya protested.

Suddenly, Karin put her glasses on before sinking down into the water until only her head was visible. The young kunoichi then swam to Tayuya before grabbing each of her legs in a seductive fashion.

This action caused a sour expression to spread across Tayuya's face as a wet Karin brushed against her legs. At the same time, sweat continued to drip from Tayuya's nose while staining her cloths.

"What the fuck are you doing?" As she spoke, Karin began to blush while giggling.

"If you bite me, that arm of yours will heal right up... But then I want you to leave me and Naruto alone." Karin explained, earning a snort in response.

"That sounds gay as fuck, I'm not going to bite you. And, you'll never be alone with that lame nerd." Tayuya retorted.

"It's only gay if you like..." Karin giggled while standing up, causing her to brush between Tayuya's legs.

"Just bite me and you'll feel better, it's what I'm good at." While speaking, the sour expression on Tayuya's face shifted to confusion.

"And then when you feel better... You can leave Naruto and I alone." As she spoke, Karin leaned forward before rubbing her nose against Tayuya's.

This created a brief period of silence, a silence pierced only be Karin's giggling. During this, the expression of confusion across Tayuya's face remained prominent.

"You're weird." Tayuya muttered.

This statement caused Karin to lick the sweat off Tayuya's left cheek while giggling. Afterwards, Karin grabbed Tayuya's hand before pressing it against her naked and nonexistent chest.

"You're getting way to close." As Tayuya complained, she pulled her hand loose while Karin leaned in closer.

"Just bite me and you're arm will heal, I promise." Karin murmured before pressing her wet neck against Tayuya's sweat-stained mouth.

This created an extend period of silence as Tayuya tried to move her broken right arm only to fail. At the same time, Tayuya fantasized about finally being able to play her flute again without relying on Naruto for help.

This idea forced Tayuya to glance from side-to-side before biting into Karin's wet neck. As this occurred, Karin groaned in response while each of her trembling hands grabbed Tayuya's legs.

While Karin groaned, her entire face turned red as Tayuya's body was engulfed with an aura of green chakra. This chakra was the result of Karin's Healing Bite, an extremely rare and barely documented technique from the Uzumaki clan.

Because of this technique, Karin's chakra was drained and consumed by anyone who bit her, even herself. This chakra would then heal the person biting Karin at the cost of rapidly depleting her chakra reserves.

This technique could heal easily heal bones, wounds and muscles or even life-threatening injuries. However, this technique drained so much chakra that it was extremely lethal if used more than once a day.

Soon, the sound of bones popping back into place mixed with Karin's pleasure-filled groans. This abrupt recovery caused Tayuya to bite down even harder against Karin's neck, eager to get more chakra.

Karin was losing such a vast amount of chakra that she dragged her nails across Tayuya's legs. During this, Tayuya began to shift and move her right arm while the linen fabric slowly unraveled.

At this moment, a half naked Naruto walked past the nearby pink curtains that lined the entry way. His hair was soaking wet with various bangs hanging over his violet eyes while water dripped from his whiskers.

The only piece of fabric Naruto wore was a short white towel draped around his waist that barely concealed anything from view. This towel was a product of Karin's plan, she deliberately told the inn staff to give Gaara and Naruto short towels.

"Can you two quiet down? Me and Gaara are trying to relax." Naruto spoke out, forcing Tayuya to abruptly pull her teeth away from Karin's neck.

Afterwards, Tayuya quickly pushed Karin backwards while kicking her at the same time, This combination of assault forced Karin to fall into the water with a heavy splash before being completely submerged.

"You didn't see that!" Tayuya shrieked after standing up with alarming speed.

"See what?" Naruto mumbled as drops of water dripped from his whiskers.

This created an awkward period of silence as Tayuya glanced at the small towel around Naruto's waist. This towel brought attention to the black spiral-like seal that was sprawled across Naruto's stomach, the Eight Trigrams Seal.

"I'm leaving." Tayuya muttered before grabbing her hat and walking towards curtain-lined exit.

After glaring at Naruto for several moments, Tayuya glanced at the rock-covered ground while trying to walk past him. At the same time, Karin popped her head out from the water before swimming into the swallow water.

Karin then propped both arms atop the rock-covered ground that surrounded the hot springs. Afterwards, Karin briefly trembled as Tayuya glanced back at her with pure hatred.

"Get my fucking shoes out of the water when you're done." Tayuya ordered before loudly snorting.

"So you're leaving Naruto and I alone, right?" Karin asked with a seductive smile.

This statement forced Tayuya to kick a small bundle of rocks towards Karin in response. However, Karin managed to duck under the water just in time to dodge these projectiles before resurfacing.

"You're so fucking annoying. Stop trying to touch him!" Tayuya exclaimed.

Because of the high temperature in the hot springs, sweat continued to drip from Tayuya's nose as she glared at Karin. While this occurred, Karin was smiling as she looked at Naruto.

"Touch who?" Naruto mumbled as he walked up behind Tayuya.

This question caused Tayuya to abruptly toss her hat over her shoulder, causing the soft fabric to smash against his whiskered face. Afterwards, Naruto's left hand grabbed Tayuya's hat before it fell to the ground.

"I'm glad to see your arm looks better, did Karin do that?" After he spoke, Tayuya snorted in response.

"Hey Naruto... Do you think we could hang out? Maybe sit in the hot springs together and just talk?" Karin asked while looking past Tayuya.

"If it makes you happy." Naruto remarked, forcing a disgusted scowl to stretch across Tayuya's face.

"Shut the fuck up nerd." Tayuya barked without even looking at Naruto.

"And you! Stop all your touchy and flirty bullshit. Why do you keep acting like he's your boyfriend?" As she spoke, Tayuya pointed at Karin with an accusatory glare

"I could ask you the same thing." Karin interjected with a wide smile across her face.

This response briefly stunned Tayuya before she stuttered numerous times with embarrassment. During this moment of embarrassment, Tayuya forgot how close Naruto actually was.

"I'm leaving." Tayuya spat out before turning around.

Suddenly, Tayuya twitched after bumping against a half naked Naruto before staggering backwards. Tayuya then tripped over a pile of rocks before falling towards the hot springs water.

As Tayuya fell, Naruto reached out with his right hand before she dragged him into the water with her. This action created a heavy splash of water before Karin stared at Tayuya with utter jealousy.

Tayuya's was laying on her back while her entire outfit was soaked with water, washing the sweat from her face and body. Tayuya's face was also bombarded with various water drops that dripped from Naruto's whiskers as he hovered above her.

The force of their fall knocked Naruto's towel loose, causing Tayuya to blush for the first time in her entire life. This blush quickly faded as she pushed Naruto away before standing up and kicking water against Karin's face.

"Fuck you, bitch! Now I'm soaking wet!" After she spoke, Tayuya kicked even more water against Karin's face.

"You're the one who freaked out and fell backwards..." Karin murmured.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya brushed past Naruto before stepping out of the hot springs. At the same time, Karin started swimming towards Naruto.

"So you're going to leave us alone?" As she spoke, Karin's voice was filled with pure joy.

These words forced Tayuya to turn around before grabbing Naruto's left wrist and dragging him behind her. Tayuya then ignored numerous complaints and insults from Karin as she dragged Naruto past the curtain-lined entry way.

"Tayuya... I don't have a towel." Naruto mumbled.

"Shut the fuck up." Tayuya complained before dragging Naruto into an empty locker room.

"Which one of these is yours?" After speaking, Tayuya tossed Naruto's wrist aside.

Naruto then pointed past Tayuya at a nearby woven basket rested against the wall, one of many that lined the room. Tayuya then pulled this basket loose before dropping it to the ground and rummaging through it.

After several moments, Tayuya pulled Naruto's Anbu robe loose before measuring it against her wet body. During this, Tayuya had the brief idea to turn around and look at Naruto, an idea that was quickly shook from her mind.

"I'm going to wear your cloths since you ruined mine." While she spoke, Tayuya began to unravel her rope-like purple belt.

"What am I going to wear?" Naruto asked before Tayuya threw her belt against his face in response.

"Just do that lame shit where you clone an outfit." Tayuya remarked.

Tayuya then pulled her wet tunic loose with one hand, revealing her bare and naked back to Naruto. This revelation forced Tayuya to abruptly freeze as an odd feeling swelled inside her stomach.

Instead of acknowledging this feeling, Tayuya tossed her wet tunic over her right shoulder. This bundled of wet fabric then smashed against Naruto's face with a heavy squish before falling to the ground.

After Tayuya's tunic fell to the ground, she found herself unable to take off her shorts in front of Naruto. This realization filled Tayuya with embarrassment, unable to understand why she even cared.

This created an extended period of silence as Tayuya downcast her face while pressing Naruto's outfit against her nonexistent chest. While this occurred, Naruto shook his head from side-to-side, knocking drops of water to the ground.

Tayuya then internally struggled for several minutes, unable to change her outfit in front of Naruto. At the same time, Tayuya didn't want to send Naruto outside incase Karin was looking for him.

"Is something wrong?" Naruto asked while water dripped from his partially dried hair.

"Clone this shit then turn around." Tayuya ordered before tossing Naruto's Anbu robe over her left shoulder.

After Naruto caught this robe, it quickly erupted into a puff of smoke that took several moments to dissipate. After this smoke faded, Naruto was already wearing his Anbu robe while another pair was held in his right hand.

Naruto then walked up behind Tayuya before leaning his head over her right shoulder. During this, the odd feeling inside Tayuya's stomach spread to her heart and throat.

"Are you okay?" Naruto whispered into Tayuya's ear, causing her entire body to briefly twitch.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya snagged the Anbu robes from Naruto's hand while staring at the floor. Tayuya then pulled this black outfit over her body, ignoring her soaking wet shorts and armbands.

"Hey... Nerd." Tayuya mumbled while crossing both arms in front of her nonexistent chest.

"Yes, Tayuya?" Naruto answered, causing Tayuya's stomach to fluster at the sound of his voice.

"We need to hang out alone sometime so you teach me jutsu, or some shit... " Tayuya murmured before a brief silence filled the air.

"Alone? So like a date?" Naruto questioned.

This question forced Tayuya to abruptly turn around before shoving Naruto against a nearby wall. Afterwards, Tayuya stole Naruto's shoes from his woven basket before placing them on her feet.

"Fuck no. I meant we should be alone so no one can bother me while I learn shit." Tayuya explained with an embarrassed tone.

"We can do that, if it makes you happy." Naruto exclaimed, creating a sad expression across Tayuya's face.

"I'm never happy..." Tayuya whispered before staring at the floor.

This created an awkward period of silence as Tayuya tried to combat her embarrassment. At the same time, a deep frown sprawled across Naruto's face.

Suddenly, each of Tayuya's brown eyes bulged with shock as Naruto wrapped both arms around her waist. Naruto then pulled Tayuya close before nuzzling his whiskers against her face, forcing her heart to race.

"I don't want you to be sad, does this help?" Naruto asked, forcing Tayuya to stutter numerous times.

Tayuya wanted to pushed Naruto away but he was so warm and cozy that several of her attempts failed. During this, Naruto's grip around Tayuya's waist tightened, forcing the young kunoichi to bite her lip.

"Fu-... Fuck you! Buy me food." Tayuya stuttered.

Soon, Tayuya once again tried to push Naruto away before catching a glimpse of his violet eyes. These eyes forced Tayuya's legs to briefly twitch before she wrapped her arms around Naruto for support.

"I can buy you food." Naruto remarked before sweeping Tayuya off her feet and holding her bridal style.

This action briefly flustered Tayuya as she stuttered before kicking her feet through the air. Tayuya hated the idea of being treated like some baby so she didn't want to be held like one.

"Whatever... Just feed me already." Tayuya complained.

This was a very important yet embarrassing moment for Tayuya as she stared at the floor. The first moment in her entire life when she was actually honest to someone other than herself.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Karin was walking down a short and wooden hallway with fresh water dripping from her hair and body. This kunoichi was covered by a single towel that barely managed to conceal anything from view.

"Damn... That was the perfect opportunity to-..." Karin mumbled before she abruptly stopped walking mid step.

The image of a naked Naruto then pierced Karin's mind as she began to giggle in a seductive manner. During this, Karin's glasses began to sparkle and glimmer in a dramatic fashion.

"Oh well, it's fine... Because at least I got a hold of this." As she spoke, Karin's left hand pulled a solid brown toothbrush loose.

This toothbrush was one of many that were built and made inside the Land of Wind. Giving it a unique aesthetic and design compared to other toothbrushes.

However, Karin assumed this toothbrush was Naruto's so she stole it for some unknown purpose. This conclusion filled Karin with pure joy as she constantly giggled before disappearing around a nearby corner.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A half naked Gaara stood inside an isolated locker room while rummaging through his basket of cloths. The elite sand jinchūriki was searching for his toothbrush.

During this extensive search, water dripped from Gaara's wet hair as his small towel barely concealed anything from view. Soon, Gaara sighed in a loud and dramatic fashion before continuing his search.

Where did my toothbrush go? Gaara asked himself.

Gaara had no idea that his toothbrush was being held prisoner by the wicked and perverted Karin. Also, Gaara didn't even know about the approaching battle that was racing towards him and his new friends.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Hidan and Kakuzu walked beside one another on the western road leading into the Land of Steam. This was the exact same path and road that Naruto and his friends traveled on earlier in the morning.

"Geez, I hate being back in this crappy land." Hidan complained, earning a scoff from Kakuzu in response.

In the past, Hidan was arguably the most powerful and distinguished shinobi from the Hidden Village known as Yu. Because of this, Yu's recent transition into a neutral power was strongly opposed by Hidan.

Hidan was such a devote follower of Jashin that he believed violence was a good thing, even necessary. However, he was unable to prevent Yu's transition into a peaceful power.

Because of his failure, Hidan became a Rogue ninja before slaughtering dozens of Yu shinobi as he left the village. Ever since then, Hidan has openly mocked and criticized the Land of Steam for its weakness.

The Land of Steam also had another name, known as the Land of Hot Water due to its natural hot springs. But critics of Yu's pacifism would even insult their name, calling them the 'Land of Warm Water' because their military was so weak.

Many of Yu's own shinobi even acknowledged their flawed pursuit of peace specifically because of Hidan. Instead of dealing with their Rogue ninja like any other shinobi village, Yu basically ignored Hidan so they didn't have to get involved.

"Stop talking, or I'll kill you." Kakuzu mumbled.

"Like I said before, just try!" Hidan chuckled in response.

"I don't want your heart." Kakuzu muttered.

Soon, the pair of traveling Akatsuki members approached a fork in the road with a signpost pointing in two opposite directions. The bottom sign pointed south to 'Yu' while the top sign pointed north to 'Bamboo town' and 'The Boiling Springs'.

"Hmmm." Hidan hummed while gripping his chin in a inquisitive manner.

"I could probably get a few sacrifices in if we swing past Yu... So let's head south." After he spoke, Kakuzu scoffed in response.

"We're looking for jinchūriki, not sacrifices. I think we should search the most remote places before we check the major hubs." Kakuzu argued.

"The one tails is a made of sand, right? No way that thing would be near water." Hidan protested, causing Kakuzu's eyes to briefly twitch.

"That might be the smartest statement that ever came out of your mouth." Kakuzu murmured before walking past his teammate.

The pair of elite Akatsuki members then began their long journey south on the road towards Yu. During this, the air was filled with Hidan's twisted and sadistic laughter.

"You're such a nuisance, quiet down or I'll kill you." As he spoke, Hidan continued to laugh.

"Ah shit, you're such a downer." Hidan chuckled.

Suddenly, Kakuzu's entire left fist turned solid black before he swung it backwards in a counter clockwise fashion. As this fist approached, Hidan unsheathed his scythe with a blur of speed before parrying Kakuzu's attack with his extended hilt.

This action caused the sound of stone striking metal to fill the air, as if Kakuzu's hand was as strong as stone. Also, the surrounding ground cracked under the weight of dense chakra.

"Hmhmhm… Gotcha." Despite his laughter, Hidan's tone became more serious and rigid than previously displayed.

This created a tense period of silence as the pair of Akatsuki members glared at one another. After several moments, Kakuzu scoffed before turning around and continuing his walk towards Yu.

"Lousy son of a bitch." Kakuzu spoke out as his left hand faded back to its normal color and tone.

"I don't have time to messy with you right now." After speaking, Kakuzu began mentally counting the Ryo from Naruto's bounty.

"But someday, our mission will be complete and my schedule will be wide open." After he spoke, an angry scowl stretched across Kakuzu's masked face as he walked away from Hidan.

"There you go again, acting like I can die." Hidan mumbled with a carefree tone before sheathing his scythe across his back.

Soon, the pair of elite Akatsuki members were consumed by a fog of dense steam that rose from a nearby hot spring. This allowed Hidan and Kakuzu to each disappear into the steam as they continued their search for jinchūriki.


	72. Chapter 72

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: This chapter is an easter egg to Samurai Jack. For those of you who are curious, the music is James L. Venable - Samurai Jack And The Rave.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 72: Move To The Beat! Naruto And T** **he Rave.**

 _Wednesday 7:47pm, June 20th 58SSP._

Rays of fading sunlight faintly sparkled down on the southern coastline in the Land of Steam, illuminating two silhouettes. These silhouette's were the pair of Akatuski members known as Deidara and Sasori, an artistic duo.

Each of these Akatsuki members were surrounded by various hot springs and cherry blossom trees. This combination of natural springs and beautiful trees gave off an aspiring sight while filling the air with the sweat scent of cherry.

However, Deidara and Sasori were both staring past these beautiful surroundings, focused on a distant inn that sat atop a hill. This inn housed various hot springs that were a natural attraction for tourists inside the Land of Steam.

"Art..." Deidara mumbled with a sexual tone as he stared at the distant inn.

Deidara was 19 years old with slanted sky blue eyes and long golden blond hair that was drawn into a half ponytail with the rest hanging down freely. There was also a chin-length bang hanging over his left eye, partially concealing the entire left side of his face from view.

Because of his extensive hairstyle, it was difficult to notice the scratched headband of Iwa that was worn over his forehead with red fabric. This fabric deeply contrasted Deidara's pale-skinned face and hands, hands that each had a mouth on each palm.

His outfit consisted of the iconic Akatsuki robe and shinobi shoes with grey pants. Underneath this, he wore a sleeveless V-neck shirt with a midriff, along with mesh armor that covered everything between his waist and ankles.

He also wore a utility belt underneath his robe with various bags that were attach to it, containing some unknown substance. Finally, he wore one of the ten iconic Akatsuki rings on his right index finger, a teal ring with the kanji for 'blue' engraved upon it.

At this moment, the distant inn erupted into a fierce explosion of concentrated bombs, a result of Deidara's technique. This collection of explosions shook the entire earth in a 60ft radius as Deidara raised both arms into the air with joy.

"Is an explosion!" As he cheered, Sasori quietly mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, a dense gust of wind blew in from the south, forcing dozens of pink leaves to float around the pair of Akatsuki members. These leaves forced Deidara to briefly groan before wrapping both arms around his own body, hugging himself.

"It's art..." As Deidara spoke, his entire face began to blush.

"I still don't understand what your art is about." Sasori mumbled while staring at the ground.

Because Sasori was a master puppeteer, he constantly pushed the boundaries on what was considered possible. This allowed the elite Rogue ninja to even turn humans into puppets, tools that he could manipulate and control.

This is exactly what Sasori was doing right now from within his puppet known as Hiruko. Usually, a puppeteers weakness was close combat but Sasori managed to invent a genius counter method to that problem, he used Hiruko as both armor and a weapon.

This meant that Sasori was constantly focusing chakra into the same puppet that concealed his true appearance from view. Because of this, very few Akatsuki members would even recognize Sasori outside of his Hiruko-shell puppet.

This puppet was a hunchbacked figure who was barely over 3ft tall and covered from neck to toe with the iconic Akatsuki robe. The only visible part of Hiruko was his tan-skinned face with a black piece of fabric that concealed his mouth from view.

This fabric matched his narrow and lifeless eyes aswell as the spiky hair that was sprawled across his partially bald head. Hiruko himself was once a great shinobi from Iwa but Sasori murdered him before transforming his corpse into a puppet.

"My art is like a flower, it's fleeting and momentary. My art is evanescent and that's why it's so beautiful." Deidara explained.

"If something lasts forever then it automatically loses beauty and artistic value. Because the more you have of something, the less valuable it acquires." As he spoke, Deidara was displaying an unusually high amount of knowledge for his young age.

"Yea, yea... Let's keep moving, we're supposed to be looking for the six tails." Sasori mumbled before shuffling off towards a distant pathway in the forest.

For several moments, Deidara stared off at the distant pillar of smoke and fire that his jutsu created, a beautiful stain of art on the world. Afterwards, Deidara turned around before running after his teammate, eager to become a master artist like Sasori.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of boiling hot springs mixed with rushing water and chirping birds as the sun fully set behind the distant horizon. This blanketed the entire land with darkness as Naruto, Gaara, Karin and Tayuya walked down a narrow dirt road.

Karin and Tayuya now each wore the same Anbu black robes that Gaara and Naruto did, allowing all of them to match. However, Tayuya still wore her rope-like purple belt tied around her petite waist, an iconic piece of fabric from inside the Land of Sound.

This road was a pathway that lead to Bamboo Village, a remote settlement in the northern outskirts of the Land of Steam. Because of the vast distance from Yu, Bamboo Village was basically a defenseless town with no aid from their shinobi village.

True to its name, Bamboo Village was a settlement constructed entirely out of Bamboo, including beds and furniture. This feature gave the village a rather unique aesthetic and art style.

Suddenly, Tayuya yawned into her right hand while the sound of nearby owls could be heard. At the same time, the group of traveling friends each noticed the silhouette of Bamboo Village in the distance.

This sight forced Tayuya to abruptly walk past Naruto before leading the way into the village. As these friends entered the village, they each noticed that the entire place seemed abandoned, as if no one was home.

Soon, Tayuya led her friends through various streets, alleyways and staircases as she searched for an inn. During this, the only sound that could be heard was the distant crying of owls that mixed with Tayuya's loud footsteps.

After several moments, the sound of rushing water filled the air as Tayuya entered a courtyard with a large fountain in the center. Afterwards, Tayuya froze mid step before a wide smile spread across her face as she stared at a nearby building with a signpost that said 'Inn'.

Tayuya then ran towards the front door of this building before pushing it up as the sound of a man crying filled the air. Despite this loud crying, Tayuya still had a wide smile across her face as she daydreamed about a warm bed.

As Tayuya entered this building, her friends soon followed before closing the door behind them. A sad expression then stretched across Gaara's and Naruto's face as they finally heard the sound of a man crying.

This crying originated from a downcast elderly man who sat behind a nearby desk that was worn and partially rotten. Cobwebs covered the ceiling and distant corners of the room while a faint fire flickered in and out of existence in the nearby fireplace.

Various dead animals were hung and held against the nearby walls like some type of trophy, each of them giving off a life-like appearance. Also, there were multiple separate doors and pathways that lined the room, each of them leading to a different location.

Ignoring her surroundings, Tayuya basically skipped with joy towards the crying innkeeper before standing in front of his desk for several seconds. The joyful expression across her face then shifted to rage after the man failed to notice her.

Tayuya then sighed in a dramatic manner before tapping her right hand atop a nearby bell on the check-in desk, ringing for customer service. This bell caused the downcast man to finally stop sniffling before he slowly raised his head while a fake smile spread across his face.

He was a rather obese man with fair skin and bright orange hair that was partially balding on top. He also had a pencil thin neck beard with various strands of poorly grown hair protruding out.

His outfit consisted of a long sleeve pale green shirt worn underneath a pair of vertically striped green and white overalls. Finally, he wore a pair of brown civilian shoes on his feet.

"This is an inn, right?" Tayuya asked while tears continued to stream from the elderly mans face.

"Yn-... Yen-... Yes.." The man sniffled.

After he spoke, the elderly man abruptly slammed his face against his desk before crying with sheer pain. This action forced Tayuya to cross both arms in front of her nonexistent chest while repeatedly tapping her right foot atop the floor.

"I want a room, four of them." Tayuya ordered.

This statement caused the elderly man to stand up from his chair before shuffling towards a nearby pathway. During this, Gaara and Naruto were filled with utter pity while Tayuya couldn't care less.

This elderly man then escorted the group of four friends up a flight of stairs and a long bamboo hallway that was lined with various doors. While this occurred, the man continued to cry as he walked.

Soon, the man unlocked a nearby door before walking into a cobweb-filled room that was lined with four separate beds. Instead of escorting Tayuya to four different rooms, he just gave her a single room with four different beds.

"This is the be-... Bed..." The elderly man stuttered before sniffling.

"This is the bathroom..." As he spoke, the man opened a nearby door that had a simple bucket in the middle of the floor.

The man then walked across the cobweb-filled room before approaching a single bamboo window that filled the room. This window allowed fresh gusts of cold air to blow in from the night sky.

"A-... An-... And this is... The window!" After speaking, the elderly man busted into loud fit of crying before burying his face into both hands.

"This isn't what I fucking wanted." Tayuya complained.

Tayuya then prepared to verbally assault the elderly man before Naruto abruptly grabbed her right hand. This action forced Tayuya's heart to race before she quickly ripped her hand away and staggered backwards.

"I'm sorry about my friend, she's very sleepy." Naruto apologized.

Instead of responding with words, the elderly man continued to cry as he turned around and walked towards the door. At the same time, Tayuya was still flustered and confused from Naruto grabbing her hand.

"Is there something wrong?" After Naruto spoke, the elderly man stopped walking right in front of the door.

This question created a brief period of silence as the man sniffled for several seconds in an attempt to organize his words. During this, Karin was subtly planning out various strategies to sneak into Naruto's bed after everyone else went to sleep.

"The music..." The man exclaimed before violently slamming the door shut behind him.

This response forced Gaara and Naruto to each ponder his words while Tayuya jumped atop a nearby bed. A disgusted expression then sprawled across her face after she realized how uncomfortable this bed actually was.

"Music?" Naruto mumbled before a hypnotic techno beat filled the air.

This musical beat originated deep from within the surrounding forests but its effect could still be heard inside Bamboo Village. Because of her expertise in Genjutsu, Tayuya quickly noticed this music was a low-level form of Sound Genjutsu, basically just a ripped off version of her own techniques.

However, Tayuya and her friends were so far away from this beat that they were unaffected by its magically property. Despite this, each of them could still hear the addictive and hypnotic techno beat that echoed through the night air.

This addictive beat caused Naruto to approach the nearby window before partially poking his head out. This allowed Naruto to notice hundreds of bright crimson eyes that flickered to life across a distant tree-line.

Soon, dozens of shadowy figures began walking towards Bamboo Village with a rhythmic beat in their step. Each of these figures were illuminated by brightly flashing necklaces, hats, shoes, belts and countless other accessories.

As they walked, some of these figures twirled flashing staves through the air while other sucked on flashing pacifiers. Once these figures entered the village, Naruto finally noticed each of them were teenagers, barely older than he was.

Despite these strange circumstances, Naruto was completely calm because of the extended memories granted to him by Orochimaru. While this occurred, Karin was staring at Naruto with a seductive smile.

The group of flashing teenagers then transformed into a mob as they picked up rocks and began to riot through the village. Homes, buildings and shops were stormed, attacked and assaulted.

This display of violence shocked Naruto as Gaara rushed to the window beside him. At the same time, Tayuya was already in bed as Karin was trying to push her bed next to Naruto's.

Naruto then slid the bamboo window open as an enraged expression spread across his face. Afterwards, this expression morphed into pity once the elderly innkeeper ran outside.

"Olivia!? Olivia!" The elderly man screamed before approaching a nearby girl.

Oliva was a fair-skinned 16 year old girl with short purple hair that was tied into a two separate buns on top of her head, similar to Tenten. She also wore a pair of transparent red glasses that magnified the red glow radiating from her eyes.

The red from Olivia's eyes matched her shoes, watch, belt and the stripped choker around her neck. Also, she wore solid red cargo pants with a fingerless red glove on her right hand and a skin tight red shirt with various belts strapped across it.

At this moment, Olivia picked up a nearby rock before tossing it through a nearby wooden window, shattering it in the process. Afterwards, her father ran towards her with tears streaming from his eyes.

"No Olivia, please! Don't you recognize me?" As he spoke, dozens of hypnotized teenagers flooded the nearby streets.

"Olivia! It's me, your father! It's Zunoki!" After speaking, the man cornered his daughter before embracing her with both arms.

This action forced each of Olivia's eyes to twitch as the bright red color briefly dissipated. At the same time, a sad expression spread across her face.

"Please snap out of it dear!" After pleading, various other teenagers began to surround him.

Suddenly, the hypnotic techno music that filled the air increased in volume and density. This music grew so loud that numerous trees in the distance were vibrating from the heavy bass that resonated through the air.

As this heavy beat echoed through the air, bright rays of moonlight sparkled down on Bamboo Village. Soon, Olivia's eyes once again turned solid red before she shoved her father to the ground.

"No honey, no! This isn't who you are!" These words had no effect on Olivia as she picked up a spear from the ground.

Olivia then gripped this weapon with both hands before raising it into the air. During this, her father began to cower while holding both arms in front of his face, unable to strike out against his own daughter.

Olivia then swung her spear down in a vertical slash before Naruto grabbed the hilt of her weapon at the last moment. Afterwards, Naruto shattered this flimsy piece of wood with his bare hand, creating a minor shockwave that knocked Olivia to the ground.

This shockwave garnished the attention of the nearby teenagers as they each turned and glared at Naruto with their crimson eyes. Each of these teenagers wore various pieces of fabric that flashed a different color, like something worn at a rave.

"Please don't hurt them! They're children!" Zunoki pleaded, confirming Naruto's suspicions.

Several teenagers then lunged forward at Naruto before multiple streams of sand erupted from the ground and restrained them. Gaara then leaped out from the nearby inn before landing atop a cloud of sand that formed in midair.

After several moments, the encompassing musical beat from the distant forest began to fade and dissipate. Because of this, Olivia and every other teenager that wasn't restrained by Gaara's sand began to retreat back to the forest.

Soon, the ground underneath Gaara's prisoners shifted into quick sand, swallowing each of them to their necks. This prevented any ability to move despite the hypnotic glare that flickered through their crimson eyes.

"No Olivia! Don't go, come back!" As Zunoki spoke, he ran for several feet before falling on both knees.

"Who are these teenagers?" Gaara asked as his cloud of sand hovered next to the ground before he stepped off.

"The Children of Kabuto..." Zunoki cried in response, causing each of Naruto's violet eyes to narrow.

I see, so Kabuto went ahead with his plan then. Naruto remarked as the memories of Orochimaru fueled his thoughts.

Months ago, Kabuto proposed the notion of creating and distributing music amongst the neighbor lands to recruit children. However, Orochimaru rejected this plan so he could specifically focus on Konoha.

But ever since Orochimaru's disappearance, Kabuto had been free to roam the world like some carefree tyrant. This was a realization that greatly troubled Naruto, he would have to hunt Kabuto down eventually.

"My daughter was innocent once, but then she came home with this!" After he spoke, Zunoki pulled a multi-colored CD envelop loose.

This envelop was engraved with the phrase 'Children Of Kabuto' in a twisted and gothic font. Also, the envelop was a colorful mixture of purple, red, green and black that swirled around the central silhouette of a figure that resembled Kabuto.

At this moment, a stream of sand gently pulled the envelope from Zunoki's hand before giving it to Gaara. At the same time, the impatient Tayuya hopped out from her bed before stomping over to the opened window.

"My little girl has never been the same since that night... She became... She became one to them..." As he spoke, Zunoki once again began to cry.

As this man continued to cry, Naruto and Gaara each walked past him before heading towards the distant forest. During this, both Karin and Tayuya were poking their heads out from the nearby inn

"Wai-... Wait! Where are you going?" Zunoki stuttered.

"To free your daughter, and the rest of the children." Naruto remarked without even turning around.

Suddenly, a shoe was thrown through the air at Naruto before it was deflected and knocked to the ground by some unseen force. Afterwards, Tayuya jumped out from the nearby window before landing atop the ground with a slight thud.

"Bullshit! I thought we're supposed to be looking for jinchūriki." Tayuya scoffed with annoyance.

Tayuya then walked up next to Naruto before picking her shoe up and putting it back on her foot. While this occurred, Karin was daydreaming about being alone with Naruto as she stared and smiled at him.

"We'll keep looking tomorrow. Gaara and I can handle this while you and Karin sleep." Naruto explained, earning a snort in response.

"I can't sleep in this shithole! The bed is so fucking uncomfortable." Tayuya complained.

While this conversation unfolded, a blind raven flew over neighboring streets and house while soaring towards Naruto. This raven then landed atop Naruto's left shoulder as various black feathers floated through the nearby air.

"It's just one night, Tayuya. It won't take long." Naruto replied.

"Fuck you! We wasted all morning at the hot springs because of that annoying bitch and now I'm stuck in this town all night?" Tayuya once again complained before crossing both arms in front of her nonexistent chest.

"It's her birthday, Tayuya." Naruto exclaimed before Tayuya violently poked him in his nose, causing his raven to soar into the air.

"And what about my fucking birthday?" Tayuya questioned before stomping her right foot atop the ground.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto grabbed each of Tayuya's hands with his own before pulling her close. This action forced Tayuya to stutter before trying to push Naruto away multiple times only to fail.

Over the past few days, Naruto noticed that Tayuya would always stutter or briefly pause whenever he touched her. Because of this, Naruto recently began touching Tayuya anytime he wanted her to calm down.

Soon, Tayuya staggered backwards before leaning against a nearby wall while her heart race and her legs twitched. During this, Naruto leaned forward before nuzzling his whiskers against Tayuya's face.

This nuzzling greatly upset Karin as she was filled with pure jealousy before creating a plan to get inside Naruto's pants. At the same time, a calm and slightly confused Gaara patiently waited to leave.

"What do you want for your birthday, Tayuya?" Naruto asked.

This questioned created a brief period of silence as Tayuya's heart became flustered from hearing Naruto's voice. Afterwards, Tayuya tried to push Naruto away but he was so warm and comfortable that she didn't want to.

"I want you to kiss my fucking ass!' Tayuya shouted before snorting.

Suddenly, Naruto dropped each of Tayuya's hands before wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and pulling her close. Tayuya was so close to Naruto that an odd feeling swelled inside her chest before spreading to her throat.

"If it makes you happy." Naruto mumbled, forcing Tayuya to bite her own lip out of embarrassment.

Tayuya tried to speak but the odd feeling inside her throat prevented any words from coming out. While this occurred, Tayuya briefly gasped as Naruto rubbed his nose against hers.

At this moment, Karin appeared behind Naruto before joyfully pulling on the back of his outfit, garnishing his attention. This allowed Tayuya to finally break free from Naruto's hug before she noticed that each of her hands were sweaty and trembling.

Karin then hugged Naruto directly in front of Tayuya, filling her chest with jealousy as she grinded her teeth together. During this, Naruto pressed both hands into the iconic Clone Seal while Karin continued to hug him.

This forced the pair of Uzumaki clan members to erupt into a cloud of smoke before a 2nd Naruto came into view. This new Naruto was also grabbed by Karin before she hugged each Naruto with one arm.

"Two at the same time? That sound's great!" Karin exclaimed before Tayuya pushed her to the ground.

As Karin fell, a stream of sand softened her fall at the last moment before helping her stand back up. Karin then pointed at Tayuya with an accusatory glare while screaming various insults.

The pair of red-haired kunoichi then rushed towards one another before Naruto appeared between them. Naruto then grabbed each of them by the hand, forcing Karin to blush as Tayuya became flustered.

"I'll send a clone with Gaara while I stay here myself, is that okay?" Naruto questioned before Karin seductively wrapped both arms around his waist.

"Send that bitch too! I'd rather be alone with you instead of having her around." Tayuya complained after ripping her hand free from Naruto.

"Tayuya, you and Karin are the only two that actually need to sleep." Naruto explained, earning a loud snort in response.

"It would be best if Gaara and I went, but I can also stay here and teach you some technique's until we get back?" As he spoke, Tayuya's eyes briefly sparkled.

Tayuya then grabbed Naruto by the wrist before dragging him past Zunoki and into the nearby inn. Afterwards, Karin ran after them while planning multiple strategies to get inside Naruto's pants.

This left Zunoki, Gaara and a clone of Naruto isolated in the dimly lit streets as a blind raven flew in a circle overhead. After several moments, Gaara and Naruto each turned around before walking through multiple abandoned streets.

Soon, this pair of jinchūriki each disappeared into the moon-lit village while a blind raven flew overhead. At the same time, Zunoki began to treat and feed each of the hypnotized teenagers that Gaara trapped in quick sand.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Gaara and Naruto each journeyed through a dense and dark forest that was lit only by faint rays of moonlight. Allowing them to sneak, dash and hide behind various trees in their search for teenagers.

After traveling for several minutes, the faint sound of an addictive techno beat filled the night air before Naruto and Gaara hid inside a thick bush. Afterwards, dozens of separate teenagers began walking through the surrounding woods towards the musical beat.

Each of these teenagers wore colorful and flashing outfits that neither of the jinchūriki had ever seen before. Many of these teenagers even wore matching outfits that all flashed one vibrant color.

These bright colors forced Naruto and Gaara to each glance at one another before checking out their own outfits. There was no way they could blend in if they kept wearing their Anbu robes.

The realization caused each of the jinchūriki to grab a nearby teenager before dragging them into the bush. Each of these teenagers were then knocked unconscious before Gaara and Naruto stole their clothes.

This replaced Gaara's entire outfit with a partially revealing collection of mix-matched cloths. He wore a sleeveless lowcut white shirt with a midriff, revealing his entire stomach and vast amounts of his chest.

Gaara also wore a sleeveless orange vest with a single horizontal blue striped running through the center. This vest deeply contrasted Gaara's iconic gourd of sand that was strapped across his back.

Because Gaara was so young, the tattered blue pants he stole barely fit his waist, causing them to partially sag while revealing his sand-brown underwear. The tattered fabric from these pants partially concealed the bright orange civilian shoes that Gaara wore.

Gaara's most prominent feature was a transparent pair of green glasses, magnifying his already green eyes. He also wore a tall red bucket hat with various horizontal white stripes running through it, drawing attention to the pink pacifier in his mouth.

In contrast to Gaara, Naruto wore skin tight red pants that matched his civilian shoes and the armbands around his wrists. Also, Naruto wore a bright purple shirt with only one sleeve that partially covered his right arm.

This shirt matched the pair of transparent purple glasses that Naruto worn, partially concealing his violet and ripple-patterned eyes. Finally, Naruto wore a stripped blue and purple beanie pulled over his spiky blond hair, concealing it from view.

Suddenly, an awkward period of silence filled to air as Naruto glanced at Gaara while the latter was sucking on his pacifier. Afterwards, Gaara looked Naruto directly in his violet eyes while continuing to suck his pacifier.

"Gaara-... Never mind." Naruto mumbled before he remembered just how innocent Gaara was.

Naruto then pulled a pair of ear plugs loose before offering some to Gaara. The pair of jinchūriki then plugged their ears as Naruto mentally prepared himself to face Kabuto.

At this moment, Naruto and Gaara each stood up before joining the group of teenagers as they casually walked through the woods. With each step they took, the hypnotic techno beat in the air became more profound as the volume increased.

After several minutes, Naruto and Gaara entered a large clearing with hundreds of teenagers that were all dancing around a crude metal stage. This stage was lined with dozens of massive stereo's that were each over 20ft tall with teenagers dancing in front of them.

The hypnotic beat that resonated from these stereo's caused each of their speakers to vibrate and thump every time the bass dropped. This beat was so loud and addictive that even the nearby ground quaked under it's musical effect.

Gaara and Naruto then found themselves completely surrounded by dancing teenagers, forcing each of their eyes to partially bulge. Naruto then noticed various power conductors that were protruding out from nearby portions of earth, all of which were connected to the main stage.

These power conductors were also lined with numerous smaller stereo's that played the same hypnotic beat with constant rhythm. Also, several bright beams of colorful lights flashed through the air while changing colors every few seconds.

These colorful lights perfectly matched the endless crowd of dancing teenagers as they twirled flashing sticks, staves and ropes through the air. Each of these teenagers also retained their natural eye color, completely devoid of the solid crimsons eyes that were displayed inside Bamboo Village.

After Gaara noticed the sheer size of this crowd, he once again repeatedly sucked on his pink pacifier. Two dancing teenagers then accidently bumped into Gaara before glaring at him since he wasn't dancing.

Streams of sand then attempted to protect Gaara but the heavy musical vibration in the air forced his sand to disperse, similar to Dosu's technique. Because of this, Gaara awkwardly looked at Naruto for guidance.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Naruto slowly began to raise and lower his arms before he started to dance. Gaara then began to perfectly mimic his movements as the hypnotic techno beat resonated through the air.

Soon, the previously enraged teenagers smiled at both Naruto and Gaara before dancing beside them. This dance then began to spread and infect the surrounding teenagers before they each danced in unison.

While this occurred, Naruto and Gaara took the opportunity to sneak away before slowly walking through the dense crowd. As this pair of jinchūriki walked, they passed hundreds of dancing teenagers that were each popping, locking and twirling to the beat.

Naruto and Gaara then both passed a half naked girl in bright clothes that was twirling a pair of flashing ropes in each hand. This was an environment that Gaara never witnessed before and it greatly confused him.

As the pair of jinchūriki approached the main stage, they noticed dozens of teenagers dancing atop the stereo's. Some teenagers were even hanging upside down from the stage equipment while violently banging their heads to the musical beat.

Suddenly, sparkling bubbles began to float through the air as various teenagers danced underneath them. As these bubbles floated, they each vibrated and rumbled under the intense musical beat that filled the air.

This was the product of a rave, a late night party were hundreds of teenagers and even children showed up to dance. Because the Land of Steam was a neutral nation, their young citizens preferred to dance and do drugs instead of becoming shinobi.

This made the Land of Steam a perfect victim for Kabuto's plan, a Land filled with youth and inexperience. The children inside this land were the exact type of people Kabuto was looking for, innocent.

Because of the lack of war, most factories inside the Land of Steam produced commercial goods or clothes. This is why most children inside the Land of Steam wore such unique pieces of fabric, because they never experienced war.

At this moment, the musical beat that resonated through the air finally ceased as every single teenager abruptly stopped dancing. At the same time, each of the stage lights turned on before focusing on a tall hooded figure that stood behind a set of musical controls.

This created an extended period of silence, a silence pierced only by the sound of Gaara sucking on his pacifier. During this, Naruto glared at the hooded figure, suspecting him to be Kabuto.

The figure wore a full-bodied purple robe with the hood pulled up, concealing almost all of his features from view. He also wore a pair of fingerless purple gloves that matched the inverted rope-like purple belt that was tied around his waist, just like Tayuya.

The lower portion of his face was completely concealed by numerous linen bandages. Also, he wore the headband of Oto over his eyes, as if he was blind or something.

The most prominent feature of this man was a large set of headphones he wore over his hood. These headphones had various antennae that protruded out through the air in separate angles.

"Wassuup my brothers and sisters!" The hooded man screamed with a joyful voice.

This statement earned a loud chorus of cheers of approval from the crowd of gather teenagers. At the same time, Naruto quickly noticed the hooded man didn't sound like Kabuto at all.

"Give me a Kabuto!" After screaming, a chorus of teenagers shouted 'Kabuto!' in response.

"I, DJ Kewlee, am once again here to drop down some masterful beats of splendor gifted to us by-...!" After speaking, the entire crowd shouted 'Kabuto!' in response.

This conversation forced each of Naruto's violet eyes to narrow as he made a mental promise to kill Kabuto. While this occurred, Gaara continued to suck on his pacifier while staring at the illuminated stage.

"That's what I'm talking about!" As he spoke, DJ Kewlee placed his fingers atop a pair of multi-colored phonograph records.

These records were infused with a concentrated amount of Jounin-level chakra, Kabuto's own chakra. Also, the faint silhouette of Kabuto was engraved across these records.

"Let your ears feast on the flavor of this Kabutronic music!" After shouting, DJ Kewlee spun each of the records into rotation before a hypnotic beat pierced the air.

As this musical beat erupted forth, the surrounding bubbles instantly popped under the vibrating bass. This beat was similar to before but eerily different, giving off a twisted yet addictive bass drop.

The vibrating bass was so heavy that even the nearby earth shook under its weight. However, instead of dancing, many of the surrounding teenagers just stood in awe for several moments while smiling.

Soon, this smiling became rather creepy as each of their eyes turned crimson red. During this, a faint aura of red chakra began to swirl around DJ Kewlee as he continued playing the beat.

The encompassing beat of Kabuto's music then resonated through the air like a heavy thumping. Despite their ear plugs, Naruto and Gaara were forced to hold both hands over their ears as this musical beat played.

After several moments, Naruto finally noticed Olivia near the front of the stage before he grabbed Gaara and they both staggered towards her. At the same time, each of the surroundings teenagers began to tap their feet in unison.

Suddenly, each of these teenagers began to dance in perfect unison as their eyes radiated a crimson aura. While this occurred, the beat from Kabuto's music was dropping so hard that Naruto and Gaara could fill their hearts vibrating.

Because Naruto was a clone, he couldn't just pull or push DJ Kewlee away with his Rinnegan. Also, the dense musical beat pulsating through the air prevented Gaara from utilizing any sand to their benefit.

Each of the dancing teenagers were also innocent children, people that Gaara and Naruto would never hurt or harm. This left very few options and possibilities for the pair of friends as they were surrounded by a crowd of dancing teenagers.

This realization forced each of the jinchūriki to freeze mid step as they finally realized how difficult this battle would be. A battle against music and sound itself.


	73. Chapter 73

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Dragofae24 - Everything I do, I do for Aku.**

 **Tenellis - I try to finish each chapter with a single paragraph or sentence that hypes up the next chapter, true to anime fashion. This can of course sometimes be total cringe or redundant but I like to think a little hype always helps.**

 **Bkpro - Apology accepted and thank you, that means a lot to me.**

 **Joseph Yagami/Jason Yuki/Anuel AA - I'm personally very hesitant about a NarutoxAnko relationship because in canon, Naruto is 12 years old while Anko is 24 years old. I will be writing a NarutoxIsaribi story in the future though, and Isaribi is basically just a young Anko.**

 **In regards to Kurenai, she doesn't have colored hair so she doesn't fall under my colored hair fetish. Colored hair is a big fetish I have and that extends to a lot of the shipping I write, that's why I color my own hair.**

 **I don't want to write a story that's porn without plot, I want plot with a side of porn. And in terms of realism, I see no realistic way that some 12 year old is going to put his dick inside a 24 year old. Unless Anko is a school teacher. (insert joke here)**

 **The reason I don't like NarutoxAnko is the same reason I don't like KakashixSakura or ZabuzaxHaku. I don't consider the sheer age gap in their relationship to berealistic. (except Jeffrey Epstein)**

 **Jkcoookie96 - There is a scene in the anime/manga during the canon Jiraiya VS Pain battle where he traps three separate Paths of Pain inside Sound Genjutsu. However, this creates a minor debate in the Naruto community because no Sound Genjutsu is every used against an actual Rinnegan user.**

 **The argument could be made that Nagato should have been able to snap each of his paths out of the Genjutsu. Because he personally wasn't affected by the Sound Genjutsu and he should've been able to break through it. But I think that was Kishimoto trying to preserve Nagato's identity.**

 **With all this in mind, I personally think Sound Genjutsu would absolutely affect Naruto and by extension Nagato. The Rinnegan grants immunity to physical Genjutsu but not auditory Genjutsu, so Tayuya could in theory defeat both Naruto and Nagato with her flute music.**

 **Speaking of Tayuya, we've finally gotten to the point where her relationship with Naruto almost takes center stage. NarutoxTayuya will kiss before the end of season two so a lot of chapters in this arc and the Land of Snow arc will focus on developing Tayuya, the ideal Tsundere.**

 **anonymouse47 - My chapter lengths are honestly just terrible,** **I'm almost 80 chapters in and I still don't know the appropriate length of a chapter. I like to think it's 7k, but most of my recent chapters (everything past chapter 55) have been 5k-6k.**

 **I've become really self conscious about having a 8k-16k chapter because I think it's too crowded. This is why most of my recent chapters are 5k-6k but I do understand the problem you pointed out.**

 **However, I can't just merge chapters 73 and 74 because they each revolve around two separate villages and side-characters. Also, I can't just merge chapters 74 and 75 because then that chapter would be over 12k words and I've become extremely self conscious about chapter length.**

 **With all this said, I promise I'll keep your review in mind, I promise.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 73: Battle Of Music! Confrontation: A Pair Of Red-Haired Kunoichi.**

 _Wednesday 9:58pm, June 20th 58SSP._

An enraged Tayuya sat atop a poorly made bamboo bed while repeatedly tapping her right foot on the floor. Tayuya was glaring at Karin and Naruto as they sat next to each other while practicing various Hand Seals.

This group of three friends were huddled inside their room at Zunoki's inn, a room lined with cobwebs. The only source of light in this room was a flickering bundle of candles scattered through out the room, mixing with the single ray of moonlight that poured in from the nearby window.

"I'm confused... Maybe you should give me a demonstration?" Karin mumbled while pretending to be dumb.

Karin then crawled across the floor before pushing Naruto's legs open and snuggling her back against his chest. This action forced Tayuya to bite her own tongue while the tapping of her foot became more frequent and rapid.

"Can you preform the Dragon Seal?" Naruto asked before Karin innocently shook her head from side-to-side.

This response caused Naruto to pick up both of Karin's hands with his own before pressing them together in front of her chest. Naruto then slowly helped Karin preform the Dragon Seal while she continued to snuggle against him.

"Do you get it now?" As he spoke, Karin wasn't even paying attention.

"You're really warm." Karin interjected.

Karin then drifted into her own world as she began to bathe in Naruto's chakra, a result of her high-level sensory abilities. This chakra filled Karin with an intense period of ecstasy as each second stretched on for what felt like hours.

His chakra is so... Bright and warm. As these thoughts progressed, Karin leaned her head back, forcing Naruto to smell her spiky red hair.

This feeling of ecstasy caused Karin to search even deeper through Naruto's chakra, awed that someone could be this warm. After several moments, a dark realization flooded over Karin as her eyes bugled while her entire body twitched and trembled.

Wh-... What is this?! These thoughts were followed by a horrific silhouette of some nine tailed demon that pierced Karin's mind.

At this moment, a bundle of candles behind Naruto began to violently flicker, allowing Karin to notice his shadow. His hair was extremely spiky, like usual, but there was also two distinct fox ears that protruded out from his head, barely even noticeable.

These ears brought attention to nine separate shadow tails that swished and wavered across Karin's own shadow. Despite this horrific depiction, Karin continued to snuggle against Naruto's chest as fear swelled in her own chest.

This demonic image even caused Karin to rip her hands away from Naruto's before gasping for air. Soon, sweat began to build and drip from Karin's face before she swallowed a wad of spit that swelled in her throat.

There's another chakra inside of him...? It's so dark... After thinking these thoughts, Karin's trembling hands dug into Naruto's thighs.

Suddenly, a pillow was flung through the air before smashing against the side of Karin's face, knocking her to the ground. This impact also knocked her glasses loose while Naruto glanced at Tayuya with confusion.

"Is something wrong, Tayuya?" Naruto asked.

This question caused Tayuya to hurl another pillow through the air, aiming for Naruto's face. However, this pillow was deflected and knocked to the ground by some unseen force.

"Kiss my fucking ass." Tayuya snapped out in response, utterly pissed for a reason that she didn't even understand.

"Right now?" Naruto questioned, forcing Tayuya to bite her lip.

"I meant to say go fuck yourself." Tayuya mumbled.

"Wh-... Where are my glasses?" Karin questioned before crawling across the ground while searching with her hands.

Soon, Karin found her glasses and put them on before a mischievous smile spread across her face. The red-haired kunoichi then continued crawling across the floor, pretending she never found her glasses.

Karin then reached out towards Naruto's lap while glancing up and smiling at him. During this, Naruto noticed that Karin already had her glasses on.

"I think I found my glasses." As she spoke, Karin grabbed a bulge in Naruto's lap before giggling.

"You're already wearing your glasses." Naruto interjected.

Suddenly, a shoe was flung through the air before knocking Karin's hand away from Naruto. Afterwards, Karin glanced at Tayuya before huffing in a loud and dramatic fashion.

"You know, the door is right there. Why don't you just leave?" Karin suggested.

"Why don't you choke on a dick?" Tayuya retorted.

"I'm trying, but you won't leave." Karin murmured, forcing Tayuya to grind her teeth together.

"I will never leave you two alone." Tayuya growled.

"Just like twenty minutes." Karin pleaded.

"I won't leave you alone for twenty fucking seconds." Tayuya protested.

An extended period of silence then filled the air as both of the red-haired kunoichi glared at one another with a mixture of rage and jealousy. At the same time, Naruto thought both of them were acting very strange.

A mischievous expression then once again spread across Karin's face as she smiled at Tayuya. Because of this, a sour and disgusted expression bloomed across Tayuya's face.

"Oh, I get it. You don't want to leave because you want to join in?" Karin exclaimed, forcing Tayuya to briefly stutter.

Karin then leaned forward before pushing Naruto to the ground and sitting on top of him. While this occurred, Karin was giggling as she stared at Tayuya with a seductive smile.

"You can join in right now, just the three of us?" After speaking, Tayuya abruptly stood up before throwing her last shoe at Karin.

This shoe knocked Karin to the floor before Tayuya stomped over and picked Naruto up by his collar. The enraged kunoichi then dragged Naruto back to her bed before throwing him on top as she sat down.

Tayuya then began to repeatedly tap her right foot atop the floor as Karin stood up and glared at her. During this, Naruto was filled with utter confusion as Tayuya sat with a protective posture in front of him.

"Just shut up and go to bed already." Tayuya ordered before she and Karin became embroiled in a fierce staring contest.

Naruto then tried to speak up before Tayuya pulled her hat loose and shoved it in his mouth, forcing him to briefly gag. Afterwards, an awkward and tense silence filled the air as Tayuya and Karin continued to stare at one another.

"Why do you care? You don't want him." Karin mumbled, earning a hostile snort in response.

"Wait a second... You're just trying to keep him for yourself!" As she screamed, Karin pointed at Tayuya with an accusatory glare.

These words forced Tayuya to briefly stutter as her chest became filled with confusion and embarrassment. After several seconds, this embarrassment was overwhelmed by pure rage.

"Shut up, go fuck yourself and then go to sleep." Tayuya retorted, earning several mumbled insults in response.

"You've ruined everything..." Karin murmured, upset because Tayuya wouldn't just leave.

Soon, Naruto pulled Tayuya's hat from his mouth before gasping for air as Karin slowly walked to her bed. After Karin climbed in bed, Tayuya continued to sit in front of Naruto, as if she was guarding him.

"Tayuya?" Naruto mumbled as he slowly sat up from the uncomfortable bed.

"Fuck you, go to sleep." Tayuya barked without even turning around.

"But you need sleep more than me." Naruto argued, earning a snort in response.

"Go fuck yourself." Tayuya mumbled before staring at the floor.

Tayuya didn't understand why she cared so much about the whiskered nerd that sat behind her. This was a realization that weighed heavily on Tayuya's shoulders, filling her with embarrassment before she finally stopped tapping her foot.

Tayuya could have just left and found another room, but instead she chose to stay and keep Karin away from Naruto. And this was a major problem for Tayuya because she couldn't figure out why she even cared.

Ever since they left Konoha together, Tayuya consistently tried to treat Naruto like any other member of the Sound Four. However, Tayuya constantly realized that Naruto was different from anyone else she ever met, he gave her an odd feeling inside her stomach.

This feeling made it extremely difficult to breath or think when Naruto got close to her. Also, her hands would sweat and twitch anytime he touched her, and it really pissed her off.

Because of these strange feelings and symptoms, Tayuya just assumed she was sick. But she constantly felt these feelings around Naruto and she struggled to understand why.

Instead of moving or laying down, Tayuya continued to sit in front of Naruto for what felt like hours. While this occurred, Naruto calmly sat behind Tayuya before his eyes began to drift and focus on the perspective of his clone.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The addictive and hypnotic beat of Kabuto's music pulsated through the night air with a heavy thumping. This beat shook the surrounding earth each time the bass dropped while nearby teenagers danced in perfect unison.

As these teenagers danced, their crimson eyes flickered in perfect unison with DJ Kewlee's red chakra. This chakra was infused into the very air itself, magnified by Kabuto's electronic beat.

Soon, DJ Kewlee raised both hands into the air before banging his entire body to the musical beat, forcing the crowd to mimic his movements. During this, Naruto and Gaara stood out like a canary in a cat mine, forcing each of them to glance at one another.

After dancing for several minutes straight, DJ Kewlee abruptly froze before glaring towards Naruto and Gaara. This was especially strange considering the headband of Oto that was worn on DJ Kewlee's eyes.

Because DJ Kewlee stopped dancing, each of the surrounding teenagers also froze before glaring at Naruto and Gaara with crimson red eyes. At the same time, DJ Kewlee abruptly stopped playing Kabuto's records before a brief silence filled the air.

This silence was pierced only by the sound of Gaara sucking on his pacifier as Naruto stared at distant speakers. Afterwards, DJ Kewlee began to laugh in a joyful yet sadistic tone before pointing at Naruto with an accusatory glare.

"Children of Kabutooo! Naruto is in the house!" DJ Kewlee shouted, forcing Gaara to gasp with shock before his pacifier fell to the ground.

"Naruto..." The entire crowd of hypnotized teenagers mumbled in unison.

"And since he's public enemy number one for scratching at Kabuto's groove...!" As DJ Kewlee spoke, he bent over before rummaging through a stack of nearby musical records.

Each of these records were infused with high-levels of chakra that could be manipulated into Sound Genjutsu. However, one of these records was an experimental musical piece that had just freshly been produced by Kabuto.

"Let's mix it up with a taste of the bass and beats in his face! With this brand new hardcore track... Naruto's Wack!" After speaking, DJ Kewlee placed Kabuto's experimental musical atop his record player before an electronic howl pierced the air.

This howl extended for several moments, forcing each of the surrounding teenagers to slowly narrow their crimson eyes. After this howl dissipated, a rapid and consecutive bass drop took its place, forcing the nearby ground to quake.

At this moment, dozens of teenagers rushed towards the pair of jinchūriki from all sides. As these teenagers approached, Naruto abruptly crouched down beside Gaara before placing his right arm atop the ground.

Gaara then stepped on top of Naruto's arm before glancing at the distant stage that was lined with stereo's. Dozens of teenagers were then mere inches away from this pair of jinchūriki before Naruto launched Gaara's entire body through the air like a canon.

The force of this throw created a minor shockwave that briefly staggered the surrounding teenagers as Gaara soared through the air. Afterwards, Naruto began to casually dodge and evade various attacks while Gaara's gourd crumbled into sand in mid air.

Because of the heavy vibration of sound through the air, Gaara was unable to perfectly control and manipulate sand. However, he could still partially control the dust-like substance.

This allowed Gaara to direct a weak and barely rotating funnel of sand atop an approaching set of power conductors. This funnel of sand barely managed to catch Gaara before he landed with a heavy thud.

Gaara then scrambled to look for a set of wires as numerous teenagers scaled stage equipment while climbing towards him. At the same time, Naruto was fighting multiple teenagers while dodging others, making sure no one got fatally hurt.

Soon, Gaara began to push several life-size stereo's to the ground, causing Kabuto's hypnotic beat to slightly dampen. Afterwards, Gaara began to crawl and run across stage equipment as various teenagers chased after him.

While this confrontation unfolded, an electronic howl began to mix in with the consecutive bass from Kabuto's music. Because of this, the surrounding teenagers became more violent and mindless.

Suddenly, a pink-haired girl pulled Naruto's beanie loose before she was tripped and knocked to the ground. During this, dozens of colorful lights began to flash and focus on each of the jinchūriki.

Gaara was then completely surrounded before Naruto appeared behind him, a result of the Flying Thunder God technique. Because of his sheer lack of Taijutsu, Gaara was basically defenseless in close combat, especially without his sand.

Naruto then began to twirl and weave around Gaara while deflecting and knocking numerous teenagers backwards. While this occurred, Gaara jumped into the air before grabbing an overhead set of stage bars and pulling himself up.

The sand jinchūriki then pushed and destroyed multiple stereo's before several teenagers finally caught up with him. This forced Gaara to jumped into the air before falling directly into Naruto's arms.

The pair of jinchūriki then began to walk around one another as Naruto blocked several attacks directed at Gaara. Afterwards, multiple flashing ropes were thrown out before wrapping around each of Naruto's wrists.

These ropes were controlled by three separate women that each wore a unique and colorful outfit. Also, these women were displaying an unusually high amount of strength for their size and age.

This strength allowed the hypnotized women to pull Naruto to the ground before dragging him towards them. At the same time, Gaara attempted to manipulate nearby sand but the vibrating bass dispersed his technique.

As Naruto was pulled across the top of a large stereo, a chakra-rod phased out from his right hand before he gripped it like a sword. Naruto then used this rod to cut each of the flashing ropes tied around him before finally standing up.

Naruto then hurled this chakra-rod like a spear through a nearby stereo, causing sparks to briefly spray into the air. Afterwards, each of the surrounding girls rushed towards Naruto before he kicked them away.

During this battle, Gaara continued to climb up a power conductor while pushing off various stereo's. While this occurred, Naruto's attention shifted and focused on DJ Kewlee as he continued playing Kabuto's music.

Suddenly, Naruto jumped over 20ft into the air before hovering towards a shocked DJ Kewlee. Soon, Naruto's image began to reflect off DJ Kewlee's headband before he was kicked directly in the face.

This attack knocked DJ Kewlee back over 10ft feet before he smashed against a nearby stereo, breaking it in the process. This created a tense period of silence as DJ Kewlee took several moments to stand up.

During this silence, another chakra-rod phased out from Naruto's right hand before he raised the object into the air. This caused Naruto's whiskered face to reflect off Kabuto's musical records as he stood barely inches away from them.

At this moment, the bandages around DJ Kewlee's mouth began to unravel and fall. Revealing a jagged and crude smile with a prominent golden canine tooth inside.

"Awwwh nah! It won't be that easy, brah!" After DJ Kewlee spoke, his clenched his teeth together before a chakra-filled red soundwave shot out from his mouth

This soundwave rushed towards Naruto with the speed of sound, forcing him to briefly gasp before he was knocked through the air. After several moments, Naruto slammed against a distant stereo with a heavy thud before several life-sized stereo's fell on top of him.

DJ Kewlee then began to laugh as his attention focused on a nearby Gaara that was running from multiple teenagers. Afterwards, the entire stage cracked and splintered as waves of violet chakra knocked various stereo's through the air, breaking them in the process.

Soon, a crouched Naruto finally came into view before checking to make sure his ear plugs were in. During this, several teenagers rushed towards him from all angles after climbing up the stage.

As these teenagers approached, Naruto ripped his shirt off before blinding a nearby teenager and kicking him to the ground. Naruto was then forced to leap and jump through the air multiple times as DJ Kewlee began releasing a consecutive bombardment of red-colored soundwaves.

While flipping through the air, Naruto managed to dodge several of these soundwaves before they collided against nearby Stereo's. After landing, Naruto rushed out before his right hand punched DJ Kewlee directly in the face with significant force.

This attack forced DJ Kewlee's neck to abruptly snap before twisting backwards as his headphones and Oto headband fell to the stage floor. Afterwards, DJ Kewlee managed to casually snap his neck back into place while turning around.

This revealed a pair of crimson red eyes, the same eyes that were shared by each of the surrounding teenagers. This also revealed a large number of scars and wounds that were etched across DJ Kewlee's face.

At this moment, DJ Kewlee began to pop, lock and twirl mere inches away from Naruto before dozens of teenagers swarmed closer. Because of this, Naruto was forced to jump back before Gaara fell on to the stage from a pair of speakers overhead.

The sand jinchūriki then pressed both hands over his ears before standing up and taking several steps towards DJ Kewlee. While this occurred, DJ Kewlee continued to dance in a carefree yet sadistic fashion.

"Music maker man! Your beats are bad!" Gaara shouted as the intense bass from Kabuto's music vibrated through his chest.

This statement created a wicked smile across DJ Kewlee's face before he began to dance even harder. At the same time, Naruto was fighting off several dozen teenagers as they completely surrounded him.

"Oh yeah! They're bad!" DJ Kewleee chuckled before throwing his hands into the air while dancing to the beat.

"NO! Not bad good! BAD BAD!" Gaara protested, still trying to properly understand sarcasm.

This declaration forced DJ Kewlee to abruptly stop dancing before crossing both arms in front of his chest. During this, Naruto hurled a teenager at a distant Stereo, breaking it in the process.

"Whatever." DJ Kewlee mumbled.

"Kabuto's control over these innocents will stop!" Gaara declared, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Kabuto will never be silenced! His groove is my move!" DJ Kewlee argued before a large puff of smoke erupted in the distance.

After several moments, a large black Rhino charged out from this puff of smoke towards a tree-sized stereo. This Rhino was the same summoning that Naruto used against Danzo, evident by its pair of Rinnegan eyes.

With each step this large summoning took, portions of the surrounding stage cracked under its weight. Soon, the large beast finally reached the stereo before shoving its horn through the vibrating speaker, destroying it in the process.

The Rhino then picked up this speaker before violently shaking it throw the air, smashing it against another nearby stereo. While this occurred, DJ Kewlee entered a unique stance of Dance-style Taijutsu before dancing towards Gaara.

Because of his extreme lack of Taijutsu, Gaara began to poorly mimic DJ Kewlee by dancing just like him. This created a brief hand-to-hand battle of dance-style Taijutsu, something Gaara was terrible at.

Suddenly, dozens of teenagers surged towards Naruto's massive summoning, causing him to internally panic over their safety. This panic forced Naruto to instantly appear in front of Gaara by using the Flying Thunder God technique.

A chakra-rod then phased out from Naruto's right palm before he impaled DJ Kewlee through the chest and slammed him against the stage floor. Afterwards, DJ Kewlee began to briefly laugh before the pulsating image of violet, ripple-patterned eyes pierced his mind.

At this moment, the hypnotic beat of Kabuto's music finally stopped after Gaara broke the record player. At the same time, Naruto's massive summoning continued to destroy various speakers as surrounding teenagers became dazed.

Despite the pair of Rinnegan eyes piercing his mind, DJ Kewlee once again began to laugh as Naruto hovered over him. This laughter forced Naruto's left hand to abruptly reach out and grab DJ Kewlee's face.

DJ Kewlee's muffled laughter then continued for several seconds before a chakra-rod ruptured through the back of his skull. This forced the sound of gushing liquid to mix with his muffed laughter before an eerie silence filled the air.

Each of the surrounding teenagers then began to groan as the crimson aura in their eyes slowly dissipated. Afterwards, Naruto snapped off his chakra-rods inside DJ Kewlee before hovering over his corpse for several moments.

Multiple sections of nearby earth then abruptly crumbled before funneling towards Gaara's back, making a new gourd. During this, Gaara walked out onto the center of the stage, garnishing the attention of the surrounding teenagers.

"You have been pawns of Kabuto's evil, but now you are free." Gaara explained as his gourd fully reformed before corking itself.

"Return to your homes, and never dance to this evil beat again." After Gaara spoke, Naruto quickly grabbed him before they each disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Afterwards, the entire stage began to sink underneath the ground as quicksand swallow it whole. After several minutes, the earth hardened and returned to normal as if the stage was never there.

This left hundreds of confused teenagers in the damaged remains of a twisted rave as they struggled to regain their memories. After several moments, each of these teenagers began rushing towards Bamboo Village, eager to reconnect with their parents.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

A half asleep Tayuya still sat on her bed with a protective posture as she struggled to stay awake. During this, Naruto calmly sat behind Tayuya while waiting for her to fall asleep.

Soon, Tayuya rested her chin atop her right hand before she began to drift in and out of the conscious world. While this occurred, Tayuya would occasionally jolt up before staring at Karin, making sure she was asleep.

Tayuya then began to slouch as she yawned multiple times while rubbing her partially closed eyes. Despite her intense desire to sleep, the bamboo bed was too uncomfortable for her to lay on.

A frigid gust of northern air then blew in from the nearby opened window, causing Tayuya to shiver. Afterwards, an intense warmth washed over Tayuya as Naruto quietly snuggled up behind up.

This sudden jolt of warmth caused Tayuya to lean back against Naruto, treating him like a pillow. This allowed Tayuya to notice just how comfortable Naruto was.

Tayuya would usually never sleep on someone or show affection, but Naruto was so comfortable and warm that she didn't even care. Suddenly, Tayuya closed both eyes before resting the back of her head atop Naruto's left shoulder.

After several moments, Tayuya yawned directly into Naruto's ear before resting her face against his neck. Tayuya then began to consecutively snore into Naruto's ear before he gently placed her hat on her head.

Naruto then wrapped his arms around Tayuya before slowly picking her up from the bed, holding her like a baby. A rave-clothed Gaara then poked his head in from the nearby window before quietly jumping into the room and landing with a silent thud.

Unlike Naruto, Gaara was personally at the rave instead of sending a clone. This left the sand jinchūriki with his rave clothes, except for his once prominent hat and pacifier.

Naruto and Gaara then glanced at one another before each quietly mouthing words. Afterwards, Gaara silently walked up next to a sleeping Karin before picking her up in his arms, bridal style.

This was a very unusual and odd thing for Gaara to do, he wasn't a person who participated in physical contact. However, the loud shifting of his sand would certainly wake up each of the sleeping kunoichi, forcing him to use his own hands.

Soon, this pair of jinchūriki carried each of the red-haired kunoichi out from the window before quietly dashing from various rooftops. During this, a blind raven was quietly perched atop a distant tree that both jinchūriki raced towards.

As these jinchūriki vanished from sight, the elderly innkeeper known as Zunoki was sobbing inside his inn. The elderly man had his tear-covered face buried in both hands as he thought of his daughter, Olivia.

Zunoki was crying so loud that he didn't even react when his front door opened before a young silhouette entered his inn. This silhouette belonged to a pure and free Olivia, who stared at her father with a mixture of regret and love.

"Father?!" Olivia spoke out before taking several steps forward.

The sound of Olivia's voice forced Zunoki to abruptly stop crying before raising his face from his hands. At the same time, the sound of distant teenagers reuniting with their own parents resonated through Bamboo Village.

"O-... Olivia?" Zunoki stuttered.

"Father!" Olivia screamed in response before smiling.

"Olivia!" Zunoki shouted before surging past his desk and running towards his daughter.

"Father!" Olivia once again screamed before running towards her father.

"Olivia!" Zunoki exclaimed before embracing his daughter with both arms as they each began to cry.

The sound of intense crying then resonated through the air for what felt like minutes. During this, distant parents were also crying while embracing their own children.

Soon, Zunoki raised his sniffling face to the ceiling while continuing to hold his daughter. While this occurred, the faint silhouette of Gaara and Naruto drifted through Zunoki's mind.

"Thank you, strangers... Thank you..." As Zunoki spoke, a final tear fell from his face.

Zunoki expected Gaara and Naruto to each come back and retrieve their friends, but they already did. Because of this, Zunoki and Olivia would never get to say goodbye or give a proper thank you.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Faint rays of moonlight pierced through the dense clouds overhead, illuminating the surrounding forest, road and hot springs. The air was frigid and cold with fierce gusts of wind blowing in from the north.

The slim silhouette known as Yugito walked through a densely covered dirt road that was surrounded by a mixture of trees, hot springs and blankets of snow in the background. This was the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Steam, a border that Yugito just crossed.

Despite the constant and rampant hatred she endured as a jinchūriki, Yugito's loyalty to Kumo was absolute. Her pride, confidence and resolve was unmeasured and unsurpassed.

Yugito was the definition of a perfect jinchūriki, able to transform into the two tails known as Matatabi at will. Yugito was so skilled and experienced that even the eight tails jinchūriki, Killer B, looked up to her even though she was younger than him.

Soon, Yugito approached a signpost on the road with the name 'Makapu Village' inscribed upon an arrow that pointed southwest. Also, there was another arrow pointing to the northeast, towards 'Dawnstar Port'.

Makapu Village sat in the shadow of Mt. Makapu, a dominant volcano that was surrounded on all sides by boiling hot springs. This village was also home to Aunt Wu, a fabled and renown fortuneteller who was respected by all five great nations.

Without even stopping, Yugito confidently continued her journey to Makapu Village. Eager to fulfill her purpose by catching the one tails and nine tails jinchūriki.

* * *

 _Three hours later. Thursday 3:27am, June 21st 58SSP._

A bulky and towering silhouette of some armor man stomped down the southern road into the Land of Steam. This silhouette belonged to Han, an elite and 35 year old masterful jinchūriki with decades of experience.

This jinchūriki traveled down the exact same road as Naruto and his friends, aswell as Kakuzu and Hidan. Soon, Han approached a fork in the road with a signpost pointing in two opposite directions.

The bottom sign pointed south to 'Yu' while the top sign pointed north to 'Bamboo town' and 'The Boiling Springs'. These signs presented two distinct options for Han, options that would take him minutes to decide.

The elite five tails jinchūriki had always been an outcast, someone who was kept at arms reach out of fear for the demon inside him. This was the life for all jinchūriki, a life of hatred, blame and fear.

Because of this life, Han and by extension all jinchūriki always took the road less traveled. A road that was lonely, isolated and barren, a realization that was well known to Han.

Han had spent decades fighting for Iwa, searching for even a hint of respect or admiration. But even after almost 30 years of service, the people of Iwa still saw him as some mindless demon that should be feared or kept on a leash.

Han was also a perfect jinchūriki, capable of transforming into the five tails known as Kokuō at will. This combined with his masterful control of Steam Jutsu gave Han worldwide fame, well known for his power.

However, his isolate lifestyle gave Han a rather depressing perspective of life, forcing him to always travel alone. This type of lifestyle also forced Han to always travel on the back-roads, eager to walk the road that was less traveled.

Because of this concept, Han turned to the north before traveling towards The Boiling Springs. This was the beginning of a fierce and extensive journey for Han, a journey that would change his entire life forever.


	74. Chapter 74

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: This chapter and by extension chapter 75 are easter eggs to Avatar the Last Airbender.**

 **I personally think there is a very thin line between easter eggs and just ripping stuff off. I will try my best to not cross that line by adding my own perspective and a few of my own ideas.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 74: Predictions Of The Future! The Fortuneteller.**

 _Thursday 8:36am, June 21th 58SSP._

Bright rays of morning sunlight sparkled down onto the northern dirt-filled road between the Land of Steam and the Land of Frost. This road was lined with hot springs, forests and fresh streams of sparkling water, a beautiful sight.

A jealous Karin walked behind Naruto and Gaara with both arms crossed in front of her small chest. This red haired kunoichi was glaring at the sleeping Tayuya that was held between Naruto's arms like a baby.

Because Tayuya stayed up so late, Naruto pulled her hat down over her eyes, allowing her to sleep in broad daylight. This caused Tayuya to repetitively snore into Naruto's left ear, causing his whiskers to rustle under her breath.

Soon, Tayuya's nose began to wrinkle after brushing against Naruto's whiskers, causing her to slowly wake up. During this, Tayuya felt like she was floating on a cloud, unaware that Naruto was carrying her in his arms.

Tayuya was so dazed from just waking up that she partially lagged behind her surroundings. This caused several minutes to pass as Tayuya drooled atop Naruto's neck.

"Good morning." Naruto spoke out, earning a groan in response.

"Shut up, I'm sleeping." Tayuya mumbled with drool still leaking from her mouth.

"Are you comfortable?" Naruto asked.

"Fuck yes, what kind of bed is this?" Tayuya remarked before stretching in Naruto's arms.

This action sent a sensation of panic through Tayuya's body after realizing where she was. Because of this, Tayuya pulled her hat off before pushing herself out from Naruto's arms, falling to the ground.

The enraged kunoichi then stood up before poking Naruto in the nose only to become paralyzed after staring at his violet eyes. These eyes caused Tayuya's entire body to twitch before her knees buckled under the weight.

Tayuya then fell halfway to the ground before her face was buried against Naruto's chest. This realization forced a partially paralyzed Tayuya to once again push herself away from Naruto before falling to the ground.

"St-... Stop that..." As Tayuya stuttered, Naruto hovered over her before crouching down.

This approaching Naruto created an odd feeling inside Tayuya's stomach, causing her to once again panic. However, she was unable to crawl backwards or push him away.

Naruto then wrapped both arms around Tayuya before once again picking her up like a baby. During this, Tayuya's twitching left hand struggled to hold onto her hat.

"Just breathe." Naruto encouraged before placing a twitching Tayuya atop her feet.

"It's really hard to breathe when you're this close to me... I think you're making me sick." Tayuya admitted with a low and embarrassed tone.

Suddenly, Naruto began rubbing his left hand underneath Tayuya's bangs, rubbing her forehead. This caused Tayuya to briefly blush as the heat from Naruto's hand flooded her face.

"You don't fell sick." Naruto mumbled, forcing Tayuya to stutter before staggering backwards.

At this moment, the sound of a rampaging bear echoed from over a nearby hill. This sound gave Tayuya a distraction from Naruto, causing her to abruptly turn around before charging forward.

"Someone's in trouble! Let's help!" Tayuya ordered, eager for any excuse that would end her embarrassment.

As Tayuya ran over the hill she noticed an elderly yet calm man who was casually dodging various swipes from a large grizzly bear. This bear was easily over 9ft tall with coarse brown fur and razor sharp claws.

The elderly mans outfit consist of a sky blue kimono with white sleeves that matched his barely visible white pants. He also wore a pair of black civilian shoes that matched his monk-style black hat.

This hat concealed a vast portion of the mans hair and forehead, drawing attention to his wrinkle covered face. He was tan skinned with a long moustache that hung several inches off his face, matching his short and spiky goatee.

His most prominent feature was a wide linen sash wrapped around his left shoulder and torso in a slanted vertical fashion. This sash held an unknown package that was elegantly wrapped with beautiful and artistic paper, topped with thin yet bright orange ribbon.

Soon, Naruto, Gaara and Karin each came into view, allowing them to witness the elderly man effortlessly dodged the attacking bear. This bear struck out with multiple horizontal swipes before slamming both paws vertically into the ground with a heavy thud, only to miss each attack.

Tayuya then jumped atop a nearby rock, allowing the elderly man to finally notice her. Despite the rampaging bear that was attacking him, the elderly man still managed to smile as he glanced at Tayuya.

"Well, hello there-...!" The elderly man spoke out before casually sidestepping a bear swipe with both arms behind his back.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" After speaking, the man continued to dodging various attacks from the rampaging bear.

"Play dead and he'll run off!" Tayuya encouraged, earning an innocent chuckle in response.

"Oh! Close one!" The elderly man exclaimed after narrowly dodging a paw swipe from the rampaging bear.

"Why are you laughing?! Run down hill and climb up a tree!" Karin interjected.

"No need, it's going to be fine." The elderly man remarked with a gentle yet confident tone.

Suddenly, Naruto jumped up before twirling through the air and landing between the rampaging bear and elderly man. Each of Naruto's violet eyes then pulsated as the bear swiped its mighty paws forward only to be deflected by some unseen and unknown force.

Multiple streams of sand then rose from the earth before wrapping and contorting around the deadly bear. This sand then tossed the bear backwards, hurling the deadly creature into a nearby stream of water.

After several seconds, this bear rose from the earth before charging across the shallow water, enraged. Afterwards, a blind raven descended from the sky before viciously attacking the bears ears and face, forcing the mighty beast to retreat.

While this bear retreated, the blind raven flew through the air before landing atop Naruto's left shoulder. This littered the surrounding road with black feathers while Tayuya glared at the beast.

"Why does that thing keep following you around?" Tayuya questioned.

"I named him Shisui." Naruto interjected, earning a sigh in response.

"You named that fucking thing? It doesn't have any eyes." Tayuya spoke out.

"He gets around just fine and I kinda like him, ya'know?" Naruto replied, earning another sigh in response.

"You and your lame words..." Tayuya mumbled before crossing both arms in front of her nonexistent chest.

"I think his words are really cute." Karin argued before running up to Naruto and grabbing his right hand.

This action forced Tayuya to bite her tongue while clenching both fists with rage. During this, Karin briefly stuck her tongue out at Tayuya before glancing at the elderly man.

"You're really lucky we came along." As Karin spoke, the elderly man continued to smile despite her sour attitude.

"Thanks, but everything was already under control. No need to worry." The elderly man interjected.

"Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey." As he spoke, Tayuya continued to bite her tongue while glaring at Karin.

"Aunt who?" Gaara mumbled.

"No, Aunt Wu. She's a famous fortuneteller from my home, Makapu Village." The elderly man exclaimed.

"That explains why you were so calm." Naruto interrupted, earn a cheerful nod in response.

"But the fortuneteller was wrong! You didn't have a safe journey, you were almost killed!" Karin argued.

"But I wasn't." The elderly man replied with a chuckle before bowing his head in respect.

The elderly man then continued his journey down the road before he approached Tayuya. He then pulled the package across his back loose before gifting it to Tayuya.

"Oh-...! And Aunt Wu told me that if I met any travelers, I should give them this." After speaking, the elderly man quickly turned around before continuing his long journey down the road, disappearing into the distance.

"Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and get our fortunes read... It could be fun?" Gaara encouraged.

"Oh come on! Fortunetelling is nonsense!" Karin protested.

While this conversation unfolded, Tayuya sent a significant amount of time examining the elegantly wrapped gifted she had been given. However, this beautiful wrapping paper didn't stop Tayuya from completely tearing it to shreds, causing paper crumbs to float through the air before falling to the ground.

"What do ya'know, an umbrella." Tayuya exclaimed before biting her tongue after noticing what she just said.

Tayuya was spending such a significant amount of time with Naruto that she was even beginning to talk like him, and it pissed her off. After shaking this idea from her mind, she opened a bright orange umbrella before holding it over her head.

This umbrella was constructed from solid bamboo, giving it a rare and unique aesthetic. Despite its materials, this umbrella gave off the appearance and style from the Land of Fire.

This bright color of orange forced Naruto to briefly frown as he experienced a flashback of his childhood. These were a series of memories that he quickly shook from his mind before glancing up at the cloudy sky.

At this moment, an intense downpour of rain began to bombard the group of surrounding friends. This rain caused Karin to downcast her face with defeat before drowning in her shame.

"That proves it!" Gaara argued, one of the first times he ever displayed genuine emotion.

Suddenly, both Gaara and Naruto dash under the umbrella next to Tayuya. While Tayuya didn't really care or notice Gaara, Naruto was so close that she developed a familiar yet odd feeling inside her stomach again.

"No it doesn't! You can't really tell the future!" Karin once again protested as she continued to stand in the rain.

"I guess you're not really getting wet then, are you?" Tayuya remarked with a smirk.

"I would've gotten wet last night if you left..." Karin mumbled, causing Tayuya to grind her teeth together.

"Just because of that, you can't come under this umbrella." Tayuya declared before she slowly began walking past Karin with Naruto and Gaara beside her.

"I don't need your stupid umbrella anyway!" Karin argued before the stomping down the road with rainfall overhead.

This group of friends then began their journey towards Makapu Village, a nearby village that bordered the Land of Steam and the Land of Frost. However, this group of friends had no idea what would happen during their adventure.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Karin's foot stomped in a small puddle of water, soaking her shoes with water as rain bombarded her from overhead. During this, a dry Tayuya, Naruto and Gaara walked beside her while protected by an orange umbrella.

"Of course that Aunt whatever predicted it was gonna rain. The clouds have been stormy all morning." Karin mumbled while crossing both arms in front of her small chest.

"Bitch, just admit you were wrong and you can come under this umbrella." Tayuya snapped out, earning a loud scoff in response.

"Oh yeah?! I'm gonna predict the future now! It's going to keep raining!" Karin remarked with a sassy tone.

At this moment, the dense clouds overhead abruptly dissipated as all rainfall ceased. Afterwards, beautiful rays of vibrant sunshine sparkled down on the group of friends before Tayuya closed the orange umbrella.

"Not everyone has the gift, bitch." Tayuya asserted before throwing her umbrella at Karin.

This throw gave Karin barely enough time to dodge the umbrella before it landed in a pair of nearby bushes. Afterwards, Karin stood up before dramatically pointing at Tayuya with an accusatory glare.

"You're crazy!" Karin exclaimed.

"Go fuck yourself." Tayuya retorted before leading Gaara and Naruto down the road.

This caused Karin to briefly stutter before racing after her group of friends. At the same time, a blind raven soared overhead, dropping various black feathers that floated and drifted through the sky.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

As the group of four friends walked down a dirt-filled road, the fabled Makapu Village finally came into view. The architecture of this village was constructed with stone walls topped with oak rooftops that were painted leaf green.

Several of these buildings were nestled around a large, temple-like facility. This facility was Aunt Wu's home and office, a place where she gave travelers, customers and townsfolk free fortunes.

While Karin, Gaara and Tayuya were focused on the village, Naruto's attention was directed at a large volcano on the horizon. This volcano was Mt. Makapu, a once deadly and feared volcano that had been dormant for over 100 years.

Because of this lack of activity combined with its fertile soil, many travelers established Makapu village over 60 years ago. Despite its apparent young nature and history, the citizens of Makapu were proud and noble, each of them completely confident in Aunt Wu's prediction.

In the past, many citizens would travel up to the top of Mt. Makapu before glancing into the volcano's center, searching for signs of activity. However, in the past twenty years all of the villagers instead just choose to trust Aunt Wu's prediction.

Suddenly, Naruto stopped walked before placing his right hand on Gaara's left shoulder. During this, Karin and Tayuya took their first steps inside Makapu.

"Gaara and I are gonna go check something out real quick, be careful." Naruto exclaimed.

"Whatever, I can look after myself." Tayuya remarked without even turning around.

Karin then quickly turned around before trying to go with Naruto, eager to exact her plans of love. But by the time Karin turned around, Naruto and Gaara had already disappeared in a blur.

This realization filled Karin with depression before she downcast her face in defeat. After several moments, she turned around before slowly trailing behind Tayuya as they journeyed to Aunt Wu's house.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Tayuya and Karin approached a large stone building with a pair of circular oak doors. In front of these doors was a well dressed doorman adorned with fine silks and garments.

"Aunt Wu is expecting you." The doorman exclaimed before motioning towards the door.

At this moment, the pair of circular doors opened with a dramatic effect. During this, a group of geese through a distant alleyway in the background.

"Oh yea, I'm sure she did." Tayuya scoffed with distrust.

"Pfft." Karin mumbled, confident that fortunetelling was just a big scam.

Soon, the pair of red-haired kunoichi each entered Aunt Wu's house before the circular doors snapped shut behind them. This allowed each of this to notice a fine array of silks, pillows and carpets that were draped across all visible angles of the house.

Suddenly, a short and tan-skinned girl with dirt brown eyes entered the room from a distant hallway. She was easily 14 years old with a full body pink kimono that was held in place with a purple sash that had the shinobi symbol for Yu engraved upon them.

She wore a pair of brown civilian shoes that matched a bracelet worn around her left wrist. Also, she a loose headband of Yu tied around her neck with pink fabric.

Her hair consisted of a pair of prominent static-filled and loose pigtails that extended out from each side of her head. These bundles of static-filled hair were both tied in place with a pair of pink hair bands.

"My name is Meng, and I'm Aunt Wo's assistant." After this Steam kunoichi spoke, she raised her face before began stunned by Tayuya and Karin.

This created an awkward moment of silence as Meng stared at each of the red-haired kunoichi with a mixture of love and admiration. During this, neither of them even noticed her.

Suddenly, the calm and confident Yugito walked in the room from a distant bathroom before putting her gloves back on. This managed to garnish the attention of both Karin and Tayuya as they each glared at her.

"Forgive me, there weren't any other customers here when I left. You may go ahead of me." Yugito spoke with a humble tone before bowing her head.

The elite two tails jinchūriki then casually walked to a pair of pillows on the ground before sitting down on a blue one. While this occurred, Meng continued to glared at both of the red-haired kunoichi with love and admiration.

"It's okay, please all of you have a seat. I'll get you some tea and maybe some of Aunt Wu's special sugar dumplings?" Meng offered, causing Tayuya's eyes to sparkle.

"I'll take some dumplings." Tayuya interjected, earning a flirty giggle in response.

"I'm glad... So what's your name?" Meng asked while Tayuya and Karin each took a seat next to Yugito.

"I'm Tayuya and her name is fuck face." Tayuya explained while pointing at Karin.

As this conversation unfolded, the calm and rigid Yugito crossed both arms in front of her chest before closing her eyes. She then briefly giggled at Tayuya's joke before her rigid posture returned to her.

"You two look so cute together." Meng remarked, forcing Tayuya to dramatically gag several times.

"Well... I'm obviously the cute one in the relationship." Karin murmured before pushing her glasses up against her face.

This declaration caused Tayuya to abruptly pushed Karin while she continued to gag. At the same time, Yugito was easily able to notice that Karin and Tayuya were both kunoichi, evident by the black Anbu robes and shoes they wore.

Instead of reacting to Karin's statement, Tayuya finally finished gagging before Meng abruptly turned around and left the room. Afterwards, Tayuya casually kicked her mud-stained shoes off even though Karin and Yugito both took their shoes off at the front door.

Tayuya then began to wiggle each of her toes while laying back and sprawling across a pile of pillows. While this occurred, Karin sighed in a loud and dramatic fashion.

"I can't believe we're here in the house of nonsense, what's the point?" Karin complained before thinking about Naruto.

"I just wanted some time away from that whiskered nerd." Tayuya interjected, confused about her recent feelings.

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU LEAVE LAST NIGHT!?" Karin shrieked before she was bombarded with several pillows to the face.

These pillows knocked Karin to the ground before burying her alive. During this, Yugito calmly watched as the pair of red-haired kunoichi screamed at one another.

Suddenly, Meng entered through a nearby sliding door with a plate of treats and tea in hand. Behind her was another one of Aunt Wu's assistant's, each of them gossiping with one another.

"Are those the pair of red-haired girls that Aunt Wu predicted would teach you jutsu?" This unnamed assistant mumbled into Meng's ear before she was pushed away.

A nervous Meng then anxiously approached the group of three female kunoichi before tripping over a rug. This caused Meng to partially fall against Karin before the latter caught her and the food at the last moment.

This created a brief and awkward period of silence as Meng glanced directly into Karin's bright red eyes. While this occurred, Meng slowly began to blush.

"E-... Enjoy your snacks..." Meng mumbled before standing up and running away.

At this moment, Tayuya leaned up before casually stealing the entire plate of food and tea from Karin. Afterwards, the famous Aunt Wu finally entered the room as Tayuya began shoving dumplings into her mouth.

Wu was an extremely old and fair-skinned woman, easily over 60 years old with solid grey hair that was tied into a bundle in the back. Also, their was a golden hair-pen that lined the top of her hair above her wrinkle-covered forehead.

Her outfit was a solid yellow kimono while an angle-length yellow robe worn on top. This robe was opened, revealed a large necklace that hung between Aunt Wu's agent chest.

This necklace had a solid golden chain with a bright and elegant emerald as its focal point. This necklace matched an arrangement of green rings that Aunt Wu wore across her fingers.

"Welcome, young travelers. Who's next? Don't be shy." The elderly and kind voice of Aunt Wu spoke out.

This created a brief period of silence, a silence pierced only by the sound of Tayuya shoving sugar dumplings into her mouth. After several moments, both Karin and Yugito casually pointed at Tayuya.

This declaration caused Tayuya to roll up her before chugging an entire cup of tea in mere seconds. Afterwards, Tayuya tossed the plate of food back to Karin before standing up and following Aunt Wu out of the room.

Suddenly, Yugito reached out with her right hand before grabbing a handful of sugar dumplings and trying them. These meals then created a brief expression of joy and shock across her face as she began to eat.

"Not bad... Not bad." Yugito mumbled.

"So why are you here?" Karin asked.

"I'm just trying to get some insight before I continue my mission, what about you?" Yugito responded.

"I'm here for love..." Karin mumbled while the whiskered face of Naruto drifted through her mind.

"I encourage you to be direct with such things. Be direct with everything in life." Yugito explained before shoving a handful of sweet dumplings in her mouth.

"There are two types of people in this world... Proactive and reactive, what type of a person are you?" After she spoke, Yugito grabbed some more dumplings from the plate of food on Karin's lap.

This created a tense period of silence as Karin glanced between Yugito and the distant hallway that Tayuya disappeared into. While this occurred, small beads of sweat began to build and drip from Karin's forehead.

"Yea... So, what do you think their talking about in there?" Karin asked before Yugito grabbed a glass of tea.

Karin then placed the plate of food and drinks on the ground before Yugito raised her glass into the air before taking a big sip. The elite jinchūriki then began to stir her glass of tea while repeatedly tasting her tongue, attempting to measure and compare the beverage to other tea from her past.

"Boring stuff, I'm sure. Love, her future, how many children she'll have. That type of stuff." Yugito remarked.

"Yea... Boring stuff like that..." Karin mumbled before she internally panicked at the idea of losing Naruto to Tayuya.

Suddenly, Karin began to nervously bite her nails for several moments while shaking. During this, Yugito continued to casually eat handfuls of dumpling while drinking sweet tea.

"Well... I got to find a bathroom!" After speaking, Karin abruptly stood up before walking down the same hall that Tayuya and Aunt Wu did.

After Karin left, Yugito sprawled out across the pile of pillows before stretching her hands and feet into the air like a cat. Afterwards, she continued to eat dumplings while drinking tea, preparing for the fierce battle that awaited her in the future.

While Yugito continued to enjoy her meal, Karin tipped-toe up next to a screen sliding down that concealed Tayuya and Aunt Wu. The spiky hair kunoichi then began to secretly listen in on the conversation, eager to uncover what Aunt Wu would say about Tayuya.

"So, let's get this over what." Tayuya mumbled.

"I think you should be more cheerful, considering the bright future I see ahead for you." Aunt Wu replied.

While this conversation unfolded, Karin was unable to see Tayuya or Aunt Wu. At the same time, Tayuya wasn't paying enough attention to notice Karin.

"How much power do you see in my future? Do I become a God in some type of new world or something?" Tayuya remarked, earning a joyful laugh in response.

"This is just a palm reading my dear, I can't tell you about that type of stuff..." Aunt Wu answered with a smile.

"But I can tell you about your love life." After she spoke, her words created a sour expression across Tayuya's face.

This statement caused Tayuya to tear her hand loose before stomping towards the door. Because of this, Karin panicked and began running back to Yugito, unable to hear Tayuya's prediction.

"I can tell the person you're going to love will be a very powerful man, powerful beyond his age." While she spoke, Tayuya scoffed in response.

"No shit, I could've told you that. All I care about is power." Tayuya interjected before dramatically pulling the sliding door open.

Tayuya then began to stomp down the hallway towards Karin before the whiskered face of Naruto briefly pierced her mind. Tayuya quickly shook this image from her mind beyond grunting with frustration, enraged that she thought about Naruto so much.

This caused a frustrated Tayuya to enter the same room as Karin and Yugito before sitting down atop a red pillow. After several moments, Aunt Wu slowly entered the room with both arms behind her back.

"Fine, let's get this over with." Karin complained before standing up and stretching.

"You're future is full of struggle and anguish, most of it self inflicted." Aunt Wu interjected, earning a scoff in response.

"But you didn't even read my palms or anything?! Can you at least do some of your hocus pocus stuff on me?" Karin argued.

This request forced the elderly Aunt Wu to sigh before pinching the bridge of her nose. At the same time, Yugito was taking a cat nap atop the pile of pillows while she waited for her own fortune.

"Very well... Come with me." Aunt Wu ordered before leading Karin out of the room as Tayuya sat down beside a sleeping Yugito.

Soon, Karin was escorted back to the opened sliding down before finally entering Aunt Wu's prediction room. This room was filled with multiple tables, desks, chairs, pillars and antiques of various shapes and sizes.

In the center of this room was a burning firepit with several rugs, pillars and blankets placed across the ground around it. Also, numerous candles surrounded the firepit with a large pile of bones inside a bucket beside it.

"Bone Reading is the most reliable form of fortunetelling, bones never lie." After speaking, her words created an expression of disbelief across Karin's face.

"Why didn't you read Tayuya's bones?" Karin asked, earning a condescending glare in response.

"How do you know I didn't?" Aunt Wu questioned before shoving her face against Karin's.

This question forced Karin to dramatically sweat while biting her own lip out of fear. Afterwards, Aunt Wu began to laugh in a carefree and nonchalant fashion.

"Don't worry child, I'm just messing with you." After speaking, Karin sighed with relief.

"I don't read her bones because she was in a hurry. But I feel like you deserve a thorough debunking." As she spoke, a sour expression bloomed across Karin's face.

"Yea right! Your hocus pocus is nothing compared to science! Bring it on!" Karin argued while pointing at Aunt Wu.

This accusation forced Aunt Wu to chuckle while walking towards the burning firepit before sitting down on a nearby pillow. She then motioned Karin towards the large pile of bones inside a nearby ceremonial bucket.

"Go on, pick one!" Aunt Wu encouraged before Karin grabbed a large bone and sat down atop a blue pillow.

"Now, throw it onto the fire!" After speaking, Karin followed her instructions before the fire flickered under the weight of her throw.

"The heat makes cracks in the bone, and then I read those cracks to tell your destiny." Aunt Wu explained, causing Karin to sigh before rolling both eyes.

At this moment, the entire room was pierced by the sound of a massive crack that splintered Karin's bone. This crack forced several pieces of broken bones fragments to float through the air before landing in the ashy firepit.

"Woah! That's a big crack!" Karin exclaimed.

Suddenly, Karin's bone continued to splinter and crack even more, withering away into some brittle piece of rotten bone. During this, numerous pieces of bone fragments began to float through the air above the burning firepit.

"I-... I've never seen this before!" Aunt Wu interjected, almost left speechless at this display.

Karin's entire bone then erupted into a fierce explosion of bone and fire. This created a minor pillar of smoke that rose to the ceiling as multiple bones fragments shot through out the room before littering the floor.

"Oh my... Your destiny... Thi-... This is incredible..." After speaking, Wu slapped her own forehead with disbelief.

"You're going to be involved in a great battle! An awesome conflict between the forces of good and evil! A battle whose outcome will determine the fate of the whole world!" As she spoke, Karin sighed in response.

"Yea, yea... But is there anything about a boy?" Karin interrupted.

"A boy? You want to know about love?" Aunt Wu mumbled.

"Yes!" Karin exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't see anything." Aunt Wu replied before Karin stood up and stomped towards the exit.

Despite her insane destiny, Karin really didn't care, she just wanted a cute boyfriend. This is why so was so obsessed over Naruto, a cute boyfriend was the most important thing in Karin's mind.

Because of this, Karin left Aunt Wu's room without even looking back. Afterwards, Karin began to daydream about her future, a future with Naruto by her side.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"That Yugito woman was kind of nice." Karin remarked as she and Tayuya left Aunt Wu's building.

The pair of red haired kunoichi then began walking through the streets of Makapu Village. During this, Tayuya abruptly shook her head after Naruto's face briefly drifted through her mind.

"Whatever. I'd rather hang out with her than you." Tayuya exclaimed.

"She said she was on a mission. It must be for Kumo, I wonder what brings her all the way down here?" Karin questioned, curious to know more about Yugito.

"I couldn't care less." Tayuya retorted.

"Why do you always have to be so hostile...?" Karin mumbled as she walked behind Tayuya.

"Because I hate being around you." Tayuya admitted, earning a loud sign in response.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed out time together today! Because at least you got to see that fortunetelling is a big hoax!" Karin interjected.

"You're just saying that because you're going to make yourself miserable for your entire life." Tayuya argued while crossing both arms in front of her nonexistent chest.

"That woman is crazy!" Karin screamed, upset that Aunt Wu didn't predict her and Naruto being together.

"My life will be CALM! And HAPPY! And JOYFUL!" After speaking, Karin kicked a nearby rock into the air.

This rock soared for several feet before striking a nearby signpost and deflecting itself back through the air. During this, Karin began to smile and act cool before the previously kicked rock hit her directly in the face, knocking her to the ground.

This created an extended period of silence that was filled with Tayuya's laughter as she mocked the faceplanting Karin. Afterwards, Karin raised her right index finger into the air, as if she was trying to make a point.

"Th-... That doesn't count..." Karin mumbled with her face still buried in the ground.

"Well my predictions weren't that good either, she didn't tell me anything that wasn't obvious." Tayuya remarked.

"Anyway, let's walk around this shithole for a little... I need to clear my head." As she spoke, the image of Naruto continued to drift through her mind.

Suddenly, Tayuya violently shook her head before beginning her walk through Makapu Village. At the same time, Karin slowly stood up before following her friend, beginning their journey.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Karin and Tayuya approached a large crowd of civilians that were gathered in the sent of Makapu Village. Each of these civilians were gathered around a large green Buddhist shrine that was adorned with various plates of gold.

"What's with everyone?" Karin mumbled before she accidently bumped against an elderly man.

"We're waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds. To predict the faith of the whole village." The elderly man explained, causing Karin to sigh.

"That cloud up there kinda looks like a fluffy bunny." Tayuya interjected while pointing at a distant cloud.

"You better hope that's not a bunny! The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction!" The elderly man argued.

This statement caused Karin to pinch the bridge of her nose while Tayuya just shrugged it off. After several moments of muttering insults, Karin was finally able to speak out.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Karin spoke out, confused that anyone could mistake a bunny for an omen.

"The cloud reading will tell us if Mt. Makapu will erupt or remain dormant." A nearby middle-aged woman interrupted before pointing at a nearby volcano.

"We used to have a tradition of going up to mountain each year to check if it was going to erupt." As she spoke, more civilians began to flood into the village center.

"But ever since Aunt Wu moved here during my childhood... We developed a tradition of not doing that." After she spoke, Karin abruptly appeared in front of her with a scowl.

"I can't believe you would trust your life to that crazy old woman!" Karin exclaimed before she was shushed by the entire crowd.

"Quiet! She's coming." Multiple civilians spoke in unison as Aunt Wu walked up a flight of nearby stairs.

Aunt Wu then began to approach the gold-plated Buddhist shrine while Meng appeared between Karin and Tayuya. The young Steam kunoichi then wrapped both arms around each of them while smiling.

"Hey guys... Don't you think that cloud up there looks like a flower?" Meng asked before Tayuya swatted her arm away.

"Yea, sure... Whatever." Tayuya mumbled before walking away.

"Yea, sorry... We're just looking around." Karin interjected before trailing after Tayuya, leaving a depressed Meng alone.

After the pair of red-haired kunoichi left, Aunt Wu continued to read clouds while predicting the future. Because of this, Wu's attention focused on a drifting cloud that was shaped like an arrow.

"A floaty arrow cloud that is pointing to the south... Let's see, that means..." Aunt Wu mumbled, forcing each of the surrounding civilians to tense.

Aunt Wu's fortunes were completely accurate and precise, giving the villagers of Makapu absolute faith in her. At this point, Aunt Wu's words and predictions were basically treated as advice from a God, especially inside Makapu.

"Our village will not be destroyed by the volcano this year!" After she screamed, the entire crowd of villagers cheered in response.

Soon, the crowd of villagers erupted into song and dance while praising Aunt Wu's name. This was a great moment, a moment that ensured Makapu would have a future.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"I must admit... I was rather looking forward to getting my fortune read." Gaara mumbled as he floated atop a cloud of sand.

Gaara and Naruto were traveling up the rock-covered mountain-side of Mt. Makapu. This mountain was illuminated by various rays of sunlight that occasionally sparkled in between the constant flow of clouds.

"A few years ago, one of my old friends experimented on this volcano in an attempt to make it active." Naruto explained while the image of Kabuto drifted through his mind.

"So I just got a bad feeling about it, ya'know? You can get your fortune read after we're done, I promise" While speaking, Naruto scaled and climbed over various rocks before jumping over others.

"So what is a volcano anyway?" Gaara asked, causing Naruto to hum for several seconds.

"It's like, a mountain of deadly water that burns you if you touch it." Naruto remarked, creating a frown across Gaara's face.

"I'm glad we never had any of those where I grew up." Gaara spoke out before hovering over the clifftop of Mt. Makapu.

Soon, Naruto casually scaled up the mountain side before becoming distracted by a pair of violet flowers. These flowers were the exact same color as Naruto eyes, a beautiful shade of purple.

Because of this, Gaara descended through the air before jumping beside Naruto. This allowed each of the elite jinchūriki to investigate the beautiful bundle of violet flowers that lined the volcanic rim around Mt. Makapu.

Soon, Naruto crouched down before plucking one of these flowers and raising it to his nose. Naruto then gasped with shock after finally noticing a bright aura of heat and warmth that radiated through the nearby air.

This level of shock forced Naruto to drop the fleshly plucked flower into the lava-filled crater with minor pillars of steam pouring from it. The lava in this crater was beginning to shift and contort, showing signs of activity.

The blind raven known as Shisui then began to circle through the air overhead. This caused various black feathers to plummet through the air before falling into the lava, creating minor pillars of smoke.

This knowledge set off a dark realization for Naruto, everyone inside Makapu Village was in danger. Including Karin and Tayuya.


	75. Chapter 75

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: This chapter will be released with chapter 73 and 74 because of my one year anniversary as a writer.**

 **It's hard to believe I've been writing for one year. Time flies when you hate your life.**

 **I didn't wanna be the one to forget.**

 **I thought about that day we sat in front of the sunset.**

 **The time I spent with you was the best I'd ever get.**

 **So please remember you're my biggest regret.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 75: Eruption! Earth, Smoke And Fire.**

 _Thursday 10:59am, June 21st 58SSP._

A confident yet annoyed Karin walked down the busy streets of Makapu Village with Tayuya behind her. Tayuya was so deep in thought about Naruto that she barely even paid attention to Karin.

"I can't believe all these dimwits!" Karin screamed while her eyes shifted between multiple citizens.

Because Karin and Tayuya were each distracted by their thoughts, neither of them noticed a family of geese walking down a nearby alleyway.

"A bunch of them seem kinda happy, though..." Tayuya mumbled with a low tone.

That was an emotion that Tayuya also struggled to capture, the allure of happiness. This idea forced her to rethink that moment when she was alone with Naruto at The Boiling Springs.

Tayuya had never been honest to someone about her real emotions before, and she didn't want to start now. This filled Tayuya with regret for displaying her true feelings.

Ever since that moment inside the locker room, Naruto had constantly been touching Tayuya or getting close to her. And even worse, Tayuya recently started to blush when he touched her, a realization that pissed her off.

"Not for long! I'm going to prove Aunt Wu's predictions are nonsense and crush all of their happiness!" Karin exclaimed.

This type of dialogue managed to pulled Tayuya from her embarrassing thoughts before she smiled in a mischievous fashion. During this, neither of the kunoichi noticed a family of geese attacking a young boy in the background.

"I think that's the first thing you've ever said that didn't piss me off." Tayuya retorted before Karin dashed towards a nearby villager.

This villager was a middle-aged man who pale green kimono that contrasted his fair skinned face and well-combed brown hair. However, he strangely wore a pair of bright and ornate red shoes that seemed really out of place.

"Hey, you! I bet Aunt Wu told you to wear those shoes, didn't she?" Karin interrogated the villager.

"Yea! She said I'd be wearing red shoes when I met my true love!" The man exclaimed with pure joy in his voice.

After speaking, the man clasped both hands together in front of his chest while Karin's right hand grabbed her chin. The air was then briefly pierced by the sound of Karin humming as she began to analyze Aunt Wu's prediction.

"Uh huh... And how many times have you wore those shoes since you got that prediction?" Karin asked with a straight face.

"Every day." The man replied.

This statement created an awkward period of silence as both of Karin's eyes froze solid. After several moments, her eyes twitched back to life before she began to foam at the mouth.

"THAN OF COURSE IT'S GONNA COME TRUE!" Karin shrieked with foam spewing from her mouth.

"Really? You think so?!" The man asked while ignoring the drops of foam that sprayed against his face.

"I'm so excited!" After speaking, the man raised before arms to the sky before twirling in a circle and walking away.

This action caused Karin to kick a rock that flung through the air before hitting a nearby goose. This goose then flew through the air before striking at the back of Karin's head, knocking her to the ground.

Tayuya's laughter then pierced the air as Karin tried to crawl away from the attacking goose. During this, the rampaging bird pecked and swatted against the back of Karin's head multiple times.

Tayuya was so busy laughing that she didn't even notice the shadows of Naruto and Gaara dashing across nearby rooftops. This pair of jinchūriki were attempting to evacuate Makapu Village before the nearby volcano erupted.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"I DON'T CARE WHAT AUNT WU TOLD YOU! YOU HAVE TO WEAR PANTS!" Karin screamed at an elderly man in the street.

He was fair-skinned with short and spiky grey hair and a rather thick moustache. However, his outfit only consisted of a short-sleeve brown shirt that matched his shoes and underwear.

"No can do." The man exclaimed before turning around and causally walking away.

This statement caused Karin to downcast her face before sighing with defeat. At the same time, Tayuya was still laughing about the previous goose that attacked Karin.

Suddenly, Karin confronted an obese man who was tossing Ryo down a nearby well. This well was topped with several buckets of water and sat in the center of large opening surrounded by houses.

"You there! I bet Aunt Wu told you to dump Ryo into that well, didn't she?" Karin questioned, earning a nod in response.

"She sure did. Aunt Wu predicted that if I walked around the village every day before putting money in this well, I would lose weight." The man explained.

This response forced Karin to briefly stutter before glancing between the obese man and the ground for several moments. Afterwards, Karin pinched the bridge of her nose while struggling to response.

"Of course you're going to lose weight... THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU EXERCISE EVERY DAY!" Karin shrieked only to each a cheerful smile in response.

"You really think I'm loosing weight? Thank you, I'll have to go tell my wife right away!" The man exclaimed before turning around and walking away.

"I see you two are still having fun." Yugito interjected before walking up to Karin and Tayuya.

"What do you want?" Tayuya spoke out.

"I'm just heading southwest to continue my mission. I wanted to wish you pair of kunoichi a safe trip." Yugito remarked, forcing Tayuya and Karin to abruptly tense.

Neither Karin or Tayuya wore a headband of any affiliation or village, so most people would assume their Rogue ninja. Because of this, a tense period of silence filled the air as each kunoichi waited for Yugito to act.

"Relax, I rather enjoy both of your personalities. I just wanted to give you some advice before I left." After speaking, Karin sighed with relief.

"Be direct and never take no for an answer. Confidence is everything." As she spoke, her words filled each of the kunoichi with two separate trains of thought.

Tayuya decided to directly ignore her feelings about Naruto before continuing to treat him like some nerd. Meanwhile, Karin decided to confront Naruto before declaring her feelings for him.

"Do you have to go? I'm sure if you just waited for our friends, they could help with your mission." Karin interjected, rather fond of Yugito's presence.

"I've already wasted enough time here but I thank you for the consideration." Yugito remarked before turning around.

"Besides... You wouldn't make that offer if you knew what I really am..." As she spoke, Yugito calmly walked away, continuing her search for other jinchūriki.

"What do you think she meant by that?" Karin asked, curious to know.

"I can't give a single fuck les-...?!" Tayuya's words were cutoff midsentence as Naruto appeared in a blur in front of her.

This was the result of the Flying Thunder God technique, a seal that Naruto placed on Tayuya's hat weeks ago. This meant Naruto was so close to Tayuya that their noses were brushing together.

This realization caused Tayuya to accidently bite her tongue before staggering backwards and tripping. Tayuya then fell against Karin before they both hit the ground with a heavy thud.

Tayuya then pointed at Naruto with an accusatory glare while mumbling various insults. Afterwards, Karin and Tayuya each began to rub their backs before knocking dirt off their outfits.

"Where's ketchup?" Tayuya asked.

"He's trying to evacuate the villagers, you need to help him." Naruto ordered, earning a loud scoff in response.

Suddenly, each of Karin's eyes bulged like saucers once her advanced sensory abilities alerted her of various threats. At this moment, several Jounin from the shinobi village of Yu appeared atop the surrounding rooftops.

Each of these Jounin wore the iconic flat jacket of Yu, a stone-grey colored jacket that matched their pants. Some of these Jounin wore hats, scarfs and even bandana's but they all wore the headband of Yu wrapped around a visible part of their body.

"That's the one." A fair-skinned man spoke out.

This man was the captain of all surrounding Jounin, giving him a commanding presence and aura. Like his subordinates, he was covered with the iconic stone-grey outfit of Yu, allowing him to blend in with natural hot springs.

His hair was nonexistent because he was completely bald while a vast majority of his head was concealed by the headband of Yu. This brought attention to his face, a face covered with scars, bruises and poorly healed wounds.

He was extremely short for an adult, barely taller than Naruto or Tayuya. His face was also rigid and stern, mixing with his numerous scars while contrasting his black eyes and the spiky brown goatee on his chain.

His most prominent feature was a pair of kusarigama that were each strapped to an opposite side of his waist. These weapons were held together by a strong chain that wrapped around the mans waist.

"But Kazan! He's just a child!" An unnamed Yu Jounin interjected from atop a nearby building.

This statement forced Kazan to reach into the satchel on his back before pulling loose a bingo book. This bingo book had just been freshly produced and distributed amongst the Jounin of Yu, giving them new targets and Rogue ninja to detain.

Kazan then cracked this book open before flipping through various pages. After several moments, Kazan froze before glancing between his book and Naruto multiple times.

"No mistakes. He's the one." Kazan declared, forcing each of the surrounding Jounin to abruptly tense.

Numerous Jounin then began pulling loose several kunai and shuriken as Naruto casually glanced around. During this, Tayuya and Karin each swallowed a wad of spit that swelled in their throats.

"He's an S-rank Rogue ninja who killed the 3rd Hokage! Don't let your guard down!" After screaming, his words forced Tayuya and Karin to both glance at Naruto with confusion.

"Now is our moment! Prove yourself to Yu and ATTACK!" As he spoke, Kazan unsheathed each of his kusarigama before charging forward.

As Kazan approached, the entire earth began to shake and rumbled while smoke rose from the distant Mt. Makapu. This action briefly stunned Kazan before Mt. Makapu erupted, sending dozens of lava-covered boulders through the air.

The ferocity of this eruption was chaotic, blanketing the sky was ash, smoke and black clouds. Also, various boulders plummeted through the air before falling towards Makapu Village.

One of these boulders was directed at Kazan, causing him to panic as he stood barely inches away from Naruto. Suddenly, Naruto casually pushed Kazan onto the ground before standing in front of him.

Each of Naruto's violet eyes then pulsated as a lava-covered boulder plummeted towards him. At the last moment, this boulder was deflected by unseen force before slamming against a nearby wall.

This wall then dissolved and melted under the intense heat of the lava. At the same time, Kazan was glancing up at the back of Naruto's head with a mixture of awe, confusion and fear.

"Evacuate the civilians!" Naruto ordered without even turning around.

Suddenly, Naruto dashed past Tayuya and Karin before charging towards the distant volcano. During this, multiple Jounin glared at Kazan while waiting for new orders.

After several moments, Kazan loudly scoffed before slowly standing up. Afterwards, he continued to stare at Naruto's back before waving his left hand through the air in a horizontal fashion.

"Evacuate the civilians!" Kazan repeated the same orders Naruto gave, earning a chorus of nods from the surrounding Jounin.

At this moment, dozens of Yu Jounin disappeared before dashing through Makapu Village, eager to help with the evacuation. While this occurred, Karin and Tayuya were staring at Naruto as he ran towards Mt. Makapu.

"What the fuck are you doing?! You're running the wrong way!" Tayuya screamed.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Karin and Tayuya both glanced at one another before chasing after Naruto. At the same time, various boulders of rock and magma spewed out from Mt. Makapu, decorating the entire sky with a fiery aura.

Soon, volcanic ash began to fall atop Makapu Village like rain as the nearby earth quaked. Despite this, the blind raven known as Shisui soared into view before flapping his wings while flying towards Naruto.

As this group of friends disappeared from view, the rigid face of Kazan suddenly began to panic after realizing something. His daughter, Meng, had purposely traveled up to Mt. Makapu barely thirty minutes ago to pick flowers.

Aunt Wu once predicted that Meng would meet a pair of red-haired kunoichi that would each train her into a fine shinobi. This was a prediction that Kazan himself completely disregarded, until he finally realized that Tayuya and Karin were the fabled pair of red-haired kunoichi.

This realization, magnified by the determination to save his daughter gave Kazan the strength to charge forward. Kazan was arguably the most skilled and powerful Yu shinobi ever since Hidan became a Rogue ninja.

In fact, many of the scars, wounds and bruises that covered Kazan's face were a direct result of his battle with Hidan. This was a battle that Kazan barely managed to survive, but it was also a battle that gave him unquestionable loyalty and resolve.

Because of his high-level and stature, Kazan soon managed to outrun both Karin and Tayuya. Afterwards, the elite Jounin struggled to race after Naruto, eager to save his daughter.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Naruto was running up a grass-covered hill side on the northern outskirts of Makapu Village. This hill surrounded a narrow dirt-road that led to a small stone gate house, a symbolic shrine that most Buddhists passed through on their journey to Mt. Makapu.

As Naruto ran, a distant Kazan was struggling to keep up with him, awed that someone so young could be so fast. Far behind Kazan was Tayuya and Karin, each of them confused about why Naruto was running towards the erupting volcano.

Suddenly, both Karin and Tayuya were knocked to the ground as a geyser of lava erupted from Mt. Makapu. This blanketed the entire mount side before streams of lava began rushing towards Makapu Village.

"Meng!" Kazan screamed before running even faster towards the approaching lava.

Naruto then froze several feet in front of the Buddhist gate house as lava began pouring down from the surrounding forests. In front of this lava was a panicking Meng who was clenching a bundle of violet flowers in each hand.

Despite her shinobi training, the village of Yu was so weak that their standards of kunoichi were much lower than other nations. Because of this, Meng was a rather weak kunoichi, even below Karin in terms of skill and speed.

As Meng ran, she soon tripped over a rock before falling to the ground. This action forced Kazan to panic because he was too far away to reach her.

While Kazan struggled to save his daughter, Naruto clapped both hands together before weaving through the Tiger, Hare, Boar and Dog Seals. During this, Kazan ran past Naruto before the latter crouched down and slammed both palms against the ground.

"Earth Style: Multi Mud Wall jutsu!" Naruto's voice pierced the ash-filled air before the ground in front of him sunk.

After several moments, this ground transformed into a deep ravine that emptied into a pair of nearby hot springs. During this, Tayuya and Karin were each screaming at Naruto to leave.

At this moment, Kazan grabbed Meng in his arms before a fierce earthquake erupted from Mt. Makapu. This quaking was followed by a fierce geyser of lava that exploded into the smoke-filled air.

This earthquake was so intense that Kazan barely managed to take several steps before falling to the ground. At the same time, Karin and Tayuya each turned around to run as lava-covered boulders began to crash against nearby houses.

Soon, Tayuya and Karin each glanced back while Naruto stood in front of the approaching lava. The sight of a defenseless Kazan and Meng then forced Naruto to clap both hands into the Tiger Seal.

Naruto's entire left foot was then engulfed with an aura of purple chakra before he stomped atop the ground. This forced a gigantic rampart of jagged earth to erupt out from the ground in the shape of a cliffside.

This technique was the result of Earth Style: Rampart of Flowing Soil, a B-rank Ninjutsu. The cliffside from this jutsu soon jolted out over the previously created ravine with great speed, launching Naruto into the air.

Each of Naruto's violet eyes then pulsated as they focused on the nearby Kazan that was huddling over Meng. Afterwards, Naruto reached out with his right hand before Kazan and Meng were each pulled through the air towards him by some unseen force.

Instead of grabbing them, Naruto allowed each of this Yu ninja to soar through the air past him as lava covered their previous location. This lava forced Naruto's left hand to weave through the half Tiger, Ox, Dog, Rabbit and Snake Seals.

While preforming these seals, Naruto inhaled a staggering breath of air before placing both hands around his mouth, as if he was shouting. Naruto then exhaled a condensed torrent of chakra-filled wind out from his mouth that bombarded and cooled the lava below, a result of Wind Style: Great Breach.

This torrent of wind was so powerful that the previously flowing lava abruptly hardened into obsidian stone. This allowed Naruto to land atop the black substance with a heavy thud before even more lava rushed towards him.

Suddenly, Naruto began to harshly cough in a fashion similar to Hayate as dense volcanic ash filled the nearby air. While this occurred, Karin and Tayuya each stared at him from a distance while Kazan and Meng retreated.

"Sometimes I forget how powerful Naruto is... He's way beyond his age." Karin mumbled, causing each of Tayuya's eyes to briefly twitch.

"Wait-... What did you just say?" Tayuya interjected.

"Nothing... Just that Naruto is really strong. Stronger than anyone else his age." Karin answered, forcing Tayuya to bite her lower lip.

Tayuya then briefly thought about the prediction Aunt Wu gave her before shaking it from her mind. Tayuya was only with Naruto for power, not some type of lame love life, she didn't care about that type of stuff.

At this moment, Naruto once again charged towards the approaching lava instead of retreating. And for some strange reason, this actually made Tayuya panic for his safety.

Naruto then leapt into the air before landing on a nearby rock as lava surged pass him, filling the ravine he created. After several moments, lava began to funnel into the nearby hot springs while Naruto held both arms in front of his face.

While Naruto struggled to breath, a fierce earthquake once again shook the nearby land as a geyser of lava erupted from Mt. Makapu. This eruption was followed by a heavy downpour of volcanic ash, increasing Naruto's struggle for air.

Despite this struggle, Naruto funneled chakra into his feet before jumping forward through the fiery air. During this, various lava-covered boulders flung past Naruto, burning portions of his outfit.

Soon, Naruto landed atop a pair of burning trees before dashing across them as they begun to sink. After evading numerous boulders, Naruto finally found a portion of rock-covered mount side that wasn't covered in lava.

This pathway of rocks allowed Naruto to quickly jump up to Mt. Makapu's rim before harshly coughing. Battling a volcano was difficult enough, but Naruto had to do it while he could barely breathe.

A minor geyser of lava then erupted into existence mere feet in front of Naruto, burning portions of his outfit. While this occurred, an endless pillar of black smoke continued to rise from Mt. Makapu before raining volcanic ash.

Suddenly, the blind yet panicked raven known as Shisui began to fanatically circle through the air while squawking at Naruto. Afterwards, the minor geyser of lava doubled in size, forcing Shisui to retreat before a pair of floating black feathers were burned into ash.

"It's alright, Shisui-...!" Naruto shouted before harshly coughing.

"I'm fine! Get out of here!" After shouting, each of Naruto's Rinnegan briefly radiated a bright violet aura.

While his eyes glowed, Naruto entered a Taijutsu stance before slamming his right fist against the rim of Mt. Makapu. Upon impact, each of Naruto's Rinnegan violently pulsated before a shockwave resonated out through the lava filled crater of Mt. Makapu.

This shockwave was fueled by some unseen yet overwhelming force that cut a clear path through the dense lava. This unseen force then crashed straight through the distant rim of Mt. Makapu, causing several streams of rapid lava to rush out the back before burning nearby trees.

Despite Naruto's efforts, Mt. Makapu continued to erupt while earthquakes rippled through the nearby ground. This realization caused Naruto to downcast his face with defeat, unable to save Makapu Village by himself.

During this moment of defeat, Gaara descended through a nearby smoke while standing atop a cloud of sand. However, Naruto was so consumed by his defeat that he didn't even notice Gaara.

"Need a hand, friend?" Gaara asked.

"Gaara?!" Naruto stuttered after quickly turning around.

"There's not a moment to waste!" Gaara interjected before leaping off his sand and landing beside Naruto.

The pair of jinchūriki then each nodded towards one another before Gaara's sand before to smother several fiery boulders in mid air. During this, Naruto clapped both hands together before weaving through over a dozen Hand Seals while inhaling a great breath of air.

Soon, each of Naruto's whiskered cheeks began to bulge before he clasped both hands into the Bird Seal. Afterwards, Naruto began to gag on violent torrents of water that spewed from his mouth.

"Wa- Water Style: Giant Waterfall jutsu." Naruto gagged between the constant water erupting from his mouth.

Suddenly, the amount of water protruding from Naruto's mouth tripled in volume before he leaned over the volcanic rim. The sound of heavy gagging then mixed with the sound of a rapid waterfall pouring into lava.

As this water collided against the dense magma, geysers of steam were instantly created, partially concealing everything from view. At the same time, Gaara was laying waves of sand atop portions of running lava, creating patches of heated glasses that cooled in several seconds.

While Naruto continued to gag up a fountain of water, he failed the notice the ground underneath him was cracking. While this occurred, the nearby raven known as Shisui was fanatically squawking at Gaara.

This squawking alerted Gaara just in time to notice as the ground underneath Naruto collapsed. This action robbed Naruto of his balance before he fell forward, ending his impressive display of Water Style.

As Naruto fell, a cloud of sand abruptly formed underneath his feet before he glance at Gaara. This created a tense period of silence before an explosion of steam erupted from Mt. Makapu, knocking Gaara and Naruto backwards.

As this pair of jinchūriki fell, Naruto wrapped his arms around Gaara in midair before landing on his feet. These friends then began to descend the mount side as nearby geysers erupted with steam, steam laced with volcanic gas.

Because of the large amount of water that Naruto released into Mt. Makapu, the volcanic was erupting with steam instead of lava. This stopped Mt. Makapu from directly threatening Makapu Village but it also put Gaara and Naruto in great danger.

Despite the constant eruption of steam, Gaara and Naruto each managed to evade several geysers while descending the mountain side. However, Naruto accidently stepped over an unseen geysers that exploded toxic steam in his face, nose and eyes.

This steam partially distorted Naruto's vision before he began to cough and gag. Soon, Naruto fell on both knees before Gaara finally turned around and ran back to his friend.

Gaara then wrapped an arm around Naruto before they began to limp down the mount side together. During this, a cloud of steam, ash and smoke began racing towards them from Mt. Makapu.

While this debris approached, a cloud of sand quickly formed in the air before Gaara jumped atop it while carrying Naruto. Both jinchūriki then retreated over the large ravine and cliffside that Naruto previously created before collapsing atop a roof.

While this occurred, Naruto's previously created cliffside managed to completely absorb the approaching wave of debris. This debris then began to funnel and sink into the surrounding hot springs as Makapu Village was almost left unharmed.

Naruto then continued to gag, cough and gasp for air before Gaara crouched over him. Afterwards, Tayuya appeared atop the roof before biting her lower lip as Naruto gagged.

Tayuya didn't understand why she cared so much about Naruto, and it really bothered her. This created a brief moment of hesitation as Karin landed on the roof before running past Tayuya.

"No choice! I'll have to preform mouth-to-mouth!" Karin interjected as Naruto continued to cough.

This declaration caused Tayuya to charge forward before knocking Karin off the roof, causing her to fall into a nearby trash can. Tayuya then crouched over Naruto before briefly blushing once she thought about giving him mouth-to-mouth.

This idea was quickly shook from Tayuya's mind as Naruto slowly sat up before rubbing his head. After several seconds, Kazan appeared atop the roof with three separate Jounin behind him.

This appearance forced Gaara to tense while Tayuya panicked before swallowing a wad of spit in her throat. During this moment of panic, Tayuya didn't even notice as her right hand wrapped around Naruto's left hand.

"Just because you saved my home doesn't mean I'll just let you go..." Kazan remarked, causing Tayuya's grip on Naruto's hand to tighten as she began to sweat.

"That girlfriend of yours will have to teach my daughter Ninjutsu, if you want to leave." As Kazan spoke, his words confused his fellow Yu ninja.

"My daughter was given a prediction involving two red-haired kunoichi, and it looks like I found them." After speaking, a trash-covered Karin slowly climbed on top off the roof.

Suddenly, Tayuya stuttered several times before becoming embarrassed after realizing she was just called Naruto's girlfriend. Soon, this embarrassment turned to rage before she scoffed at Kazan with a hostile tone.

"I'm not teaching your daughter shi-...?!" Tayuya retorted before finally realizing that she was holding Naruto's hand.

This realization caused Tayuya's entire face to turn red before she quickly stood up and ran away across several rooftops. This was the best way Tayuya knew how to handle emotion, to run from it.

"She'll teach you're daughter, just give us a place to stay, please." Naruto pleaded, creating a tense silence before Kazan slowly nodded.

Gaara then wrapped his left arm around Naruto before helping him stand. At the same time, Karin was picking rotten apples and banana's out of her hair.

While Karin struggled with garbage, Kazan led Gaara and Naruto through the street before directing him towards his personal house. After several minutes, Tayuya returned into view before sheepishly trailing behind Naruto while overwhelmed with embarrassment.

* * *

 _Four hours later._

Naruto and Gaara sat in the wide backyard of Kazan's house, a yard filled with its own natural hot spring. Despite Kazan high stature and reputation as a Yu shinobi, he still preferred life inside Makapu Village instead of Yu itself.

However, Kazan was also able to use his high reputation to his advantage, buying 10ft tall stone walls that lined his entire backyard. These walls were connected to Kazan's house, a massive three-story tall house made from solid stone and topped with a green oak roof.

"This is such bullshit." Tayuya remarked as she stood atop the boiling hot springs water with sweat dripping from her nose.

"I'm so done." Karin sighed before walking across the waters surface and sitting down on nearby patch of grass.

Karin then took her glassed off before wiping the sweat from her face. Afterwards, a choking Meng violently thrashed out from below the waters surface before gasping for air.

Meng's hair, outfit and hand were each soaked with water but her hair was still surprisingly stiff and dry. During this, Tayuya walked across the waters surface before approaching Naruto and casually stealing his drink.

Tayuya then drank Naruto's drink in mere seconds before giving him his empty cup back. At the same time, Kazan was watching from a distant tree as his daughter struggled to grow as a kunoichi.

Soon, Meng unsheathed a pair of Kusarigama vaguely similar to Kazan's and Tenten's before charging at Tayuya. However, Meng was so untrained that Tayuya casually dodged her attacks before punching her in the face.

This attack knocked Meng backwards before she once again fell into the hot springs water. This was the beginning of a tough and difficult moment for Meng, the moment when she finally began to grow.

* * *

 _One day later. Friday 9:37am, June 22nd 58SSP._

Tayuya and Meng sat alone in Kazan's backyard beside a natural hot spring with both their bare feet buried in warm water. Meng was covered with various bruises and sores, a result of Tayuya beating her when she failed.

Tayuya volunteered to train Meng alone this morning as an excuse to get away from Naruto. Tayuya felt way too attached to the whiskered boy and it was starting to drive her insane.

"So, I've been meaning to talk to you..." Meng muttered, earning a scoff in response.

"I don't give a fuck." Tayuya retorted.

"That boyfriend of yours... He's really cute." Meng exclaimed, causing Tayuya to violently shove her into the hot springs.

"He isn't cute at all!" Tayuya argued before biting her lower lip.

After several moments, Meng's head slowly protruded out from the waters surface, revealing her wet yet stiff brown hair. During this, Tayuya was shaking her head from side-to-side while struggling to erase Naruto from her mind.

"His whiskers are lame! His hair is fucking stupid and he's a big nerd... There is nothing cute about him." As she spoke, Tayuya downcast her head before staring at the ground.

"So is he Karin's boyfriend? Because she's out with him right no-...!?" Meng interjected before Tayuya jumped into the knee-deep hot springs with alarming speed.

Tayuya then grabbed the collar of Meng's kimono before lifting her into the air. While this occurred, Tayuya was grinding her teeth together at the mention of Karin's name.

"What are they doing?!" Tayuya demanded to know.

"There's a village meeting in the town square with Aunt Wu, everyone's there..." Meng explained before Tayuya casually dropped her into the water.

A panicked Tayuya then surged out from the hot springs before grabbing her shoes and racing over several rooftops on her journey to the town square. Tayuya didn't know why she cared, but the idea of Karin touching Naruto was a disgusting thought that seared itself into her mind, and she couldn't let it happen.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down from a cloudless sky, illuminating Makapu Village. This also brought attention to a large mound of hardened obsidian magma that blanketed a vast portion of Mt. Makapu.

Despite their recent close call with death, several dozens citizens filled the village center of Makapu. Some were dancing while others cheered and sung songs but all of them praised Aunt Wu.

"You're all a bunch of idiots!" Karin shrieked while standing inside the Buddhist shrine that rested in the town square.

"You all almost died, you need to realize that fortunetelling is a lie!" As she spoke, multiple villagers shook their heads in disagreement.

"But Aunt Wu predicted our village wouldn't be destroyed... So she is right after all." An elderly man interrupted.

This response caused Karin to abruptly foam at the mouth before charging forward. Afterwards, Naruto quickly appeared behind her before wrapping both arms around her waist.

"It's okay, Karin. We're leaving anyway." Naruto explained before Karin turned around and snuggled her face against his.

"Ya'know…" Karin mumbled, teasing Naruto for how he talked.

"Now that we all alone, there's something I've wanted to tell you." As she spoke, Karin didn't even notice that Tayuya was dashing through a distant alleyway.

"What is it, Karin?" Naruto asked, earning a seductive giggle in response.

"Well... I really, really lik-...!?" Karin spoke before Tayuya began shoving nearby citizens to the ground.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO NOOO!" Tayuya shrieked after pushing several citizens out of her way before tackling Naruto to the ground.

Tayuya then sat atop Naruto's lap before holding both hands over his ears. During this, the entire village stared at Tayuya as if she was crazy.

"What did you say?!" As Tayuya shouted, she glared at Karin with pure disgust.

"NOTHING! You ruined everything, like usual!" Karin complained.

"Good! I'm glad!" Tayuya retorted.

Suddenly, Tayuya began to blush as Naruto wrapped both arms around her waist before pulling her close. Tayuya then struggled to breathe as Naruto pinned her chest against his.

"Calm down." Naruto encouraged, making Tayuya stutter.

"Nooo!" Tayuya panicked before struggling to push Naruto away.

After freeing herself, an embarrassed and ridiculed Tayuya stood up and turned around before running to hide. However, Tayuya was so embarrassed that she didn't even notice when an elderly shopkeeper rolled his stand in front of her.

Because of this, Tayuya collided against the elderly man before they both hit the ground with a heavy thud. Afterwards, the mans entire cart of cabbages fell sideways before hundreds of cabbages rolled across the ground.

"NO! MY CABBAGES!" The elderly man screamed before crying.

"Bail! BAIL!" Tayuya shouted before running back to Naruto and grabbing his wrist.

Tayuya then dragged Naruto through the streets as she began her long journey to leave Makapu. After several moments, a jealous Karin kicked a rock that flung through the air before striking a nearby goose.

This goose then attracted an entire swarm of geese that surrounded Karin before swatting and pecking her. This caused the red-haired kunoichi to fall to the ground before crawling past Aunt Wu and Gaara.

"Could I get my own fortune?" Gaara asked, earning a gentle smile in response.

"You will be a good friend, a good husband and a good father." Aunt Wu explained.

"But don't you need to read my palms or something?" Gaara questioned.

"I don't have to, your future is written across your face... Now go catch up with your friends." Aunt Wu remarked, creating a genuine smile across Gaara's face.

At this moment, Gaara began to run through the streets of Makapu before his sand finally freed Karin from the attacking geese. While this occurred, Kazan was watching the unfolding events from atop a large tree.

I don't know what type of criminal you are and honestly, I'd rather not fight you. Kazan's thoughts raced as the whiskered face of Naruto drifted through his mind.

But if we meet again, Naruto... It won't be as friends. After these thoughts finished, Kazan began to review the bingo page for Naruto.

Not matter what appearance Naruto upheld and no matter how many innocents he saved, he was still an S-rank criminal. Because of this, Naruto would soon be hunted down for his crimes against Konoha.


	76. Chapter 76

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Tenellis - I'm glad you liked them.**

 **Hardpointz - I love you too.**

 **Deepthoughts42 - If Naruto had a good relationship with Kurama, I do think he could break the sound Genjutsu by using his chakra. But it'll be awhile before their friends.**

 **I think you make a really good point about Jiraiya's Genjutsu being Sage-level though. I still think sound Genjutsu would affect Naruto, but you make a very good point about its high level.**

 **I personally don't think any visual Genjutsu could affect Naruto, regardless of it being S-rank or not. The only reason I think Tayuya's technique would work is because she isn't looking Naruto in the eyes.**

 **But in canon it's never shown if sound Genjutsu would effect an actual Rinnegan user, so this could be my head canon. However, I do think you make a really good point, a point I'll keep in mind.**

 **biginferno - Naruto will be kissed by a handful of people before Tayuya kisses him. But I don't want to reveal who he kisses yet.**

 **thor94 - There's only one person other than Naruto who knows what happened to the 3rd Hokage. And that's Enma the monkey king, he was there.**

 **Luciendar - You make a very good point and I've taken the time to heavily edit that chapter. I was (and still am) a terrible writer when I wrote that chapter, so a lot of my depictions were just complete dogshit and no excuse can be made.**

 **Your criticism improved my story and because of that, I thank you.**

 **Guest - I understand some people don't like Tsundere's like Tayuya. So Hopefully you'll like other pairings I have planned in this story.**

 **GunBlade2019 - Tayuya will grow a lot stronger before the end of season two. But Karin will continue to be the weakness member of the group for awhile.**

 **That's a key point of Karin's character development, the fact that she's always the weakest. This fact will force her to eventual grow but that's really far ahead, she only exists for comedic effect at the moment.**

 **Hiatagi-Satori - The climax of this Arc (Land of Steam Arc) is a five way battle, a battle of five armies. However, you as the reader have to discern which army will be present and where this battle takes place.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 76: J** **inchūriki VS J** **inchūriki! Introduction: The Zombie Combo.**

 _Thursday 3:23pm, June 22nd 58SSP._

The firm and towering silhouette of Han calmly walked down a narrow dirt-filled road in the Land of Steam. This road paved the journey between Bamboo Village and Makapu Village, resting in the north portions of the Land of Steam.

Because of his worldwide fame and iconic steam armor, Han was a very prominent and distinguished figure who easily stood out. Also, his extreme height and size gave off the appearance of a giant, dwarfing even grown men.

As this elite and perfect jinchūriki walked down the road, he began to ponder his true purpose in life. Even if Han did capture and retrieve another jinchūriki, the village of Iwa would still treat him as an outcast.

However, Han was a rigid and loyal man, even after decades of mistreatment he still felt love for the village of Iwa. This shred of love was the only thing that kept Han in motion as he slowly walked down the road.

Suddenly, a blue ember flickered into view from further down the road before surging towards Han. As this fiery ember approached, Han noticed it was a simple hairball shaped like a mouse that was engulfed with blue chakra.

Soon, each of the strands in this hairball unraveled in midair before launching towards Han in rapid succession. These projectiles forced Han to clap both of his glove-covered hands together, causing the sound of metal striking metal to fill the air.

The elite Han then weaved into the Ram Seal as several plates of his armor scraped against one another. Afterwards, pillars of dense steam protruded out from between Han's armor, polluting the nearby air.

This steam was fueled by crimson red chakra, the chakra of Kokuō, the pacifistic and quiet five tails. Similar to Isobu, Kokuō was extremely kind, humble and polite but also possessed a sense of pride, like all tailed beasts.

Despite Kokuō's pacifistic nature, he was still an extremely deadly and fierce tailed beast with ancient chakra. This chakra allowed Han's steam technique to completely engulf each of the approaching projectiles.

After several moments, a lake-sized explosion of pure chakra erupted into existence before scarring the earth. This chakra was a mixture of blue flames being embroiled by red steam that uprooted dozens of nearby trees.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Bright rays of sound sparkled down are a dirt-filled road as Naruto, Gaara, Tayuya and Karin traveled south together. This road soon began to quake as a chaotic explosion of chakra erupted in the distance,

This fierce explosion was a mixture of blue fire and boiling red steam, clearly visible from several miles away. Despite this impressive display of power, Tayuya continued to walk while each of her friends stopped and stared.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Tayuya questioned.

"Don't you think that's strange? I shou-...?!" Naruto spoke out before Tayuya grabbed him by the collar of his outfit.

"Fuck no, we've wasted enough time already." Tayuya argued.

Suddenly, Tayuya began to drag Naruto behind her while her stomach quietly rumbled for food. Afterwards, it took several moments before Gara and Karin slowly followed behind.

"You said one of those lame Yu Jounin had information pointing to the six tails, so stay focused." After Tayuya spoke, she briefly daydreamed about food.

While Tayuya was distracted by these thoughts of food, Naruto grabbed her loose hand. This sudden jolt of warmth forced Tayuya to jump away before pointing at Naruto with an accusatory glare.

"Just breathe." Naruto encouraged, forcing Tayuya to snarl in response.

"Stop that! Stop treating me like some baby! I was an elite bodyguard for Orochimaru, I'm a badass!" Tayuya retorted.

These words managed to create a small smile across Naruto's face, the first time he ever smiled since leaving Konoha. This smile also created an odd feeling inside Tayuya's stomach, causing her to briefly blush before violently shaking her head from side-to-side.

"I will destroy you!" While shouting, Tayuya stomped her right foot atop the ground.

"I'm sure you will... But how about I buy you lunch first?" Naruto remarked.

Naruto then casually walked past Tayuya as she glared at him while her stomach growled. After several seconds, Tayuya turned to chase after him while Karin and Gaara followed behind.

"Don't think you can keep me quiet with food!" Tayuya interjected before crossing both arms across her nonexistent chest.

"And besides, you don't even know what the six tails jinchūriki looks like." As she spoke, Karin was grinding her teeth together with jealousy.

"I'm sure we can find the six tails, together." Naruto mumbled, forcing Tayuya to bite her lower lip.

"Whatever... Just feed me already..." Tayuya murmured before staring at the ground.

This created an extended period of silence while the group of four friends continued their journey south. During this journey, a fierce and chaotic battle was raging in the north, a Kage-level battle.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Chakra-filled blue flames dissipated through the air, burning the earth while boiling steam scorched nearby trees. A lake-sized crater was carved into the earth, staining Han's previous location as the elite jinchūriki appeared under a nearby tree branch.

As Han stood, fresh pillars of steam radiated out from his glowing red armor while birds retreated for safety. This steam took several moments to clear before Han noticed a confident Yugito standing in the middle of the nearby road.

This created an extended period of silence while each of the elite jinchūriki glared at one another. During this silence, Han and Yugito each swelled with loyalty for their village, villages that treated them like trash.

Over 10 years ago, Han and Yugito each fought one another during the 3rd Shinobi World War. This was a battle that both jinchūriki barely survived, creating a life-long rivalry between the pair of elite ninja.

Suddenly, each of Yugito's fingernails hardened like steel as fiery chakra was funneled into her hands. This blue chakra was the result of Matatabi, the fierce and deadly two tails that gave Yugito cat-like abilities.

Matatabi was rather unique and odd for a tailed beast, even compared to Kokuō or Isobu. Instead of being timid or pacifist, Matatabi was respectful and polite, always eager to help Yugito whenever she was in danger.

This sudden growth from Yugito forced a dense cloud of red steam to pour from the large steam engine on Han's back. After several moments, Han's entire location was concealed from view before his steam began surging out towards Yugito.

This approaching steam caused Yugito to clap both of her glove-covered hands together while inhaling a fresh breath of air. Afterwards, Yugito weaved through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals while her extended fingernails occasionally scratched one another.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Yugito's confident voice pierced the surrounding air.

This statement was followed by a chaotic eruption of blue flames that spewed from Yugito's mouth. These flames instantly scorched the surrounding earth and trees while Yugito continued to exhale.

Soon, the ground underneath Yugito cracked and splintered under the weight of her chakra. This chakra also caused Yugito's pale blond hair to violently rustle and waver under the intense breeze.

Despite the deadly nature of Yugito's flame technique, Han charged directly through the swirling blue flames. As he advanced, pillars of red steam radiated out from between his plate of armor, protecting him from Yugito's lethal attack.

Han then raised his armor-covered right arm into the air while funneling chakra into his fist before slamming it down. This approaching attack forced Yugito to abruptly end her Fire Style technique before slicing her chakra-infused fingernails upwards.

This collision of Kage-level Taijutsu instantly carved a 10ft wide crater into the earth around each jinchūriki. Also, Yugito's feet plunged into the ground while parrying Han's deadly fist with her fingernails.

This was the result of an immovable object facing an unstoppable force, a Kage-level battle. Suddenly, the pair of battling jinchūriki began a fierce exchange of high-level Taijutsu, cracking the surrounding earth with each strike.

No words were spoken between Han and Yugito as this fierce battle of Taijutsu raged, they needed no words. This was the life of all jinchūriki, weapons of war that served their shinobi village until death.

During this battle of Taijutsu, the sound of metal striking metal filled the air, creating a spray of sparks in the process. Despite the strength of Yugito's chakra-infused fingernails, Han's armor was the pinnacle of defense.

Suddenly, Han used his overbearing stature to grab Yugito's right wrist before tossing her into the air. Han then attempted to strike the blond jinchūriki before her cat-like reflexes dodged his attack in midair.

Each of Yugito's toenails then extended and hardened, resembling the appearance of cat paws. Yugito then used these chakra-infused toenails to kick Han directly against his armor-plated face mask.

This kick knocked Han backwards before he slammed through several separate trees, breaking them in the process. Afterwards, Han slammed against a natural hot spring with significant force, causing the nearby earth to quake.

This action created a dense cloud of dust and debris as birds retreated from the freshly broken trees. At the same time, each of Yugito's eyes narrowed as she mentally prepared herself for anything.

After several minutes, the previous dust and debris finally dissipated before the silhouette of Han came into view. Despite the ferocity of Yugito's attack, Han's armor wasn't even scratched.

At this moment, dense pillars of chakra-infused red steam began swirling around Han's lower back. Soon, this steam morphed and contorted into a pair of solid white horse-like tails.

These two tails then swished through the air behind Han as his entire body glowed with red chakra. During this, embers of blue fire flickered into existence across Yugito's lower back.

Yugito then began to smile, revealing her teeth as they slowly grew and sharpened before resembling a cat. While this occurred, a fiery cat-like tail of blue chakra erupted into the existence across Yugito's lower back before her entire body was engulfed with blie chakra.

A tense period of silence then filled the air while each of the perfect jinchūriki glared at one another. This silence was pierced only by the constant sound of chakra-infused tails swishing and waving through the air.

Suddenly, the water around Han was boiled into dense red steam that polluted the surrounding air. At the same time, the grass around Yugito's feet erupted into a dense blaze of fiery blue chakra.

A mixture of dense red steam and flickering blue embers then collided through the nearby air. This mixture of chakra abruptly crushed trees, rocks and portions of nearby earth under its weight.

This amount of chakra was easily Kage-level, a result from decades of training and experience. This was a level of chakra that very few shinobi ever obtained, a fierce amount of chakra.

The surrounding earth was then scorched into ash before boiling into steam as both jinchūriki charged towards one another. As these jinchūriki advanced, Han resembled a horse on two legs while Yugito ran on all four limbs like a cat.

These perfect jinchūriki then collided against one another in a chaotic display of Taijutsu. This Taijutsu was so advanced that each strike between the battling jinchūriki created a fierce shockwave, uprooting several nearby trees.

This display of Taijutsu was on the same level as Might Guy, evidence for Han's and Yugito's great power. During this display, the surrounding air was filled with a mixture of red steam and blue embers.

Soon, Yugito swiped her left hand out in a horizontal swipe before Han sidestepped the attack at the last moment. Afterwards, a flickering wave of blue fire erupted out from Yugito's chakra-infused fingernails before burning sections of nearby earth.

Han then raised both hands vertically into the air as steam poured out from each of his armor plates. While this occurred, a fourth tail slowly phased into existence behind Han's lower back.

Moving with Kage-level speed, Han slammed both of his clenched fists down against Yugito's fingernails. This impact created a geyser of dust and debris that surged into the sky while a house-sized crater was carved into the earth.

After several minutes, the cloud of dust partially dissipated before Han was revealed standing atop a freshly made cliffside. The elite shinobi from Iwa was shrouded with a transparent aura of red chakra while four white horse-like tails swished through the air behind him.

Despite his apparent victory, a sense of depression was sparkling from each of Han's eyes. Suddenly, this depression morphed into shock as the sound of burning embers flickered into existence from the bottom of the nearby crater.

The debris created from Han's previous attack then fully dissipated, revealing a perfectly transformed Matatabi. Because she was sealed inside a perfect jinchūriki, Matatabi was able to transform into a human-sized version of her true form.

Matatabi was a two tailed ethereal cat that was construction entirely from transparent looking blue flames. These flames were covered in a series of black kanji and curse seals that sprawled across Matatabi's body, similar to Shukaku.

The most prominent and unique aspect of Matatabi was the pair of heterochromatic eyes she had. Her right eye was as blond as Naruto's hair while her left eye was leaf green.

At this moment, Matatabi raised her ethereal head into the sky before various embers of blue chakra flickered around her mouth. Soon, these embers merged together before a condensed ball of blue chakra erupted into existence in mere seconds.

Matatabi then spat this ball of flames up at Han, burning through portions of cliffside as it advanced. As this ball of blue flames approached, steam poured from between each of Han's armor plates before he swung his right fist forward.

This collision created a fierce eruption of red steam and blue fire that flung through the air in every direction. This explosion of dense chakra crushed the surrounding earth while nearby trees were flung backwards.

As this explosion continued to erupt, a dense pillar of dust and debris rose into the air like a mountain. This debris took several minutes to dissipate before revealing a perfectly transformed Kokuō who stood atop a plane of steam-covered ash.

Because he was sealed inside a perfect jinchūriki, Kokuō was able to transform into a human-sized version of his true form. Kokuō was a five tailed white horse with a dolphin-like head and four separate horns protruding from it.

The tips of these horns were each a tan color, matching the same tone as Kokuō's hooves. These tan spots brought great contrast to Kokuō's dark green eyes, eyes that were each encircled with red markings.

Similar to Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu and Son Gokū, Kokuō was able to transform into his true form without hurting his host. This was in deep contrast to the six tails, seven tails, eight tails and nine tails.

Saiken, Chōmei, Gyūki and Kurama all contained reserves of chakra far beyond the one through five tails. Because of this, each transformation for these four jinchūriki were much more dramatic and painful than the rest.

Despite his relative weak stature as the five tails jinchūriki, Han was still a perfect jinchūriki. This level of experience and expertise gave Han a level of chakra that was almost unraveled.

Suddenly, Kokuō reared back before raising his front two hooves into the air, preparing to charge. During this, shockwaves of boiling red steam radiated out from Kokuō in every direction.

At this moment, a harsh cat-like roar pierced the air as Matatabi appeared between clouds of dust and debris. Kage-level chakra then began to crush the surrounding earth as the pair of battling jinchūriki glared at one another.

These jinchūriki then charged at each other while nearby earth erupted with blue fire that evaporated into red steam. As these elite opponents were mere feet away from one another, a black left forearm surged through the nearby air.

This forearm was connected to some unknown figure by a series of thick black tendrils. Also, the dark green Akatsuki ring for 'North' was worn across the middle finger of this hand, the hand of Kakuzu.

This hand then hardened into a fist before crashing against the earth between Kokuō and Matatabi. collapsing the nearby ground. Afterwards, the grey tendrils throughout Kakuzu's body retracted his arm before it was casually sewn back into place.

This display of jutsu was the result of Earth Style: Iron Skin combined with Earth Grudge, a forbidden technique. Kakuzu stole this technique from the hidden shinobi village of Taki after his failed assassination attempt on the 1st Hokage.

This forbidden technique granted Kakuzu a wide range of jutsu and even a limited form of immortality. This immortality was solely dependent on how many hearts Kakuzu had, hearts that were usually stolen.

Because of this immortality, Kakuzu was able to move like a young man in his prime despite being 88 years old. This sense of immortality also gained a unique reputation amongst the Akatsuki for Hidan and Kakuzu, the zombie combo.

"OI! DON'T JUST KILL THEM! I NEED SACRIFICES!" Hidan shouted.

Soon, the cloud of dust from Kakuzu's previous attack slowly dissipated before the elite zombie combo came into view. Kakuzu had both arms resting against his sides while Hidan's right arm held his iconic scythe propped against his own shoulder.

"Can't sacrifice these, the boss will only pay me if they're alive." Kakuzu argued, earning a hostile growl from Hidan in response.

"I thought we're looking for the nine tails!? Neither of these are the nine tails, so I can sacrifice them!" Hidan protested.

"You moron. We need to capture all nine of the tailed beasts, so let's just get these two over with." Kakuzu exclaimed, earning several insults in response.

Suddenly, the surrounding earth began to quake as Kage-level chakra pressed down upon both Akatsuki members. This chakra was a mixture of red steam and blue embers, an amount of chakra that would even crush Jounin-level opponents.

At this moment, the collapsed ground from Kakuzu's previous attack erupted with a fierce explosion. This explosion created a dense cloud of dust and debris that resonated outward before taking several seconds to dissipate.

After this cloud of dust faded away, an enraged Kokuō and Matatabi each came into view while they stared at the pair of Akatsuki members. The growling Matatabi was huddled underneath Kokuō's stomach, creating a fierce mixture of chakra all around them.

Despite this fierce appearance of two perfect jinchūriki working together, Hidan merely laughed with a sadistic tone. Afterwards, the elite Akatsuki member slowly licked one of the sharpen blades on his iconic scythe.

The sound of Hidan's twisted laughter than resonated through the air as he leapt towards the pair of jinchūriki. As Hidan approached, his laughter became a subdued chuckle while a crude smile stretched across his face.

Matatabi then swiped her right paw out in a horizontal fashion, burning the nearby earth in the process. This attack was then parried by the hilt of Hidan's scythe in midair before Kokuō's head was rammed against his stomach.

This collision knocked Hidan backwards with significant force before he crashed against solid stone. This impact then created a minor avalanched of boulders that completely concealed Hidan from view.

"Idiot..." Kakuzu mumbled as steam poured from Kokuō's mouth.

"What fool would try and take on two separate tailed beasts at once." As Kakuzu spoke, Kokuō and Matatabi each focused on him.

After several moments, a laughing Hidan charged out from the nearby mound of boulders. The entire right sleeve and upper portion of his Akatsuki robe had also been torn off, revealing a vast amount of his fair skin.

"It's the will of Jashin!" Hidan chuckled before his scythe narrowly missed Matatabi's ethereal left paw.

Kokuō and Matatabi then both prepared to strike Hidan before a shadow formed in the sky overhead. This shadow belong to Kakuzu who was plummeting through the air, causing his Akatsuki robes to blow loose.

This revealed a short-sleeved grey shirt worn underneath with a bundle of light grey fabric wrapped around his neck like a scarf. This also brought attention to dozens of stiches and sewing marks that decorated Kakuzu's body.

As Kakuzu continued to plummet through the air, he quickly clapped both hands together. The elite Rogue ninja then perfectly weaved through the Rat, Dog and Tiger Seals before a strange mask erupted out from his back like a blister.

This mask tore clean through the fabric of Kakuzu's outfit before hanging over his right shoulder. Also, this mask was connected to Kakuzu's by a bundle of thick black tendrils, a result of the Earth Grudge technique.

"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!" Kakuzu's voice pierced the air, garnishing the attention of his teammate and both jinchūriki.

Suddenly, a condensed funnel of chakra-filled flames erupted out from the mask connected to Kakuzu. This funnel rotated with intense strength before each of Hidan's eyes sparkled at the approaching flames.

Soon, Hidan, Kokuō and Matatabi were each engulfed in a fierce explosion from Kakuzu's technique. A technique that created a massive geyser of smoke and debris while burning portions of nearby earth.

Kakuzu then casually landed atop the ground while the smoke from his attack took several moments to dissipate. During this, the mask that hung over Kakuzu's shoulder slowly retracted itself into his back.

At this moment, both of Kakuzu's eyes bulged as Matatabi instantly appeared in front of him. This revered two tailed beast then raised her right paw into the air before swiping it down in a vertical slash.

Despite the ferocity of this approaching attack, Kakuzu managed to catch Matatabi's paw with his own hands. Afterwards, small orbs of blue and red chakra slowly phased into existence around Matatabi's mouth.

These orbs then began to funnel and merge together before creating a solid orb of violet chakra, a tailed beast bomb. Matatabi then towered over Kakuzu before releasing this tailed beast bomb mere inches away from his face.

This created a fierce mountain-level explosion of blue embers that flickered through the air while the earth quaked. At the same time, a chuckling Hidan finally came into view as he battled a distance Kokuō in the background.

Despite the ferocity of Kakuzu's Fire Style, Hidan was basically untouched by the fierce technique. The only evidence of Kakuzu's technique were small portions of burnt fabric around the end of Hidan's Akatsuki robe.

This revelation is actually the main reason Kakuzu and Hidan were placed on the same team. Because Kakuzu had a common habit of killing his previous teammates, but Hidan was immortal, preventing that outcome.

Soon, the shockwaves from Matatabi's previous attack finally dissipated before the ground stopped shaking. During this, Hidan was striking out multiple times at Kokuō, surprised that his scythe couldn't pierce the five tails.

After several moments, the smoke from Matatabi's tailed beast bomb finally clearly. This revealed an unscratched Kakuzu who was standing in the center of a lake-sized crater, acting like nothing happened.

Matatabi then began to rapidly charge towards Kakuzu, forcing his entire right arm to turn solid black. Kakuzu then hurled his right fist into the ground, shattering the nearby earth while pieces of jagged rock jolted out around Matatabi.

Each of these rocks were then hurled backwards as Matatabi released a fierce roar. This roar was filled with an aura of blue chakra that resonated through the air.

Despite the intense level of this chakra, Kakuzu was completely undaunted as he charged forward. The such burst of movement forced Matatabi to swing her paws out against a bundle of nearby rocks.

A majority of these rocks exploded on impact while others were flung towards the approaching Kakuzu. This collection of rocks varied in size, some were the shape of boulders while others were mere pebbles.

Also, the lethal shockwave that Matatabi unleashed upon these rocks gave each of them deadly precision. However, Kakuzu was so experienced and elite that he managed to perfectly evade each of these rocks while continuing to charge forward.

This level of experience was then put on full display as Kakuzu entered a fierce Taijutsu battle with Matatabi. This was an act of strength that very few people could accomplish, fighting hand-to-hand against a tailed beast.

During this display of Taijutsu, Matatabi slashed both paws out in various swipes before Kakuzu parried these attacks with his arms. The weight of these impacts caused the surrounding earth to crack before erupting into blue fire.

After several moments, Kakzu's entire left forearm turned solid black before clenching his fist. Afterwards, the elite Rogue ninja hurled his hardened fist against Matatabi's ethereal face, knocking the tailed beast back over 30ft.

As Matatabi flung backwards, she flipped, twisted and skipped across the ground multiple times. Matatabi then slammed against Hidan before both of them collided against a freshly made cliffside.

Without pausing for a moment, Kakuzu surged towards Kokuō while his left arm reverted back to its normal color. This sudden approach also garnished Kokuō's attention, causing the mighty tailed beast to charge at Kakuzu.

As these pair of battling opponents approached one another, the ground quaked with each step that Kokuō took. Suddenly, the nearby earth was crushed under a dense chakra shockwave as Kakuzu and Kokuō collided with each other.

Kakuzu had both hands wrapped around a pair of horns that protruded out from Kokuō's head. This allowed Kakuzu to completely halt Kokuō's movement while also protecting himself from harm.

Each of Kakuzu's eyes then bulged as a chaotic rupture of steam pour out from Kokuō's sweat glands. This steam gave Kokuō God-like strength before he easily stomped over Kakuzu, crushing him into the ground.

During this confrontation, a laughing Hidan was dodging various swipes and slashs from Matatabi in the background. Hidan then counter attacked several times while attempting to draw blood, only to fail each time.

Soon, Kakuzu slowly recovered from Kokuō's attack before standing up straight. At the same time, Kokuō was once again charging at Kakuzu with steam pouring from each of his sweat glands.

This realization forced both of Kakuzu's hands to turned solid black before he dug each of his feet into the crumbling ground. Kakuzu then slammed both of these hardened fists against Kokuō's diamond-like forehead.

The force of this impact created a fierce explosion of chakra before various shockwaves resonated outward. Afterwards, a brief cloud of dust and debris erupted into existence, concealing Kakuzu and Kokuō from view.

While this cloud of dust polluted the wind, the sound of Hidan's sadistic laughter echoed through the nearby air. This laughter was soon followed by joyful giggles as Hidan finally managed to plunge his scythe through Matatabi's left paw.

This attack forced Matatabi to scream with a mixture of rage and pain before swiping Hidan with her loose paw. This swipe knocked Hidan over 40ft backwards as he flipped and twirled across the ground while laughing.

After several seconds, Hidan crashed against a dense boulder with a heavy thud. Despite the damage of this impact, Hidan continued to laugh as the fresh blood of Yugito leaked from his scythe.

Because Matatabi was only the two tails, she was actually weak enough for Hidan's scythe to pierce her chakra skin. This was in deep contrast to Kokuō, Saiken, Chōmei, Gyūki and Kurama, because each of these tailed beast were too strong to pierce.

Soon, Hidan's laughter finally stopped before he licked Yugito's blood off the edge of his scythe. During this, Hidan slowly stood up as drops of Yugito's blood dripped atop the nearby ground.

Hidan then smeared both feet atop this crimson liquid before creating a blood-filled circle in the ground. Afterwards, Hidan created a blood-filled triangle in the center of this circle, creating the iconic symbol of Jashin.

Suddenly, Hidan's entire body turned solid black while his face took on the appearance of a voodoo-like white mask. Also, Hidan's right hand grabbed the pendant of Jashin that hung from his neck.

Because a vast amount of Hidan's Akatsuki robe was torn or burnt, a large portion of his chest and his entire right arm was visible. At this moment, Hidan dragged his own scythe across his exposed chest in a vertically slash.

This attack created a deep gash that spewed blood out from Hidan's chest as he giggled. At the same time, a deep gash erupted across Matatabi's lower chest, forcing her to roar with rage as Yugito's blood slowly mixed with her blue flames.

An enraged Matatabi then charged at Hidan, causing the nearby ground to erupt into blue fire with each step. While this occurred, a battling Kokuō and Kakuzu came into view as distant debris slowly dissipated.

"Remember, don't kill them." Kakuzu interjected, focused on his payment.

"That's such a pain in the ass." Hidan murmured as Matatabi continued to charge towards him.

"This type of mission goes against my religion. Jashin demands mass slaughter." After speaking, a brief frown stretched across Hidan's face.

After several moments, Hidan briefly raised the sharpened blades of his scythe to his throat before sighing. Afterwards, Hidan quickly slit both of his own wrists, causing the approaching Matatabi to trip over her paws before faceplanting with a heavy thud.

Each section of earth that touched Matatabi instantly erupted into blue flames, a result of her unique chakra. As Matatabi laid in this circle of flames, the fresh blood of Yugito slowly leaked out from each of her paws.

Suddenly, portions of distant earth dissolved into pillars of red steam as Kokuō stomped his hooves atop the ground. During this, Kakuzu clapped both hands together as a pair of masks ruptured from his back like blisters.

Each of these masks then hung over Kakuzu's shoulders, connected to his body by a bundle of black tendrils. At the same time, Kakuzu weaved through various seals while preforming multiple techniques.

At this moment, a funnel of flames erupted from one of Kakuzu's masks while a tornado-like vortex of wind ruptured from the other one. This combination of techniques then merged together in midair, combining Fire Style: Searing Migraine with Wind Style: Pressure Damage.

As these two separate techniques fully merged together, a rotating vortex of chakra-fill flames surged towards Kokuō. The strength and heat of this technique burning the surrounding land as it advanced.

Soon, the air around Kokuō became completely polluted by dense red steam, concealing the five tails from view. However, Kakuzu's fierce combination of jutsu continued to rush towards Kokuō's previous location.

A funnel of rotating steam then erupted into existence inside Kokuō's dense technique. Afterwards, a violet sphere of dense and concentrated chakra hurled through the air, dispersing nearby steam as several shockwaves rippled out.

This pulsating orb of violet chakra was a fully powered tailed beast bomb from Kokuō, the five tails. Because of Kokuō's vast chakra reserves, this tailed beast bomb easily overwhelmed Kakuzu's technique before continuing its path towards the Rogue ninja.

As this orb of chakra flung through the air, the ground underneath abruptly cracked before dissolving into steam. This approaching orb of pure chakra than forced each of Kakuzu's oddly colored eyes to bulge.

Kokuō's tailed beast bomb then erupted with a chaotic explosion of chakra-filled steam, uprooting dozens of trees. Creating a mountain-sized pillar of dust, debris and red steam while the nearby earth quaked.

This collection of steam and debris then took several minutes to dissipate after the ground finally stopped shaking. During this, a distant Matatabi howled with pain as Hidan shoved a broken tree branch through his own chest.

After several minutes, an enraged Kakuzu came into view as he stood in the center of a freshly made mountain-sized crater. Kakuzu's entire left forearm had been completely severed while it twitched on the ground next to his feet.

Also, Kakuzu's right forearm was buried underneath the ground but still connected via a bundle of black tendrils. Each of these tendrils twitched and pulsated, as if Kakuzu's arm was moving underground.

Suddenly, multiple black tendrils protruded out from Kakuzu's left arm before attaching to his severed forearm. These black tendrils then pulled both limbs together before they were slowly sewn into place.

The two previous masks that protruded from Kakuzu's back were also shattered and laying on the ground behind him. Also, the elite Rogue ninja was groaning with a mixture of rage and annoyance.

"You little bastard... That almost killed me, almost." Kakuzu complained before Kokuō finally came into view.

Kokuō stood in the same crater as Kakuzu while a distant Matatabi fell to the ground as Hidan began to pray. However, each of Kokuō's eyes bulged as the ground underneath him abruptly ruptured.

Kakuzu's hardened right fist then protruded up from the ground before puncturing a hole through Kokuō's stomach. Afterwards, Kakuzu's left fist detached from his body before launching out towards Kokuō like a missile.

The black tendrils connecting Kakuzu and his hand then bulged with chakra as his fist approached Kokuō. The elite five tails was then punched directly in the face before flinging backwards as Kakuzu's left hand was pulled loose from his body.

Kokuō then flipped, twisted and twirled through the air while occasionally scrapping against the ground. After several moments, Kokuō slammed against a newly created cliffside before creating a large avalanche that fell on top of him.

This collection of dust, rock and rumble created a dense pillar of debris that completely concealed everyone from view. This created a tense period of silence as the sound of conflict finally ceased.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down across a damaged landscaped that was littered with various craters. This landscape was also filled with a dissipating mixture of red steam and blue flames.

Soon, a limp and lifeless Hidan came into view while sprawled across a blood-stained symbol of Jashin on the ground. Streams of blood were pouring from Hidan's mouth while a partially burnt tree branch was protruding from his chest.

Despite his dead appearance, Hidan was actually deep in pray to Jashin, the same God that granted him immortality. This brought attention to a limp and blood-stained Yugito that was impaled against a nearby cliffside by several tree branches.

While Hidan was praying, Kakuzu sat atop the chest of an unconscious Han while reading a map about the Land of Steam. There was also a gapping hole that cut clear through Han's stomach and the armor that surrounded it.

This severe wound caused a lethal amount of blood loss, but Han was still alive so Kakuzu didn't really care. Also, Kakuzu was once again wearing his iconic Akatsuki robe, concealing the damaged fabric and outfit he wore underneath.

"Ouch..." Hidan muttered after casually pulling the tree branch loose from his chest.

"Can't you skip some of that?" Kakuzu complained while reading his map.

"Absolutely not! That's blasphemy against God! Jashin deserves daily worship!" Hidan argued after dramatically jumping to his feet.

"I'm partnered with an atheist jerk who don't understand the importance of God." As Hidan mumbled these words, Kakuzu slowly folded up his map.

"I teamed up with you because you said religion is profitable." Kakuzu exclaimed, forcing Hidan to grind his together teeth with rage.

"I might not look it, but I'm quite devout in my faith and you're disrespect for God annoys me." Hidan interjected before entering a tense stance.

"Not being able to kill is a pain in the neck..." After speaking, Hidan slowly licked the sharpened blades of his scythe.

"My schedule just got cleared up." Kakuzu remarked before standing up and clenching both hands.

"Jashin wills it!" Hidan laughed before lunging towards him teammate.

"You and your weird religion." Kakuzu muttered before his right fist turned solid black.

Soon, each of these immortal teammates came within mere inches of one another with deadly intent. At the last moment, a swirling vortex erupted into existence between each of these Akatsuki members, forcing them both to jump back over 10ft.

"Nooo! Why does everyone keep fighting!" The voice of Tobi pierced the air after he phased into reality.

"We're supposed to be a family!" While speaking, Tobi crossed both arms in front of his mask-covered face before crying.

"Oi! Stop all that crying! God doesn't like crybabies!" Hidan scoffed with a condescending tone.

This statement forced Tobi to abruptly stop crying before glancing at Hidan with confusion. After several moments, Tobi held both hands in front of his concealed mouth before entering a timid stance.

"Why do you gotta be so mean!?" Tobi cried, forcing Kakuzu to grunt.

"Say one more thing, and I'll show you how mean I can be!" Hidan retorted before tightly gripping the hilt of his scythe.

"Tell me. Show me. Blow me..." Tobi mumbled with a rhythmic tone while wiggling his butt through the air.

"I am, Tobi!" After speaking, Tobi used both hands to beat his stomach like a drum.

"DIE!" Hidan screamed before lunging through the air and slicing his scythe at Tobi.

Surprisingly, this attack completely phased through Tobi's body before Hidan did aswell. This caused Hidan to crash into the ground with a heavy thud while each of Kakuzu's eyes narrowed.

Suddenly, both of Tobi's hands gripped the sides of his concealed face as he gasped with shock. During this, Hidan mumbled various insults and death threats at the innocent and playful Tobi.

"NANI!? Tobi shouted in a dramatic and anime-like tone before gasping for air.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Kakuzu interrupted.

"Just collecting the goods!" Tobi explained before casually walking up to the unconscious Han.

Tobi then crouched down in front of this perfect jinchūriki before gripping his right shoulder. Afterwards, a spiral vortex erupted from Tobi's right eye before Han's entire body was sucked inside.

"If I don't get my payment, I'll kill you." Kakuzu proclaimed, causing Tobi to sheepishly wave both hands through the air.

"Just calm down... You two are so negative." Tobi exclaimed before walking towards the impaled Yugito.

Kakuzu's right forearm then launched towards Tobi while chakra pulsated through his black tendrils. Without even turning around, Tobi managed to casually phase through this attack before Kakuzu's fist slammed against solid stone.

Kakuzu's punch then created a minor cloud of debris as Tobi harmless walked through everything in his path. Soon, Tobi casually walked up the cliffside before approaching the unconscious Yugito.

Tobi then reached out with his left hand before grabbing Yugito as a distant Kakuzu slowly retracted his arm. At the same time, a spiral vortex erupted from Tobi's right eye before Yugito's entire body was sucked inside.

"Tch… This is ridiculous." Hidan scoffed before sheathing his scythe across his back.

"I guess we'll continue our search for the nine tails." Kakuzu cut in.

"Deidara-senpai is in the south with Sasori. I heard the nine tails and six tails are wondering around too." Tobi explained while entering a teacher-like stance.

After entering this stance, Tobi became so distracted by his words that he fell to the ground like a klutz. Tobi then mumbled various apologies while scrambling to stand up as Hidan and Kakuzu both insulted him.

"I'll never understand why the boss likes you so much." Kakuzu muttered before turning south and walking away.

"Oi! You used to say that about me!" Hidan complained before walking after his teammate.

After several minutes, the zombie combo disappeared into a distant tree-line while arguing with each other. Afterwards, Tobi's entirely body began to phase away before funneling towards his right eye.

Soon, Tobi completely disappeared from view as a tense period of silence filled the air. This silence was followed by a dark realization, the hunt for the nine tails had only just begun.


	77. Chapter 77

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: I'm taking some liberties and edits to the Tsuchigumo clan to avoid their forbidden Nuke jutsu. I will also expand on their clan in a manner that I consider realistic.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 77: Enter: The Wanderer! Revelation Of The Six Tails.**

 _Thursday 8:28pm, June 22nd 58SSP._

Bright rays of moonlight sparkled down upon the south eastern plains in the Land of Steam. Because of its close vicinity to the coast, this portion of land was mainly just a wide grassy plain that was devoid of any hot springs.

The most apparent and prominent feature of this plain was a circular mountain that jolted vertically out from the ground. This location was Mount Katsuragi, a mountain with various layers and plateaus but all of them were completely circular, clearly man-made.

A large and grass-covered ravine was also carved into the earth all around the mountain. This ravine was easily over 60ft deep and 30ft wide, preventing almost all types of assault and invasion.

The mountain itself had several pathways and staircases that were carved into solid stone sprawled across it. Each of these stairways led to the top of this mountain, a flat and grass covered plain with a small forest on top.

A small farm-like house and barn with roofs of hay and thatch were also nestled between this forest. Strangely, an ornate and prestigious marble shrine was also hidden in this forest.

Soon, a fair-skinned and blond haired woman came into view while sitting atop a tree branch that hung off the mountain side. This woman was blowing a collection of bubbles loose into the night sky before rays of moonlight illuminated her slim figure.

She was roughly 20 years old with dark-green eyes that deeply contrasted her wavy shoulder-length hair. Despite her age she was only 5'' tall, barely taller than Naruto or Tayuya.

This woman was a Chunin from the Land of Steam, evidence by the headband of Yu that was tied around her neck. Her outfit consisted of a sleeveless pink kimono top that was tied around her waist with a white sash.

Underneath her waist, she wore a black skirt that ended several inches above her knees. This skirt also had an open slit in the front with red trimmings around it, drawing attention to her black shorts.

There was also a bundle of white linen fabric wrapped around her upper right thigh. This fabric had a black kunai pouch attached to it, similar to most shinobi.

Finally, she wore a pair of black shinobi shoes and matching arm warmers. Overall, she was an extremely beautiful and talented woman.

After several moments, the woman once again blew a bundle of bubbles into the wind with her pipe. A brief period of silence then filled the air as she intently focused on these bubbles until they disappeared into the night sky.

"That seat is reserved for me... Hotaru." The charming voice of an unknown man spoke out as he approached.

He was a extremely tall and thin young man with pale white skin, a result of living in dense mist for his entire life. His neck-length hair was brown and spiky with a chin-length bang hanging off his left eye.

There was also a small parting in the front of his hair, drawing attention to his auburn-colored right eye. His outfit consisted of an ankle-length blue kimono with six orange bubbles sewn into the back.

These bubbles matched the orange sash that was tied around his waist with strands of fabric hanging loose in the front. Also, his blue kimono was hung loose, exposing his pale-skinned and shirtless chest.

This exposed skin brought attention to a bamboo jug filled with soap that was tucked into the front of his waist. Finally, he held a tan bamboo pipe in his right hand that matched his partially concealed shinobi shoes.

"O-... Oh! Excuse me, master Utakata." Hotaru apologized.

After speaking, Hotaru quickly jumped down from the tree branch before bowing her head in respect. At the same time, her words created an annoyed scowl across Utakata's face before his scoffed in response.

"Stop calling me that." Utakata spoke with a commanding tone, creating a frown across Hotaru's face.

"I would never be foolish enough to take on that title." As he spoke, Utakata turned around before casually walking away.

"Tonbee is looking for you." After speaking, his words caused Hotaru to quickly chase after him.

The relationship between Hotaru and Utakata was rather strange and tenuous. They had only known one another for barely a week, ever since Utakata saved Hotaru from a detachment of Anbu from Kiri.

Utakata was also the jinchūriki for Saiken the six tails, making him a Rogue ninja from Kiri. Although Utakata was only 23 years old, he was also a perfect jinchūriki, mastering his tailed beast at an extremely young age.

Hotaru assumed the recent Anbu ambush was an attack on her but in reality, they were hunting Utakata. While Utakata managed to defeat these Anbu, he was mildly injured in the battle.

This injury caused Hotaru to drag Utakata back to her families fort before nursing him back to health. During this, Hotaru constantly begged Utakata to teach her bubble ninjutsu every chance she got.

However, Utakata was a rather complicated and scarred man who had no desire to be a master. This trauma was a result from his own terrible experience with his old master, a person who tried to rip the six tails from his body.

Despite this convoluted relationship, Hotaru was still determined to learn ninjutsu from Utakata. This level of determination and willpower was almost absolute, easily on the same level as Naruto or Rock Lee.

Soon, each of these individuals disappeared into the nearby forest as clouds partially concealed the moon from view. At the same time, a fierce and deadly enemy was rushing towards.

* * *

Five minutes later.

A tense silence filled the air while an elderly man tied a plea for help to a bird's leg. This message was directed towards Yu, begging for aid against the approaching threat.

This elderly man was fair-skinned with short grey hair and a bushy mustache that brought attention to his narrow black eyes. His attire was a simply V-neck long-sleeved green shirt worn underneath a sleeveless black coat.

Finally, he wore a pair of ankle-length tan pants that were tattered and torn from farm work. These pants matched his poorly-kept farmer sandals.

"I'm counting on you..." The elderly man known as Tonbee mumbled to the tan bird in his hands.

Suddenly, Tonbee released the bird before it flew into the air and soared towards Yu. During this, the drifting image of Kazan drifting through Tonbee's mind as panic swelled inside him.

While Tonbee's bird disappeared into the night sky, a much larger bird came into view. This bird was solid white and easily tree-sized with a pair of silhouettes sitting on top.

This bird was made of solid clay, a result of Deidara's forbidden technique that he stole from Iwa. Although this bird was easily over 200ft away, Tonbee could still spot the beast as it soared towards his home.

Soon, Utakata and Hotaru both walked up the nearby stairs, forcing Tonbee to quickly turned around. The elderly man then sighed with exhaustion before taking a deep breath of air.

"Someone is bypassing all of our traps... They'll be here soon." Tonbee sighed with defeat, a result of his extreme age.

"No ordinary person can reach this fort... But I fear these intruders are far beyond ordinary." As Tonbee spoke, he slightly downcast his face.

"Don't worry about it, dad! If master Utakata fights with us, we'll win for sure." Hotaru exclaimed, forcing Utakata to sigh in response.

"But why are they targeting us? What's their purpose and goal?" Utakata asked with a calm and carefree tone.

"They're most likely after the secret technique of our clan." Tonbee replied, exclusively referring to him and his daughter Hotaru.

"The Tsuchigumo clan." As he spoke, the distant silhouette of Deidara's bird soared even closer.

"Hotaru... Please, take this." While speaking, Tonbee pulled a white satchel from his back before giving it to his daughter

"In order to protect the forbidden jutsu of our clan, you two must travel to Yu." After speaking, an expression of concern spread across Hotaru's face.

"But what about you, dad?" Hotaru asked.

"I will follow immediately, but you must leave at once." Tonbee explained before a brief silence filled the air.

"No! If we're going to escape, than let's escape together!" Hotaru protested.

"The enemy is at our doorstep." Tonbee remarked.

"We don't have time to waste, I have to stay behind and slow them down." As he spoke, Utakata casually turned around before walking away.

This action created a brief silence in the air as Hotaru and Tonbee each stared at Utakata. After several moments, Utakata finally stopped walking before turning his head around just enough to glance at Hotaru.

"Are you coming?" Utakata asked with a carefree tone.

This question caused a depressed Hotaru to repetitively glanced between Utakata and Tonbee several times. Afterwards, Tonbee nodded with approval towards his daughter before encouraging her to leave.

After several moments of hesitation, Hotaru rushed towards her father before hugging him. Hotaru then turned around before chasing after Utakata who was already walking away.

"Utakata… Please take care of my daughter." Tonbee requested.

Despite the severity of this request, Utakata continued to walk away with a carefree fashion. At the same time, Hotaru finally caught up with him.

"I will repay my debt to you." Utakata remarked without even turning around.

Tonbee was the same man who fed and doctored Utakata since he arrived to Mount Katsuragi. This left Utakata with a sense of loyalty and respect for the elderly man, something that he rarely felt for anyone.

Soon, Hotaru and Utakata both disappeared from sight as they journeyed towards a hidden cave. This cave secretly led underground before coming out at a distant forest, far away from harm.

After his daughter disappeared, Tonbee turned around before confidently strolling towards the approaching bird. Despite his extreme age, Tonbee was still a master of ninjutsu, the same person who taught Hidan and Kazan in their childhood.

Father... I promise to buy as much time as possible. Tonbee concluded before a crushing level of chakra resonated through the air.

This chakra gave off a faint blue glow, causing the water in a nearby pond to thrash and ripple. At the same time, Tonbee slowly walked over a wooden bridge that cracked and splintered under his chakra.

Suddenly, Deidara's massive white bird soared over the distant mountain side before hovering through the air. This created a tense period of silence as Deidara and Sasori each stared at Tonbee.

"Is he the one?" Deidara asked.

"Mmmm… No, we're looking for a Rogue shinobi from Kiri, not an old man." Sasori declared.

At this moment, a bundle of shuriken slid down each of Tonbee's sleeves before landing between his fingers. The elderly shinobi then hurled these shuriken through the air with deadly effect.

As these weapons approached, Deidara scoffed before a sharpened metal tail protruded from Sasori's back. This tail then effortlessly struck each of Tonbee's shuriken in midair, creating the sound of metal striking metal.

A spray of sparks then erupted through the air before Tonbee's shuriken harmlessly fell to the ground. Sasori's metal tail then gently swished and wavered through the air behind him.

Because Tonbee was a member of the Tsuchigumo clan, he possessed the rare Kekkai Genkai known as Boil Release. This type of Kekkai Genkai was a combination of Water Release and Fire Release, an extremely rare occurrence.

Despite its rarity, Tonbee was a still master of Steam Jutsu due to his excessive age and past-battles. He was no where near the level of Han, but he was still a fierce and deadly opponent.

Soon, Tonbee clasped both hands together before weaving into the Horse Seal while inhaling a significant breath of air. Afterwards, Tonbee exhaled a dense fog of boiling steam, a result of Steam Style: Skilled Mist technique.

This steam radiated out from Tonbee's mouth like an eerie fog before completely concealing him from view. This steam then continued to pour out before polluting the nearby air, rising towards Deidara and Sasori.

This steam was extremely deadly, boiling nearby grass and water into additional steam. Also. both Akatsuki members could feel the sheer heat that radiated out from Tonbee's technique.

As this steam rose, it was abruptly pushed down up the weight of Deidara's bird as it flapped both wings to hover in place. At the same time, Deidara scoffed in a condescending tone before his right hand reached into his clay pouch.

"So, I can kill this guy... Right?" Deidara asked, earning a nod of approval in response.

Suddenly, a handful of shuriken erupted from the steam below before surging towards both Akatsuki members. However, each of these shuriken were struck from the air at the last moment by Sasori's tail.

This impact forced the sound of metal striking metal to fill the air, followed by a spray of sparks. Afterwards, Tonbee's shuriken plummeted through the air before disappearing into the steam below.

At this moment, Tonbee jumped out from the dense steam as pillars of fog radiated partially covered his body. During this, Tonbee held both hands together while weaving through the Horse, Ram, Dog, Rabbit and Horse Seals.

As Tonbee approached, his technique was abruptly canceled before his was knocked through the air by Deidara's bird. As he fell, Tonbee managed to preform several backflips in midair before landing on his elderly feet.

Once Tonbee landed, a small vortex of wind rupture out from the heavy impact. This wind caused a small portion of nearby steam to dissipate, revealing Tonbee's location.

"You know, I can't stand old people." Deidara remarked before pulling his right hand loose.

The mouth in Deidara's palm was chewing and molding a wad of clay that was infused with chakra. While this occurred, a wide and confident smile stretched across Deidara's face.

"Art is fleeting, age is fleeting, life is fleeting." As Deidara spoke, Sasori quietly sighed.

"I've been around for over 50 years. So I know the difference between average criminals and freaks like you." Tonbee retorted as the face of Hidan drifted through his mind.

Instead of boiling with rage, Deidara erupted into a fit of laughter after his hand finally stopped chewing. At the same time, Tonbee clapped both hands together before weaving through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals.

"You're right about something! My art isn't average!" Deidara screamed before waving his right hand through the air.

As Deidara moved his hand, the mouth on his palm opened before dozens of white spiders poured out. Each of these spiders were made of solid clay and infused with a lethal amount of chakra.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Tonbee exhaled a condensed spray of chakra-filled flames.

These flames were fueled by a Jounin-level amount of chakra, giving them lethal heat and power. Soon, these flames rose high into the air as Deidara's spiders finally approached.

Upon contact, a fierce and consecutive series of explosions erupted into existence. During this, Deidara's bird flew away as dozens of explosions filled the air with a chaotic amount of fire.

After several moments, Tonbee was forced to cancel his technique as a torrent of explosions rippled towards him. The fire in these explosions reflected off his elderly eyes while the face of Hotaru drifted through his mind.

Utakata… I leave the rest to you. A single thought echoed through Tonbee's mind before his entire body was consumed by flames.

As these flames concealed Tonbee from view, Mount Katsuragi began to quake and rumble under Deidara's consecutive explosions. However, Utakata and Hotaru each had enough time to escape, ensuring their safety.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Rays of bright moonlight sparkled down on Hotaru's face as she stood between a collection of trees. These trees belonged to a dense forest that rested far in the distance from Mount Katsuragi.

Hotaru was staring up at Utakata's back for what felt like minutes as he stood atop a tall tree. Suddenly, a fierce explosion erupt from Mount Katsuragi, garnishing Hotaru's attention while Utakata didn't even turn around.

A tense silence then filled the air once a depressing realization settled inside Hotaru's heart. At the same time, Utakata was dipping his Bamboo pipe into his bottle of soap while staring up at the moon.

At this moment, a fresh gust of wind blew in from the east, forcing Utakata's loose kimono to rustle and waver in the wind. During this, Utakata's pipe was raised to his lips while his spiky hair wavered in the dense breeze.

Utakata then blew a massive collection of bubbles into the air, creating a bubbly sound in the process. These bubbles then polluted the air for several seconds before the dense wind carried them away.

After several moments, Utakata casually fell from the tree before landing atop the ground beside Hotaru. Afterwards, an awkward silence filled the air as Utakata walked away before Hotaru sheepishly trailed behind him.

"Master Utakata… There's something I'd like to ask you." Hotaru mumbled before an extensive silence filled the air.

Both of these individuals then continued to walked through the forest for what felt likes minutes. However, Utakata didn't even respond or acknowledge her request.

"Will you continue to teach me jutsu after we get to Yu?" After she spoke, an extensive silence once again filled the air.

Soon, the only sound that could be heard for minutes was the sound of crickets and muffled footsteps. Also, the faint sound of owls could be heard as Utakata escorted Hotaru to Yu.

"I don't recall teaching you anything." Utakata muttered with a carefree tone.

"But back at the fort, you trained me in many things." Hotaru protested.

"You did that on your own." Utakata replied with a calm voice.

Suddenly, Utakata froze mid step before staring at the ground as Hotaru stood several feet behind him. Afterwards, a brief period of silence filled the air as Hotaru glanced at the six orange bubbles sewn into Utakata's kimono.

"Also, when we reach the village I will no longer be needed." As Utakata spoke, he turned his head just enough to glance at Hotaru with his visible eye.

"But there's no one in this land stronger than you! You proved that when you saved me!" Hotaru once again protested, forcing Utakata to turn his face away.

"And... And I need you to train me!" After speaking, Hotaru downcast her face with defeat.

A tense silence then filled the air was Utakata stood completely still while distant crickets could be heard. Soon, Hotaru's mind began to drift back over a week ago, thinking about the first time she ever met Utakata.

 _-Flashback-_

A panting and dirt-stained Utakata was crouched on both knees while resting against a large boulder. Blood was also leaking from a fresh wound on his stomach, alerting a nearby Hotaru who traveled down a dirt road.

"Are you okay!?" Hotaru panicked.

Suddenly, each of Hotaru's eyes bulged before she turned around and glared at the tree-line beside the road. During this, various shadows from elite Kiri Anbu were weaving through multiple Hand Seals.

Soon, a barrage of liquid bullets were flung into the air towards Utakata, each of these bullets carried Jounin-levels of chakra. Even though Hotaru wasn't the target, she stood between Utataka and the Kiri Anbu, putting her in direct danger.

These guys are persistent. Utakata remarked before raising his bamboo pipe to his mouth.

The elite six tails jinchūriki then exhaled a fierce collection of chakra-filled bubbles that polluted the air. This bubbles quickly surged past Hotaru before she jumped backwards through the air.

At this moment, Utakata's bubbles collided with a combination of multiple Anbu-level Water Style techniques. Despite the overwhelming advantage in numbers, Utakata's bubbles completely overwhelmed the liquid bullets before surging into the tree-line.

After several moments, five separate Anbu from Kiri floated above the tree-line while imprisoned in a human-sized bubble. Each of these bubbles were then filled with a crushing amount of blue chakra, the chakra of Saiken.

Saiken's chakra then engulfed each of the imprisoned Kiri Anbu before they were concealed from view. All five bubbles then exploded into a mixture of blue chakra and blood before each of the Anbu disappeared from existence.

This action created a brief period of silence as Hotaru stared up at the dissipating bubbles with shock and awe. Hotaru had been a kunoichi for over a decade but never before had she seen such powerful jutsu.

What is... That Jutsu? Hotaru asked herself as her mouth fell open with awe.

It's amazing! After these thoughts raced, the sound of a heavy thud forced Hotaru to turn around.

This allowed Hotaru to notice Utakata gasping for air while resting on both knees as he leaned against a large boulder. Also, Utakata was holding both hands over his stomach in an attempt to stop his extreme blood loss.

Now they know my location...! Utakata panicked as the silhouette of the 5th Mizukage briefly floated through his mind.

For the time being, I'll have to stay out of view as I move. As these thoughts raced, a concerned Hotaru ran towards Utakata.

"Are you alright?!" Hotaru asked while standing in front of Utakata.

This question garnished Utakata's attention before he casually glanced up at Hotaru with his one visible eye. Afterwards, Utakata quietly groaned with agony as his visible eye twitched.

"Please, allow me to treat your wounds back at my fort." Hotaru pleaded with a sincere and polite tone.

"It's the least I can do for you, since you saved me." As she spoke, her words forced Utakata's visible eye to narrow.

Fort? Utakata asked himself before a crippling pain erupted from his wound.

This pain was the result of extreme blood loss and chakra exhaustion, forcing Utakata to fall forward before faceplanting the ground. Hotaru then dropped to her knees before caressing Utakata's face in her arms.

Utakata's vision then became blurry as his right eye slowly closed while staring at Hotaru's face. During this, Utakata saw Hotaru's lips mouth several times but he never heard anything come out.

Damn...! I used too much chakra. This was the last thought that pierced Utakata's mind before he fell unconscious in Hotaru's arms.

 _-Flashback ends-_

An awkward silence continued to fill the air as Utakata stared at the ground while Hotaru glared at his back. During this, faint rays of moonlight would occasionally illuminate both of these figures while nearby crickets could be heard.

"Ever since that day... I've dreamed of becoming someone like you, master. Because you saved me." Hotaru explained before an extended silence once again filled the air.

"I never saved you." Utakata remarked with a carefree tone.

"You're wrong! I would be dead if it wasn't for you!" Hotaru argued.

"Those Anbu were after me, not you." Utakata interjected, forcing a brief frown to spread across Hotaru's face.

Suddenly, the only sound that could be heard for minutes was the distant sound of owls. At the same time, Utakata continued to stare at the ground without even turning around.

"I was just fighting to protect myself and you got in the way." As he spoke, Hotaru was left undeterred by his words.

"Even so... Ever since I've met you, I've dreamed of being like you, I must be like you, a hero." Hotaru explained, forcing Utakata's visible eye to narrow.

"That's why you must teach me! I must learn your jutsu!" After speaking, a brief silence filled the air.

"So, you want to be a hero..." Utakata muttered before glancing up at the moon overhead.

"If that's true, you might regret taking a rogue ninja as your master." After he spoke, Hotaru shook her head from side-to-side in protest.

"I trust you, master Utakata!" Hotaru protested.

"No matter what happens, I will always consider you my master!" As she spoke, her words forced Utakata's visible eye to bulge with rage.

Suddenly, Utakata turned around in a clockwise fashion before slashing the back of his right hand through the air. This action forced Hotaru to cower while holding both arms in front of her face.

"Stop calling me that! I'm not your master!" Utakata yelled, one of the view times he ever showed emotion.

Utakata hated the very idea of a master and student relationship, because it brought back the trauma of his own master. This is why he was so hostile and aggressive about the subject, a subject Hotaru constantly brought up.

At this moment, each of Utakata's eyes bulged as his distant bubbles noticed a pair of silhouettes dashing towards him. Utakata had the power to see, speak and hear through his bubbles, giving him a grant advantage in distant communication.

Soon, a concerned Gaara jumped out from a shadow-covered tree branch before falling through the air. During this, sections of earth around Hotaru abruptly crumbled into sand, forcing Utakata to casually take several steps back.

Gaara then landed with a crouched posture in front of Hotaru, forcing her to fall on her back with shock. Afterwards, a minor wave of sand surged out at Utakata as Gaara attempted to protect Hotaru from what he considered to be a threat.

What a bother... Utakata complained before raising his bamboo pipe to his mouth.

Utakata then exhaled a countless stream of bubbles while twirling his body in a counter clockwise fashion. These bubbles polluted the nearby air before colliding against Gaara's sand.

This collision forced Utakata's bubbles to explode and rupture into chakra-filled water. This water was so powerful and overwhelming that Gaara's attack instantly hardened into wet sand.

"You won't hurt her again." Gaara declared after standing up, unaware that Utakata was actually escorting Hotaru.

Soon, dozens of bubbles gently floated towards Gaara before they were each struck by streams of sand. At the same time, Utakata gasped before glancing up as the silhouette of Naruto descended from an overhanging tree branch.

"Wait, stop! He's my master!" Hotaru pleaded, forcing Naruto to panic in midair.

Utakata then casually twirled out of Naruto's path, a result of his high-level training as an ex-Anbu of Kiri. Naruto then landed atop the ground with several leaves swirling around him as Gaara glanced at Hotaru.

"He's not an enemy!" As she spoke, a deep frown spread across Gaara's face as he was filled with regret.

At this moment, Gaara and Utakata both glanced directly into each others eyes for several moments. Afterwards, Utakata casually turned his face away before Gaara's head sank with shame and regret.

"What the fuck are we doing now?" Tayuya asked from atop a nearby tree branch as Karin stood beside her.

Instead of replying, Gaara walked over his sand before slowly approaching Utakata, garnishing his attention. Each of these jinchūriki then stood mere inches away from one another without saying a word for several moments.

"I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions and attacking you." Gaara apologized before extending his right hand out.

"What are four children during in the woods at night?" Utakata asked without even shaking Gaara's hand.

This question forced Tayuya to jump down onto the forest floor before stomping up to Utakata. Tayuya then used her right hand to repetitively poke Utakata in his naked chest multiple times.

"I'm a teenager, bitch. So stop saying stupid shit." Tayuya complained before crossing both arms in front of her nonexistent chest.

"You have a really foul mouth for a child." Utakata remarked, forcing Tayuya to grind her teeth together.

"And you have a really stupid haircut for an adult!" Tayuya insulted.

Utakata then casually walked past both Gaara and Tayuya before approaching Hotaru. During this, Naruto intently focused on the six orange bubbles that decorated the back of Utakata's kimono.

"Huh... Where the fuck do you think you're going?!" As Tayuya screamed, Utakata didn't even look back.

"I don't have time to waste on children... Take care." Utakata mumbled, filling Tayuya with rage.

Hotaru then rushed next to Utakata before they both slowly walked away. After several moments, Tayuya ran in front of Utakata before violently stomping her right foot atop the ground.

"I'm not finished with you yet, bitch! Stop running!" Tayuya shouted in a hostile fashion.

"You have a really foul mouth for a child." Utakata repeated, forcing Tayuya to once again grind her teeth together.

At this moment, Tayuya hurled dozens of insults at Utakata while he lazily raised his bamboo pipe to his mouth. Afterwards, Utakata exhaled a human-sized bubble, forcing Tayuya to stagger backwards before falling on her back.

This bubble then abruptly absorbed Utakata and Hotaru before they each floated upwards into the air. Hotaru was so startled that she fell down inside the bubble while Utakata glanced to the north, towards the village of Yu.

"Get back here!" Tayuya demanded before picking up a rock and throwing it at Utakata's bubble.

Surprisingly, Utakata's bubble managed to effortlessly deflect the rock before it casually fell to the ground. At the same time, Naruto became marveled by Utakata's display of Soap Bubble Style, a rare type of Water Release.

Suddenly, both of Naruto's pupils widened before his violet eyes shifted into the chakra-filled world. This forced Naruto to gasp with shock after observing Utakata's blue chakra network.

Soon, Naruto's attention focused on the seal that was inscribed across Utakata's lower back. This seal was the kanji for 'bubble' with a chaotic amount of chakra infused inside of it.

Naruto's mouth then fell open after he finally realized who Utakata really was. Utakata was the jinchūriki for Saiken the six tails and a Rogue ninja, just like Gaara and Naruto.

"That little bitch!" As Tayuya screamed, she dropped to her knees before punching the ground.

"If I ever see that carefree bitch again, I'll beat his fucking face." As she spoke, Naruto continued to glance at Utakata's bubble before he disappeared in the moonlit horizon.

Gaara's right hand then gripped Naruto's left shoulder before they each glanced at one another. During this, Tayuya shouted various insults and death threats at Utakata, who had already disappeared from view.

"Is he the one?" Gaara asked, earning a brief nod of approval in response.

"Where to now... Naruto?" Karin asked with a flirty tone before grabbing Naruto's right hand.

After several moments, the blind raven known as Shisui landed atop Karin's shoulder, causing her to freak out. This action knocked Shisui into the air before a screaming Karin ran into Tayuya's back.

Both of these red-haired kunoichi then fell to the ground with a heavy thud before Tayuya began to choke Karin. Afterwards, Naruto and Gaara walked past both of these girls before trailing after Utakata's bubble.

"What the fuck are we doing now?" Tayuya asked while sitting on top of Karin and choking her.

Instead of receiving an answer, Naruto and Gaara both continued to walk away without turning around. Because of this, Tayuya muttered several insults before standing up and grabbing Karin by the collar of her outfit.

Tayuya then ran to catch up with Naruto while dragging Karin across the ground behind her. During this, Shisui landed atop Karin's stomach before they were both dragged off into the tree-line, disappearing from sight.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Deidara and Sasori each sat in the flat grassy plains outside of Mount Katsuragi with a gust of wind blowing in from the south. Deidara's previous clay bird was no where in sight while an array of nail polish bottles rested in front of him.

"Do you have to do that now?" Sasori asked.

"Nail polish is fleeting, just like art. So nail polish is art." Deidara explained before picking up a bottle of black nail polish.

Soon, Deidara began to joyful repaint his finger and toenails while Sasori sighed with defeat. After several moments, a pair of silhouette slowly came into view across the grassy plain.

"Well, well... I didn't expect this." Sasori mumbled after recognizing Hidan and Kakuzu.

"The orange masked idiot told us to come here." Hidan remarked before crossing both arms in front of his chest.

"Tch - Tobi is a moron." Deidara scoffed, earning a grunt of agreement from Kakuzu.

"We're after the six tails, what about you?" Sasori asked.

"Nine tails. But we managed to capture the two tails and five tails on the way." Kakuzu explained, earning a hum of interest from Sasori.

"Oooh? You already captured two jinchūriki? That's impressive." Sasori exclaimed before his metal tail slowly swished in front of his mask-covered face.

"I'm hoping to get a new puppet out of this little adventure, maybe a long ranged fighter." As he spoke, Deidara was air drying his freshly painted nails.

"I thought we worked in groups of two? You're all a bunch of atheists anyway, you disgust me." Hidan interjected.

"Shut up, you religious freak." Kakuzu muttered.

These words started a fierce argument between the zombie combo before the each prepared to kill one another. At the last moment, a swirling vortex erupted into view before Tobi slowly phased into existence.

"Reporting for duty, sir!" Tobi spoke with a comedic fashion while saluting the group of gathered Akatsuki members.

"What do you want now?" Kakuzu complained.

"The rings, silly-billy! Use your rings so we can seal up those pesky little jinchūriki!" Tobi explained while dancing and twirling around Kakuzu.

"I thought the tailed beasts could be sealed with just one ring?" Sasori questioned, always thirsty for knowledge.

"Hmmm, they can... But that would take days! It's much easier if we just use all nine rings!" Tobi replied before giving Sasori a thumbs up.

Suddenly, Deidara jumped into the air before cheering after he finished painting all his nails. During this, Tobi started to dance and cheer alongside Deidara while Kakuzu scoffed with annoyance.

Deidara then grinded his teeth together before abruptly pushing Tobi away. This action forced Tobi to bury his masked covered face in both hands before dramatically crying.

"Hey! Just leave! We'll use the damn rings, just leave Tobi!" Deidara screamed.

This statement caused Tobi to casually salute Deidara while standing at attention. This reaction forced Deidara's mouth to fall open before his visible eye twitched several times.

"Bye! Later! Have a good time!" Tobi spoke out before a swirling vortex erupted from his right eye.

This vortex soon consumed over half of Tobi's body while each of his 'friends' looked on with confusion. Soon, the only part of Tobi that was visible was his bright orange mask with a single eye hole.

"I love you, Deidara-senpai!" As Tobi spoke, his tone was partially sincere and comedic at the same time.

Tobi then completely disappeared from view before Hidan and Kakuzu each sat down beside Deidara and Sasori. This group of four Akatsuki members then each clasped their own hands together into the Ram Seal.

After several moments, each of their unique Akatsuki rings became to glow with their iconic colors. At the same time, all four Akatsuki members closed their eyes in unison before entering into a deep trance.

This was the true beginning of the Akatsuki, their first step towards world peace. However, this is also the first time they would come into direct conflict with Naruto.


	78. Chapter 78

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: biginferno - Tayuya is my favorite pairing for Naruto because she's basically a miniature Kushina. Tayuya has the same hairstyle, bangs and attitude that Kushina did and their both Tsundere's.**

 **Karin does have red hair too and she's canonically an Uzumaki, but her hair isn't like Kushina's. Also, Karin isn't a Tsundere so she pales in comparison to Tayuya at least in my opinion.**

 **I like your comparison a lot but sadly, Tayuya's canon backstory is never actually given. I've written Tayuya as an Uzumaki orphan who had to survive by herself because that's just my personal interpretation of her character.**

 **I gave Tayuya this backstory because I was trying to justify her Tsundere attitude, like Kushina. Kushina was a Tsundere because she was an outcast and everyone made fun of her hair which made her violent and abrasive, similar to Tayuya.**

 **Tayuya's backstory will receive more focus in the future, which will develop her Tsundere personality. But again, her canon backstory is never actually given, she could've had a family but we don't know.**

 **Tenellis - I think it's always good to subvert expectations. If a reader walks into this story thinking 'Oh, it's a Pantheon of Nine, so no** **jinchūriki is going to die.' than half of the tension in this story would be erased.**

 **A story needs tension, the reader needs to be on the edge of their seat and concerned about their favorite character. Tension is what makes or breaks a story because it gives weight to a characters decisions, which affects the world.**

 **I've tried to create that tension, no one is safe and anyone can die or be defeated, even** **jinchūriki. I was able to kill off my favorite character (Kimimaro) so I can literally kill off anyone as long as it's realistic - no one is safe.**

 **GunBlade2019 - I don't think Han or Yugito were weak, they were just put up against their perfect counter. Similar to Deidara vs Gaara in canon, Deidara was the perfect counter to Gaara's long range abilities so he won.**

 **Han and Yugito are both elite Taijutsu fighters, that's their fighting-style. Also, Matatabi and** **Kokuō are both close range tailed beasts that fight with a unique type of Taijutsu.**

 **Because of this, both of them were forced to fight hand-to-hand with a pair of immortals who also specialized in Taijutsu. Hidan and Kakuzu were the perfect counter to Han and Yugito.**

 **Every tailed beast has a unique personality, traits and fighting style, this is why Matatabi and** **Kokuō are close ranged fighters. Honestly, if I replaced Matatabi and** **Kokuō with Shukaku and Isobu, I think Hidan and Kakuzu would've been foot stomped.**

 **In canon, Yugito was sealed sometime in early Shippuden by Hidan and Kakuzu but Han basically had zero screen time before the 4th SWW. We actually have no idea what happened to Han or how he was sealed.**

 **In regards to Hidan, I personally think he's the weakest Akatuski member (Zetsu doesn't count). However, I really enjoy Hidan and I'm treating him like Rock Lee, so I will continue to develop his backstory and childhood. (like Tonbee and Kazan)**

 **In regards to the Akatsuki rings, in canon it takes all nine Akatuski members three days to seal a single tailed beast. This is before all the 4th SWW retcons but even then, I think three days is ridiculous so I am changing the rings a little bit.**

 **JManM - I personally can't find any evidence of someone just automatically being made a Jounin. Even Shisui and Itachi had to journey through the Forest of Death and fight several Anbu before becoming Jounin.**

 **With that being said, Chapter 13 Naruto is literally nothing compared to 12 year old Itachi. Because of this, I don't think Naruto would be given special treatment, regardless of his eyes because he still has a demon inside him.**

 **Kuramin - You're review improved my story, so thank you. A lot of my early depictions were just worthless and terrible, like me. I am trying, it's just a daily struggle for me.**

 **Chisaki Kouu - The demon brothers did say that, but Kakashi doesn't specifically know that Zabuza is the next person. Zabuza could've sent more Chunin, or he could've just sent Haku.**

 **That statement does confirm that Zabuza is their leader, but I don't think it confirms he's the next opponent. This could just be an excuse or this could just be my headcanon, but I don't think Kakashi would automatically assume Zabuza is his next opponent.**

 **Guest - In my head, I like to think Itachi knows everything about anything. He's like the Aizen of Naruto, if Aizen was a good guy.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 78: If You Want Me, Come And Get Me! The End Draws Near.**

 _Thursday 11:48pm, June 22nd 58SSP._

Faint rays of moonlight sparkled down from overhead as Naruto and Gaara walked between a dense forest. Behind each of these jinchūriki was a sleepy Tayuya and Karin who were both yawning into their hands.

This group of friends were trailing towards the distant horizon that Utakata previously disappeared into. This was a journey that would eventually lead to Yu, the hidden shinobi village and capital of the Land of Steam.

"I'm sleepy..." Tayuya muttered while rubbing her eyes.

"Same... Naruto, can you carry me?" Karin asked, earning a hostile snort from Tayuya.

Suddenly, Naruto froze mid step as his mind began to pulsate and throb, forcing him to briefly stagger. At the same time, the concealed Akatsuki ring inside his robe was violently convulsing while the kanji for 'void' was engulfed with a blue aura.

As this ring convulsed, a pair of violet ripple patterned eyes pierced Naruto's mind, eyes that weren't his own. During this, Naruto experienced a brief flashback of Orochimaru's life in the Akatsuki before pulling his ring loose.

Naruto then held Orochimaru's ring between both hands before Tayuya accidently bumped into him while yawning. Tayuya then once again rubbed both of her eyes while daydreaming about a warm bed.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Tayuya yawned before repetitively poking the back of Naruto's head.

"Gimme a second." Naruto mumbled before walking under a nearby tree branch and sitting down.

This statement garnished Gaara's attention before Karin accidently bumped into Tayuya, creating a fierce yelling contest. While this occurred, Naruto slowly put Orochimaru's ring on his left pinky finger before closing both eyes.

Naruto then quietly pressed both hands into the Ram Seal before drifting off into a trance. During this, Karin and Tayuya continued to argue while screaming at each other.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Nine separate figures were gathered inside a small and remote cave that was hidden inside the Land of Rivers. Three of these figures were physically real while six others were tangible and gave off an ethereal appearance.

Each of these figure wore the iconic Akatsuki robe while standing atop a specific stone finger that jolted out from the cave walls. These fingers were connected to the dormant form of the Gedo Mazo, an ancient and powerful summoning that could only be awakened by the Rinnegan.

Because the Gedo Mazo was an exclusive summoning of the Rinnegan, it also possessed the ability to extract and contain each of the tailed beasts. In ancient times, the Sage of Six Paths used the Gedo Mazo to defeat and spilt the ten tails into the nine tailed beasts.

However, the Gedo Mazo now served the Akatsuki and the divine God that led their organization. This is why each Akatsuki member wore a unique ring, a ring specifically made by the leader of their organization.

The black kanji in these rings were constructed with small chakra-rods, an unique trait usable only by Rinnegan users. These kanji allowed each of the Akatsuki members to create an ethereal appearance for distance communication with each other.

Also, these rings served a specific purpose with the Gedo Mazo, the ability to extract and contain tailed beasts. This is why each ring was worn on a specific finger, because it determined what finger the Akatsuki member would stand on.

"Tobi!" The ethereal image of Deidara shrieked with rage.

"Say one more word, and I'll blow you to bits!" While screaming, a nearby Kisame was giggling with delight.

"But Hidan-senpai and Kakuzu-senpai already captured two jinchūriki…" A physical Tobi spoke out while rubbing the back of his head.

"If don't do your job, all the other senpai will start picking on you." While speaking, Tobi waved both arms through the air in a dramatic fashion.

"DAMN IT! I'll kill you, Tobi!" Deidara growled in response.

A brief period of silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by Deidara and Tobi arguing with each other. During this, a nearby Itachi was staring at the ground with a distant expression in his crimson eyes.

All nine Akatsuki members towered over the unconscious and blood-stained Yugito. This half dead jinchūriki was sprawled across the ground in front of the Gedo Mazo.

"Deidara, calm down..." A divine and God-like voice spoke out from a violet eyed silhouette.

"You'll only prove that Tobi is right." After speaking, these words forced Deidara to cross both arms in front of his chest before scoffing.

"Haha! I made senpai mad!" Tobi giggled before a pair of Rinnegan eyes forced him to briefly stutter.

"And Tobi, you're making your senpai upset. Apologize." The violet eyed silhouette ordered.

This statement forced Tobi to dramatically stand at attention before saluting his leader. At the same time, the ethereal images of Hidan and Kakuzu were both grunting with annoyance.

"Yes, I'm sorry!" Tobi's joyful voice resonated through the cave, magnified by Kisame's chuckles.

At this moment, the violet eyed silhouette pressed both hands together before focusing on the Gedo Mazo. Afterwards, each of the surrounding Akatsuki members mimicked his actions before a brief silence filled the air.

Suddenly, all nine Akatsuki members weaved through the Tiger, Snake, Rat, Ox, Dog and Ram Seals in perfect unison. This action forced the Gedo Mazo to briefly vibrate before its stone mouth slowly slid open.

After several seconds, nine separate dragon-like effigies of blue chakra erupted from the Gedo Mazo's mouth. Each of these effigies then jolted towards Yugito before engulfing her entire body with blue chakra.

This chakra then lifted Yugito into the air while both her eyes and mouth began to glow with Matatabi's chakra. Soon, Yugito was entombed in a massive sphere of blue chakra before a stream of Matatabi's chakra was pulled from her mouth.

Matatabi's chakra the funneled towards the Gedo Mazo while each of the nine Akatsuki rings brightly colored with a unique color. This created an extensive period of silence before several minutes past as the nearby air became heavy with dense chakra.

This chakra was the result of Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons, an S-rank Ninjutsu that very few shinobi even knew about. This technique was also magnified by the chakra reserves of nine separate S-rank shinobi.

While each of these Akatsuki members focused on extracting the two tails, Kisame continued to laugh from Tobi's previous display. This laughter then ceased after an ethereal figure erupted into existence atop the stone pinky finger beside Kisame.

This realization forced Kisame to briefly stutter before several other Akatsuki members finally noticed a tenth silhouette in the cave. Despite this sudden and strange appearance, the two tails was still being extracted from Yugito.

"Oh! Oh! Oooh! Is that you, Orochimaru-senpai?!" Tobi giggled.

"I thought Orochimaru was dead." An ethereal Sasori spoke out.

After laughing for several seconds, Tobi abruptly stopped after noticing a pair of violet eyes that radiated from the strange silhouette. Ths created a tense silence as each Akatsuki member glared at the strange silhouette with interest.

"Orochimaru is dead, and I'm the one who killed him." The voice of Naruto spoke out from the ethereal silhouette.

The sound of Naruto's voice forced each of Itach's downcast eyes to twitch before he finally came back to reality. At the same time, Sasori began to hum with interest while Kisame chuckled with joy.

"Therefore, that means I'm your new member." As Naruto spoke, Kisame continued to laugh.

"Oh... It's the nine tails jinchūriki." The divine voice of the Akatsuki's leader spoke out.

The ethereal silhouette of this man was basically an older version of Naruto, they even possessed the same eyes and spiky hair. However, Naruto was just a child playing solider while the violet eyed silhouette in front of him was a living God.

"Where are you hiding?" After speaking, a brief silence filled the cave after Yugito's corpse hit the ground.

Suddenly, the stone statue of the Gedo Mazo began to violently pulsate before one of its nine eyes slowly opened. During this, Naruto glared at the violet eyed leader of the Akatsuki, staring into the same pair of violet eyes that he also possessed.

"I never imagined it would be this easy, it won't be long before your corpse is laying at my feet." As his divine voice continued to pierce the air, Tobi jumped to the cave floor.

Tobi then grabbed one of Yugito's ankles before dragging her across the ground and throwing her aside like trash. Afterwards, Tobi was forced to used both arms to pull Han into the center of the cave before jumping back into place.

A tense silence then filled the air as Naruto reflected back across Orochimaru's memories. Memories that gave him a clear face and depiction of the violet eyed silhouette in front of him but no name.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"I am God." The violet eyed silhouette remarked with a dominating tone.

This statement forced Hidan to mumble various insults under his breath while Sasori hummed with interest. At the same time, Itachi was staring at Naruto's sillouette while the face of Sasuke drifted through his mind.

"So come to me, and die at God's feet." After speaking, nine dragon-like chakra effigies once again jolted out from the Gedo Mazo's mouth.

These effigies of blue chakra then rushed towards Han before engulfing his armor-covered body and lifting him into the air. Afterwards, a funnel of red chakra was slowly pulled out from Han before funneling into the Gedo Mazo.

"If you want me, come and get me." Naruto remarked, creating an awkward silence.

For what felt like minutes, Naruto glared at the violet eyed silhouette of God as Han's tailed beasts was extracted. During this, Tobi was over reacting and freaking out, causing him to wave both arms through the air in distress.

Naruto Uzumaki... A single phrase pierced the mind of God.

I don't care who you are... Naruto concluded.

I will hunt you down and eliminate you... Both God and Naruto thought the exact same thoughts in unison.

Because... I am, justice! A single phrase pierced the mind of God and Naruto at the same time.

At this moment, Naruto's ethereal image faded from view after removing his Akatsuki ring. Afterwards, Kisame erupted into a fit of laughter before Tobi soon joined in with him.

"Kisame-senpai, why are we laughing?" Tobi asked, earning a cheerful chuckle in refuse.

"Looks like this'll be more fun than I thought, Tobi." Kisame remarked.

Suddenly, Kisame's bandaged sword briefly pulsated and throbbed while strapped across his back. At the same time, the ethereal image of Sasori was swishing his metal tail through the air.

"Hmmm... This just got interesting." Sasori hummed.

While this conversation unfolded, Itachi was once again staring at the ground while a distant expression across his face. This was the beginning of the end, the moment that would change the entire shinobi world forever.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Naruto's was rubbing his head with both hands after slipping Orochimaru's ring back into his robe. During this, Tayuya and Karin were still arguing with one another, filling the nearby air with their screams.

Soon, Gaara outstretched his left hand out towards Naruto before helping his friend stand up. At the same time, Tayuya violently shoved Karin, knocking her back against Naruto.

This action knocked Naruto into Gaara's arms before they both fell backwards towards the ground. Usually, Gaara would use sand to help but his friendship with Naruto was so deep that he used his arms instead.

Because of this, Gaara landed on the back of his gourd with a heavy thud, shattering it in the process. Afterwards, Naruto landed on top of Gaara before they accidently kissed each other for an extended period.

This kissed lasted for several seconds as Karin and Tayuya continued to argue with each other before finally noticing. This realization forced each of the red-haired kunoichi to blush before their mouths fell open with disbelief.

"NOOO!" Tayuya howled with pain, anger and jealousy filling her voice.

Tayuya then charged towards Naruto before pulling him off of Gaara and shoving him to the ground. This jealous kunoichi then poked Naruto directly in his nose with two fingers.

"Stop that! Stop kissing other people!" While screaming, it took all of Tayuya's strength to conceal the blush that spread across her face.

"Yea!" Karin nodded with approval while stomping her left foot atop the ground.

"Kiss me instead!" After speaking, Karin lunged towards Naruto.

This realization forced Tayuya to grab Naruto by the collar of his outfit before pulling him away at the last moment. This forced Karin to land atop the ground with a heavy thud before mumbling several insults at Tayuya.

While Tayuya struggled to contain her embarrassment, Gaara slowly stood up with a look of confusion on his face. At the same time, streams of sand broke off from the ground before creating a new gourd on Gaara's back.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Gaara asked, earning a jealous glare from Tayuya and Karin.

"What's wrong!?" Tayuya stammered before releasing Naruto from her grip.

"You're a pair of faggots! That's what's wrong!" While shouting, Tayuya's chest began to fluster at the idea of Naruto kissing someone else.

"What's a faggot?" Gaara asked, putting his innocence on full display.

"Just stop touching him!" Tayuya screamed as Karin slowly stood up.

At this moment, Tayuya shoved Naruto against a nearby tree before standing in front of him like a rabid dog. During this, a confused Gaara pressed several fingers against his lips, still wet from kissing Naruto.

Suddenly, the only sound that could be heard was Tayuya mumbling various insults while standing with her back pressed against Naruto. After several moments of this, Tayuya lost the ability to speak once an odd yet familiar feeling began to swell inside her stomach.

This feeling was magnified when Naruto wrapped both arms around Tayuya's waist before pulling her close. Afterwards, Naruto leaned his face over Tayuya's right shoulder before breathing in her ear.

This action gave Tayuya goosebumps while the odd feeling inside her stomach spread to her throat. At the same time, Tayuya bit her lower lip while both hands began to sweat.

"Calm down." Naruto whispered, forcing Tayuya to briefly stutter.

After hesitating for several moments, Tayuya's embarrassment morphed into purge rage, wiping the blush from her face. This rage allowed Tayuya to push Naruto away before jumping back and pointing at him with an accusatory glare.

"Don't tell me to calm down! I will never calm down!" Tayuya retorted.

"I'm fucking fierce!" While shouting, Tayuya kicked a tree branch that was resting on the ground.

This tree branch then flung through the air before striking Karin in the side of her head. This collision knocked Karin to the ground as Tayuya began to freak out while flailing both arms through the air.

After freaking out for several moments, Naruto pinned Tayuya against a nearby tree before nuzzling his face against hers. This open display of affection forced Tayuya to once again stutter while her hostile attitude melted away.

"You're so fierce." Naruto whispered before rubbing Tayuya's cheek with his right hand.

Because Naruto was so close, Tayuya bit her tongue before swallowing a wad of spit that swelled in her throat. At the same time, a jealous Karin slowly stood up before crossing both arms in front of her small chest while snorting.

"F-... Fuck yea, I'm fierce..." Tayuya stuttered while struggling to hide the blush on her face.

"Do you wanna go to bed?" Naruto asked, forcing Tayuya's entire face to turn solid red.

"I-... I would like to sleep... Yes..." Tayuya mumbled.

"Me too!" Karin interjected before squeezing between Naruto and Tayuya.

This gave Tayuya several seconds to regain her senses before glaring at Karin with jealousy. As this occurred, Karin had one arm wrapped around Naruto's waist while playing with his whiskers.

"Why does she get all the attention?" Karin complained.

"I just want everyone to be happy." Naruto murmured.

This statement created a wide and seductive smile across Karin's face while a slight blush spread across her face. During this, Tayuya slowly began to boil with rage before crossing both arms in front of her nonexistent chest.

"Do you want to know what would make me happy?" Karin whispered into Naruto's right ear.

"Of course." Naruto remarked.

Before Karin could give an answer, Tayuya grabbed Naruto's hand before pulling him loose. Afterwards, each of these red-haired kunoichi became locked in a fierce staring contest.

"So... What are we doing?" Gaara questioned.

"We're going to find an inn, let's go." Naruto replied before leading a path through the moonlit forest.

As Naruto walked away, Karin and Tayuya continued to glare at one another for several moments before following him. This was an embarrassing moment for Tayuya, the moment when jealousy began to overwhelm her.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Bright rays of moonlight sparkled down on a bubble-filled grove inside a dense forest. This section of earth was located inside the Land of Steam, barely two hours south from the hidden shinobi village of Yu.

This grove was filled with a yawning Utakata was resting his back against a tree while Hotaru stared at him with pure admiration. After yawning, Utakata began to stretch but the extended fabric of his kimono concealed his hands and feet from view.

"I just wanna go back to my drifting life style." Utakata mumbled with a carefree tone.

After speaking, Utakata rested both hands behind his head while staring at the collection of bubbles that floated through the air. Because of Saikan's unique abilities, Utakata's face reflected off each of these bubbles.

An extended period of silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by the distant sound of owls and crickets. During this silence, the face of Gaara and Naruto briefly floated through Utakata's mind.

That chakra... Could it be? Ukataka asked himself.

Nah... Can't be. After concluding these thoughts, Utakata closed both eyes before rolling onto his side.

Because Utakata was a jinchūriki, he actually didn't need to sleep but he still wanted to because of his carefree personality. Also, Utakata's bubbles allowed him to hear, see and speak even when he was asleep, magnifying his carefree personality.

After Utakata fell asleep, several minutes passed while Hotaru stared at him from a distance. After hesitating for several moments, Hotaru stood up before slowly approaching Utakata.

Hotaru then began to blush while staring at Utakata's tranquil face, a face that she admired and adored. After several moments, Hotaru reached out with her right hand before rubbing Utakata's cheek.

After touching Utakata for several seconds, a blushing Hotaru glanced at the dozens of bubbles that floated through the nearby air. Each of these bubbles had the face of Hotaru reflecting off of them,

Utakata was fully aware of what Hotaru was doing, but he was just so comfortable that he didn't care. This carefree attitude was a prominent trait that Utakata possessed, similar to Shikamaru.

After staring at Utakata's bubbles for several moments, a blushing Hotaru slowly laid down next to him. Hotaru then scooted closer to Utakata before wrapping his left arm across her waist.

Soon, Hotaru used Utakata's other arm as a pillow before closing both eyes while a smile spread across her face. Afterwards, Hotaru drifted off into sleep before dreaming about her first week with Utakata.

 _-Dreamworld-_

 _Monday 11:57am, June 19th 58SSP._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on Mount Katsuragi as Utakata was resting against a large tree on the mount side. During this, Utakata was blowing dozens of bubbles into the air before they floated and swirled around him for several minutes.

"Looks like no one is coming after me..." Utakata muttered as the silhouette of the 5th Mizukage drifted through his mind.

"And my wounds have also healed, guess it's time to leave..." While speaking, Utakata lazily stood up before glancing at the cloudless horizon.

At this moment, Hotaru appeared beside Utakata while resting both knees atop the ground before bowing her head in respect. At the same time, Utakata was staring at Hotaru through his chakra-filled bubbles without even turning around.

"Please, take me as your student." Hotaru pleaded before raising her face, revealing a wide smile.

This statement forced Utakata's visible eye to bulge before turning his face just enough to glance at Hotaru. While this occurred, dozens of bubbles were floating and drifting through the nearby air.

"After seeing your fight the other day, I have nothing but respect for you, master!" After speaking, Hotaru's words created a brief silence.

During this silence, Utakata's was staring at Hotaru, causing her face and entire body to reflect off his visible auburn eye. Also, a series of brief and traumatic flashbacks from his own master slowly drifted through Utakata's mind.

"Master...?" Utakata mumbled.

"Yes, master Utakata!" Hotaru answered with joy.

Suddenly, a period of silence once again filled the air as Hotaru's body continued to reflect off Utakata's visible auburn eye. After several moments, Utakata's eye twitched multiple times before he grunted with rage.

After grunting, Utakata turned his face away from Hotaru before staring at the cloudless horizon. During this, a wide and joyful smile remained prominent across Hotaru's face.

"Don't ever call me that again..." Ukakata muttered, creating a frown across Hotaru's face.

"Huh? But..." Hotaru stuttered.

"Don't ever call me that again!" Utakata screamed with a hostile tone, erasing his previous carefree personality.

This created an awkward silence that was pierced only by the sound of Hotaru stuttering several times. Soon, Utakata downcast his face before taking a deep breath of air while closing both eyes.

Utakata then turned around before glaring at Hotaru with a carefree expression across his face. This allowed Hotaru to briefly stare at his exposed chest and stomach before blushing.

"I have no intention of taking a student." Utakata declared before casually walking past Hotaru.

This declaration force Hotaru to stutter for several moments before staring at the ground. Afterwards, a fire erupted from her eyes before she stood up and pointed at Utakata with an accusatory glare.

"So you're just going to forget about all of my hospitality?" Hotaru asked, forcing Utakata to freeze mid step before glancing at her.

At the moment, Hotaru stomped up to Utakata before glaring directly into his visible auburn eye. At the same time, Utakata intently focused on Hotaru's dark green eyes, eyes that he personally considered to be quite beautiful.

"Is it okay to eat free meals and drink free sake?" After speaking, her words forced Utakata to sigh with defeat.

"Now you're making me feel bad..." Utakata mumbled.

Suddenly, pressed both hands against her waist while smiling with victory as she stared at the ground. After several moments, Hotaru began to poke Utakata in his exposed stomach while smiling at him.

"Tonbee told me to say that if you refused to teach me." Hotaru exclaimed, forcing Utakata to once again sigh with defeat.

While sighing, Utakata's right hand lazily reached through he air before gripping the top of his head. During this, Hotaru continued to poke his stomach while briefly blushing.

"Look here, the village of Yu has different qualifications than most shinobi villages..." Utakata muttered.

"If you're talking about Ninjutsu, I've already received training from Tonbee." Hotaru argued before poking Utakata in his nose.

"Then why don't you just keep training with him?" Utakata asked after swiping her hand away.

"It wasn't enough... That's why I'm asking you." Hotaru remarked, forcing Utakata to briefly groan with defeat.

After several seconds of hesitation, Utakata turned around before lazily pointing at a nearby pond with his left hand. This pond was a sacred body of water atop Mount Katsuragi but Utakata didn't even care or notice.

"Okay then... Try walking on the pond." Utakata ordered,

"Walk on the pond... Right!" Hotaru exclaimed before charging forward.

Hotaru understood that this body of water was sacred, but she was so focused on training that she didn't care. Because of this, Hotaru approached the pond before jumping into the air and landing on top.

Hotaru then instantly sunk below the waters surface before waving both arms through the air while struggling to swim. During this, Utakata slapped his right hand against his face in a fashion very similar to Shikamaru.

"Good grief..." Utakata mumbled before turning to the side and walking away.

Soon, Utakata disappeared before walking towards his iconic tree to blow some more bubbles into the air. At the same time, Hotaru continued to train and practice her chakra control, determined to impress her new master.

* * *

 _One day later._

"Master Utakata! Master Utakata!" The voice of Hotaru pierced the air, slowly waking up Utakata from his sleep.

The elite six tails jinchūriki was sleep in a small bedroll that was sprawled across the floor inside Tonbee's farm house. However, Hotaru was actually outside, forcing Utakata to lazily get up from bed before stretching.

Despite the frigid air that blew in from the Land of Mist, Utakata didn't even need a blanket to sleep. Instead, Utakata slept with the top of his kimono pulled loose, causing the piece of fabric to barely clench to his waist while stretching.

This process also revealed a distinct black seal that was sprawled across Utakata's lower back. This was the seal that Kiri used to entomb Saiken inside Utakata, living proof that he was a jinchūriki.

Soon, Utakata began to yawn into his left hand before approaching a nearby pair of sliding doors and pushing them open. Afterwards, Utakata briefly held both hands in front of his face while bright rays of sunlight forced him to wince.

Utakata then placed both arms into the sleeves of his kimono before pulling it over his shoulders. After several moments, Utakata finally noticed a soaking wet Hotaru who was standing atop the nearby pond while gasping for air.

Drops of water stained her face, hair and outfit before dripping to the pond below. Also, this water brought attention to her soaking wet chest, a chest that was rather large and barely contained.

"Look, master Utakata! I did it!" While speaking, Hotaru smiled with joy while staring at Utakata.

"Y-... You trained all night?" Utakata stuttered after rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Yea! Aren't you proud to call me your student?!" Hotaru screamed with joy.

"N-... No, this was just the first step..." Utakata stammered.

"Next is Jutsu." While speaking, Utakata pressed both hands together before weaving through the Dragon, Tiger and Hare Seals.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!" After speaking, Utakata exhaled a condensed spray of chakra-filled water.

This water then soared through the air before harmlessly colliding against Hotaru, soaking her with even more water. After several seconds, a small rainbow phased into existence above Hotaru while water dripped from her large chest.

"Amazing!" Hotaru gasped.

"If you can't do this, you can't be my student." Utakata spoke with a carefree tone.

"No problem!" Hotaru remarked before imitating Utakata and clapping both her hands together.

Hotaru then weaved through the same Hand Seals as Utakata while kneading chakra inside her stomach Afterwards, Hotaru opened her mouth before blowing air out like a dragon, but no water.

A genuine look of confusion then spread across Hotaru's face before Utakata turned around and walked back inside. Utakata then closed the sliding doors shut behind him before a wide smile spread across his face.

"This technique can only be used if you possess the Water nature transformation..." Utakata muttered while gripping his chin with his right hand.

"No hard feelings, don't take it personally..." After speaking, Utakata walked back to bed.

Soon, the carefree jinchūriki then blew several bubbles throughout the room before drifting into sleep. At the same time, Hotaru was fiercely training, eager to call Utakata her master.

* * *

 _Five hours later._

Utakata was sleeping atop his iconic tree on the cliffside of Mount Katsuragi as a blue skyline hovered overhead. While sleeping, several drops of water slowly bombarded Utakata's face before he slowly woke up.

Huh? Rain? Utakata's thoughts raced before he yawned.

After yawning, Utakata slowly rolled onto his back before noticing that Hotaru's face was hovering barely inches above him. Hotaru was so close that her nose was brushing against Utakata's nose.

"Master Utakata!" Hotaru spoke with joy as water dropped from her hair and face.

This statement created a brief period of silence while Utakata struggled to wake up. After several moments, Utakata finally noticed how closed Hotaru was, forcing him to crawl several feet backwards.

"Whoa! You're too close..." Utakata muttered.

"I have a personal bubble." As he spoke, Hotaru completely ignored his words while smiling from ear-to-tear.

"Watch this!" Hotaru pleaded before turning around and staring off the cliffside.

At this moment, Hotaru clapped both hands together before weaving through the Dragon, Tiger and Hare Seals. During this, Hotaru inhaled a significant breath of air while kneading chakra inside her stomach.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!" While speaking, Hotaru exhaled a condensed spray of chakra-filled water that surged over the nearby cliffside.

This display of Water Style forced Utakata to visibly gasp while his auburn eyes bulge with shock. At the same time, Hotaru finally stopped casting her technique before a brief rainbow filled the air.

"Will you make me your student now, master Utakata?" After speaking, Hotaru turned around before glancing at Utakata.

This question created a sheepish expression across Utakata's face as he stuttered for several moments. Afterwards, Utakata scratched the bridge of his nose while glancing between Hotaru and the ground multiple times.

"Ugh... No... I... Uh..." Utakata stuttered before standing up and rubbing the back of his head.

"N-... Not yet..." As Utakata spoke, he jumped over a nearby tree root before walking away.

"Wait, come back, master!" Hotaru protested before chasing after Utakata.

This was an awkward moment for Utakata, a moment he never wanted to happen. The moment when he finally got a student to call his own.

 _-Dreamworld ends-_

* * *

 _Friday 7:38am, June 23rd 58SSP._

Rays of morning sunlight sparkled down on Utakata and Hotaru as they both entered the shinobi village of Yu. Despite its shinobi title, Yu was completely surrounded by various natural hot springs but very few ninja.

Yu was arguably the most unique and strange shinobi village in existence, a result of their pacifistic nature. This also meant that Yu barely even resembled a shinobi village.

Instead of walls or guard towers, Yu utilized the nearby hot springs around their village to form a protective barrier. Also, dozens of resorts and spa's decorated the streets while pillars of dense steam radiated through the air.

Overall, Yu had a very rare aesthetic and architecture that no other village or town possessed. However, Utakata didn't really care about such things, he just wanted to drop Hotaru off already.

"So... I guess it's time for me to leave." Utakata remarked before standing in the street.

"No!" Hotaru protested.

"Please! Just stay with me, master!" While speaking, a slight blush spread across Hotaru's face.

"You'll be safe here, you don't need me anymore." Utakata exclaimed before glancing at Hotaru with his visible eye.

"But I do need you! I need you to train me! I need to stand by your side!" Hotaru argued.

Suddenly, Utakata gasped while staring past Hotaru before glancing from side-to-side with an expression of shock. The village of Yu was now desolated and abandoned even though dozens of citizens filled its streets mere seconds earlier.

This realization forced Utakata to tense while Hotaru continued to beg for an apprenticeship. After several seconds, Hotaru quickly blushed once Utakata wrapped both arms around her waist before pulling her close.

At this moment, dozens of kunai and shuriken were flung through the dense steam before soaring towards Utakata from all angles. These weapons then pierced both Hotaru and Utakata before they each exploded into dozens of bubbles.

Soon, an entire division of Anbu from the village of Kiri came into view, over fifty Jounin-level opponents. Each of these Anbu wore the iconic Jounin-outfit of Kiri with a uniquely colored mask and a short-sword strapped across their back.

Each of these Anbu then completely surrounded Utakata as he appeared inside the middle of a dirt-filled road with Hotaru behind him. A tense silence then filled the air before Utakata blew dozens of bubbles from his pipe.

As these bubbles polluted the nearby air, several Anbu hurled a bundle of shuriken towards Utakata. These shuriken then collided with Ukatata's bubbles, bubbles that erupted into a chakra-filled explosion of water.

These explosions knocked each of the approaching shuriken to the ground before Utakata blew even more bubbles into the air. Hotaru then stared at Utakata's back with pure admiration, awed that one person could fight against so many Anbu.

"You're gonna get in my way..." Utakata mumbled before glancing at Hotaru with his visible.

Utakata then turned halfway around before poking Hotaru in her forehead with his right hand. During this, Utakata used his bamboo pipe to casually deflect a sword strike from a Kiri Anbu.

"So go away." After speaking, Utakata effortlessly pushed Hotaru onto her back.

After hitting the ground, Hotaru's entire body was engulfed in a chakra-filled bubble before she floated into the air. While this occurred, dozens of Anbu hurled a collection of shuriken and kunai at Utakata's bubble but they were all deflected before falling to the ground.

Suddenly, a Kiri Anbu appeared behind Utakata before lunging forward with the tip of his blade. Afterwards, the tip of this blade pierced Utakata's chest before Hotaru screamed with fear.

Despite this injury, Utakata casually glanced up at Hotaru with a carefree expression on his face. The elite six tails jinchūriki then erupted into an explosion of bubbles, knocking the nearby Anbu into a distant wall.

Hundreds of bubbles then polluted the air before Utakata appeared atop a large human-sized bubble. A tense silence then filled the air as dozens of Anbu unsheathed their swords before preparing to attack.

At this moment, a chaotic explosion in the distance, uprooting dozens of resorts and houses inside Yu. This explosion also uprooted the distant office of the Jokage, a weak and pacifistic figurehead for the village of Yu.

Soon, the shockwaves from this explosion created a lake-sized pillar of dust, debris and steam. Also, several waves of debris and steam rippled out across the streets of Yu, forcing Utakata's hair and outfit to waver in the breeze.

The joyful laughter of Deidara then pierced the air before he descended through a cloud of steam on his iconic clay bird. This laughter then continued for several moments while dozens of Kiri Anbu and Utakata were both filled with confusion.

"I like your art, let's have a contest." Deidara spoke out before confidently standing up atop his bird.

"M-... My art?" Utakata mumbled.

"Yes, because art... Is an explosion!" After shouting, Deidara clapped both hands together before laughing.

As Deidara laughed, the mouths in his palms were continuously swapping and chewing bundles of clay. This was the beginning of the end, the moment that would either destroy or save the village of Yu.


	79. Chapter 79

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Do you ever wonder how it all happened so fast?**

 **I try my best to not get sucked into the past.**

 **Do you ever wonder why your good memories never last?**

 **I try my best to understand that life is like a cast.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 79: A Battle Of Five Armies! Confrontation: Kage-Level Showdown.**

 _Friday 8:10am, June 23rd 58SSP._

Bright rays of sunlight reflected off Naruto's blond hair while dashing towards the quaking village of Yu. After several moments, Naruto jumped down from a tree branch before landing on a dirt-filled road and continuing his approach towards the village.

Naruto was so concerned about the previous explosion from Yu that he ran past all of his friends. This left Gaara, Karin and Tayuya several minutes behind Naruto as he effortlessly out ran all of them.

Soon, Naruto entered the outskirts of Yu before jumping across several rooftops and spa resorts. After running over dozens of rooftops, Naruto heard the sound of metal striking metal that was piercing the dense steam in the air.

"No more Hidan! I won't allow it!" The voice of Kazan could be heard.

Hidan and Kazan were locked in a fierce Jounin-level battle of Bukijutsu, spraying several sparks through the steam-filed air. This battle was fought between Hidan's triple-bladed scythe and Kazan's pair of white-hilted Kusarigama.

Kazan was leading a struggling effort to repulse the invaders that threatened Yu. However, the military power of Yu was so insignificant that Kazan was basically their only chance of survival.

Yu was surrounded on all sides, invaded by a division of Kiri Anbu and the strange organization known as the Akatsuki. Despite this seemingly hopeless battle, Kazan was still filled with pure loyalty for his country and shinobi village.

"Hahah! This is just like the good ol' days!" Hidan chuckled before striking Kazan's Kusarigama.

Hidan and Kazan were once on the same Genin team over 10 years ago, with Tonbee as their sensei. Back then, before Hidan had succumb to the way of Jashin, he was an innocent and kind child.

However, Hidan had a complete lack for anything that was Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, leaving Taijutsu as his only option. This inability to preform Ninjutsu gave Hidan a traumatic childhood were various other shinobi in Yu would mock him.

This mockery is what drove Hidan into the path of Jashin before his once innocent personality was completely erased. This new sadistic personality of Hidan was a twisted stain on the once innocent memory that Kazan held in his heart.

The rivalry between Hidan and Kazan was deep, a deep brotherly bond that was severed by betrayal when Hidan left the village. This betrayal was a moment that haunted Kazan's life, the moment when Hidan killed his wife, the former kunoichi teammate of their childhood Genin squad.

"No more! No more lives!" Kazan screamed before parrying a fierce blow from Hidan.

"I won't allow anyone else to be consumed by your hatred!" While screaming, Kazan managed to plunge the blade of his Kusarigama into the side of Hidan's torso.

At this moment, Hidan began to laugh before grabbing Kazan's wrist and holding him in place. Afterwards, Hidan raised his scythe into the air before slicing it down towards Kazan.

As this weapon approached, the fleeting face of Meng drifted through Kazan's mind. At the last moment, Hidan was flung backwards by an overwhelming and unseen force.

While flying backwards, Hidan fanatically flipped through air for several moments before crashing through a distant wall. A brief silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of Kazan gasping with shock.

Suddenly, Naruto casually walked up behind Kazan, forcing the elite Jounin to briefly jolt with fright. At the same time, a laughing Hidan slowly walked out of the broken wall before licking his scythe.

"Hey! You're pretty good... Good to be sacrificed, Hah!" Hidan giggled while staring at Naruto.

Because of the extended memories of Orochimaru, Naruto was fully aware of Hidan's name and capabilities. Orochimaru and Kakuzu were actually the Akatsuki members that recruited Hidan in the first place.

There was only one way for Hidan to die, and that was malnutrition or the extreme loss of nutrients, like heavy blood loss. However, because of Hidan's unique capabilities, most of his wounds would just instantly heal, preventing any real blood loss.

"Yo, what's the deal?!" While shouting, Hidan's left hand began to beat the bleeding wound that Kazan gave him.

"I told you, Hidan… No more lives!" Kazan exclaimed before raising both of his Kusarigama in front of his face.

Each of Kazan's weapon were coated with a thick poison that he specifically made to counter Hidan's immortality. This poison would keep each of Hidan's wounds open and fresh, forcing blood to constantly spew from his body.

Usually, this ability to construct poison against Hidan's immortality would be impossible. However, since Hidan stole his forbidden immortality from the village of Yu, they had more knowledge about his abilities than anyone else.

"Hahah! It's just a little blood, stop over hyping it!" Hidan chuckled before charging forward.

Hidan then leapt into the air before slicing the triple-bladed tips of his scythe down towards Naruto. This attack came within mere inches of Naruto's nose before Hidan's entire body was gripped by some unseen and overwhelming force.

This force then hurled Hidan backwards over 50ft, causing to him crash through dozens of houses and resorts. Afterwards, Hidan collided against a distant hot spring, creating a massive explosion of water.

The impact of this collision forced several portions of earth around the hot spring to break off before crushing Hidan's body. A tense silence then filled the air after Hidan was completely concealed from view.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked before gripping Kazan's left shoulder.

"It seems, I owe you my life once again." Kazan remarked before bowing his head in respect.

At this moment, a chaotic explosion of fire and blue chakra erupted in the distance, forcing all of Yu to quake under its weight. This explosion forced Naruto to run past Kazan before disappearing into the burning sunset without even looking back.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Gaara, Tayuya and Karin entered the outskirts of Yu before a massive explosion erupted in the distance. This explosion forced each of these individuals to stagger for several moments while gasping with shock.

Suddenly, each of Karin's red eyes bulged with shock as her sensory abilities felt an approaching threat. Afterwards, a pair of two distorted silhouettes appeared mere inches behind Karin.

This realization forced Karin to panic before the entire world slowed down as her eyes twitched several times. During this, Karin slowly turned her face just enough to glance at the distorted silhouette's with one eye.

Wh-... What!? Karin panicked.

They slipped completely past my sensors...!? While thinking these thoughts, Karin's eyes continued to twitch with shock.

At this moment, the silhouette of Kakuzu swung the back of his right hand out, forcing Karin to gasp while his fist approached. At the last moment, this fist was blocked by an explosion of sand that erupted from the ground.

This sand knocked Karin back behind Gaara while Kakuzu slid over 10ft across the dirt-filled road before groaning. While this occurred, Sasori was humming with interested as he glared at the red seal on Gaara's forehead.

"What the hell are these runts doing here?" Kakuzu muttered.

"That redhead is the jinchūriki for Shukaku, the one tails." Sasori hummed while his metal tail swished through the air.

"The redhead? All three of them are redheads." Kakuzu mumbled.

This declaration forced Sasori to glance at Tayuya, causing the eyes of his puppet to sparkle with delight. At the same time, Sasori's previous hummed evolved into a deep laugh while glaring at Tayuya.

"Ohh…" Sasori groaned with delight.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" Tayuya snapped out.

"Yu is a pathetic village... Barely anyone here can be used as materials for my art." Sasori explained.

"But now I've gotten lucky. There's great material standing right in front of me." While speaking, Sasori's tail continued to swish through the air.

"So rejoice, because I'm going to add you into my third level collection." After speaking, Tayuya snorted in response.

"The only thing you're going to collect is my foot up your ass." Tayuya retorted.

"Enough talk, which one of you is the one tails?" Kakuzu asked before casually walking forward.

As Kakuzu approached, Gaara clapped both hands into the Snake Seal, forcing the nearby ground to instantly crumble into sand. This sand then abruptly swallowed Kakuzu's entire body into the ground, leaving only his head visible.

"That answers my question." While speaking, Kakuzu's oddly colored eyes focused on Gaara.

Suddenly, Kakuzu's entire body turned solid black before he crawled out from Gaara's shifting sand, an incredible display of strength. During this, Sasori's tail continued to swish through the air while he groaned with delight.

"I don't like to wait, or keep others waiting..." Sasori declared with a harsh and grunted tone.

"So I'll make this short... And sweet." As Sasori spoke, each of his eyes twitched several times while staring at Tayuya.

Tayuya then snorted in a loud and hostile fashion before pulling her flute loose and smiling. At the same time, Karin slowly crawled behind Gaara before running towards a distant house and hiding.

A tense silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of Sasori laughing. After several seconds, an lake-sized explosion erupted into the distance, forcing Kakuzu to charge across Gaara's sand.

As Kakuzu approached, Tayuya bit her right hand before slamming it atop the ground while scoffing with confidence. Afterwards, three massive puffs of smoke erupted into existence, a result of the Summoning technique.

Despite this sudden appearance of smoke, Kakuzu charged head first into the cloud before hurling his right fist at Gaara. While this fist approached, streams of hardened sand swirled through the air before catching Kakuzu's attack mere inches from Gaara's face.

The force of this impact created a fierce shockwave that rippled out in all directions behind Gaara, cracking nearby portions of earth. Also, these shockwaves knocked Tayuya backwards through the air while her three Doki summoning's finally came into view.

While twirling through the air, Tayuya raised her flute to her face before landing atop a nearby wall and playing it. This action created a chakra-filled soundwave that resonated out in all directions, forcing Tayuya's Doki to slightly sway back and forth.

One of these Doki then swung his massive club across the nearby ground in a horizontal swipe. This club then knocked Kakuzu away from Gaara before he crashed straight through four separate buildings.

Tayuya then continued to play her flute before Sasori's right hand finally extended out from his robe-covered silhouette. This hand then tore off the mask that was concealing his face, revealing several puppet-like features across his hand and arm.

Sasori's lower face and jawline then unlatched itself before hanging loose as he continued to glare at Tayuya. Afterwards, hundreds of poison-tipped senbon spewed from Sasori's puppet mouth like a consecutive barrage.

Despite this fierce barrage of approaching projectiles, Tayuya continued to play her flute in a carefree fashion. At the last moment, her armless and bandaged-covered Doki leapt in front of Sasori's senbon.

Because of the sheer size of this Doki, he managed to completely block Tayuya from view while hundreds of senbon pierced his body. Also, since this creature was basically just an undead summoning, Sasori's poison no effect.

This left hundreds of senbon inside Tayuya's Doki, senbon that were piercing him from several different angles and directions. This also left dozens of other poison-tipped senbon that littered the nearby ground.

At this moment, eight separate kunai were flung through the air towards Sasori before he casually deflected them with his metal tail. However, some of these kunai soared past this tail before slicing portions of Sasori's Akatsuki robe.

This brought attention to a cowering Karin who was hiding behind a distant wall while shaking with terror. Afterwards, Sasori's puppet got on all four limbs like some type of animal, revealing a large bomb-like device that was attached to his left forearm.

"Oooh… I like you a lot more, but you're friend would make excellent material aswell." Sasori groaned while glancing between Tayuya and Karin.

"With the two of you added to my collection... I'll have exactly three hundred puppets in collection, it's my art." While speaking, Sasori's tone began noticeably dark and sadistic.

Suddenly, Sasori raised his left hand into the air before launching the bomb-like device that was attached to it. This device then began to twirl at great speed before drilling across the ground, creating minor pillars of debris in the process.

As this device continued to rush across the ground, it passed the distant corner that Karin was hiding behind. Sasori's device then erupted into a explosive of cylinder-shaped projectiles that shot out in every direction.

As these projectiles rushed through the air, they all detached before dozens of senbon shot out from each one. A majority of these senbon were absorbed by Tayuya's Doki while Karin backed against a wall with fear.

A wall of sand then rose from the ground in front of Karin at the last moment, absorbing Sasori's senbon. At the same time, dozens of senbon lodged themselves into the wall around Karin.

Soon, all three of Tayuya's Doki appeared in the air above Sasori, forcing him to hum with interest. Afterwards, each of these Doki flung their weapons down against Sasori's metal tail, creating a house-sized crater in the process.

Kakuzu's right fist then launched through the air while attached to his concealed body through a series of thick black tendrils. This fist then rushed towards Gaara in a blur of speed, punching clear through his poorly made sand wall.

This fist then punched Gaara directly in the face before he was hurled through a distant wall. While this occurred, Kakuzu casually walked towards Karin as his right hand reattached itself.

One of Tayuya's Doki then appeared beside Kakuzu before slamming his massive club down at the Akatsuki member. However, Kakuzu's chakra-filled left hand effortlessly caught the attack, creating a minor crater in the ground.

"I could use a new a heart." Kakuzu muttered before picking Karin up by the collar of her outfit.

Kakuzu then lifted Tayuya's Doki into the air with one hand before casually throwing him against a nearby building. Afterwards, Kakuzu focused his attention towards Karin, focusing her to swallow a wad of spit that swelled in her throat.

While this occurred, an injured Gaara slowly stood up from a distant house before rubbing both hands against his face. Gaara's pale green eyes then bulged with horror after noticing drops of blood that stained his hands.

"Bl-... Blood?" Gaara muttered while staring at his hands.

Suddenly, drops of blood began to drip from Gaara's face, a result of the small cut that was spread across his right cheek. This realization forced Gaara's shoulders to rise and fall several times while he slightly gasped for air.

After several moments, Gaara began to violently hyperventilate before digging his fingernails into face and scalp. During this, traumatic flashbacks of Gaara's childhood drifted through his mind, flashbacks that were each filled with blood.

"I'M BLEEDING!?" While screaming, Gaara's voice was filled with a mixture of pain, rage and confusion.

Gaara's eyes then began to violently convulse as he began to grind his teeth together. At the same time, Gaara's pain filled screams garnished the attention of Tayuya, Sasori and Kakuzu.

Gaara then fell on both knees before faceplanting the ground and rolling from side-to-side as he continued to scream. After screaming for what felt like minutes, a tense silence filled the air after Gaara fell unconscious.

This silence allowed Sasori's tail to knock two of Tayuya's Doki back against a nearby wall while Kakuzu reached for Karin's chest. At this moment, a sadistic and demonic laughter pierced the air, followed by a sinister aura of brown chakra.

A shifting tsunami of sand then erupted from the ground, shallowing each of Tayuya's Doki and dozens of houses in the process. This Tsunami also forced Kakuzu to drop Karin to the ground before retreating as the red-haired Uzumaki was consumed by sand.

"Oh... I see..." Sasori mumbled with a tone that was much more calm and tranquil than before.

A chaotic amount of sand that enveloped Sasori from all angles before rushing towards him. As this sand approached, a latch across Sasori's robe-covered back slowly opened before a humanoid-shaped silhouette ruptured out.

This silhouette then causally landed atop a nearby roof as the Hiruko-shell puppet was completely swallowed by sand. A tense silence then filled the air as nearby roads and streets were filled with over 20ft of dense sand.

Suddenly, dense and dark clouds began to swirl overhead as chakra-filled explosions erupted in the distance. At the same time, a nearby Tayuya was forced to jump on top of a roof to avoid the shifting sand.

"Just as I thought..." While the tranquil voice of Sasori filled the air, his silhouette was completely dark and distorted by a thick cloak.

"OH YEAH! ARE YOU READY TO DIE!?" The demonic voice of Shukaku filled the air after a crouched Gaara came into view.

Half of Gaara's right face and torso had cracked and dissolved into an aura of brown chakra that shifted underneath. This managed to completely heal Gaara's previous facial injury while drawing attention to his Raccoon-like eyes.

At this moment, Karin crawled loose from Gaara's sand before gasping for air and running inside a nearby house. During this, Tayuya glared at Gaara while flashbacks of a five-tailed Naruto drifted through her mind.

"This is going to be interesting..." Sasori murmured before pulling his dark cloak loose and dropping it to the ground.

This action revealed Sasori's true features and appearance for the first time in years, displaying his Uzumaki red hair. Sasori had fair skin with wide brown eyes and mousy red hair, hair that he inherited from his Uzumaki father.

Despite the lethal one tails opponent that stood in front of him, Sasori had a hazy and dream-like expression on his face. This expression gave Sasori an aloof and far off appearance, as if he wasn't even paying attention.

Sasori's outfit consisted of the iconic Akatsuki robe and shoes with a pair of ankle-length grey pants. He also wore a purple Akatsuki ring on his left thumb with the kanji for 'jewel' engraved into it, contrasting the teal nail polish on his fingernails and toenails.

Suddenly, Shukaku began to beat both hands against his chest while laughing, filling the air with dense chakra. This action forced sections of Gaara's skin and clothes to crack before crumbling into sand.

As portions of Gaara's body fell, his hair also crumbled into sand before floating through the nearby air. This brought attention to a pair of Raccoon-like ears atop Gaara's head, ears that were made of brown chakra, the chakra of Shukaku.

As Shukaku's laughter continued to resonate through the air, Sasori chuckled with delight before Kakuzu appeared behind him. Afterwards, a green scroll slid down from the right sleeve of Sasori's Akatsuki robe before landing in his hand.

Sasori then extended this scroll out towards Gaara before partially unrolling, revealing the kanji for 'three' sprawled across it. During this, Sasori held his left hand in front of his chest while preforming the half Ram Seal, displaying one handed seals.

"This collection gave me a very hard time when I was trying to kill it..." Sasori remarked before funneling chakra into the scroll.

"But, that's why it's my favorite..." After speaking, Sasori's scroll was engulfed with an aura of purple chakra.

Sasori's scroll then exploded into a puff of smoke before his entire figure was briefly concealing from view. At the same time, each of Tayuya's eyes bulged once Kakuzu appeared right beside her.

Kakuzu then slammed his chakra-filled black fist into the rooftop, shattering the entire building that him and Tayuya stood on. This forced Tayuya to jumped off a falling piece of debris at the last moment before playing her flute.

This action unleashed multiple soundwaves that resonated through the air before Tayuya casually landed atop a collapsed wall. While this occurred, the curse seal across the back of Tayuya's neck began to glow with chakra before spreading across her body.

This chakra fueled Tayuya's seal until it sprawled across her face, neck and both arms before continuing. During this, Kakuzu casually stood up from the nearby rubble before groaning with annoyance.

At this moment, Kakuzu's vision became distorted and blurry as the nearby world began to ripple like water. Also, red chakra-filled soundwaves could be seen resonating out from Tayuya's flute.

"Wh-... What?! Genjutsu?!" Kakuzu muttered.

Fuck... Since that little Ketchup bitch trapped my summoning's, there's no other way. Tayuya concluded before her curse seal consumed her entire body.

This curse seal forced Tayuya's skin to morph and fade before becoming a distorted shade of brown. Also several pieces of fabric from her iconic hat fell to the ground as six white horns grew out from her skull, jolting out between her red hair.

That was my favorite hat. As these thoughts progressed, the amount of chakra that filled Tayuya's soundwaves tripled.

These soundwaves then forced Kakuzu's distorted eyes to bulge before falling on both knees. At the same time, the previous smoke cloud from Sasori's previous technique finally dissipated, revealing the puppet-like silhouette of the 3rd Kazekage.

This puppet was a true testament to Sasori's power, evidence that he kidnapped the most powerful Kazekage in shinobi history. Sasori didn't just kidnap or murder the 3rd Kazekage, he also transformed his entire body into a human puppet, arguably his finest.

This was the extent of Sasori's abilities, he stood on a completely separate level from people like Hidan, Kakuzu or even Deidara. Sasori himself wasn't even human anymore, he was a living puppet.

A Kage-level battle was about to erupt between a Shukaku cloaked Gaara and Sasori who was using the 3rd Kazekage as a puppet. Also, Tayuya was about to be pushed to her limits in a fierce struggle with Kakuzu, a struggle that had only just begun.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A blood-stained Kiri Anbu was gasping for air after Naruto's chakra-rod was impaled through his chest. Afterwards, Naruto tossed this Anbu to the ground while several other Kiri Anbu were fighting Yu shinobi in the background.

Among these shinobi, Kazan stood out as a beacon of hope, slicing through elite Anbu as if he was Kage-level. After several moments, a bubble containing Hotaru floated into view while drifting through the clouds.

This bubble garnished Naruto's attention after he stomped on the throat of a dead Anbu. Soon, Deidara's iconic white bird came into view as he soared towards Hotaru.

This realization forced a nearby Utakata to panic before quickly blowing a human-sized bubble and jumping on top. At the same time, a laughing Deidara flew over Hotaru's bubble before unleashing dozens of clay spiders from his palms.

These spiders drifted through the air before blanketing Hotaru's bubble and swelling with chakra. At this moment, each of these spiders erupted into a consecutive series of chakra-filled explosions.

These explosions were so powerful that Utakata's bubble completely ruptured before Hotaru was consumed by the dense flames. The image of Hotaru disappearing in these flames forced Utakata's bubble to bust before he fell on both knees.

The elite six tails jinchūriki then downcast his face before dragging both hands across the nearby earth. While this occurred, the blood-stained silhouette of Utakata's own master pierced his mind before mixing with the kind face of Hotaru.

Because Utakata was a perfect jinchūriki, he could physically transform into the six tails anything he wanted. However, in rare moments of pure rage and sorrow, Saiken would break free to protect Utakata, this was one of those moments.

At this moment, Utakata began to grind his teeth together as thick slim began to pour from his sweat glands. During this, portions of nearby earth began to crack before boiling into blue bubbles that polluted the air.

Because Utakata was the jinchūriki for the six tails, he possessed much more chakra than Shukaku or Isobu or Kokuō. This level of chakra meant that transforming into his tailed beast was extremely painful, but nothing compared to the pain of Kurama.

Suddenly, Utakata's skin began to blister and boil as Deidara's bird casually descended through the air. Afterwards, three slim-covered tails ruptured out from the seal on Utakata's lower back, each of these tails had a blue tint and gave off a slug-like appearance.

"AUUAaah!" Utakata screamed with a surprising display of emotion.

This howl forced sections of Utakata's skin and outfit to boil into bubbles before polluting the nearby air. This action revealed a shifting mass of humanoid-shaped blue chakra that pulsated underneath Utakata's body, the chakra of Saiken.

"Well, well... His chakra is quite... Explosive." Deidara chuckled while standing atop his bird.

Soon, shockwaves of chakra-filled bubbles resonated out in every direction, forcing Deidara's bird to retreat. These bubbles then began to soar after Deidara with a surprising amount of speed.

As these bubbles rushed through the air, Deidara reached into his clap pouch with both hands before grabbing a handful. Deidara then began to mold a Kage-level amount of chakra into his explosion.

While Deidara's hands were focused on chewing this clay, Saiken's bubble finally caught up to him on all sides. Each of these bubbles then erupted into a chakra-filled explosion of water and slime.

This slime shot across Deidara's face and hair, forcing him to briefly gag before a three-tailed Utakata phased out from a nearby bubble. Utakata's entire body was nothing but a humanoid-shaped figure that was made of pure blue chakra and covered in slime.

Utakata's blue left hand then reached out before grabbing Deidara's right forearm as bubbles polluted the nearby air. Upon contact, Utakata's hand instantly boiled through the fabric of Deidara's sleeves before eating through his arm.

Utakata then casually ripped Deidara's entire right arm off before throwing it to the ground below. Afterwards, Deidara jumped off his bird while dozens of clay spiders jolted out from the mouth on his left palm.

As Deidara plummeted through the air, he preform the Seal of Confrontation with his left hand before Utakata was consumed by a fierce explosion. At the same time, a massive cloud of smoke, debris and steam polluted the air before raining fire down across the village of Yu.

Deidara then landed atop a collapsed wall before gasping with shock after Naruto appeared behind him. This realization forced Deidara to jump towards a nearby house before his entire body was gripped by some unseen force in midair.

This force allowed Naruto to grab Deidara by the throat before shoving through a nearby wall, creating a small cloud of debris. After several moments, the chakra-filled roar of Saiken pierced the air after a rampaging Utakata perceived Naruto as a threat.

A fourth tail then ruptured from Utakata's lower back before he exhaled a condensed torrent of bubbles at Naruto. Each of these bubbles were filled with a dense amount of blue slime that would stick to anything it touched.

As these bubbles approached, Naruto casually ran past each of them as they began to rupture and explode. During this, Naruto was rushing towards Utakata who was still howling with a mixture of rage and pain.

Naruto then managed to avoid several exploding bubbles before jumping over a horizontal tail swipe from Utakata. This allowed Naruto to land behind Utakata before grabbing two of his chakra-filled tails.

Upon contact, portions of Naruto's skin began to instantly contort into bubbles before his eyes flashed with a bright violet color. Afterwards, each of Naruto's hands were engulfed with an aura of purple chakra as he began to absorb Saiken's chakra, a unique ability of the Rinnegan.

Utakata then rotated his entire upper body before swiping the back of his right hand out in a horizontal fashion. As this hand approached Naruto, it was deflected at the last moment by some unseen and unknown force.

The shockwaves of this collision created several indentions in the nearby earth before Utakata was flung forward. Also, Naruto managed to absorb two tails worth of chakra from Saiken, forcing his skin to briefly bubble and contort before settling.

Utakata then slammed through three separate house before creating a lake-sized pillar of dust, debris and bubbles. After several moments, Hotaru came into view before running towards the bubble-filled cloud.

"Master! Master Utakata!" Hotaru screamed.

This statement was met by a painful shriek from Saiken as even more bubbles filled the nearby air. A two tailed Utakata then came into view, but Hotaru continued to run at him despite his brutal appearance.

"Master! Master!" While screaming, Hotaru froze mid step before pulling her bubble pipe loose.

This pipe was a personal gift given to Hotaru by Utakata, evidence that he truly was her master. Also, this pipe allowed Hotaru to produce and create bubbles that were vaguely similar to Utakata's.

Because of this, Hotaru raised the pipe to her mount before blowing a fierce barrage of bubbles out towards Utakata. Several of these bubbles then collided against Utakata's bubbles before he abruptly stopped screaming.

Suddenly, Utakata's chakra-filled blue eyes focused on Hotaru before he blew several bubbles towards her. Hotaru then popped each of these bubbles with her own hands while smiling.

This action forced the blue chakra throughout Utakata's body to violently pulsate before new skin bubble into place. After several seconds, a brand new Utakata stood in front of Hotaru without a single scratch on him.

After appearing, Utakata briefly stagger while holding both hands against his forehead before Hotaru rushed forward and hugged him. While this occurred, Kazan was fighting several Kiri Anbu in the background.

"I don't understand... How are you alive?" Utakata asked, earning a cheerful laugh in response.

"Don't act so silly, master! You taught me how to preform Bubble Ninjutsu... So of course I'm alive, because of you!" Hotaru explained.

"Master...?" Utakata repeated in a low tone.

As this conversation unfolded, Hidan came into view before slaughtering several shinobi on his way towards Kazan. At the same time, Kazan charged at his childhood friend before the pair of rivals became locked in a fierce battle of Bukijutsu.

During this fierce engagement, Hidan and Kazan each struck one another with their weapons several times. Because of this, blood was pouring from several of Hidan's wounds while Kazan was gasping for air.

Suddenly, Hidan kicked Kazan in his stomach, forcing the elite steam shinobi to fly backwards before hitting a distant boulder. Afterwards, Hidan licked the blood off his scythe before his entire body turned solid black.

Hidan's feet then smeared the symbol of Jashin into the ground by using nearby drops of blood. Hidan then causally severed his own femur, forcing Kazan to scream with pain before falling unconscious.

Hidan's injury then healed almost instantly while the cuts from Kazan continued to pour and spew blood. Despite these deadly injuries, Hidan was still able to stand and laugh with pure confidence.

At this moment, Hidan began to cough up blood while his vision became distorted, a result of Kazan's poison. However, Hidan still continued to laugh before lazily strolling towards Kazan.

Soon, Hidan began to stumble several times before struggling to stand on both feet. While this occurred, Hidan downcast his face before gasping for air as an unconscious Kazan was resting barely 10ft away.

A tense silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by Hidan's heavy gasps for air. This was the result of Kazan's poison, a poison specifically made to counter Hidan's immortality.

"Just stop, Hidan." The voice of Naruto spoke out as he appeared in front of Kazan.

Instead of raising his head, Hidan continued to stare at the ground while gasping for air. At the same time, his eyes bulged with rage after hearing Naruto's words, words that reminded him of his distant childhood.

 _-Flashback-_

Dense pillars of steam filled the air as a 14 year old Hidan and Kazan were located beside a natural hot spring. This hot spring was illuminated by bright rays of moonlight as Kazan was sitting atop a nearby rock.

Each of these shinobi were adorned with various steam colored pants, shirts and shoes. Also, Kazan had a full head of shaggy brown hair instead of being bald like his adult self.

"Kazan... I fucking hate you..." Hidan muttered while resting on both knees with his hands pressed against the ground.

"And you know it..." While Hidan spoke, Kazan was reading from his book.

"So why do you keep following me around? We aren't Genin anymore..." After speaking, a tense and awkward silence filled the air.

For several minutes, the only sound that could be heard was the distant sound of owls and crickets. Afterwards, Kazan snapped his book shut before slowly standing up and turning his back to Hidan.

"Because I feel sorry for you, you're so weak..." Kazan mumbled before casually walking away.

The entire world then slowed down as Hidan stared at Kazan's back with pure rage and hatred. During this, Hidan dragged his fingers across the nearby earth while grinding his teeth together as Kazan slowly faded into the tree-filled horizon.

The hell I am! Hidan internally screamed with disbelief.

This is the first major moment in Hidan's life that drove him towards the way of Jashin. The desire to finally surpass his childhood rival, the desire to be strong like Kazan.

 _-Flashback ends-_

Everyone keeps dumping their pity on me... Acting like I need it, acting like I want it. Hidan remarked before gasping for air.

They have no idea how much it hurts me. It's like stomping on an open wound. While these thoughts progressed, blood continued to spew from Hidan's wounds.

At this moment, Hidan raised his face before his blurry and distorted vision focused on the whiskered face of Naruto. As this occurred, Hidan began to snarl while an expression of rage and regret spread across his face.

They'll be no mercy from me... While thinking, Hidan's grip tightened around the hilt of his scythe.

I don't care if they're strong... Or weak... Or a baby... Or an animal...  As these thoughts raced, Hidan's gasps for air became more dramatic and violent.

I'll kill anyone and everyone who gets in my way! So they'll never dump their pity on me again! These thoughts forced Hidan's eyes to violently twitch.

Soon, Hidan began to hyperventilate while his distorted and blurry vision continued to focus on Naruto. At the same time, a lethal amount of blood was pouring from several wounds across Hidan's body, soaking the nearby ground.

I-... I am...! While these thoughts progressed, Hidan began to lazily charge forward.

"I am..!" Hidan groaned before charging full force at Naruto.

As Hidan approached, he funneled the last shred of his strength and fury into both legs while rising his scythe into the air. While this occurred, the childhood face of Kazan was repetitively drifting through his mind.

Suddenly, Hidan froze mid charge after Naruto slashed a chakra-rod across his chest in a slanted vertical fashion. This action forced drops of blood to spew across Naruto's face while each of Hidan's eyes bulged with pain.

The entire world then slowed down as Hidan dropped his scythe to the ground before falling on both knees. During this, Kazan's poison continued to pollute his blood and wounds, eating away at his immortality.

In this moment of death and pain, Hidan's hazy eyes twitched multiple times while thinking about various childhood memories. Soon, Hidan's blurry and distorted vision glanced past Naruto before focusing on a distant and unconscious Kazan.

Hidan's limp torso then plummeted towards the earth while his twitching eyes continued to stare at Kazan. Because of his extreme blood loss, it took an intense amount of effort for Hidan to fully recognize Kazan's face.

At this moment, Hidan's eyes began to slowly close while Kazan finally woke up, allowing his eyes to lazily open. This caused both childhood teammates to glance at one another, forcing their faces to reflect off each others eyes.

As Hidan stared at his childhood friend, Kazan was suddenly morphed into a transparent version of his childhood self. Afterwards, a 10 year old Hidan and his old kunoichi teammate both walked up to Kazan before all three of them laughed together.

This created a tense silence as Hidan continued to fall towards the ground while staring at Kazan. At the same time, Kazan was staring back at Hidan with confusion, surprised to see an expression of innocence across his face.

Sorry... A single word echoed through Hidan's mind before faceplanting the ground.

In his final moments, Hidan didn't think about power, wealth, revenge or even Jashin. In the very end, Hidan thought only about Kazan and his childhood, a childhood that he deeply missed.


	80. Chapter 80

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: thebestofall - I love to imagine Obito/Nagato returning to their hideout and going "Dude, where's my Gedo Mazo?" But overall, I don't consider Naruto's reaction to be overkill.**

 **That scene was a reference to when Danzo first met Nagato and he summoned his Gedo Mazo to protect Yahiko/Konan. Naruto could've just used the Summoning Jutsu, but the Gedo Mazo built more tension.**

 **TheOldNick - I could've had Naruto say "Do you wanna go to sleep?" instead of bed, but that wasn't cute. Naruto is basically a mixture of Hashirama, Tobirama, Orochimaru and Kimimaro with some sprinkles of his original personality still intact.**

 **In my head, Naruto can say something overtly sexual with a completely straight face and not even laugh. Naruto is extremely sexualized because of Kimimaro, but I don't see him as perverted.**

 **Because of this, I'll sometimes have Naruto say something extremely sexual just so I can write Tayuya's reaction. This is also why Naruto is so calm whenever Karin tries to rape him.**

 **Tayuya will be one to confess her feelings and confront Naruto, so I have to develop her mentality. This is why I sexualize some stuff because it shows that Tayuya actually thinks of Naruto in that way.**

 **tenellis - I've never seen or read Game of Thrones so I don't understand any of the references or jokes. In regards to Kazan, he will be just as important as Zabuza or Dosu.**

 **biginferno - Naruto and Tayuya are the mustard and ketchup to my heart. They go together perfectly.**

 **Guest - the Kai No Sho (the 2nd fanbook/guidebook) which was released in 2009 gives a glimpse at Konoha's population. Konoha has the highest population out of all five shinobi villages.**

 **Konoha also has over 10+ shinobi clans, twice as many as the other shinobi villages. A direct population number is never given, but Kishimoto confirmed that Konoha is the largest and most powerful shinobi village in the world, at least during episode 1 of part 1 Naruto.**

 **thor94 - I personally ship NarutoxGaara so fucking hard, so fucking hard. I'm very picky with my Yaoi but they get my stamp of approval, I ship NarutoxGaara so hard. (Naara/Garuto?)**

 **However, I have to preserve Gaara's innocence that way it's twice as adorable when Fu corrupts him. This is actually why I haven't had any Gaara romance so far, because I have to preserve his innocence.**

 **The main reason I had NarutoxGaara kiss is because of a future plot point involving FuxGaara. I personally love the idea of NarutoxGaara but I just can't write it into this story.**

 **GunBlade2019 - This story does revolve around a Pantheon of Nine** **jinchūriki, especially in season four (final season/series finale). However, that doesn't mean I can't kill off** **jinchūriki and add new ones until then.**

 **I could literally kill off every single jinchūriki and replace them with a new host, I don't have to use the canon ones. I already know who the next** **jinchūriki for Matatabi and Kokuō will be.**

 **In regards to Hidan, in canon he can only die of malnutrition and there is no 'poison' to kill him. However, I didn't want Hidan to die like some starving Ethiopian and I like to fetishize death, so I tried to give him a glorious end with lots of blood.**

 **In regards to God, I didn't want to focus on him or reveal his identity because he's the main antagonist of season three. God and the Akatsuki do loom on the horizon but overall, season two belongs to Kabuto, just like season one belonged to Orochimaru.**

 **kevkills777 - I'm genuinely curious, what should I say then? Twas the Night Before? Once Upon A Time? During One Crazy Summer? If the only thing you can complain about is the phrasing I use to frame the narrative then you're just being a petty little bitch.**

 **I love criticism and that's why I get so annoyed when I have to deal with autistic spergs like you. You literally offer nothing in terms of criticism or debate, you're just spewing dogshit out of your stupid fucking mouth while you talk about 'feelings'.**

 **I don't like to be rude, but your autistic feelings can go fuck themselves. You don't have the intellectual capacity to criticize my ideas or concepts so you just bitch about the words I use.**

 **You read three chapters of this story and then automatically assume you know what happens, when you clearly don't. I'm not mad at you, I'm just disappointed, I'm disappointed that you're so fucking stupid.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 80: End Of A Journey! If You Need Me, Call Me.**

 _Friday 11:27am, June 23rd 58SSP._

Dark clouds polluted the air above Yu while a demonic mixture of dense chakra radiated in all directions. As this occurred, a smirking Deidara was hiding behind a distant building while Naruto towered over Hidan's corpse.

"Tch… Looks like that religious nut is finally dead." Deidara mumbled before quietly walking away.

Deidara and Hidan used to constantly argue over how to kill people during the early days of the Akatsuki. Deidara wanted to destroy his targets with chaotic explosions while Hidan wanted to sacrifice them.

Because of this, Deidara and Hidan would constantly argue and fight with each other. This is why Deidara felt no remorse or pity for Hidan's death, only joy.

"Now... I wonder where my arm is?" After speaking, Deidara began an extensive search for his right arm.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"OH YEAH, BABY!" The demonic voice of Shukaku echoed from Gaara's sand-covered body.

At the moment, Gaara fell on both knees before slamming his palms atop the ground, creating a shockwave of sand. At the same time, clumps of sand dripped from Gaara's body, revealing a humanoid-shaped figure of brown chakra that pulsated underneath.

The sadistic laughter of Shukaku then resonated through the air as Gaara's Racoon-like eyes twitched several times. During this, Sasori stood atop a nearby building with a hazed and dreamy expression across his face, as if he wasn't even paying attention.

As Sasori drifted through his deep thoughts, the puppet-like body of the 3rd Kazekage casually stood beside him. This Kazekage was adorned with the iconic angle-length Kage robe and the green kanji for 'Wind' that was sewn into the back.

The 3rd Kazekage was an extremely tall man with fair skin, similar to a majority of Suna citizens. The most prominent feature of the 3rd Kazekage was his dark blue hair, an extremely rare color inside the Land of Wind.

This hair contrasted his emerald green eyes and the iconic Kage robes that covered his puppet body. Even though the 3rd Kazekage was completely dead he still gave off a life-like appearance, a result of Sasori's high level Kugutsu

Suddenly, various waves of sand bombarded the building that Sasori stood on before slowly swallowing the entire complex. This caused Sasori's Akatsuki outfit to rustle and waver in the intense sand-filled breeze that polluted the air.

Soon, the roof that Sasori stood on was finally pulled down to ground level before sand rushed towards him from all directions. While this sand approached, Sasori casually raised his right hand before reaching out towards the 3rd Kazekage with several chakra threads.

These chakra threads were each solid violet and clearly visible for a brief period of time. However, these threads then turned completely invisible, a result of Sasori's high-level Kugutsu.

The 3rd Kazekage then abruptly twitched before his jawline cracked and splintered in several locations. Afterwards, his entire lower jaw unhinged itself before an iron barrel slowly protruded out from his wooden mouth.

At this moment, a condensed funnel of iron sand erupted from the Kazekage's mouth with lethal force. During this, Sasori began to twist and contort his fingers, forcing the 3rd Kazekage to jump into the air before spewing even more iron sand in all directions.

A fierce shockwave then radiated through the air as Shukaku's sand collided against the Kazekage's iron sand before littering the ground. Despite it's name, the Kazekage was actually manipulating iron powder instead of sand.

Because of this, the Kazekage's technique was much more heavy and dense than Shukaku's sand, allowing him to easily overwhelm the one tails. Infact, the 3rd Kazekage personally invented his iron sand technique by studying and researching Shukaku.

Iron sand was an extremely high-level S-rank technique, the most feared jutsu through out the entire history of Suna. It's versatility in combat was endless, an aspect that almost killed Sasori when he kidnapped and murdered the 3rd Kazekage.

This technique is why Sasori was so calm and interested in Shukaku, because he wanted to test his puppet against the one tails. This interest was so great that Sasori smirked before waving his right hand through the air in a vertical fashion.

This gesture forced the 3rd Kazekage to soar through the air before landing atop the ground with a heavy wooden thud. While this occurred, the wooden jawline of the 3rd Kazekage slowly slid back into place before repetitively snapping for several moments.

This snapping then mixed with the demonic laughter of Shukaku as Gaara's hands, skin and cloths fully crumbled away into sand. This gave the one tailed jinchūriki a fierce and demonic appearance as his entire body pulsated with brown chakra.

Suddenly, Gaara's once spiky hair was replaced by a pair of solid brown racoon-like ears that radiated dense chakra into the nearby air. At the same time, a blister of brown chakra ruptured across Gaara's lower back before a racoon-like tail protruded out.

"I wonder... Can you even understand what I'm saying?" Sasori asked with a carefree tone.

"You know it, baby! GET READY TO DIE!" Shukaku chuckled in response.

At this moment, streams of sand ruptured from the pulsating brown chakra that swirled inside Shukaku body. This sand then began to spread and sprawl across Shukaku while other streams of sand surged towards Sasori.

While these streams approached, they each merged together into a fierce tsunami of chakra-filled sand. This caused Sasori to casually wave his right hand through the air, forcing the 3rd Kazekage to charge at the approaching sand with Kage-level speed.

The 3rd Kazekage then jumped into the air at the last moment, avoiding a tsunami of sand that crashed against the ground with a chaotic explosion. The 3rd Kazekage then extended his left arm out before his entire hand detached itself with a wooden snap.

This allowed several poison tipped kunai to jolt out from the 3rd Kazekage's wooden arm before soaring towards Shukaku. These projectiles made Shukaku laugh before sand completely concealed his body from view.

Each of Sasori's kunai then harmlessly pierced Shukaku's sand before a tense silence filled the air. Afterwards, each of these kunai fell to the ground as Shukaku's sand began to bubble and contort.

Suddenly, a demonic racoon-like face came into view, drawing attention to his racoon-like eyes and ears. As this sand continued to mold and shape Shukaku's body, several dozen blue curse marks slowly faded into existence.

Soon, the perfect transformation of a one tailed Shukaku came into view as streams of sand dripped from his freshly made body. During this, Sasori casually flicked his own wrist, forcing the 3rd Kazekage to snap his left hand back into place.

A dense stream of sand then erupted from the ground before surging through the air towards the 3rd Kazekage. As this sand approached, several poison-tipped blades protruded out from the 3rd Kazekage's right arm before he causally sliced through Shukaku's sand.

This action forced several dozen grains of sand to pollute the air around the 3rd Kazekage while his dark blue hair rustled in the breeze. Afterwards, Sasori reached out with his right hand, forcing the 3rd Kazekage to rush towards Shukaku.

"BRING IT ON!" Shukaku chuckled before merging his sand-covered arms into the ground.

Three pillars of sand then began to slowly protrude out from the ground before rising over 6ft tall. Each of these pillars took out the same appearance and form of the 3rd Kazekage before charging forward.

The 3rd Kazekage then finally approached these sand clones before slicing through two of them with extreme ease. However, this forced clumps of chakra-filled sand to clog several wooden joints and limbs inside the 3rd Kazekage.

These clumps of sand completely prevented Sasori from moving his puppet, allowing Shukaku's final sand clone to directly strike the 3rd Kazekage. This attack forced the 3rd Kazekage to detach his entire head before it briefly floated through the air.

Sasori then casually waved his right hand through the air, pulling the 3rd Kazekage backwards while his head reattached itself in midair. The 3rd Kazekage then landed atop a collapsed building before his entire right arm detached itself and fell to the ground.

Shukaku then began to laugh as Sasori calmly pressed both hands into the Ram Seal while his fingertips glowed with violet chakra. This chakra dispelled the clumps of sand that polluted the 3rd Kazekage, allowing him to once again move before his right arm slowly reattached itself.

Sasori then waved his right hand through in air in a horizontal fashion, forcing the 3rd Kazekage to soar over several streams of sand. The 3rd Kazekage then repeatedly sliced through dozens of sand-filled attacks while surging towards Shukaku.

As the 3rd Kazekage approached, his entire jawline unhinged itself with a wooden snap before an iron barrel protruded out from his mouth. This iron barrel then ruptured with a chaotic funnel of iron sand that shot out towards Shukaku.

"HAHAHAH!" The demonic laughter of Shukaku continued to polluted the air for several moments.

Suddenly, several geysers of sand erupted from the ground before rising over 20ft into the air, spewing sand in all directions. This created an intense downfall of sand as Sasori wiggled, twisted and contorted his fingers while the 3rd Kazekage continued charging forward.

Because of Sasori's rapid movement, the 3rd Kazekage managed to twist and twirl his entire body while casually dodging Shukaku's sand. While charging, iron sand continued to spew from the 3rd Kazekage's mouth before swirling around his wooden body.

The 3rd Kazekage then jumped over an approaching wave of sand before dozens of iron spears shot out in all directions. These iron spears then impaled, pierced and collided against Shukaku's sand with significant force, filling the air with an aura of Kage-level chakra.

As this high-level of chakra polluted the air, the 3rd Kazekage plummeted towards the ground before hundreds of iron projectiles ruptured from his mouth. These projectiles then hurled and soared towards Shukaku with an insane amount of force, creating several shockwaves that resonated through the air.

This collection of projectiles then bombarded Shukaku's entire location before he was completely concealed by a cloud of debris. At the same time, several dozen cracks and splinters erupted across the ground as nearby buildings shook under the weight of Sasori's attack.

This consecutive bombardment then stretched on for what felt like minutes as the nearby earth continued to quake and rumble. During this, various clouds of dust and debris radiated through the air, forcing a nearby Tayuya to hold both arms in front of her face.

This action forced Tayuya to stopped playing her flute as she struggled to keep both eyes open. This brought attention to her thigh-length orange hair, a result of fully releasing the curse mark that Orochimaru gave her.

While struggling to keep her eyes open, an enraged Kakuzu appeared behind Tayuya before his entire left arm turned solid black. This sudden appearance forced Tayuya to gasp before slicing her flute out in a horizontal slash, using it like a weapon.

Each of Tayuya's eyes then bulged after her flute snapped under the weight of Kakuzu's punch. The impact of this collision created a fierce shockwave that abruptly shattered nearby roof tiles before Tayuya was hurled backwards.

Tayuya then slid and flipped across several rooftops before digging her nails into a set of tiles while grunting. The weight of these nails then casually drilled through roof tiles before impaling the wooden boards underneath.

Because Tayuya was utilizing the 2nd stage of her curse mark, she possessed an immense boost to her strength, stamina and endurance. Also, the horns that protruded from Tayuya's skull began to bugle and swell each time she exerted herself.

"That little bitch..." Tayuya scoffed before angrily tearing her nails from the roof.

"What did you say?" Kakuzu mumbled before kicking several dozen roof tiles into the air.

These tiles then sliced and swirled towards Tayuya while soaring through the air like a shuriken. As these tiles approached, Tayuya grunted with annoyance before clenching both fists and striking out at the projectiles.

Tayuya then casually struck several of these projectiles in midair, a result of her increased endurance from the curse mark. However, a few tiles managed to surge past Tayuya's defenses before cutting various gaps across the sleeves and torso of her Anbu robe.

A tense silence then filled the air as an enraged Tayuya grinded her teeth together while staring at Kakuzu. At the same time, small streams of blood began to drip from the freshly cut wounds that decorated various parts of Tayuya's body.

Ever since Tayuya changed her outfit and began dressing like Naruto, she stopped carrying any types of kunai, shuriken or ninja tools. Instead, Tayuya only carried her flute because that was the only thing she cared about, and now it was gone.

This left Tayuya completely defenseless against Kakuzu, a realization that filled the young kunoichi with pure rage. Tayuya first joined Orochimaru for power, enough power to garnish a reputation for herself, to show the world that her existence actually mattered.

This is why Tayuya felt so pissed off about losing a battle or contest, because she didn't want to show even a moment of weakness. This desire to display a hardened and badass exterior was a core principle of Tayuya's personality, she didn't like to show any emotion other than rage.

"You're probably not worth a good bounty, so I'll just take your heart instead." While speaking, Kakuzu began to casually approach Tayuya.

This statement forced Tayuya's entire chest to violently throb while an expression of rage spread across her face. During this, the faint silhouette of a wooden swing set drifted through Tayuya's mind, a memory from her childhood.

Tayuya's right hand then dramatically clenched into a hardened fist, forcing several joints and muscles to pop. While this occurred, the horns that protruded out from Tayuya's skull began to slowly grow in size, giving her a demonic-like appearance.

"You're too late, freak! I don't have a fucking heart!" Tayuya retorted.

At this moment, each of Tayuya's feet stomped across several roof tiles as she rushed towards Kakuzu while grinding her teeth together. At the same time, a nearby explosive mixture of sand and iron sand erupted like a geyser, rising towards the dark clouds overhead.

As Tayuya charged at Kakuzu, distant memories from her lonely and homeless childhood drifted through her mind, filling her with even more rage. This rage then boiled into pure strength, forcing the roof tiles underneath Tayuya's feet to slightly crack with each step she took.

Despite the ferocity of Tayuya's advance, Kakuzu casually reached out with his right hand before tightly squeezing on her throat. This forced Tayuya to abruptly gag before spewing drops of spit across Kakuzu's mask-covered face.

Kakuzu then effortlessly lifted Tayuya into the air while she kicked his stomach and knees multiple times. During this, various explosions of sand ruptured in the distant, the result of a Kage-level battle between Shukaku and Sasori.

"Stop squirming." Kakuzu muttered before reaching for Tayuya's nonexistent chest with his left hand.

Suddenly, a disgusted snarl bloomed across Tayuya's face while she continued to gasp for air. Afterwards, Tayuya quickly tilted her head forward, forcing one of her horns to pierce Kakuzu's oddly colored eyes.

This action forced Kakuzu to grunt with pain before dropping Tayuya to the ground as he staggered backwards. As Tayuya fell, the horn that protruded from her skull completely pulled Kakuzu's right eye loose from his socket before dripping several drops of blood atop the ground.

"You little bitch." While speaking, Kakuzu held his right hand over the empty socket of his missing eye.

A tense silence the filled the air as Tayuya rested on both knees while coughing and gagging for breath. While this occurred, the demonic laughter of Shukaku once again resonated through the air.

"Choke on my fucking dick!" Tayuya snapped out in response before standing up on both feet.

Tayuya's left hand then reached up before pulling Kakuzu's eye loose from her horns and throwing it to the ground. Tayuya then began to growl with annoyance, upset that she was so useless without her flute.

This outcome was the exact reason why Tayuya wanted to be alone with Naruto, for training. However, Tayuya always became embarrassed and clumsy whenever she was alone with Naruto, forcing her to postpone her previous training session.

Soon, the whiskered face of Naruto abruptly pierced Tayuya's mind, causing her chest to fluster as she bit her lower lip. Tayuya then violently shook her head from side-to-side, struggling to push Naruto out of her mind.

That little whiskered bitch... Get out of my head. Tayuya complained.

At this moment, a grunting Kakuzu reached out with his left hand before it once again turned solid black. Afterwards, Kakuzu's hand launched itself into the air before hurling towards Tayuya.

As this hand surged through the air, a Kage-level amount of chakra pulsated through the black tendrils that connected Kakuzu to his hand. During this, the horns that protruded from Tayuya's skull slowly grew before merging together.

This process gave Tayuya a hardened crown of horns that covered and concealed a vast amount of her skull. At the same time, the whiskered face of Naruto continued to pierce and drift through Tayuya's mind.

A sudden boost of rage then forced Tayuya to tilt her skull down before slamming her crown of horns against Kakuzu's black fist. This collision unleashed a chaotic shockwave of dust, debris and wind that uprooted the surrounding roof tiles before the entire building collapsed.

An explosive mixture of sand and iron sand then erupted in the distance, engulfing several buildings in the process. The demonic laughter of Shukaku then once again filled the air as he continued his battle against Sasori and the 3rd Kazekage.

This was a battle of colliding tsunami's and waves with each of the battling opponents releasing a Kage-level amount of sand. However, this was a losing battle for Shukaku as he struggled to fight off the heavy iron sand of the 3rd Kazekage.

Similar to the 4th Kazekage, Rasa, the 3rd Kazekage had a long history of subduing Shukaku whenever he rampaged through Suna. Even before Gaara was born, the previous jinchūriki for Shukaku would consecutively lose control of the one tails.

Because of this, the 3rd Kazekage was arguably the greatest opponent and threat to Shukaku, far beyond the 4th Kazekage. The 3rd Kazekage was basically a living God to the people of Suna before Sasori kidnapped and murdered him.

This was evidence to Sasori's true power and potential, easily the strongest Suna shinobi who ever lived. This is why Sasori was so calm and expressionless during his battle against Shukaku, he didn't even consider the one tails to be a threat.

At this moment, a small wave of sand formed underneath Shukaku's feet before swelling into a mountain-sized tsunami. While this occurred, Sasori waved his right hand through the air in a horizontal fashion, forcing the 3rd Kazekage to land directly in front of him.

Suddenly, dozens of Yu shinobi appeared atop the surrounding roof tops while holding various weapons and ninja tools in their hands. Among these shinobi was Kazan, a devote and loyal man to Yu, and Hidan's best childhood friend.

"Halt! You're in violation of Yu's international neutrality, lay down your weapons!" Kazan proclaimed with a dominating tone.

"Oh? Looks like I have some new material to work on." Sasori remarked with a calm tone.

"OH YEAH! LAY EM DOWN, BABY!" Shukaku chuckled before his massive tsunami of sand surged forward.

This tsunami easily engulfed entire tree and buildings, forcing several Yu shinobi to jump out of the way at the last moment. At the same time, a sand-filled gust of wind polluted the air, causing Sasori's red hair to rustle in the breeze.

Sasori then contorted each of the fingers in his right hand, forcing the 3rd Kazekage jawline to slide open with a wooden snap. Afterwards, an iron barrel protruded out from the Kazekage's mouth before spewing iron sand into the air.

Shukaku's tsunami then rushed towards the 3rd Kazekage's iron sand while a Kage-level amount of chakra filled the air. At the last moment, a yellow flash appeared between each of these lethal attacks, blinding Kazan and several other Yu shinobi.

The nearby ground then abruptly cracked and splintered before the approaching sand was frozen by some unseen and unknown force. This force then resonated outward in all directions with the strength of gravity, uprooting several chunks of earth while a mixture of sand polluted the air.

This gravitational force then continued to stretch even further, knocking Shukaku through several walls while Kazan jumped backwards across a rooftop. Also, each of Sasori's eyes widened with interest before casually jumping on top of a roof at the last moment.

The 3rd Kazekage then mirrored Sasori's actions by landing directly in front of him with a heavy wooden thud. Afterwards, the 3rd Kazekage's jawline slid back into place before repetitively snapping for several moments.

A cloud of dust and debris then polluted the air for an extended period as Kazan unsheathed each of his kusarigama. After several moments, the sadistic laughter of Shukaku once again filled the air.

Soon, the large cloud of debris slowly began to dissipate as Kazan narrowed both eyes with anticipation. Kazan then gasped with shock after catching a glimpse of Naruto's spiky blond hair.

"Yo! Yo! Yo! Hahah!" While laughing, Shukaku calmly walked up behind Naruto.

Shukaku then towered over Naruto before the surrounding dust and debris fully dissipated, revealing a sand-covered crater. Also, this brought attention to a distant Sasori with a dreamy expression across his face.

"You remind me of my dad. HAHAHA!" As Shukaku laughed, minor shockwaves of sand resonated across the ground.

This statement caused Naruto to turn his face around just enough to glance at Shukaku with one of his violet eyes. While this occurred, Kazan's entire body began to tense as he glared at the demonic Shukaku.

Shukaku then continued to chuckle for several moments while staring directly into Naruto's visible eye. During this, Karin poked her head out from a distant doorway before glancing at Naruto.

"I don't want any trouble, so I'll just leave... HAHAHAH!" After laughing, Shukaku's entire body began to crumble and dissolve.

Shukaku then dissolved into a mound of sand before various streams began to slide and shift towards the ground. Soon, Gaara's red hair came into view as the mound of sand slowly flooded the nearby ground.

Gaara's entire upper body then came into view before grabbing his forehead with both hands while groaning with pain. At the same time, multiple streams of sand continued to dripped over Gaara's body.

Gaara then staggered for several moments before tripping over his sand and landing against Naruto's back. This caused Gaara to rest his chin atop Naruto's left shoulder while groaning with pain.

As Gaara continued to groan, Naruto glanced back at Sasori's previous location only to realize the elite Akatuski member had disappeared from view. After several moments, Kazan landed beside Naruto before confidently approaching him.

"You've done much for my village... Naruto." Kazan spoke out.

A tense period of silence then filled the air as nearby Yu shinobi each prepared themselves for battle, fully aware that Naruto was a criminal. However, Kazan stood beside Naruto for what felt like hours without even moving a muscle.

Kazan then sheathed his iconic kusarigama, stunning his fellow Yu shinobi before they all mimicked his action. While this occurred, Naruto was staring off towards a distant cloud of smoke, not even paying attention to Kazan.

At this moment, Naruto disappeared in a blinding flash of yellow light, briefly paralyzing Kazan with his display of speed. This was the result of Naruto using the Flying Thunder God technique, allowing him to instantly teleport to Tayuya's flute.

This act of teleportation create a brief gust of wind around Naruto as he appeared inside a large cloud of debris. Naruto then crouched down before picking up a broken half of Tayuya's flute as Gaara continued to rest on his shoulders.

The sound of bones striking stone then resonated through the air before a concealed Tayuya fell down on both knees. Tayuya's thigh-length orange hair then clung to her panting body as she grinded her teeth together with a mixture of rage and embarrassment.

Tayuya was pissed off, like always, but she was also embarrassed because of her intense struggle against Kakuzu. Tayuya spent years training with Orochimaru so she could get power, but even now she continued to struggle against her enemies.

As Tayuya gasped for air, the left portion of her skull was covered by horns while a broken half of bones was littered across the ground. Despite this fierce outcome, Kakuzu had completely disappeared from view, leaving the kunoichi alone with her thoughts.

During this period of isolation, the whiskered face of Naruto once again drifted through Tayuya's mind, feeling her with rage. Tayuya was upset that she thought about Naruto so much, and she didn't understand why.

"What's up?" Naruto asked before resting his right hand atop Tayuya's horn.

This action forced Tayuya to downcast her face in order to conceal the blush that spread across it. Afterwards, Tayuya's skin glowed with a fiery-like aura before her curse mark slowly began to recede back to her neck.

After several moments, Tayuya's hair color reverted back to red but retained it's length, giving her thigh-length red hair. Soon, Tayuya's skin reverted back to it's fair tone before her curse mark fully concealed itself underneath her hair.

Tayuya then brushed Naruto's hand away before grabbing the horns on her head and casually snapping them off. Tayuya then tossed this broken collection of bones to the ground before standing up and crossing both arms in front of her nonexistent chest.

"What happened to your flute?" While speaking, Naruto extended his left hand out with a broken half of Tayuya's flute held inside.

This statement earn a hostile scoff in response before Tayuya brushed Naruto's hand away, knocking her flute to the ground. At the same time, Gaara slowly pushed himself off Naruto's shoulder before struggling to stand on both feet.

"Fuck you." Tayuya muttered before staring at the ground, struggling to contain the blush on her face.

"Hey guys!" Karin shouted from the street before waving at her friends.

As Karin continued to wave at her friends, Utakata and Hotaru quietly walked up behind her. During this, Utakata held his bamboo pipe against his mouth before blowing a collection of bubbles loose into the air.

At this moment, Utakata and Naruto both glanced at one another while an intense gust of wind blew in from the south. This gust forced Naruto's spiky hair to waver in the breeze as Utakata continued to blow bubbles into the air.

As these jinchūriki glared at each other, a distant Kazan was standing on a roof top with pride swelling inside his chest. This was an important moment for Kazan and the village of Yu as a whole, the moment when they could finally look forward to their future.

* * *

 _Seven hours later._

"What do you mean? You can't stay here!" Karin complained before stomping her right foot atop the ground.

Faint rays of moonlight sparkled down on Karin, Gaara and Naruto while they stood in the outskirts of Yu with Utakata and Hotaru front of them. Meanwhile, a collection of Yu citizens were working hard on rebuilding their village in the background.

"We've spent like five days in this land just looking for you!" After speaking, Karin pushed her glasses up against her face before grunting with a sassy tone.

"I've decided to help Kazan and Yu get back on their feet... They could use me." Utakata sighed.

"After that, I'll join your little group once I finish training Hotaru." While speaking, these words forced Hotaru to jump for joy.

Suddenly, Hotaru jumped behind Utakata before snuggling up against him while wrapping both arms around his waist. While this occurred, Hotaru continuously ignored Utakata's consecutive protests.

"I have a bubble! You're bursting my bubble!" Utakata panicked.

"This is kinda anti-climatic... I was expecting a new member in our little gang..." Karin stuttered.

"What about Tayuya? Where is she?" Gaara asked.

"Who needs her!" Karin interjected.

"Right, Naruto?" As Karin spoke, she cuddled up against Naruto before grabbing his left hand.

"Can I at least see your pipe?" Naruto asked while glancing at Utakata, completely changing the conversation.

This question created an intense struggle between Utakata and Hotaru as the six tails jinchūriki fought to free himself from her intense hug. Afterwards, Utakata reached into the insides of his kimono before pulling his bamboo pipe loose and handing it to Naruto.

After grabbing Utakata's pipe, a collection of black kanji sprawled out from Naruto's palm before fading away, as if it was never there. This was the result of a Flying Thunder God seal, a seal that existed for an extensive period of years with no defined limit.

"If you ever need me, I'll always be here." While speaking, Naruto handed Utakata his pipe back before the six tails jinchūriki scratched his head with confusion.

"Don't worry, I'll join your little group once I'm done helping everyone here." Utakata remarked.

"I promise." After speaking, a faint smile spread across Utakata's face, one of the few times he ever showed emotion.

Soon, Utakata's smile infected Naruto before he grinned back, creating a moment of friendship between the pair of jinchūriki. After several moments, Naruto turned around before casually walking towards a nearby tree line.

"I'll see you around then!" Naruto exclaimed before waving the back of his right hand through the air.

"I'm just gonna go get Tayuya real quick, you two go on ahead and we'll catch up." After speaking, Karin grunted in response.

Gaara then nodded his head in agreement before turning around and walking down the eastern road leading out from Yu. This road led directly to the Land of Frost, a minor nation that sat between the Land of Steam and the Land of Lightning.

The Land of Lightning was one of the five great shinobi nations and homeland to the shinobi village of Kumo. This village was also home to the eight tails jinchūriki, Naruto's next target for his dream of peace.

Because of this, Karin soon turned around before chasing after Gaara as the distant sound of owls could be heard. During this, Karin glanced back at Naruto several times before he disappeared into the tree line, jealous of his relationship with Tayuya.

Soon, the blind raven known as Shisui soared through the air before perching atop Gaara's left shoulder. Afterwards, Gaara and Karin both disappeared into the moon-lit horizon, beginning their long journey.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"Fucking bitch..." Tayuya muttered while sitting beside a hot spring with both knees pressed against her nonexistent chest.

Tayuya was talking shit about Naruto while struggling to fight the odd feeling that he constantly created inside her stomach. At the same time, Tayuya held a kunai in her right hand while cutting several portions and strands of her hair loose.

This was because of Tayuya's vast hatred for the color red and her hair, she hated almost everything about herself. Soon, Tayuya finally managed to cut her hair back down to it's normal length, resting in the middle of her back.

This action decorated Tayuya's outfit with various strands of her bright and noticeable red hair, contrasting her black robe and shoes. A tense silence then filled the air as Tayuya held the sharpened edge of the kunai in front of her face, forcing her eyes to reflect off the deadly ninja tool.

Tayuya then swallowed a wad of spit down her throat before grabbing another bundle of hair and holding it in front of the kunai. After hesitating for several seconds, Tayuya tried to cut even more strands of hair loose before Naruto grabbed her hand at the last moment.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, forcing Tayuya chest to fluster just from hearing his voice.

This question caused Tayuya to drop her kunai before it stabbed vertically into the ground barely a few inches away from her feet. Afterwards, Tayuya tore her hand away from Naruto before snarling at him in a hostile fashion.

"Stop that! Stop everything! Stop making me feel so comfortable!" Tayuya screamed before staring at the ground.

An awkward silence then filled the air as Tayuya wrapped both arms around her head before burying her face between both knees. During this silence, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of nearby owls and crickets.

"Are you okay?" Naruto repeated, forcing Tayuya's chest to once again fluster.

"No..." Tayuya admitted.

"Everyone in this village keeps talking about their family or their home, and it's fucking stupid." While speaking, Tayuya continued to stare at the ground.

"I've never had a family or a home, and I'm just fine..." After speaking, an awkward silence once again filled the air.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Naruto asked, earning a scoff in response.

"N-... No! Of course not! I was just thinking..." Tayuya stuttered before glancing up at the moon that loomed between a collection of clouds in the night sky.

"Everyone else keeps talking about their families, or their friends, or their homes... So why didn't I get any of that stuff?" As Tayuya spoke, her tone became noticeably depressed.

This was one of the few times that Tayuya ever showed her true emotions, but she was so depressed that she didn't even care. Soon, Tayuya dragged her nails across the poorly healed wounds that Kakuzu created.

"I keep thinking about how my life could've been different, how much better it would've been if I had a family... Or a home." While speaking, an expression of regret spread across Tayuya's face.

Tayuya then began a fierce struggle to bottle up and contain her true emotions before once again staring at the ground. At this moment, each of Tayuya's eyes bulged after Naruto gently patted her of the head before playing with her hair.

"Just because things could've been different, that doesn't mean they would be better." Naruto remarked, forcing Tayuya to gasp with shock.

Naruto then casually scratched the bridge of his nose with his left hand while using his other hand to play with Tayuya's hair. During this, a humiliated Tayuya continued to stare at the ground while struggling to contain the intense blush that covered her face.

"This reminds me of something my dad once said. Home is where your heart is..." As Naruto spoke, the smiling face of Iruka drifted through his mind.

"So where is your heart, Tayuya?" This question forced Tayuya's entire chest to violently throb.

Soon, Tayuya bit her lower lip while both of her hands began to twitch and sweat as Naruto continued to play with her hair. After several moments, a massive wad of spit swelled inside of Tayuya's throat as she struggled to breathe.

"Whatever..." Tayuya choked out, barely able to speak.

"We have to leave now, our friends are waiting on us." Naruto exclaimed before crouching down beside Tayuya.

This action only increased Tayuya's internal struggles, forcing each of her shoulders to rise and fall before she glanced away from Naruto. Afterwards, Naruto reached out with his left hand before grabbing Tayuya's chin and pulling her back.

"Do you want some food?" While speaking, Naruto's words forced both of Tayuya's eyes to instantly morph into sushi rolls.

Every last ounce of Tayuya's embarrassment and depression then instantly disappeared before she jumped to her feet. Tayuya then grabbed Naruto by the collar of his outfit before lifting him onto his feet.

"Yes! I want sushi and eggrolls!" Tayuya interjected.

At this moment, Tayuya turned around before explaining a detailed list about all the food she wanted while walking away. As this occurred, Tayuya was so distracted by her thoughts of food that she didn't even realize she was holding Naruto's hand.

Tayuya and Naruto then both disappeared between a collection of trees as nearby crickets and owls could be heard. However, Tayuya would never admit what was truly happening, she would never admit that she actually cared about Naruto.


	81. Chapter 81

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Groolsh - You can compare Danzo to a terrorist but Lelouch Vi Britannia was also a terrorist, and he saved the world. This comparison is why I called Danzo a controversial figure, because there are several ways to frame his actions, either for good or ill.**

 **Danzo is a perfect example of morality because morals are subjective and it's very difficult for humans to agree on morals. For example, let's say Danzo has to murder 250,000 innocent people before he can build a new world for the rest of humanity.**

 **This proposes a deep moral, ethical and border-line psychotic proposition, is Danzo doing the right thing by murdering those innocent people? Is it okay to murder one person if it saves ten lives? Or twenty lives? Or one hundred lives?**

 **I can't answer these questions for you because morals are subjective, that's why it took thousands of years for 'Human Rights' to be developed. However, your answer to these questions will determine your opinion of Danzo, because you will see his actions as either heroic or cowardly.**

 **This philosophical debate is at the forefront of Danzo's symbolic character, Danzo is written to invoke emotion, either respect or hatred.** **I'm not making excuses for Danzo's actions, I'm saying there was a method to his madness.**

 **Danzo is a fanatic Nationalist who loves his country because Kishimoto was raised in Japan, a country that is filled with pride and Nationalism. Because of this, it's extremely difficult to talk about Danzo without getting political or philosophical.**

 **Danzo makes you think, Danzo makes you question your life choices and your perspective of life overall. Danzo has lost many things, his innocence, his empathy, his compassion and even his integrity, but he never lost his love for Konoha or Hiruzen. Hiruzen was the very last thing he thought about.**

 **GokaMekyaku - Every time I write a flashback, I ask myself "Can this flashback wait or be pushed back?". And when the answer is no, I write them into the chapter.**

 **Chapter 28 is littered with flashbacks about Naruto and Lee's childhood because it's a chapter that revolves around Lee. Therefore, it was the perfect time to talk about Lee by constantly rotating between flashbacks and his battle with Gaara.**

 **Again, every single time I write a flashback, I ask myself if that flashback can be postponed and wait until a later chapter. This is why your review confuses me so much, because I honestly don't understand why you think my flashbacks are done at "dumb times".**

 **I'm genuinely curious, where else should I have written those flashbacks? I had to explain them before the battle was over so the reader would understand the deep bond between Naruto and Lee.**

 **This is also why I had Lee experience a flashback during the GaaraxNaruto battle, because it was the best possible time to write it. Every flashback revolves around the chapter they are placed in, so I can't just randomly place a flashback into some unrelated chapter.**

 **I don't like filler and I don't like chapters, characters or plot-devices that don't contribute to the overall story. Because of this, literally every flashback I've ever written has either explained the backstory of certain characters or developed their motives.**

 **You as the reader have every right to skip certain dialogue or fight scenes if you don't want to read them. However, as the Author, I'm required to explain and develop my characters so flashbacks are necessary, but I like to think I handle them better than Kishimoto.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 81: Shine, Honorable Grandson! The Bright Will Of Fire Burns Anew.**

 _Saturday 7:41am, June 24th 58SSP._

A collection of eight separate silhouette's were assembled inside the iconic Akatsuki hideout inside the Land of Rivers. Three of these figures were physically real while the other five were made of an ethereal appearance but they all stood in front of the Gedo Mazo.

"But art is a fleeting moment of beauty that vanishes gloriously." The ethereal silhouette of Deidara protested.

"What did you say?" The spiky-haired and ethereal silhouette of Sasori interjected.

This statement earned a confident scoff from Deidara in response while a physically real Kisame began to chuckle. At the same time, a physically real Itachi was staring at the ground with a distant and far off expression in his crimson eyes.

"Deidara, it seems like you don't understand what true art is..." After speaking, Sasori earned another scoff in response.

"You're the one who doesn't understand!" Deidra argued.

No! Eternal beauty is true art!" Sasori protested.

"Don't be a fool! Art is an instant of beauty!" Deidara continued to argue.

"You two are like an old married couple." The physically real Tobi spoke out before giggling.

"TOBI!" Both Sasori and Deidara shouted in unison.

"Enough." The divine voice of a violet-eyed silhouette spoke out.

An extended period of silence then filled the dark cave as Deidara scoffed in response while Sasori grunted. During this, the ethereal silhouette of Kakuzu was struggling to keep his new right eye in place, an eye that he stole from a helpless Yu Jounin.

"Those jinchūriki really put a beating on you guys..." Tobi mumbled while shrugging both shoulders.

"TOBI!" Deidara's ethereal image began to foam at the mouth after screaming.

This scream earned a timid chuckle in response as Tobi waved both hands through the air in a vertical fashion. While this occurred, Deidara pointed his ethereal right hand at Tobi, drawing attention to the sewing marks around his elbow.

"Calm down, calm down..." Tobi encouraged before giggling.

"I just have a really sad face because we lost Hidan-senpai." While speaking, Tobi's words filled Deidara with even more rage.

"TOBI! I can't even see your face!" Deidara shrieked.

"Hidan was a valuable member to our organization..." A divine voice echoed from the violet-eyed silhouette, the God of a new world.

Suddenly, Deidara crossed both arms in front of his ethereal chest while Kisame chuckled several times in the background. Afterwards, a tense silence filled the cave as everyone single Akatsuki member waited for their leader to speak.

"It was very difficult to find someone like Hidan, we should take a moment to grieve his death." After speaking, an extended period of silence filled the cave.

"I'll get his funeral set up!" Tobi interjected before saluting his boss.

"Very well." God spoke out in agreement.

"And since Hidan is dead, Kakuzu will need new teammate." After he spoke, his words earned a grunt from Kakuzu in response.

"But who's gonna do that? Kakuzu-senpai kills everyone that he's teamed up with." Tobi questioned.

"That's why you're going to be his partner." God explained.

This statement forced Tobi to sweat from underneath his mask before waving both hands through the air in protest. At the same time, Kakuzu was grunting with annoyance while Kisame was laughing in the background.

"B-... But! But! But! Kakuzu-senpai is scary!" Tobi muttered before his entire body began to shake with anxiety.

"Idiot..." Kakuzu mumbled before crossing both arms in front of his ethereal chest.

"You'll be fine, Tobi. I have complete confidence in your abilities." God remarked.

This declaration forced Tobi to abruptly snapped both feet together before standing at attention and saluting his boss. During this, Itachi continued to stare at the ground with a distant expression across his face, as if he wasn't even paying attention.

"Yes sir!" Tobi cheered before jumping for joy.

"That reminds me, what happened to Hidan's ring?" After God spoke, Tobi shrugged both shoulders in response.

"I don't know... I tried to sneak in for a peek but someone already buried him." Tobi explained.

"And then! I went through all the effort of digging his grave up before I realized that someone stole his ring!" While speaking, Tobi held both hands against the sides of his face in a dramatic fashion.

An awkward silence then resonated through the cave as God narrowed each of his violet and ripple-patterned eyes. While this occurred, the ethereal silhouette of a woman was glancing directly at God.

"We need to continue moving forward with our plan." God exclaimed.

"The nine tails and one tails jinchūriki can both wait, we'll focus on the remaining tailed beasts." After speaking, these words earned an inquisitive hum from Kisame.

"The three tails is still missing, no one has seen it since the 4th Mizukage died." Kisame spoke out before glancing at Tobi and smiling.

"Then our next target is the four tails. Kisame and Itachi, you will go capture this jinchūriki and bring him back to us." God ordered.

"He lives in the south western plains inside the Land of Earth." Itachi interjected, displaying a vast amount of knowledge.

"Oh? The southern border of the country is completely cut-off by dense mountains and cliffs..." Kisame muttered.

"It'll be so fun to sneak in." After speaking, Kisame released a deep laughter that resonated through the entire cave.

"Deidara and Sasori... You will meet up with Kabuto inside the Land of Rivers, Tobi will give you the specific location." God explained.

"Oh? Kabuto must really be growing up, it almost brings a tear to my eyes... If I could cry." Sasori mumbled in response.

"And finally, we've been running low on funds and supplies because we didn't have enough time to prepare." God remarked.

"Because of this... Tobi and Kakuzu, you will travel to the Land of Waterfalls and acquire more funds." After speaking, Kakuzu groaned with approval.

"I haven't traveled to the country in decades... Want me be pick up some bounties?" Kakuzu asked.

"No." The voice of God interjected with a dominating tone.

"The Akatsuki will no longer hide in the shadows, it's time for a new world to be created." While speaking, these words forced Kakuzu to hum with confusion.

"The two of you while raid the hidden shinobi village of Taki and steal from their treasury." As God spoke, his words created a genuine smile across Kakuzu's concealed face.

"Afterwards, you will burn Taki to the ground before bringing their jinchūriki back to us." These orders forced Tobi to abruptly stand at attention before saluting his leader.

"Yes sir!" Tobi cheered.

"If my memory is correct, Taki has the seven tails?" While Tobi spoke, Kakuzu nodded in approval.

"Yea, the seven tails is sealed inside of some teenage brat, no problem at all." Kakuzu interjected.

"Didn't all three of you get beat by a bunch of teenagers today?" Tobi mumbled.

"TOBI!" Kakuzu, Deidara and Sasori all screamed in unison.

These screams forced Tobi to cower in fear before turning around and jumping off the large stone finger that he stood on. Tobi then landed on the cave floor before running into the surrounding darkness, allowing him to completely disappear from sight.

"You all have a specific task and goal to accomplish..." The divine voice of God echoed through the cave.

"Now go and complete your mission." After speaking, the ethereal silhouette of God quickly faded away from existence.

Soon, the ethereal silhouette's of Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu and even the unnamed female all began to flicker several times before disappearing. This left Itachi and Kisame completely alone in the dark cave as they each stood atop a specific stone finger in front of the Gedo Mazo.

Without saying a word, Itachi jumped to the cave floor before walking towards the nearby darkness. Afterwards, Kisame mirrored Itachi's action before they both disappeared into the dimly lit cave, beginning their long journey to capture the four tails.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on a narrow dirt road inside the outskirts of Konoha. Soon, Akamaru came into view before chasing after a blue butterfly while Shino and Kiba walked behind him in the background.

Various light posts and stone walls decorated the nearby ground while fancy buildings of metal, stone and green roof tiles lined the road. While the pair of friends walked together, it became apparent that Kiba had the hood of his jacket pulled down, revealing the entirety of his short yet spiky brown hair.

"So what's up?" Kiba asked.

"Why go through the trouble of picking me up at my house?" As Kiba spoke, he scratched the bridge of his nose.

Soon, an awkward silence filled the air as Shino continued to quietly walk beside Kiba without saying a word. This silence forced Kiba to sigh in a dramatic fashion before rubbing the back of his head while glancing at Shino.

"Taking the time to converse and talk every once in a while..." Shino mumbled.

"That is a very important part of teamwork." As Shino spoke, Akamaru continued to chase a blue butterfly down the street.

"Speaking of which... Let me hear about your recent training." After speaking, Kiba chuckled in response.

"It's been pretty incredible..." Kiba remarked with a confident tone.

"But you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you." While speaking, Kiba glanced at Akamaru before smiling.

At this moment, the whiskered and darkened face of Naruto abruptly pierced Kiba's mind, forcing him to clench both fists in rage. At the same time, Kiba began to grind his teeth together while cursing his previous display of weakness against Naruto.

I don't want Akamaru to experience that kind of fear ever again... Kiba declared.

And because of that, I have to keep practicing my jutsu and training... No matter what. As these thoughts progressed, Akamaru continued to chase after a blue butterfly in the background.

"I want to hear about it in great detail." Shino exclaimed, forcing Kiba to freeze mid step.

"Because that's what teamwork is about." As Shino spoke, he continued to walk down the road while Kiba stood completely still.

"Are you sulking cause you weren't made a Chunin?" Kiba asked, creating an awkward period of silence.

Instead of replying, Shino continued to walk down the street while Akamaru began rolling in the dirt. During this, a wide smile bloomed across Kiba's face before he started walking behind his friend and teammate.

"You're just sulking." After speaking, a flock of colorful birds flew through the air as Kiba and Shino continued their journey through Konoha.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of sizzling food mixed with the aroma of sautéed beef and barbeque while team 10 were gathered inside a popular restaurant. Soon, the sound of Choji grunting and chewing could be heard while shoving dozens of barbeque beef strips into his mouth with chopsticks.

I can't believe he can eat barbeque meat so early in the morning... Asuma exclaimed before taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Just when he was starting to lose some weight after his hospital diet." Ino mumbled.

"It's nice to see that Choji is healthier than ever." Shikamaru mumbled.

This brought attention to Shikamaru's new outfit, the iconic attire and flak jacket for all Chunin from the village of Konoha. Unlike Ino or Choji, Shikamaru actually graduated and became a Chunin.

This is why team 10 were assembled inside a fancy restaurant of Konoha, a late celebration for Shikamaru's promotion into a Chunin. Because of this, Shikamaru and Asuma sat on the same bench while Choji and Ino were seated on the opposite side of the booth.

"When I'm done eating..." Choji muttered before chewing a mouthful of barbeque meat and swallowing.

"Help me with my training please, Asuma-sensei." After speaking, Choji shoved various pieces of sautéed pork into his mouth.

This statement forced Ino to slap her right palm across her own face before mumble several words under her breath. At the same time, a wide smile spread across Asuma's face, fully aware of Choji's true potential.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Incredible, just incredible..." Kakashi mumbled while shifting through a collection of documents.

Kakashi stood inside the iconic Hokage office with Guy and Konohamaru on either side of the room. Guy was adorned with the iconic Hokage robes while sitting behind his desk as Konohamaru wore the headband of Konoha over his forehead.

Konohamaru's most prominent feature was his blue scarf, a scarf that he completely cut down until it was waist-length. Also, Konohamaru's attire now consisted of a fully-bodied ankle-length black outfit with visible portions of mesh under armor, similar to Hiruzen's combat outfit.

This outfit was the trademark attire worn by a majority of Sarutobi's clan members, except Asuma who preformed the iconic Konoha flak jacket. Because of this, Konohamaru also wore a pair of black shinobi shoes and a pale green gauntlet that covered the back of his right hand and forearm, just like Hiruzen.

"How are his grades?" Guy asked.

"Their better than mine were..." Kakashi muttered with embarrassment.

"So I'm a Genin now, give me my first mission." Konohamaru requested.

This declaration created a tense silence as Guy pressed both hands together before resting his elbows atop his desk. While this occurred, Guy began to hum in an dramatic and overdrawn fashion for several moments.

"Konohamaru, it's barely been over a week since your grandfather passed..." Guy exclaimed.

"You should take a moment to rest and calm down." After speaking, an awkward silence filled the room.

"I meant a real mission." Konohamaru spat out with a hostile tone.

This statement forced Guy to sigh before the door behind Konohamaru was abruptly opened. Afterwards, the elite shinobi known as Yamato entered the room while rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

"Sorry... Sorry... Did I interrupt something?" Yamato apologized.

"Actually, you're right on time." Guy remarked, forcing Yamato to hum with confusion.

"I summoned you here for a very important reason, Yamato." After speaking, an extended silence filled the room.

"Konohamaru has graduated to the rank of Genin at the young age of six." As Guy spoke, a genuine smile spread across Yamato's face.

"Really?! That's awesome! Way too go, Konohamaru!" Yamato cheered before raising his right hand into the air, attempting to give Konohamaru a high five.

However, an extended and awkward period of silence then filled the air after Konohamaru completely ignored Yamato's presence. Because of this, Yamato downcast his face before staring at the ground while a depressed expression filled both of his eyes.

"Did you bring _him_ with you?" Guy asked, earning a nod of approval from Yamato.

"Yea... Sai! Come on in." Yamato exclaimed.

This statement forced the door of the Hokage office to slowly open before the 13 year old boy known as Sai entered the room. Sai was barely over 5ft tall with ear-length black hair and black eyes, deeply contrasting his extremely pale and translucent-like skin.

His outfit consisted of a short black jacket with red straps over each shoulder that was worn over a high-collared grey shirt. Both of these fabrics were cut extremely short, giving Sai a midriff and drawing attention to his pale stomach and partially exposed waist.

He also wore a pair of ankle-length black pants that matched his black shinobi shoes while contrasting the large tan pouch worn on the back of his waist. He also wore a pair of black gloves on both hands with each of his index and thumb fingers exposed.

The sleeves of Sai's jacket were also oddly cut, the right sleeve reached down to his wrist while his left sleeve was barely elbow length. Finally, he wore a tip-less tantō across his back while the headband of Konoha was wrapped around his forehead.

"Hello." Sai greeted everyone before closing both eyes and smiling.

"Just give me my mission so I can leave already." Konohamaru interrupted.

"Calm down, Konohamaru. Your mission is why I summoned Yamato and Sai." Guy explained, earning a hostile scoff in response.

"I don't need either of them! I can do this all by myself!" Konohamaru declared.

"You're being sent on a diplomatic meeting, Konohamaru. You'll need both Sai and Yamato for their experience." Guy explained.

"Experience?! Just look at that Guy! Or Girl! Whatever it is!" Konohamaru protested while pointing at Sai with an accusatory glare.

"There's no way that he's got more experience than me, he's just some little kid." While speaking, Konohamaru stomped his right foot atop the ground in protest.

"Sai is an elite shinobi who was promoted to Jounin at the age of 12." Guy interjected.

"He's also the sole surviving member of the former Root organization. His skills are well versed from what I hear." After speaking, these words earned a collection of mumbled insults from Konohamaru.

"Konohamaru, stop acting like a spoiled brat." Kakashi cut in.

"I was already a Chunin when I was your age. If you want to be an adult, than you should act like it." After speaking, these words forced Konohamaru to once again cross both arms in front of his chest before scoffing.

"Konoha is very short on resources and shinobi at the moment, so you'll be added into a team with Sai and Yamato." As Kakashi spoke, he pulled a stack of documents from Guy's desk before shifting through them.

"We received a request for a military treaty from the shinobi village of Oto... So all three of you are being sent to the Land of Sound." After Kakashi spoke, Konohamaru rolled both eyes in response.

"How is that going to make me a better shinobi?" Konohamaru asked.

"Well..." Kakashi mumbled before using his right hand to grip his concealed chin while staring at the ceiling.

"You might learn something." As he spoke, Kakashi preformed his iconic eye wink at Konohamaru.

"This will be your first mission away from the village, Konohamaru. I want you to gather everything you'll need and go to the eastern gate." Guy exclaimed.

"Yea, yea." Konohamaru scoffed in a hostile fashion before turning around and walking out the door.

"Thank you." Sai spoke with a wide smile still prominent on his face before following Konohamaru.

"Well.. He certainly is a bundle of joy." Yamato remarked.

"Yes... He hasn't been the same since the 3rd Hokage died." Guy sighed in response.

"Kotetsu has your papers at the eastern gate, just pick them up on your way out." Kakashi exclaimed while shifting through several documents.

"Of course." Yamato replied before slightly bowing his head and turning around before walking towards the door.

As Yamato approached the doorway, Tenten, Neji and Rock Lee abruptly blocked his path before entering the office. Afterwards, Yamato quickly squeezed himself out of the room before closing the door behind him.

"GUY-SENSEI!" Lee screamed.

"LEE!" Guy retorted before dramatically standing up from his chair, knocking it over it the process.

"GUY-SENSEI!" Lee shouted before jumping in front of the Hokage's desk.

"LEE!" Guy shrieked after slamming his right foot atop his desk.

"GUY-SENSEI!" Lee yelled before jumping on top of the Hokage's desk.

"LEE!" Guy screamed before wrapping both arms around Lee and delivering a bone crushing hug.

"So what's the big deal, Sensei?" Tenten interrupted.

"Yea, I thought we had a new mission today." Neji muttered.

These statements created a genuine smile across Guy's face before dropping Lee to his desk and laughing. After several moments, Lee quickly crawled to his feet before standing at attention in front of the Hokage's desk.

"Officially, I'm not longer your squad leader." Guy explained, breaking Lee's heart.

"As the Hokage, I'm too busy running this village... So a new squad leader has been assigned to your team." After Guy spoke, Neji crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"So where is our new squad leader? Is it a boy or a girl? Where are they?" Tenten asked.

"Relax, relax." Guy chuckled out before pulling his Hokage hat off and placing it atop his desk.

"Your new squad leader is a freshly promoted Chunin, but he should be here soon." While speaking, Neji's narrowed both of his eyes with interest.

"Just a Chunin? But isn't that a little low?" Tenten interjected, earning a chuckle from Guy in response.

"Oh no, this Chunin is very experienced and educated. He's one of only four people that actually graduated the last Chunin exams." Guy exclaimed.

At this moment, the door behind team three slowly opened, garnishing everyone's attention. Afterwards, the extremely pale-skinned silhouette of Sasuke slowly entered the room, shocking team three with his snake-like appearance.

Sasuke's skin was solid white, resembling the same tone and color as Orochimaru or the legendary White Snake Sage. This was the result of a lethal amount of Snake Senjutsu that pulsated through Sasuke's blood, body and chakra-network.

Because of this, Sasuke's previous features had been completely morphed and transformed in a new appearance. This gave Sasuke a pair of sapphire blue eyes with snake-like pupils and blue markings around both eyes, the trademark sign of a Snake Sage.

Sasuke also possessed a collection of sharpened teeth with a pair of retractable fangs that were concealed in the roof of his mouth. Also, Sasuke's black hair was now shoulder-length with several bangs hanging across his face, concealing a small portion of the Konoha headband around his forehead.

Soon, Tenten glanced at Sasuke's outfit, staring at his ankle-length blue pants and his matching pair of blue shinobi shoes. Tenten then noticed a black grass-cutter sword that was strapped to the back of Sasuke's waist with an Uchiha symbol engraved on the hilt.

Sasuke also wore a sleeveless blue vest with a deep-V collar and the Uchiha clan symbol engraved on the back. However, this symbol was concealed by the waist-length black cape that Sasuke wore, the iconic cape of the leaf police force.

Finally, both of Sasuke's forearms were completely wrapped in a dense collection of white linen fabric. However, this fabric completely blended in with Sasuke's body since his skin was so pale and white.

"Yo." Sasuke spoke out.

"No way!" Neji protested before glancing at the 5th Hokage.

"No way am I taking orders from him!" After speaking, Guy dramatically sighed in response.

"Oh, look who it is. The Hyuga with a 1st rate mouth but 2nd rate skills." Sasuke scoffed before casually running both hands through his hair.

This insult created a tense silence while Neji glared at Sasuke with pure hatred and distrust. At the same time, Tenten was glancing between Neji and Sasuke while blushing, happy that she was going to spend so much time with cute boys.

"Now, now, Sasuke." Kakashi interjected.

"You're a Chunin now, so you should act more polite and grown up." After speaking, Kakashi preformed his iconic eye wink.

"Yea, like I'm going to take advice from you." Sasuke scoffed.

Suddenly, Sasuke used his right hand to point at an orange book cover that was protruding out from the pouch on the back of Kakashi's waist. This book was the iconic porn novel that Kakashi always read in public, no matter the occasion.

"I can see that smutty book you read from here." These words forced Kakashi to hold both arms in front of his chest in a dramatic fashion.

"How dare you!" Kakashi scoffed in an overdramatic fashion.

"This book is art! You're just too young to understand." While speaking, Kakashi dramatically glanced away from Sasuke with a huff.

"Yes... Well..." Guy interrupted before coughing several times.

"I have your first mission ready. Team Sasuke's first mission will be inside the Land of Waterfalls." As Guy spoke, Kakashi handed him several pieces of paper.

"That Land of Waterfalls? I've never heard of that country." Lee interrupted.

"They're a nation that sits on our north-western border, between the Land of Grass and the Land of Forests." Sasuke explained, displaying a vast amount of knowledge.

"Even a broken clock is right twice a day." Neji scoffed.

"If you spent more time on your jutsu instead of your insults, you might actually be a threat" Sasuke exclaimed.

A tense staring contest then erupted between Neji and Sasuke, forcing Lee to holding both hands in front of his mouth. Neji had the highest grades of his graduation class but so did Sasuke, and this rivalry was only strengthened by their opposing clans and bloodlines.

"Sasuke is correct. And the Land of Waterfalls is home to the shinobi village of Taki." Guy cut in.

"We recently received a request for a diplomatic meeting from Taki, so you four will be sent as our ambassadors." While speaking, Guy continued to shift and shuffle through several documents.

"Lee, Tenten and Neji, you three have thirty minutes to gather everything you need for a mission before heading to the western gate." As Guy spoke, Kakashi handed he even more documents.

"What about me?" Sasuke muttered before walking up to the Hokage's desk.

"You're a squad leader now." Guy proclaimed before slapping a stack of paperwork in front of Sasuke.

"That means you have thirty minutes to sign these before handing them to Izumo at the western gate." After speaking, Guy earned a dramatic sigh from Sasuke in response.

At this moment, Lee, Tenten and Neji all waved goodbye to the 5th Hokage before leaving the room. Afterwards, each of these Genin began their short journey home before preparing for their upcoming mission.

"Now I know how you felt during the Land of Waves..." Sasuke mumbled before glancing at Kakashi.

"Yes, it's wonderful isn't it? Now you get to suffer just like I did." Kakashi spoke with a kind tone before winking at Sasuke.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Guy interrupted before using both hands to shuffle through the insides of his Hokage robe.

"This made Lee really strong..." While speaking, Sasuke's eyes narrowed with interest.

Guy then abruptly froze before using his left hand to give Sasuke one of his iconic thumbs up. While this occurred, Guy also grinned from ear-to-ear, causing his solid white teeth to sparkle and glimmer.

"THIS IS IT!" As Guy screamed, he pulled a full-bodied green outfit loose from his Hokage robe.

This green outfit was the iconic attire that was worn by Rock Lee and Guy, who continued to wear it underneath his Hokage robe. This outfit then wavered and rustled in a comedic fashion as Guy dangled it in front of Sasuke.

This revelation forced Kakashi's visible eye to twitch several times while an awkward silence filled the room. During this silence, an embarrassed Sasuke took several times backwards while stuttering.

"They're breathable and moisture-absorbing with the perfect design for free movement. All in a beautiful and stylish package." As Guy spoke, he continued to dangle the green outfit in the air.

This declaration earned a dramatic scoff from Sasuke before he picked up his stack of papers and left the room. After several moments, Guy pulled his chair up from the ground before sitting down with a heavy thud and sighing.

Suddenly, Kakashi slammed a 3ft tall stack of papers atop Guy's desk before placing a freshly opened black pen on top. During this, Guy hummed with interest before wrapping his right hand around his chin while leaning forward.

"How much paperwork is this?" Guy asked.

"Exactly 735 documents, all of them need your signature and today's date." Kakashi explained.

"FANTASTIC!" Guy screamed, forcing Kakashi to briefly twitch with shock.

"THIS IS TRUE EXERCISE!" While screaming, Guy picked up his pen before closing both eyes.

"I'll finish all of these documents with both eyes closed and one arm behind my back!" After Guy screamed, he held his left arm behind his back.

At this moment, Guy used his right hand to grab various documents before instantly signing them with the exact same hand. Soon, Guy began to move with such speed that each of his signatures created a small trail of fire across the document.

This action forced Kakashi's visible eye to turn solid white before groaning as Guy burned through several dozen documents. This was the true passion and energy that Might Guy always carried, the power of youth that was constantly lit by his bright Will of Fire.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on a narrow dirt road that rested between a dense forest. Soon, the pink-haired silhouette of Sakura came into view before sighing and breathing in a dramatic fashion.

"This is crazy... I've been searching for days." Sakura mumbled.

After walking for several moments, Sakura approached a wooden bench that was positioned beside a pair of billboards and advertisements. These advertisements rested in front of a massive man-made crater that was over 200ft wide and 40ft deep.

This crater was also lined with various stairways that were carved into the cliffside walls with metal railings for safety. Soon, Sakura noticed that a large town rested inside this crater, a town filled with delicious aroma's and cheerful sounds.

"Wow!" While speaking, Sakura ran up to a railing before glancing over at the large town.

This village rested on the northern border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, the last known location of Tsunade Senju. Because of this, Sakura eagerly rushed down a nearby set of stairs before charging full force into the town with a smile on her face.

After several minutes, Sakura was walking through densely crowded streets that were filled with laughing adults and happy children. This was the result of a popular summer festival inside the town, a celebration that filled Sakura with pure awe.

Suddenly, a crowd of children ran past while each of them wore a plastic Anbu mask with a fake sword as they all pretended to be ninja. Afterwards, a group of teenagers walked by while eating cotton candy and laughing.

This collection of sights caused Sakura's mouth to fall open before gripping the straps of her pink backpack. Sakura then maneuvered her way through the dense crowd before approaching a collection of food stands.

Sakura's stomach then began to rumble, causing her to glance between several food stands while humming. After several moments, Sakura reached into her backpack before pulling out a petal-shaped coin purse that resembled a pink flower.

This flower was filled to the brim and bulging with an excessive amount of Ryo, a collection of funds from Sakura's shinobi missions. Sakura then jiggled this bulging flower between both hands while giggling with delight.

"Excuse me, Ma'am! I'll take one order of Octopus dumplings!" Sakura cheered after walking up next to a food stand.

"Of course, of course! Come right up!" An elderly woman replied with a bright smile.

Soon, this elderly woman grabbed a plastic container before using a ladle to pour several Octopus dumplings into the bowl. The elderly woman then locked this container shut before trading it to Sakura for a handful of ten Ryo.

Sakura then abruptly dashed in front of another food stand at Chunin-level speed before waiting in line for several seconds. During this, Sakura began to hum while debating what else to get before she finally approached the shopkeeper.

"Two potatoes with butter, please!" Sakura cheered.

"You got it!" The elderly shopkeeper responded before scooping up two roasted potatoes and dumping them in a back.

Sakura then traded a handful of six Ryo to the shopkeeper before turning around and dashing towards another food stand. Afterwards, Sakura's eyes morphed into sparkling stars once she noticed a beautiful collection of fruits.

"I want four chocolate bananas, please!" Sakura drooled before handing twenty Ryo to the female shopkeeper.

"Here you go!" The elderly woman replied before preparing Sakura's food.

The elderly woman then picked up four separate sticks before stabbing each of them through the chocolate-dipped bananas. Sakura then jumped for joy after grabbing each of these delicious snacks before turning around and disappearing into the dense crowd.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

Sakura sat on a bright patch of grass with several satchels and a large pink backpack nearby. Also, there were several empty papers that surrounded Sakura's feet as she rubbed her small stomach with both hands.

This was the first time Sakura ever left the village of Konoha by herself, and she was loving every single minute of it. The only thing that could make Sakura's life better was if Sasuke came with her.

After rubbing her belly for several minutes. Sakura slowly stood up before stretching both arms and yawning. Afterwards, Sakura's right hand rubbed the side of her head before she glanced up at the cloudless blue sky.

Suddenly, Sakura's entire aura and personality instantly became depressed after the whiskered face of Naruto drifted through her mind. Sakura felt like everything was her fault, she felt like she drove Naruto away and then failed to bring him back.

This is one of the reasons why Sakura left Konoha to begin with, she always felt like the weak link in her team. Even before team 7 was formed, Naruto and Sasuke were already friends so Sakura just became the annoying third wheel.

Despite her vigorous training with Haku, Sakura was still nothing compared to Sasuke and Naruto, a realization that constantly weighed down on her. Sakura wanted to be seen as a fierce and powerful kunoichi but Sasuke still treated her like some childish fan-girl.

At this moment, Sakura abruptly shook her head from side-to-side before a prominent smile bloomed across her face. However, this smile was obviously fake and forced as Sakura struggled to remain positive and happy.

Sakura always struggled with her self confidence but she was determined to fulfill her mission, at any cost. Soon, Sakura's search for Tsunade would cause the pink-haired kunoichi to finally bloom into a beautiful flower, changing her entire life forever.


	82. Chapter 82

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: biginferno - I will eventually do another NarutoxTayuya story where Naruto doesn't have the Rinnegan, because some people don't consider a Rinnegan Naruto to be realistic. However, that's years away from now because I have a lot of other stuff to work on before then.**

 **tenellis - I'm trying really hard to not spoil any of the new** **jinchūriki that I will be adding. I've already confirmed that Tayuya will become a** **jinchūriki, but I don't want to spoil anything past that.**

 **bennibob - Rest assured, every time I update this story I also heavily edit past chapters. I've already fixed a lot of my past errors, but it takes times to fix all of them.**

 **GunBlade2019 - This entire arc (The Search for Tsunade arc) spends a majority of its time focusing on Sakura. Some characters are so important that they get their own arc, and Sakura is one of these people.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 82: Sakura's Determination! Gotta See, Gotta Know, Show Me Your Face.**

 _Saturday 10:46pm, June 24th 58SSP._

Bright rays of moonlight sparkled down across the sleeping village of Konoha with several barking dogs in the background. Soon, the front doors of the iconic Hokage office building slowly opened before Might Guy and Kakashi both walked out.

"Anko is gonna kill me... I was supposed to be home over an hour ago." Kakashi mumbled while rubbing the back of his head with his right hand.

"Hahaha!" Guy chuckled before freezing mid step and giving Kakashi a thumbs up.

"I'm gonna get in a few hundred laps around the village before I go home." After speaking, these words forced Kakashi to groan with disbelief.

"Sometimes you really overdue things, Guy." Kakashi muttered.

"Nonsense!" Guy protested before smiling, causing his sparkling teeth to briefly blind Kakashi.

"I'm the 5th Hokage! My youth has to burn bright enough for everyone else to share!" While speaking, Guy stretched several muscles and limbs.

This statement earned a loud and dramatic sigh from Kakashi while Guy continued to stretch. Soon, Kakashi turned around before walking down the moon-lit street while waving the back of his hand through the air.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow, lord Hokage." Kakashi spoke in a cheerful tone before disappearing behind a distant house.

At this moment, Guy pulled his Hokage hat loose before tying it around his neck while barking dogs could be heard in the distance. At the same time, a pair of two silhouettes walked out from a nearby street before glaring at Guy.

"YOU THERE! DON'T MOVE!" The harsh voice of a 66 year old man echoed through the air.

Suddenly, this man dashed up next to Guy before shoving his face directly in front of him, creating an awkward silence. During this silence, Guy took several seconds to observe and study the man's outfit.

This man was extremely short for his age with tan-skin and narrow blue eyes that were barely opened. He also had a short crop of freshly cut black hair with a set of sideburns that connected to his bushy beard and moustache.

His outfit consisted of ankle-length black pants that matched his civilian shoes and the pair of gloves he wore. He also wore a long-sleeved black shirt that completely concealed both his arms from view.

Over this shirt, he wore a waist-length crimson kimono that was loosely tied around his torso with a green sash. This brought attention to the green sweat-rag around his neck and the rope-like white headband around his forehead

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" While shouting, a small child walked up behind the elderly man.

This child wore the exact same outfit as the elderly man except for a bright yellow construction hat that was worn across his head. Soon, this child pulled a handful of rulers, protractors and tape measures loose.

"Um... What's happening?" Guy mumbled.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU?!" The elderly man shrieked, forcing Guy to stutter.

At this moment, the elderly man raised his right hand into the air before pointing at the distant Hokage Monument. At the same time, the elderly man used his left hand to grab a tape measure from his son.

"YOUR FACE SHOULD'VE BEEN ON THAT MOUNTAIN OVER A WEEK AGO!" While shouting, the man shoved a tape measure against Guy's face.

This action forced the 5th Hokage to abruptly twitch before staggering back against a light post. While this occurred, the elderly man continued to measure Guy's chin and jawline from several different angles.

"I-... I've just been so busy with paperwork, since I'm the Hokage..." Guy murmured.

"I don't care who you are!" The elderly man snapped out.

"My name is Senuchi, and I've been carving the faces of Hokage since before you were born." After speaking, Senuchi grabbed a ruler from his son.

"I need to study your face until I can perfectly see it in my dreams." While speaking, Senuchi began to measure Guy's hairline and nose.

"Yo-... You're kidding, right?" Guy mumbled before a ruler was shoved between his lips.

"Nope, I'll have to make a mold out of your face too." Senuchi proclaimed before grabbing Guy by the wrist.

"We've got a long night ahead of us. Make sure you keep the same facial expression all night, or I'll have to start over." While speaking, Guy sighed with defeat before he was dragged through the moon-lit streets of Konoha.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"You have good hair, do you always wear it like this?" Senuchi asked while holding a protractor next to Guy's face.

As Senuchi was measuring Guy's face, his son stood behind him while scribbling several details onto a clipboard. All three of these individuals were gathered inside a wooden construction hut that rested underneath the Hokage Monument.

"U-... Uh, yes." Guy stuttered.

"But it doesn't have to be exact." After speaking, Guy earned a boisterous laugh in response.

"You're funny. Once your face is carved it's extremely hard to change." Senuchi remarked.

"So, create the exact facial expression you want, because it'll stay there forever." After speaking, Senuchi's son turned around before leaving the room.

This statement created a wide smile across Guy's smile before giving Senuchi a thumbs up with his right hand. At the same time, several glimmering sparkles radiated out from Guy's teeth, forcing Senuchi to lean forward with interest.

"That'll do! A wide smile like that will be a cheerful sight anytime the villagers look up." Senuchi exclaimed.

Soon, Senuchi's son entered the room with a large bucket of white plaster and a paint brush. This revelation forced Guy to twitch while Senuchi began to giggle with delight before grabbing the bucket.

"Okay, so I'm going to paint this on your face in thin layers so I can get an accurate mold." While speaking, Senuchi dipped his paint brush into the plaster.

"Let's get this started." After speaking, Senuchi pulled his plaster-dipped paint brush loose before waving it in front of Guy's face.

This action forced a concerned expression to spread across Guy's face while his smile remained bright and prominent. After several moments, drops of anxious sweat began to drip and swell across Guy's face.

"Make sure you clench your teeth, this stuff tastes really bad." As Senuchi spoke, he shoved his brush forward before lathering Guy's face with plaster.

This was not the moment of glory and pride that Guy expected when he accepted the position as Hokage. However, it was still a moment of pure joy for Guy, eager to honor and respect his fathers memory.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Dozens of civilians and children crowded the streets of a well-crafted town, known as Takumi village. The buildings in this village were each constructed out of solid white marble with ornate red tiles that decorated their roof tops.

This village rested in the northwestern plains inside the Land of Rivers, a great trading hub with foreign nations and travelers. Because of this, Takumi village was extremely wealthy and high-class, something that greatly annoyed the shinobi village of Tani.

The village of Tani was the shinobi capital for the Land of Rivers, and it was positioned inside the center of the narrow country. Despite it's close proximity to the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, the village of Tani was rather weak and insignificant.

This is the precise reason why the main Akatsuki hideout was positioned inside the Land of Rivers, because no one would expect it. Infact, the main Akatsuki hideout was barely a few miles north of Tani but remained completely undiscovered.

Because of this village rivalry, Takumi became more independent from the village of Tani with each day that past. This gave Takumi a great amount of self control while Tani grew enraged, but they didn't have enough military strength to do anything.

Soon, the inquisitive face of Sakura came into view as she walked down the densely filled streets of Takumi for several minutes. Afterwards, Sakura noticed an opened Sake bar with a flashing sign over the doorway that pulsated with various colors.

Sakura's stomach then growled with a fierce rumbling, causing her to wrap both arms around her stomach. After several seconds, Sakura walked into the Sake bar before glancing from side-to-side, searching for any signs of food.

"Welcome!" A middle-age man shouted out from behind a nearby wooden counter.

This greeting created a bright smile across Sakura's face before she eagerly walked up next to the bar. At the same time, various adults and civilians were drinking Sake and getting drunk in the background.

"Hey! Give me another shot, ol' man!" A fair-skinned woman shouted out from a distant booth.

"Lady Tsunade, you're drinking too much." The kind voice of a black-hair woman protested.

This black-haired woman then gripped Tsunade's shoulder with her left hand before the elite Sanin casually brushed her hand away. This conversation then completely garnished Sakura's attention before she glared at Tsunade from across the room.

Tsunade was a 58 year old woman but she gave off the youthful appearance of a 20 year old girl. This brought attention to her auburn brown eyes and pale blond hair that ran down to the middle of her back.

A vast amount of Tsunade's hair was tied into a tight pony tail in the back while a pair of cheek-length bangs framed each side of her face. This hair deeply contrasted the pale violet diamond that was imprinted in the middle of Tsunade's forehead.

Sakura's jawline then abruptly hit the floor after noticing the size of Tsunade's breasts, breasts that were 106 centimeters in circumference. These breasts were so massive and large that they swung through the air like boulders anytime Tsunade moved, over three whole feet of pure boob.

Tsunade's outfit consisted of a thigh-length green haori with the red kanji for 'gamble' engraved in the back. Underneath this, Tsunade wore a sleeveless pale grey kimono that ended several inches below her petite waist.

This kimono was held in place by a dark blue sash that was wrapped around Tsunade's stomach, providing some support for her massive breasts. This sash also matched her pair of ankle-length pants and the high heel sandals she wore.

Tsunade also wore red nail polish on all of her fingernails and toenails with cherry pink lipstick, the same color as Sakura's hair. Tsunade's most prominent feature was a sapphire gem necklace that rested between her massive breasts, drawing attention to her cleavage.

"Quiet down, Shizune! I'm trying to have some fun!" Tsunade barked out before chugging a white bottle of Sake in seconds.

Tsunade then stacked this empty Sake bottle atop a pile of over twenty other empty bottles. At the same time, Sakura shifted her attention towards Shizune before studying the black-haired woman from across the room.

Shizune was a 27 year old medical ninja with fair skin and an extremely petite waist that complimented her slim figure. She also had Onyx colored eyes that matched her shoulder-length black hair with several bangs that framed each side of her face.

Shizune's outfit was an ankle-length dark blue kimono with white trimmings and a mesh armor shirt worn underneath. A pale purple sash was wrapped around her tiny waist while the lower portion of her kimono hung open below her thighs, drawing attention to her exposed legs and the open-toed black sandals she wore.

At this moment, Sakura dashed across the crowded restaurant while dodging and jumping over several customers. Sakura then jumped on top of Tsunade's table with a heavy thud, knocking her pile of empty Sake bottles to the ground.

Each of these bottles then shattered on impact before shards of glass sprawled across the floor, forcing the entire restaurant to become dead silent. Afterwards, every single person in the restaurant glared at Sakura as she pointed at Tsunade's face with her right hand.

This act of confrontation caused Shizune to stutter for several moments while Tsunade continued drinking Sake. Tsunade was so drunk that a slight blush was sprawled across her fair-skinned face, something Jiraiya would love to see.

"What are you doing, kid?" Tsunade asked before slamming an empty Sake bottle on her table.

"You're going to become my Sensei, got it?!" Sakura declared as her finger hovered mere inches away from Tsunade's nose.

"Sensei? Why would I teach some loud mouthed runt like you?" Tsunade questioned before waving for more Sake.

Suddenly, the entire restaurant went back to their intense drinking while various conversations were being spoken in the background. Soon, a waiter walked up to Tsunade's booth before giving her more Sake and sweeping up the bottles that Sakura broke.

An intense staring contest then erupted between Tsunade and Sakura as the pink-haired kunoichi crouched down on top of her table. After several moments, Sakura began to impatiently hum before slowly shoving her face against Tsunade's.

While this staring contest stretched on for what felt like minutes, Shizune and Tsunade finally noticed the symbol of Konoha on Sakura's headband. As this occurred, a pale pink pig jumped onto the table before sniffing each of Sakura's feet.

This pig was exceptionally rare and unique, evidence by the dark red jacket she wore and the fancy pearl collar around her neck. This pig was known as Tonton, an extremely loyal ninja pig that Tsunade kept in her company at all times.

Tonton then continued to smell Sakura by rubbing her extremely advanced and sensitive snout against the kunoichi's legs. However, Sakura was so focused on her staring contest with Tsunade that she didn't even react to the adorable pig near her feet.

"Why do you want to be a kunoichi anyway? Don't you know how annoying that stuff can be..." After speaking, Tsunade raised a fresh bottle of Sake to her mouth.

Sakura then knocked this bottle of Sake out from Tsunade's hand before it fell to the ground and shattered, spilling alcohol across the floor. This created an awkward silence as Sakura once again garnished the attention of everyone inside the restaurant.

"Stop sulking around like some old hag!" Sakura shouted.

"I need to become a powerful kunoichi and you're my ticket to fame, so buckle up!" While screaming, another waiter walked up before cleaning Sakura's mess.

Tsunade then abruptly stood up before slamming her left foot atop the table, cracking it in the process. At the same time, Tsunade shoved her face in front of Sakura's while Shizune began to sweat in the background.

"You've got guts, kid... Confronting me like this." Tsunade complimented with a wide smile.

"Let's take this outside." As Tsunade spoke, Sakura began to pop her knuckles with anticipation.

This declaration caused Shizune to swallow a wad of spit that swelled in her throat before Tonton crawled into her lap. Afterwards, this group of three kunoichi stood up from their booth before walking out of the restaurant.

Several drunk citizens then trailed behind these kunoichi before they all flooded the moon-lit street outside of the restaurant. Soon, Tsunade and Sakura stood on opposite sides of this street while a nearby Shizune held Tonton against her nonexistent chest with both arms.

At this moment, Tsunade reached over her left shoulder before dramatically pulling her green haori loose and throwing it in the air. This haori then floated for several seconds before falling directly on Shizune's face, concealing her from view.

This action forced nearby men and even women to whistle and cheer as they each stared at Tsunade's exposed figure. After several moments, Shizune and Tonton both poked their heads out from underneath Tsunade's haori.

"When I win, you're going to teach me everything you know!" Sakura declared.

"Why should I even take a runt like you seriously?" Tsunade asked with a drunken blush sprawled across her face.

"What did you say?!" Sakura shouted before snarling at the elite Slug Sanin.

An awkward silence then filled the air after Tsunade used her right index finger to point at Sakura while smiling. As this occurred, the distant sound of barking dogs could be heard throughout Takumi village.

"One finger, that's all I'll need to take you down." Tsunade muttered with a drunken tone.

This statement forced Sakura to grind her teeth together while thinking about distant memories of her childhood with Ino. Everyone always looked down on Sakura, they always mocked her or called her weak, no one ever took her seriously.

"Don't underestimate me!" Sakura protested before hurling several senbon through the air.

Sakura then charged across the narrow street while Tsunade casually dodged each of her senbon with a drunken giggle. This giggle filled Sakura with pure rage before clenching her right fist and shoving it towards Tsunade's face.

The elite Sanin then effortlessly pushed Sakura's fist away with one finger before the pink-haired kunoichi accidently tripped over a rock. This caused Sakura to fall towards the ground before Tsunade flicked her forehead with one finger.

This action forced Sakura to fly backwards for several feet before hitting the ground with a heavy thud and rolling even further. While rolling across the ground, minor clouds of dust and debris filled the air, partially concealing Sakura from view.

Soon, Sakura smashed through a wooden barrel on the side of the road before several other barrels and boxes fell on top of her. A dense collection of laughter then resonated through the air as nearby adults made fun of Sakura.

A faint cloud of dust and debris then polluted the street for several moments before finally dissipating. This brought attention to a crimson red fabric that was sprawled across the road, Sakura's ninja headband for the village of Konoha.

"Shizune, let's get a few more drinks." Tsunade encouraged before turning around and walking towards the bar.

Various men and women then glared at Tsunade's exposed figure as she walked towards the bar entrance. At the same time, Shizune stuttered for several seconds before running after Tsunade while holding Tonton between both arms.

At this moment, the sound of snapping wood could be heard before various barrels and boxes fell to the ground. This sound forced Tsunade to freeze mid step before glancing back as Sakura burst out from the pile of barrels.

"I'm not done with you, hag!" Sakura insulted the elite Slug Sanin.

"Oh?" Tsunade mumbled before turning around.

Sakura then brushed both hands across various portions of her outfit and body, knocking clouds of dirt into the air. While this occurred, Shizune was glancing at Sakura with an expression of shock on her face.

"Before I finish this, I'll ask you one thing." While Tsunade spoke, Sakura grinded her teeth together with rage.

"What's your deal? Why are you so passionate?" After speaking, Tsunade earned a hostile scoff in response.

"Because I don't quit and I don't run!" Sakura screamed, forcing each of Tsunade's eyes to briefly twitch.

"I have a dream, and you're the only thing standing in my way!" While screaming, the faces of Sasuke and Naruto both drifted through Sakura's mind.

This statement forced each of Tsunade's eyes to bulge as her mouth fell open with shock and awe. During this, Shizune glanced between Sakura and Tsunade for several moments while holding Tonton against her nonexistent chest with both arms.

"A dream?" Shizune mumbled.

Shizune was one of the few people alive that actually understood Tsunade, including her past and dreams. Because of this, Shizune made a concentrated effort to never speak certain words, one of the same words that Sakura just shouted.

Suddenly, Tsunade's eyes became distant and dreamy, as if she wasn't even paying attention. After several moments, Tsunade downcast her face before staring at the ground with an expression of pain and regret.

She's distracted?! Now's my chance! Sakura concluded before clapping both hands into the Snake Seal.

At this moment, Sakura abruptly crouched down before slamming her right palm atop the ground while funneling green chakra into her hand. Afterwards, a small earthquake rippled out in all directions, the result of Earth Style: Mud Wave Jutsu.

This earthquake then knocked several adults to the ground before Tsunade glanced at Sakura with a drunken blush across her face. Sakura then charged across the quaking earth while funneling chakra into her feet, shocking Tsunade with her display of chakra control.

Soon, Sakura approached Tsunade before clenching her left fist and hurling it forward while grinding her teeth together. At the last moment, a chaotic amount of emerald chakra resonated out from Tsunade, shattering nearby windows.

This chakra then effortlessly crushed Sakura into the ground while nearby adults and civilians were completely paralyzed. At the same time, Shizune was forced onto both knees while surroundings buildings began to crack and splinter.

After several moments, portions of earth and dirt began to crack before small pebbles floated up through the air. This was the result of a Sanin-level amount of chakra from Tsunade, evidence to her God-like chakra control and power.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune pleaded.

Tsunade's dense display of chakra then slowly dissipated before nearby adults stood up and retreated into the nearby bar. While this occurred, Sakura pushed herself up from the ground before once again clenching her left fist.

Sakura then instantly stood up before hurling her left fist at Tsunade while growling with rage. At the last moment, Tsunade once again pressed her right index finger against Sakura's forehead, forcing her to freeze mid step.

Sakura then closed both eyes with anticipation for Tsunade's attack before an extended and awkward period of silence filled the air. During this silence, drops of sweat dripped across Sakura's face before Tsunade gently kissed her forehead.

This kiss forced each of Sakura's eyes to shoot open while gasping with shock as Shizune slowly stood up. After several seconds, Tsunade used her left hand to grip the top of Sakura's head while smiling down at her.

"You got spunk, kid. I like you." Tsunade complimented.

Tsunade then bent down before picking Sakura's headband up from the ground and brushing the dirt off it. Afterwards, Tsunade gently tied this headband around the top of Sakura's head in the same iconic fashion that she always wore.

"Stick with me, and you'll fulfill that dream of yours." After speaking, Tsunade turned around before grabbing her haori from Shizune and putting it on.

"W-... Wait... So does that mean...?" Sakura stuttered.

"It means we've got a long journey ahead." Tsunade interrupted before wrapping her left arm around Sakura's shoulders.

This declaration created a wide smile across Sakura's face while both of her eyes began to sparkle like emeralds. Soon, Sakura and Tsunade each walked down the street together while a dazed Tonton and Shizune were standing in the background.

After several moments, an elderly shopkeeper walked out from the nearby bar before shoving his hand in front of Shizune's face. Tsunade became so distracted by Sakura's previous interruption that she forgot to pay for her food and drinks.

"Lady Tsunade, you forgot to pay for your Sake." Shizune exclaimed.

"Walk faster." Tsunade whispered into Sakura's ear.

Suddenly, Tsunade and Sakura both disappeared from sight, filling Shizune with an expression of disbelief. Afterwards, Shizune giggled with an innocent tone as the elderly shopkeeper demanded to be paid.

At this moment, Shizune picked Tonton up with both arms before running away into the moon-lit horizon. As Shizune ran, she ignored the various protests and insults from the elderly shopkeeper before completely disappearing.

* * *

 _Ten hours later._

Dense morning mist polluted a narrow canyon that was filled with various rivers, an iconic landmark inside the Land of Rivers. This canyon was also lined with several houses and processing plants while multiple roads were carved into the cliffside.

This location was known as the Katabami Gold Mine, a gold processing mine that sat on the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind. Despite it's prime location as trading hub, Katabami was extremely small and poor.

This was a result of Katabami's extended isolation, they were so far north that the village of Tani basically had no control over them. Also, the Land of Wind was a vastly desert country with scorching sand for miles, depriving any tourists.

Because of this, various bandits, criminals and rogue ninja frequently visited this place for the easy money. This left Katabami a complete shadow of its former glory with no hope for salivation.

Soon, the sound of rumbling thunder could be heard before an intense downpour of rain began to bombard Katabami. After several moments, the sound of distant crying began to mix with the constant downpour of rain.

Suddenly, portions of dense mist slowly began to dissipate before a nearby graveyard came into view. This graveyard was littered with hundreds of graves and tombstones, suggesting that Katabami was an extremely old village.

However, several dozen of these graves were freshly dug with cheap wooden shovels protruding out from the ground. The village of Katabami had buried so many people in the past few weeks that they didn't even have enough tombstones for their dead.

"W-... Why...?!" The voice of a crying man spoke out from a crowd of twenty certain figures.

All of these figures wore black raincoats while escorting a poorly crafted wooden coffin towards the nearby cemetery. This was the result of another death inside the village of Katabami, something that had become extremely common in recent weeks.

"Why does such a good person have to die?!" While the unknown man continued to cry, he held his left hand against his face.

This man had pale blue eyes with a darker ripple near his pupils, giving off a similar appearance to the Rinnegan. He also had waist-length dark green hair with cheek-length bangs that framed each side of his face, partially concealed by his rain coat.

Soon, he raised his face to the sky while continuing to cry, drawing attention to his tan skin and dark lips. At the same time, drops of rain began to sprinkle atop his face, mixing in with his tears.

Underneath his rain coat, the man wore a dark green ankle-length tunic with a bright blue sash wrapped around his waist. This tunic was opened below his waist, drawing attention to his mud-style camouflage pants and shoes, the trademark sign of a Kiri shinobi.

His most prominent feature was a collection of white linen fabric that was wrapped around his neck and upper torso. This linen fabric completely concealed everything between his neck, elbows and stomach, giving him a midriff underneath his tunic.

Finally, this man had the legendary twin blades of Kiba strapped to each side of his waist, one of the seven mystical swords from Kiri. This revelation finally identified the crying man, he was the S-rank rogue ninja known as Raiga Kurosuki.

Raiga was a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the same group that used to contain Kisame Hoshigaki and Zabuza Momochi. This is why Raiga had possession of Kiba, because he stole them when he deserted the village of Kiri at the same time as Zabuza.

Despite it's unique name, Kiba was actually a pair of blades instead of just one specific blade. Each of these swords had double-edged blades with an upward-curved prong that jolted out from the tip and base in opposite directions.

At this moment, the sound of pain-filled screams pierced the air as Raiga continued to cry. After several minutes, Raiga and the crowd of grieving towns people all approached a freshly dug hole in the ground before slowly lowering the coffin inside.

"So sad... So sad..." Raiga grieved as the coffin was firmly placed into the grave.

Suddenly, the coffin began to creak and rumble as the poorly constructed wood barely contained the body inside. Also, muffled cries for help could be heard from inside the coffin, but the rain was too loud for nearby citizens to hear.

Soon, several civilians began shoveling dirt on top of the coffin, burying the faint pleas for help. During this, Raiga continued to cry as streams of tears dripped from his face, mixing with nearby rain.

"You always had a way with words, you were always so positive." While Raiga spoke, nearby towns folk bowed their heads in respect.

"You were the bravest person inside this entire village, everyone looked up to you." While speaking, surrounding citizens began to cry.

"Remember when you gave me that music box? Good times." As Raiga spoke, the coffin was completely concealed with dirt.

"I still fell bad about breaking it, I know how much you cared about that thing." After speaking, Raiga walked up to the freshly dug grave before sprinkling a handful of dirt on top.

"Even though I broke it, you just laughed and laughed..." While Raiga spoke, he stabbed a poorly crafted shovel into the ground, using it as a tombstone.

A line of grieving towns people then lined up around the grave before bowing their heads in respect. Afterwards, each of these citizens causally left the graveyard before returning to their lives, leaving Raiga completely alone.

Usually, it was human nature to grieve or groan at depressing events such as funerals. However, death was so common inside Katabami that everyone became completely numb to funerals.

As these town folks each disappeared into the rain-filled horizon, Raiga stood over the freshly dug gave for what felt like hours. After several minutes, Raiga began to stomp each of his feet on top of this grave, patting the dirt down in several locations.

Suddenly, the back of Raiga's raincoat began to bubble and contort before a small humanoid shape came into view. This figure then crawled down from Raiga's concealed back before standing beside the S-rank rogue ninja.

This child was known as Ranmaru, a young and innocent orphan from the village of Yu and the only person that Raiga actually cared about. The relationship between Raiga and Ranmaru was extremely similar to the relationship between Zabuza and Haku.

This was a result of Ranmaru's rare and unknown Doijutsu, a heirloom from his dead and forgotten parents. This Doijutsu was known as the Ketsuryūgan, a long lost technique from the Chinoike clan and Ranmaru was the last surviving member.

Because of it's obscurity, the Ketsuryūgan was basically a forgotten technique that very few people talked about. Like all Doijutsu, these eyes were just a devolved Rinnegan, similar to the Byakugan and Sharingan.

Centuries ago, distant ancestors of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans broke off before settling in distant parts of the world. Some of these ancestors then mingled together before mating, merging their sacred blood-lines.

Usually, if an Uchiha and Hyuga merged their blood-lines, their children would all possess one Sharingan and one Byakugan. However, Ranmaru's ancestors continued to merge and pollute the blood-lines for centuries, transforming the Sharingan and Byakugan into a completely new Doijutsu.

The Ketsuryūgan was a solid crimson eye with a horizontal purple slit that acted as a pupil. Even though the Ketsuryūgan was a mixture of the Sharingan and Byakugan, it was just an off brand version and nothing compared to the Three Great Doijutsu.

This gave the Ketsuryūgan an intense but limited combination of abilities from both the Uchiha and Hyuga clan. This made Ranmaru a sacred and basically invaluable asset to Raiga, he was one of a kind, just like Haku.

Infact, Raiga initially planned to kill Ranmaru when they first met inside a poorly constructed hut in the Land of Steam. However, Ranmaru was some how able to read Raiga's true thoughts and emotions, a result of his Ketsuryūgan.

Ever since that first meeting, Raiga and Ranmaru were basically an inseparable pair, giving off a unique father and son vibe. Because of his unique eyes, Ranmaru was the only person in existence that actually understood Raiga's complicated personality.

Ranmaru was a 6 year old boy with fair-skin and chin-length purple hair while a pair of bangs framed each side of his face. This brought attention to his Ketsuryūgan, a pair of eyes that constantly glowed with a bright red aura.

Ranmaru's outfit consisted of a short-sleeve purple shirt with a bright blue sash tied around his waist. This sash matched his ankle-length blue pants and the shinobi shoes he wore.

Similar to Haku, Ranmaru was an extremely gentle, kind and innocent person who only wanted to be useful. Also, Ranmaru gave off an extremely feminine appearance, just like Haku.

"OH YEA! Funerals are awesome!" Raiga shouted with joy while glancing up at the cloudy sky.

At this moment, Raiga's tears abruptly stopped before he giggled and chuckled for several moments with delight. While this occurred, an innocent and patient Ranmaru was standing behind Raiga with pure admiration and loyalty in his heart.

"One..." Ranmaru mumbled as his Ketsuryūgan glanced across the distant horizon, studying Katabami.

"One person got away..." After speaking, Ranmaru earned a wicked laugh from Raiga in response.

This laughter then mixed in with the heavy downpour of rain for several minutes as Ranmaru patiently waited for a response. Soon, Raiga finally stopped laughing before an extended silence filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of constant rain.

"Looks like we can have another funeral..." Raiga groaned in a quiet tone.

"You know... I really like funerals..." After speaking, Ranmaru nodded his head in response.

"When they're alive, humans speak ill of each other. They betray each other and they hurt each other..." While speaking, the faces of Zabuza and Kisame both pierced Raiga's mind.

"But at a funeral, they all forget about that previous hatred... And they only talk about good memories." As Raiga spoke, his eyes abruptly became pure and innocent.

During his life in Kiri, Raiga was an extremely cruel and lonely individual who spent every day searching for his true purpose. While preforming missions with Zabuza or Kisame, Raiga would occasionally kill random civilians and children for no reason at all before crying.

Similar to Gaara's dark childhood, Raiga only felt a sense of purpose and meaning when he was killing others, because it made him feel alive. However, since deserting Kiri, Ranmaru was the only thing that Raiga even carried about.

To Raiga, the only thing that matter in life was Ranmaru, and he would do anything to protect the young boy. Because of this, their relationship would soon be pushed to its limits as the people of Katabami would finally fight for their freedom.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A trembling silhouette stood atop a rain-soaked cliffside while glancing at the distant village of Katabami. This figure was an important farmer from the village of Katabami who decided to leave and seek help against Raiga.

"Don't worry, Kanpachi… I'm going to get help!" An unnamed man declared.

This man was known as Rokusuke, a 33 year old man with fair-skin and short black hair that matched his onyx-colored eyes. He also had a pair of extremely thick eye brows, similar to Might Guy and Rock Lee.

Rokusuke wore a short-sleeved blue shirt with tattered blue pants and open toed farming sandals. Also, he wore a grey bandana that was tied backwards across his forehead.

"I'm sorry... But if I don't leave now, I'll never get another chance..." While speaking, Rokusuke downcast his face in shame.

Rokusuke wanted to save Kanpachi, but there was nothing he could personally do to stand against Raiga. Because of this, Rokusuke was forced to abandon Kanpachi to his fate, a realization that weighed heavily on his shoulders.

At this moment, Rokusuke turned around before running towards a nearby tree-line and disappearing from sight. After disappearing from sight, Rokusuke continued to run for hours, eager to find help for his village.


	83. Chapter 83

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **Omegarealism -** **Our ancestors were far greater men and women than we are, we're just fighting over the scraps of former glory. The Greek philosopher Plato even wrote that ancient women were completely equal to men while modern women are inherently less virtuous.**

 **The fact is, a majority of ancient civilizations were filled with a bunch of faggots and queers, and they were totally badass. Dozens of successful military generals in ancient history were either faggots or bisexuals, so being gay isn't automatically a bad thing or a negative thing, at all.**

 **Are you aware that Alexander the Great was a bisexual faggot who would choke on the dick of his boyfriend, Hephaestion? Are you aware that ancient Spartan soldiers had gay orgies with oils and perfumes before battle because it would strengthen their brotherly bond?**

 **Are you aware that the Roman empire was basically ran by a bunch of faggots and queers who would get fucked by their slaves? Are you aware that the Roman emperor Elagabalus was a flaming faggot who cut his dick off and prostituted himself on the streets of Rome as a genderless transsexual?**

 **Are you aware that ancient Greece was filled with faggots, queers and child scholars who would get fucked by their male teachers? Are you aware that ancient Athenian's were called 'boy lovers' by Spartan's because they would fuck their underaged students?**

 **Are you aware of the androgynous Greek God known as Hermaphroditus, the child of Aphrodite and Hermes? Hermaphroditus was both male and female, the Greek philosopher Theophrastus even suggests a direct link between Hermaphroditus and the institutions of marriage in ancient Greece.**

 **If a Roman emperor can be some transsexual faggot and rule the world, than anyone else can. Your perspective of homosexuality is incredibly narrow, dogmatic and parochial, just because someone is a faggot that doesn't automatically mean they're weak or flawed.**

 **If you want to talk about political thesis, historical rhetoric or human nature then just PM me but don't pollute this story with politics. No one comes here for my philosophical rants about politics or history, they come here for Naruto.**

 **Don't drag politics or religion into this story. This is a story about ninja, not philosophy.**

 **Religion is like a big meaty dick. It's perfectly okay if you have one, but don't whip it out and wave it in front of my face.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 83: A Lesson Learned! The Iron Fist Of Tsunade.**

 _Sunday 10:46am, June 25th 58SSP._

The distorted silhouettes of Raiga and Ranmaru both stood inside the deep caravans of the Katabami Gold Mine. The only source of light in these mines were a series of torches that flickered across distant walls and tunnels.

"One person managed to escape the village." Raiga explained, causing his voice to echo through the mine.

Suddenly, nearby shadows began to bubble and contort before a hooded figure slowly came into view. Afterwards, this figure raised his partially concealed face, drawing attention to his discolored skin and contrasting eyes.

"That's one person too many..." The voice of Kabuto exclaimed with a condescending tone.

Kabuto wore an ankle-length black robe that completely concealed his feet, hands and torso from view. However, a portion of Kabuto's face was also extremely pale and discolored, easily contrasting his black robe.

Soon, Kabuto's right hand protruded out from his sleeve before gripping his chin in an inquisitive fashion. This brought attention to Kabuto's brand new right arm, an arm that was completely cloned from the DNA and cells of Orochimaru.

Also, the entire right portion of Kabuto's concealed torso and neck were solid white, matching the right half of his face. Finally, Kabuto's most prominent feature were his discolored eyes, his right eye was yellow and snake-like while his left eye was black and human-like.

At this moment, Ranmaru instinctively glanced to the side before staring at a lifeless collection of shadows. This was the result of Ranmaru's enhanced perception and analytical powers, allowing his vision to pierce solid objects just like the Byakugan.

"This village is just a puny little stain on the map..." The voice of Deidara resonated through the mine before a tense silence filled the air.

After several moments, the red-haired silhouette of Sasori came into view while Deidara walked beside him. This appearance forced Kabuto to chuckle for several seconds, causing his sadistic laughter to echo through the dense mine.

"I hope you have a good reason for calling me here, Kabuto." Sasori interjected.

"You know how impatient I can be." While speaking, Saori's right hand brushed and twirled several strands of his red hair.

"Yes, that's exactly why I summoned you." Kabuto remarked.

Kabuto then used his right hand to pull his glasses loose before dropping them to the ground and stomping on them. Afterwards, a cheerful and twisted smile bloomed across Kabuto's sadistic face, revealing his snake-like teeth.

"This town is such a let down..." Deidara interrupted while crossing both arms in front of his chest.

"Say, my man... How about we test our art on this pathetic village?" While speaking, Deidara glanced at Sasori before an inquisitive hum filled the air.

"I'm afraid that isn't profitable." Kabuto interjected.

"I need some help taking over this town. I'm kind of an introvert and direct confrontation is so bothersome." After speaking, Kabuto earned a hostile scoff from Deidara.

"Why would we want some pathetic town like this?" Deidara asked.

This statement caused Kabuto to slowly walk up next to a nearby torch before pulling it from the wall with his left hand. After several moments, Kabuto raised this torch directly into the air, illuminating the Gold-filled roof of the mine.

Several dozen golden sparkles then radiated through the mine for what felt like minutes as Deidara groaned with awe. At the same time, Sasori was completely unaffected by Kabuto's vast display of wealth and gold.

"That doesn't mean anything..." Sasori exclaimed.

"I could just kill you and take all of this by force." While speaking, a hostile aura filled the air.

"Oh yea, that's more like it!" Deidara cheered.

"We can kill this guy with art, then use this whole village as material?!" After speaking, Deidara earned a nod of approval in response.

This declaration forced a nearby Ranmaru to cower behind Raiga's left leg as he stood several feet away from Kabuto. While this occurred, Raiga's left hand was already gripping the hilt of his legendary blade known as Kiba.

At this moment, the timid and sadistic chuckle of Kabuto began to echo and resonate through the mine. Soon, this chuckle evolved into a dark and twisted laughter as Kabuto raised both hands into the air.

This laughter then continued to stretch on for what felt like minutes as sadistic groans and grunts radiated out from Kabuto. As this laughter continued to resonate, Sasori narrowed each of his eyes with interest before Kabuto finally stopped laughing.

Suddenly, Kabuto's left hand reached up before grabbing the front zipper of his robe and slowly opening it. This action revealed several dozen explosive tags that clung to Kabuto's outfit and his discolored torso.

After several seconds, the nearby walls and roof all began to glow with a purple aura as hundreds of explosive tags came into view. This revelation forced Deidara's mouth to fall open with shock while Sasori was completely undisturbed.

"If my heart stops beating, these tags will explode." Kabuto chuckled out with a twisted smile.

"This isn't what we agreed on!" Raiga protested before unsheathing one of his legendary Kiba blades.

"Idiot! You'll bury all of us in this pathetic mine!" Deidara complained.

Unlike his teammate, Sasori was basically an immortal puppet that didn't even need to eat or sleep. Because of this, Sasori was rather calm and carefree despite the deadly situation he walked into.

"Am I supposed to be afraid?" Sasori asked.

This question earned a cheerful giggle from Kabuto before his snake-like tongue draped across his lips with delight. At the same time, an innocent Ranmaru was cowering behind Raiga, fully capable of reading Kabuto's sadistic thoughts.

Soon, Sasori's entire right hand detached itself before a barrage of poison tipped kunai launched out from his wooden arm. Each of these kunai then plunged into the nearby cave floor before a grey-colored snake violently trashed across the ground.

"Snakes?!" Deidara screamed before dramatically throwing his Akatuski robe open and reaching into his clay pouches with both hands.

"Just relax, I'll handle this." Sasori muttered before his right hand reattached itself.

Suddenly, dozens of previously concealed snakes began to slither and slide away from Sasori. While this occurred, a terrified Ranmaru crawled up Raiga's back before hiding underneath his raincoat.

"Awh... Did I do something wrong, master Sasori?" Kabuto spoke out with a mocking tone.

"You've lingered around for too long. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll make excellent material for my art. It's my hobby." Sasori explained with a sincere tone.

"We all have a hobby..." Kabuto chuckled before quietly pressing both hands together.

Kabuto then weaved through the Tiger, Snake, Dog and Dragon Seals before violently clapping both palms together. This sound then resonated throughout the mine for several minutes before a portion of nearby ground began to glow with crimson chakra.

After several moments, the lid of a wooden coffin came into view as it vertically protruded out from the ground. This brought attention to the black kanji for 'three' that was engraved across the coffin's lid before it fully phased out from the ground.

"And my hobby is to collect things that I find interesting." While speaking, the freshly summon coffin began to creak.

At this moment, the coffin's lid slowly unlatched before falling to the ground with a heavy thud. Afterwards, the partially decayed corpse of the 3rd Kazekage came into view.

This revelation shocked Sasori, causing the elite rogue ninja to fall completely silent as his jawline fell open. At the same time, Deidara scoffed in a dramatic fashion while staring at the decayed corpse in front of him.

"Where did you get that...?!" Sasori stuttered.

"Tch, big deal! It's just a dead man!" Deidara complained.

"That's right... I forgot how young you are, boy." Kabuto muttered.

"Don't treat me like a kid!" Deidara protested before pressing both hands into the Rat Seal.

"Stop..." Sasori murmured, earning a dramatic gasp from his teammate.

Soon, the sound of snapping wood could be heard as Sasori tightly clenched both of his fists with rage. This was an extremely rare more for Sasori, a moment when he actually expressed emotion.

"Your puppet is nothing but a cheap imitation, nothing compared to the original..." Kabuto's voice echoed with a condescending tone.

A tense silence then filled the air as Sasori's auburn brown eyes glanced across hundreds of explosive tags that littered mine. During this, Ranmaru poked his head out from the back of Raiga's collar.

I can't believe I walked into this... When did he learn that technique? Sasori asked himself.

Because of Sasori's advanced knowledge, he was fully aware that Kabuto was utilizing the forbidden technique know as Edo Tensei. This was an extremely difficult and forbidden S-rank technique, something that very few shinobi could even dream of learning.

"What are you doing?! This wasn't apart of the plan!" Raiga screamed.

"I'm in control..." Kabuto interjected with a dominating voice.

"I'm always in control." After speaking, a sadistic and twisted smile bloomed across Kabuto's face.

This declaration forced Raiga and Deidara to both gasp while each of Sasori's hands began to crack under the weight of his rage. At the same time, a sadistic smile remained prominent across Kabuto's face for what felt like minutes.

Kabuto was always a very analytical and inquisitive child, it was the main reason why Orochimaru decided to teach him ninjutsu. However, Kabuto was actually quite timid, a result of introvert personality.

Because of this, Kabuto never really like to fight his own battles, he thought that was too boring and direct. Instead, Kabuto liked to play chess and mind games, and he just managed to outwit Sasori, the deadliest Suna ninja in shinobi history.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

An intense downpour of rain bombarded the canyon-filled lands inside the Land of Rivers while thunder rumbled overhead. Each of these canyons were carved naturally into the ground with large rivers and streams that rippled through them.

Soon, the rain-soaked silhouette of Rokusuke came into view as he struggled to walk up a wet cliffside. This cliffside was lined with a narrow road that was carved into solid stone, but it was extremely wet and slippery.

Suddenly, an intense gust of wind blew in from the west, flinging a barrage of rain directly into Rokusuke's eyes. This rain then partially blinded Rokusuke before he staggered against the nearby cliffside.

At this moment, a bolt of blue light struck a tree that rested atop the nearby cliffside. Afterwards, this tree snapped in half before falling into the canyon, knocking several boulders loose in the process.

This tree then plummeted through the stone road that Rokusuke stood on, causing it to abruptly collapse. Roksuke then screamed for help before falling into the river below and disappearing from sight.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

"Did I do a good job?" The cheerful voice of Sakura spoke out.

This was the first sound Rokusuke heard as he slowly woke up before rubbing his forehead with both hands. While this occurred, Tsunade, Sakura, Shizune and Tonton all stood nearby as the sound of heavy rainfall could be heard.

This group of kunoichi were gathered underneath an impressive Earth Style tent that Sakura created several minutes ago. Also, a nearby pile of Sakura's backpack and satchels sat in the corner of this tent.

"Check his eyesight." Tsunade ordered before crossing both arms in front of her massive chest.

This statement caused Sakura to crouch down beside Rokusuke before gently smiling down at him. After several seconds, Rokusuke finally noticed Sakura's shadow before glancing up at her.

"Hello." Sakura cheered before holding her right index finger directly in front of Rokusuke's face.

Sakura then began to slowly move her finger through the air while Rokusuke struggled to follow her with both eyes. At the same time, Tonton was passionately sniffing both of Rokusuke's feet.

"Are you okay?" After speaking, an extended period of silence filled the air as Rokusuke groaned with pain.

Suddenly, each of Rokusuke's eyes bulged with shock after noticing Sakura's headband. Afterwards, Rokusuke stuttered for several moments as he struggled to find words that could be spoken.

Rokusuke then wrapped both hands around Sakura's while staring directly into her emerald green eyes. During this, rumbling thunder could be heard throughout the cloud-filled horizon.

"You're a shinobi from Konoha?! Please help my village!" Rokusuke pleaded.

"How much does it pay?" Tsunade asked, always eager for some easy money.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune exclaimed.

"Anything! My village is a gold mine! Just name your price!" Rokusuke explained, causing each of Tsunade's eyes to narrow with interest.

Soon, an inquisitive hum filled the air as Tsunade's right hand gripped her chin while glancing at the ground. While this occurred, Tonton crawled into Sakura's lap before oinking as she began to pet her.

"I can't think of a good price right now... But I'll make up my mind when we're finished." Tsunade remarked.

"But lady Tsunade, shouldn't we focus on Sakura's training?" Shizune interjected.

"This mission is her training, I won't do a single thing." Tsunade exclaimed, earning a dramatic gasp in response.

"I'm just going to stand on the side-lines and see how she does." While speaking, Tsunade's fierce glare abruptly focused on Sakura.

Sakura then easily broke under Tsunade's eyes, causing her to sheepishly giggle while rubbing the back of her head. After several moments, Rokusuke crawled in front of Tsunade's feet before pressing his forehead to the ground.

"Please, save my village..." Rokusuke once again pleaded while dragging his nails across the ground.

"Yea, yea... Don't be so dramatic." Tsunade retorted before turning around.

An extensive silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of heavy rainfall. During this silence, the smiling faces of Dan and Nawaki both drifted through Tsunade's mind.

"Sakura, prepare your patient for travel... We're leaving." After speaking, a timid Tonton oinked several times.

Tsunade was a very complicated woman with a scarred past, shrouding much of her personality in mystery. Because of this, Tsunade retired from being a shinobi ever since Dan's horrific death, a moment that still haunted her dreams and thoughts.

However, Tsunade was still an extremely kind, gentle and loving lady, especially if money was involved. Despite this apparent kindness, Tsunade's tranquility was about to boil over into a tsunami of rage and regret.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

Sakura, Tsunade, Shizune and Tonton all walked down a mud-filled dirt road while Rokusuke walked behind her. Grey clouds swirled overhead, mixing in with the sound of rumbling thunder and downpouring rain.

Soon, this sound of constant thunder and rain slowly began to dissipate before completely stopping. Afterwards, the dense clouds overhead slowly began to part and dissolve, allowing several rays of bright sunlight to sparkle through.

These rays of sunlight then illuminated the group of traveling kunoichi and the civilian they were escorting. At the same time, the sound of chirping birds filled the air before a flock of blue birds flew over the road.

This combination of sunlight and chirping birds created a beautiful moment and peace and joy. After several seconds, a chaotic explosion erupted in the distance, creating a massive pillar of dust, debris and burnt wood.

This explosion caused Sakura to gasp with shock as Rokusuke's entire jawline fell open. Also, Tsunade began to hum with an inquisitive tone as Shizune picked up Tonton with both arms.

This explosion originated from the distant silhouette of the Katabami Gold Mine, filling Rokusuke's heart with anxiety. After several moments, Rokusuke ran past his escort of kunoichi before dashing towards the burning silhouette of his village.

"NOOO!" Rokusuke panicked.

"Wait!" Sakura protested before running after her new patient.

Soon, both of these figures disappeared down the distant dirt road as Tsunade and Shizune casually walked behind them. An extended silence then filled the air as Tonton glanced between Tsunade and Shizune for several moments.

"Shouldn't we run after them?" Shizune asked.

"I'm not in a hurry." Tsunade sighed.

"I can't just hold her hand forever... She'll have to grow up eventually." While speaking, the blood-stained face of Dan abruptly pierced Tsunade's mind.

This haunting image forced Tsunade to downcast her face before staring at the ground while she walked. This was a memory that constantly hung over Tsunade's life, the memory of failing everyone that she once loved.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

A collection of explosions erupted in the distant, uprooting several houses inside Katabami village with a fiery aura. While this occurred, all villagers were being worked to death inside the gold mine as Raiga and Ranmaru stood outside the entrance.

This entrance was lined with dozens of panting and partially starved citizens that were struggling to carry ore out the mine. Each of these citizens had a large wooden basket strapped to their back, sometimes holding over 200 pounds of weight.

Soon, the eruption of nearby explosions were so intense that the nearby ground began to quake and tremor. This quaking caused a nearby elderly man to fall to the ground, spilling his basket of golden ore in the process.

"What are you doing it?! Hurry up!" Raiga barked out.

"Bu-... But... My home..." The elderly man stuttered while glancing at Katabami village.

"I don't care." Raiga exclaimed.

"Keep moving." While speaking, Raiga crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"Please! Just give me a moment to rest, my back is killing me." The elderly man pleaded.

This plea forced each of Raiga's eyes to briefly twitch before narrowing while Ranmaru patiently stood beside him. After several seconds, Raiga's left hand gripped one of the hilts of his legendary Kiba blades before unsheathing it.

"I'm so happy... I remember the first time I met you, old man." Raiga exclaimed.

"Yeah? I'm glad you're happy." Ranmaru mumbled.

"Thanks... I get all nostalgic just thinking about it." Raiga remarked as genuine tears of sadness began to stream from his eyes.

The elderly man then gasped with shock as Raiga raised his sacred blade into the air before it glowed with blue lightning. Raiga then plunged this sharpened blade towards the elderly man, creating a shockwave of lightning that concealed everything from view.

Soon, this lightning finally dissipated before Raiga noticed a human-sized tunnel that burrowed under ground. Also, the previous elderly man had completely disappeared from sight.

At this moment, Ranmaru's right hand gently gripped Raiga's pants before pointing under ground. Because of Ranmaru's unique Doijutsu, his vision was able to pierce solid stone, smoke or water, just like the Byakugan.

Suddenly, a barrage of senbon launched out from the ground in several different directions before surging at Raiga. As these approached, Raiga slashed his sacred Kiba blade through the air in a horizontal fashion, creating a minor shockwave of lightning.

This lightning then resonated through the air before disrupting each of the senbon and knocking them to the ground. Afterwards, both of Raiga's eyes narrowed with interest while glancing from side-to-side.

Poison? Raiga questioned after noticing a stain of purple liquid that was sprawled across each senbon.

As Raiga studied his surroundings, tears of sadness continued to stream from his eyes, genuine tears. An awkward silence then filled the air for what felt like minutes while Ranmaru stared under ground.

"That old man was so happy when I first showed up... When I told him we were taking over the town from the magistrate..." Raiga muttered.

"He was so happy to be freed from those high taxes he was paying... He was laughing out of pure joy..." While Raiga spoke, he continued to cry.

"He was a really nice guy... I'm looking forward to his funeral." After speaking, Raiga wiped a bundle of tears from his face.

"Are you looking forward to my funeral too?" Ranmaru asked.

"Don't even say that!" Raiga shouted with an extremely hostile tone.

"You are _not_ going to die before me!" While shouting, fresh tears began to stream from Raiga's face.

"Funerals are supposed to be a good time when you think about all the joy you've spent with someone..." As Raiga spoke, the face of Zabuza briefly pierced his mind.

"But I don't have to have a funeral to remember those good times about you, because you're always a good boy." After speaking, a brief period of silence filled the air.

Soon, a gust of wind blew in from the west, causing Raiga's dense raincoat to rustle and waver in the breeze. At the same time, a crowd of miners stood at the entrance of the Katabami Gold Mine, watching the elite rogue ninja.

"Raiga." Ranmaru mumbled.

"Yes? What is it?" Raiga asked with a gentle tone.

"They're coming." Ranmaru explained before pointing at the ground.

This statement earned a cheerful giggle from Raiga before a dense collection of fog and mist began to pollute the air. Soon, this mist began to conceal nearby buildings and miners from view before Raiga completely disappeared.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu..." The sadistic chuckle of Raiga's voice echoed through the air.

As this mist lingered through the air, Sakura was crouched several feet under ground with an elderly man cowering beside her. After several moments, Sakura clapped both hands together before weaving through the Dog, Snake, Horse, Tiger, Snake, Dog and Tiger Seals.

Sakura then pressed both palms against the roof of the small tunnel she created before the entire ground began to quake. Afterwards, a portion of earth and stone abruptly cracked opened before a 20ft wide fissure ruptured into existence, a result of Earth Style: Fissure Jutsu.

This eruption of earth created several boulders of broken stone before Raiga and Ranmaru was partially swallowed. Each of these individuals then plummeted through the air before Raiga grabbed the back of Ranmaru's shirt with his left hand.

Raiga then utilized his Jounin-level speed by jumping up various boulders that were falling through the air. Soon, Raiga landed on the last boulder before jumping over 20ft into the air, soaring above the broken fissure.

While hovering through the air, a barrage of senbon once again ruptured from the ground before launching at Raiga. These approaching projectiles forced Raiga to grunt with annoyance before slicing one of his Kiba blades through the air in a vertical fashion.

This action created a rotating sphere of lightning that swirled around Raiga's body as his blade glowed with blue chakra. This sphere then resonated out in all directions, zapping each of the approaching senbon before they fell to the ground.

Raiga then plummeted towards the ground before a concerned Ranmaru gripped the collar of his raincoat. At the same time, Ranmaru was pointing down at the approaching earth with a terrified expression across his face.

"Not there!" Ranmaru pleaded.

This plea caused Raiga to gasp before contorting his body in midair, allowing him to backflip before landing atop the earth. Afterwards, the portion of earth in front of him abruptly crumbled into quick sand, a result of Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu.

Raiga then grunted with annoyance before gently placing Ranmaru on the ground and unsheathing his second Kiba blade. Ranmaru then instinctively crawled up Raiga's back before hiding underneath his raincoat.

At this moment, Raiga raised both of his Kiba blades into the air before they radiated with bright lightning. Raiga then plunged each of this blades into the ground, creating a fierce shockwave of lightning that rippled out in all directions.

This shockwave uproot several portions of nearby earth and rock before freshly carved boulders littered the air. Soon, the concealed figure of Sakura came into view before jumping out from the ground.

Sakura then hovered through the air for several seconds before Raiga instantly appeared behind her in a blur. Raiga then casually swung his legendary blades out in a horizontal slash, effortlessly bisecting Sakura at her waist.

This attack spewed blood through the air before it bubbled into mud, clinging to Raiga's weapons and outfit. This mud was then electrified by the twin blades of Kiba, shocking Raiga with a lethal amount of lightning.

This lightning then knocked Ranmaru from Raiga's back before he fell to the ground with a heavy thud. At the same time, Raiga groaned with pain before dispersing the nearby lightning by flicking his sacred blades through the air.

Suddenly, Raiga slammed the opposing hilts of his sacred blades together before they locked into place with a zap of lightning. This transformed Raiga's twin blades of Kiba into a duel-sided sword of pulsating lightning.

Raiga then twirled the hilt of this legendary weapon around both hands while minor shockwaves of lightning resonated out in all directions. These shockwaves uprooted several boulders before zapping them into dust that sprinkled through the air.

This was an impressive display of Lightning Style and high-level Ninjutsu, the result of Raiga's elite backstory and history. Soon, this display of Lightning Style created a massive geyser of electric arcs that permeated through the air, clearly visible for several miles.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The visible head of Rokusuke was protruded out from a grass-covered cliffside while his entire body was concealed under ground. This was the result of Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu, one of the trademark techniques that Kakashi taught Sakura during her time as a Genin.

Rokusuke was squirming with intense effort to break free as his village was bombarded by consecutive explosions. Each of these explosions were the passionate results of Deidara's art, a type of work that he took very seriously.

Soon, the calm silhouette of Tsunade came into view as her high heels confidently stomped across portions of grass. After several moments, Shizune and Tonton each came into view before they all crowded around the head of Rokusuke.

"Relax... Sometimes a patient has to be restrained for their own good." Tsunade remarked.

Suddenly, Tonton's snout began to fiercely sniff through the air before she entered an imitating stance while oinking. At the same time, each of Shizune's feet began to slide across portions of partially dried grass.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune exclaimed.

A tense silence then filled the air before the distorted silhouette of a white snake slithered up the nearby cliffside. Afterwards, this snake unhinged it's jawline before a white hand ruptured out and clung to a patch of grass.

The sound of intense gagging then filled the air as Kabuto's head, torso and legs were slowly regurgitated out from the snake. The slim-covered body of Kabuto then twitched atop the ground for several seconds as the white snake dissolved into ash.

"Let me guess... You're one of Orochimaru's old students." Tsunade mumbled while crossing both arms in front of her massive chest.

"Hmphhmphhmph…" Kabuto chuckled in a similar fashion to Orochimaru.

Kabuto then pressed both of his slim-covered hands against the ground before he slowly stood up on both feet. While this occurred, thick streams of slim and saliva slowly dripped from several portions of Kabuto's outfit.

"So do you miss him?" After speaking, Kabuto's snake-like tongue abruptly licked both of his lips.

"It's been quite a long time since me and him last spoke..." Tsunade explained.

"So to be honest, I didn't really care that much when I first heard the news..." As Tsunade spoke, Tonton maintained a fierce stance, ready to charge at any moment.

"That's just so sad, it really is... I thought you two grew up together?" Kabuto remarked, causing each of Tsunade's eyes to narrow.

"Do you feel responsible?" After speaking, Kabuto once again licked his lips.

"First Nawaki… Then Dan... And of course poor old Hiruzen, and finally Orochimaru." While speaking, each of Kabuto's words forced Tsunade's eyes to violently twitch.

A shocked Shizune then glanced between Tsunade and Kabuto several times before pulling a scalpel loose with her left hand. Afterwards, Shizune hurled a handful of poison-tipped senbon through the air at Kabuto.

Kabuto then casually dodged each of these senbon by tilting his head in various directions while Shizune charged towards him. As Shizune approached, Kabuto's right arm began to bubble of blister before several white snake ruptured out.

"Shizune! Calm down!" Tsunade ordered.

This statement caused Shizune to press both feet against the ground before jumping over various snakes at the last moment. Shizune then hovered backwards through the air before landing beside Tonton and Tsunade.

"What do you want, kid?" While speaking, Tsunade glared at Kabuto with an expression of regret in her eyes.

"I'm just offering my heart-filled apology... Really." Kabuto explained with a sincere tone.

Soon, Kabuto's feet completely disappeared from view as dozens of snakes slithered over them while hissing. As this occurred, the intense amount of snakes caused Tonton to take several steps backwards before hiding before Shizune's legs.

"Especially for Nawaki, he was so young... If only you arrived on time, he might still be alive." As Kabuto spoke, his words forced Tsunade to tightly clench each of her fists.

"And Dan too! Of course! His death was so tragic and... Bloody." After speaking, a sadistic grin spread across Kabuto's face.

At this moment, each of Tsunade's high heels dug into the earth, cracking nearby portions of rock and stone. During this, Tsunade popped several muscles and joints inside her arms as she violently clenched both fists.

"Be very careful with your next words, snake." Tsunade spat out in a hostile tone.

"My dear Tsunade." Kabuto groaned with an Orochimaru-like tone.

"What a sad fate the hands of destiny have dealt you." After speaking, an extended silence filled the air before Kabuto licked both lips.

"You don't want to end your life alone and forgotten, do you?" While speaking, a wide smile remained prominent across Kabuto's face.

"What are you saying?!" Shizune interjected.

"I can bring them back to life, both of them." Kabuto explained, earning a dramatic gasp in response.

Suddenly, Kabuto slowly stepped over dozens of snakes before confidently walking towards Tsunade, After several moments, Kabuto stood barely 5ft away from Tsunade with a wide and sadistic smile still prominent across his face.

"Nawaki and Dan could live again, Tsunade. They could live with you." As Kabuto spoke, his words held a dramatic effect on Tsunade.

"I already have everything needed... Even their DNA..." After speaking, a twisted laugh resonated out from Kabuto.

"At what cost?!" Shizune interrupted while Tsunade was stunned and speechless.

"No cost at all, I already have everything ready." Kabuto remarked with a genuine tone.

"All I need is some help with my body." After Kabuto spoke, he quickly unzipped his black robe before opening it.

This action revealed several discolored bruises and contusions that were sprawled across Kabuto's naked torso. Each of these bruises were the result of a lethal amount of Snake Senjutsu, too much for Kabuto's normal body to handle.

"You see, I have a small problem with the cells inside my body... It's a little difficult to contain so much power." While speaking, Kabuto's stomach began to violently bulge before settling.

"It's becoming more and more difficult with each day, so I decided to find you." After speaking, Kabuto once again licked each of his lips.

An awkward silence then permeated the air as Tsunade downcast her face while Tonton oinked. Afterwards, the sound of a hostile scoff resonated out from Tsunade before she bit her lower lip.

"Lady Tsunade….?" Shizune mumbled.

"So how about it, my dear Tsunade? Give me some medical attention, or shall you die alone?" Kabuto chuckled.

At this moment, Tsunade's right hand reached out before casually gripping a new boulder, easily over 10ft tall. Tsunade then effortlessly shattered the entire boulder, showering rocks and debris through the air while various peddles struck Rokusuke on the head.

"Or shall I kill you where you stand!?" Tsunade spoke out with a veteran voice, a voice that had seen decades of war.

Suddenly, the nearby ground began to splinter and quake before a heavy pressure of Green chakra resonated through the air. While this chakra radiated out, a panicked Shizune grabbed Tonton with one arm before turning around and running away.

As Shizune continued to run, she pulled Rokusuke loose with her other hand before dragging him across the ground. During this, a carefree Kabuto was giggling with delight before Tsunade raised her right fists into the air.

Tsunade then plunged her fist full force into the ear, instantly creating a mountain-sized shockwave that uproot dozens of rocks and trees. Soon, this shockwave uprooted the entire cliffside that Tsunade stood on, creating a massive geyser of dust that could be seen for miles.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"What was that?" Ranmaru calmly asked while Raiga held him with one arm.

Raiga was standing between a lightning-scorched crater in front of the iconic Katabami Gold Mine. Raiga previously unleashed dozens of Lightning techniques and strikes from his fabled Kiba blades, but he couldn't get Sakura to come out from under ground.

"Just figure out how I can kill this runt!" Raiga ordered.

At this moment, a barrage of senbon launched out from various portions of nearby earth before Raiga casually deflected them. At the same time, the sound of snapping wood could be heard before several poison-tipped kunai were launched towards Raiga's back.

Because Raiga was so focused on Sakura and Ranmaru, he failed to notice the approaching projectiles. However, Ranmaru's advanced perception from his Ketsuryūgan allowed him to notice.

This realization forced Ranmaru to tear himself free from Raiga's grip before standing in front of the approaching barrage. Afterwards, Raiga barely had enough time to turn around before both of his eyes gasped with shock.

Suddenly, Sakura lunged out from a freshly made tunnel before tackling Ranmaru to the ground. A barrage of poison-tipped kunai then plunged into Raiga's back, polluting his blood stream.

Sakura and Ranmaru then landed atop the ground with a minor thud before a brief silence filled the air. Soon, the sound of snapping wood could be heard before Sasori appeared beside Sakura with a dreamy expression on his face.

This sudden appearance created a dark shadow over Sakura's face, forcing her to gasp before glancing up. A dense gust of wind then blew in from the west, causing Sasori's bright red hair to rustle and waver in the breeze.

"You're eyes are beautiful, you'll make excellent material." Sasori groaned.

The sound of snapping wood then once again filled the air before a iron barrel protruded out from Sasori's right palm. After several seconds, a condensed cloud of poisonous purple vapor poured out from Sasori's palm before concealing Sakura and Ranmaru from sight.

This created a horrified expression across Raiga's face as the gentle voice of Ranmaru repetitively echoed through his mind. This voice caused each of Raiga's eyes to violently twitch before grinding his teeth together.

"NOOO!" Raiga's voice pierced the air before charging at Sasori.

With each step that Raiga took, arcs of lightning radiated out from his duel-sided Kiba blade, illuminating his enraged face. At the same time, Sasori maintained a carefree and dreamy appearance, as if he wasn't even paying attention.

Raiga then swung his sacred Kiba blade out in a slanted vertical fashion, cutting directly through Sasori's shoulder and torso. Pieces of shattered wood and torn fabric then littered the air before an explosive cloud of poison radiated out from Sasori's body.

This poison then filled Raiga's lungs, causing him to briefly stagger before jumping out from Sasori's clouds. Each of Raiga's feet then slid over 5ft across the rock-filled crater before he quickly surged forward.

While charging, Raiga's vision abruptly became distorted and hazy, a result of Sasori's extremely lethal poison. Also, Raiga was so preoccupied with rage that he failed to notice a human-sized tunnel where Sakura and Ranmaru once were.

Soon, the sound of snapping wood once again filled the air as Sasori's bisected body casually locked back into place. Afterwards, Sasori's entire jawline unhinged itself before a barrage of poison-tipped senbon launched out.

As these senbon approached, Raiga swung his sacred Kiba blade through the air, creating a lightning shockwave that disrupted several of the projectiles. However, a handful of these senbon managed to pierce Raiga's electric arcs before plunging into various parts of his body.

Instead of weakening Raiga, these senbon filled him with even more rage, causing both eyes to violently twitch. Despite this intense rage, Raiga's feet began to stumble and trip as he struggled to keep moving.

After struggling for several minutes, Raiga began to heavily gasp for air as each of his legs twitched. During this, a boring expression spread across Sasori's face after his puppet jawline reattached itself.

"I'm not interested in you at all." Sasori exclaimed before extending his left hand towards Raiga.

Suddenly, Sasori's entire hand detached itself with a wooden snap before he sighed in an extended and dramatic fashion. While this occurred, Sasori's right hand was twirling several strands of his bright red hair.

At this moment, each of Sasori's dreamy eyes suddenly bulged with shock as the silhouette of Tsunade appeared behind him. Afterwards, Tsunade breasts swung like boulders as she raised her right foot vertically into the air.

Tsunade then slammed her foot into the earth, creating a lake-sized explosion of dust, debris and rocks that polluted the air. An extensive period of silence then polluted the air as this cloud of dust took several minutes to dissipate.

Soon, the gasping figure of Raiga came into view as he laid atop the ground with his twin blades of Kiba resting on either side of him. After several seconds, a human-sized tunnel ruptured from the nearby earth before Ranmaru rushed out.

"Raiga! Raiga!" Ranmaru panicked as he ran towards the elite rogue ninja.

Ranmaru then dropped to both knees both sliding towards Raiga as Sakura climbed out from her tunnel. An expression of saddness then spread across Sakura's face as Ranmaru began to cry.

Because of Sasori's intense and lethal poison, Raiga was completely paralyzed while both of his eyes trembled with pain. However, Raiga's intense love for Ranmaru gave him enough strength to glance at the purple-haired boy.

Suddenly, each of Ranmaru's Ketsuryūgan violently bulged as he attempted to cast a low-level type of Genjutsu on Raiga. The amount of tears in Ranmaru's eyes then grew in density as his innocent heart throbbed with pain.

"Live!" While screaming, Ranmaru continued to cast Genjutsu on Raiga, but none of them were strong enough to work.

You're such a kind boy, Ranmaru… Such a good boy. Raiga concluded.

After several moments, Raiga's eyes began to slowly close as fresh tears bombarded his face. At the same time, Raiga was unable to hear the pain-filled screams of Ranmaru.

I wonder... Will you say anything good at my funeral? A single thought echoed through Raiga's mind before everything went black.

Because of 2nd shinobi world war, Raiga grew up as an orphan inside Kiri, giving him a complicated childhood. This lonely life style was a prominent part of Raiga's existence, even during his time among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

However, Ranmaru was the first and only person who managed to break Raiga's cold exterior. Ranmaru was the only person that Raiga actually carried about, and he would sacrifice anything to defend him.


	84. Chapter 84

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: thor94 -** **We have a few chapters before we shift back to NarutoxTayuya.** **I will confirm that Naruto makes an appearance during the next arc, but it doesn't revolve around him.**

 **Tenellis - Ranmaru will be just as important as Sasame or** **Kagerō, he will contribute to the overall plot. However, I can't just put him with Sakura because I need to use him for something else, something that will be focused on in season three.**

 **bennibob - I understand that Tayuya is basically a loud-mouthed bitch, but that's what a Tsundere is. In canon, Tayuya talked shit about everyone and she even became happy when** **Jirōbō died, Kimimaro and Orochimaru were the only people she didn't openly disrespect.**

 **This hostile attitude is a key point of Tayuya's character, she doesn't give a single fuck about anything or anyone. This attitude is why I gave Tayuya an orphan/homeless backstory, because I was trying to justify her hostile personality.** **.**

 **We're getting very close to the Land of Snow arc, the arc where NarutoxTayuya progress into the next stage of their relationship. However, even after they kiss, Tayuya will continue to be abrasive until her character development is fully grown.**

 **In my personal experience, whenever I tell a girl to calm down, they usually freak out like a rabid ferret. Because of this, Tayuya will always freak out if Naruto tells her to calm down.**

 **GunBlade2019 - In canon, Naruto had to jump through all those hoops because he wanted Tsunade to become the 5th Hokage. However, Sakura wasn't trying to convince Tsunade to become the Hokage, she just wanted her as a teacher.**

 **Because of this, I personally think Tsunade would be much more carefree and laid-back in her conversation with Sakura. Especially since Sakura was talking about her dream, a concept that heavily weighs on Tsunade's shoulders because of her own failed dreams, like Nawaki and Dan.**

 **In regards to Ranmaru, he is fully aware that Raiga was burying people alive and he was completely okay with that. It is important to remember that our modern ideas about children are completely different from ancient history, medieval history and even feudal history.**

 **Because Naruto is set in feudal Japan, I believe it's perfectly natural to make a comparison between Ranmaru and historical children. With this being said, a young Japanese child watching a public execution is a completely common, realistic and historically accurate depiction of feudal Japan.**

 **Public execution has been apart of human society for thousands of years, and ancient children used to watch them with their families. However, in modern times, children aren't permitted to watch death because modern humanity is very sensitive when it comes to children.**

 **In regards to this chapter, Yusame Hoshigaki is an OC because no direct name for the previous user of Hiramekarei is given. The direct appearance for 'Yusame' is given during the canon Might Duy flashback, but no name.**

 **I fucking hate OC, I think they're disgusting and they generally corrupt the story, like most cross-overs. However, I needed to give Yusame a name and backstory, but I genuinely believe Yusame will improve this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 84: Howl: The Climax Of Youth! Nightmare From The Past.**

Wednesday 11:49am, September 16th 44SSP.

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on the forest-filled border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Steam. This forest was filled with various craters and lifeless corpses of fallen shinobi as flocks of crows flew overhead.

Some of these corpses were freshly decayed while others had been rotting atop the ground for a period of weeks. Soon, distant clouds of smoke could be seen as the sound of metal striking metal began to resonate out from the flame-filled horizon.

This chaotic display of death was the pinnacle and boiling climax to the 3rd Shinobi World War, a war that had stretched on for over two years. Because of this, hundreds of shinobi fell victim to this fierce conflict between nations.

After several moments, a collection of three silhouette's danced across several tree branches with Genin-level speed. These silhouette's belonged to a 12 year old Might Guy, Ebisu and Genma Shiranui.

"This is bad! We're surrounded!" The panicked voice of Ebisu spoke out.

Similar to his adult outfit, Ebisu wore a dark blue bandana of Konoha over his head while a pair of black glasses concealed both eyes from view. This attire brought attention to various spots of dirt that stained Ebisu's face.

Ebisu's outfit consisted of a long-sleeved blue shirt that matched his shinobi shoes while contrasting his black pants. His most prominent feature was the pair of tan suspenders he wore.

"Just keep running! Our youth will outlast them!" Guy protested.

Guy's outfit consisted of his iconic full-bodied green suit with both sleeves completely torn off, contrasting his orange leg warmers. This brought attention to the extensive amount of white linen bandages that covered both of Guy's forearms and hands.

Finally, Guy wore a short yet fluffy red scarf around his neck, causing the loose bundle of fabric to rustle as he jumped between various tree branches. This scarf matched the red fabric tied around Guy's waist, his iconic headband of Konoha.

"Do you think Sensei will be okay?" The concerned voice of Genma Shiranui questioned.

Genma's outfit consisted of a knee-length black jacket that completely hung open, drawing attention to his dirty white shirt underneath. This jacket matched his ankle-length black plants and the shinobi shoes he wore.

Genma's most prominent feature was a bandana for Konoha that was tied around his head in a reverse fashion. Finally, Genma was also chewing on a wooden toothpick while a dark blue collar was wrapped around his neck.

"Choza-Sensei will be fine!" Guy proclaimed before giving a confident thumbs up with his right hand.

Several minutes ago, team 8 and their Sensei, Choza Akimichi, were ambushed by a fierce collection of Jounin and Chunin-level opponents. The ambush caused Choza to directly confront these attacking ninja while ordering his students to retreat.

"He's an elite member of the Akimichi clan, don't worry about him!" While shouting, Guy continued to leap across various tree branches.

Guy was so distracted by his 'cool' personality that his feet tripped over an approaching tree branch. Guy then plummeted through the air before face planting a nearby portion of tree roots and earth.

This action force Genma and Ebisu to both sigh with defeat before jumping to the ground and landing beside Guy. Afterwards, Guy pulled his face from the ground before gagging and spewing several chunks of dirt from his mouth.

A brief period of laughter and innocence then filled the air as Genma and Ebisu both chuckled at Guy. After several moments, these Genin gasped with shock as a group of distorted shadows and silhouettes came into view.

Each of these silhouettes were resting atop a formation of rocks while nearby tree branches hung through the air overhead. Also, a faint layer of mist and fog partially concealed these figures from view before fully dissipating.

"No way..." Genma muttered, causing his toothpick to fall to the ground.

"Ar-... Aren't they the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?!" Ebisu stuttered.

"So, even brats from other villages know who we are?" The harsh and veteran voice of Jūzō Biwa spoke out.

Jūzō was an extremely tall 22 year old man with tan skin, as tall as the legendary Kubikiribōchō that was stabbed into the ground beside him. This sword revealed Jūzō's true identity, he was the predecessor of Zabuza Momochi, a demonic child that just graduated to the rank of Genin.

Jūzō was a scarred figure with various burn-marks across both hands, drawing attention to the cross-shaped scar on his right cheek. Also, Jūzō had several lines of blood-like liquid painted around his mouth, revealing his shark-like teeth.

Jūzō's outfit consisted of a sleeveless black vest that matched the pair of forearm sleeves he wore, concealing everything between his elbows and hands. He also had a bundle of white linen fabric wrapped around his neck and ears, concealing them from view.

Finally, Jūzō wore a pair of ankle-length black pants that matched his shinobi shoes and his short spiky black hair. Jūzō's most prominent feature was the headband of Kiri that was tied around his forehead while an ocean blue sash hung limp from his waist.

"We've gotten pretty famous..." While speaking, Jūzō narrowed each of his eyes.

At this moment, Jūzō abruptly reached out with his left hand before pulling his revered Kubikiribōchō from the ground with one arm. Afterwards, Jūzō lifted this sacred blade high into the air while smiling in a sadistic fashion, drawing attention to his shark-like teeth.

"It's slight! But my blade has gotten chipped from killing so many shinobi." As Jūzō spoke, his tone was incredibly dark and twisted.

"I'll have to let it suck on blood and restore it with iron!" While shouting, Ebisu, Genma and Guy all narrowed their eyes with concern.

Soon, Guy began to grind his teeth together while drops of sweat swelled atop his forehead before dripping across his face. At the same time, Ebisu's panicked eyes were concealed by the black sunglasses that he always wore.

"Don't play with your food." The stern voice of a 19 year old man spoke out.

"If you give away any of our vital secrets, I'll kill you." While speaking, the sacred blade known as Samehada can into view.

This blade was strapped in a vertical fashion against the shinobi's back, revealing his true identity as Fuguki Suikazan. Despite his young age, Fuguki was an extremely tall and fat man, easily the 2nd tallest member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Fuguki's most prominent feature was his fish-like appearance, drawing attention to his round black eyes and shark-like teeth. This appearance was very common for members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, a result of the sacred blades that they carried.

Fuguki had waist-length orange hair with a pair of buns on top that were held in place by various pins and needles. This brought attention to Fuguki's pale-skinned face, a face with six green stripes that were painted in a slanted vertical fashion across his cheeks.

Fuguki's attire consisted of an ankle-length striped jumpsuit from Kiri worn underneath a knee-length white robe. Because this jumpsuit was from Kiri, it gave off a mud-like camouflage with a tint of pale blue.

Finally, Fuguki wore a pair of grey shinobi shoes, extremely rare in other countries but very common inside the Land of Mist. These shoes deeply contrasted the scarf of white linen fabric that was wrapped around Fuguki's neck.

"Yo, yo, yo!" The harsh voice of a 26 year old man shouted.

"Let me kill these kids, I'm itching for some blood." As this man spoke, he unsheathed his sacred blade known as Shibuki.

Shibuki was an extremely odd blade that was shaped like a scroll, allowing its user to utilize various explosion tags in combat. The blade itself had two distinct sides, one with a narrow cutting edge and the other with a scroll-like platform that created explosive tags.

This blade revealed the true identity of the harsh shinobi, he was Jinpachi Munashi, a sadistic Jounin from Kiri. Even among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Jinpachi was extremely cruel and twisted, he even killed his older brother just to become a member of the seven swordsmen.

Jinpachi was a fair-skinned man with shoulder-length brown hair that frame either side of his face. This hair was connected to a well groomed beard that was adorned with various green beads, contrasting his pale-skinned lips.

Jinpachi wore the headband of Kiri tied tightly around his forehead, drawing attention to the black eyepatch worn over his left eye. Also, the top of Jinpachi's head and the entirety of his neck was completely concealed and wrapped in various white linen bandages.

Similar to all swordsmen of the mist, Jinpachi possessed shark-like teeth, contrasting his round and purple right eye. His most prominent feature was a series of scars and burn marks across both arms, the result of fighting with Shibuki.

Jinpachi's outfit consisted of an extremely loose long-sleeved tan shirt with vertical black strips. Finally, Jinpachi wore black pants with a pair of blue shinobi shoes that matched the plates of blue tinted shin-guards worn over each leg.

"Do whatever you want... But let me hold a funeral afterwards..." The calm voice of a 17 year old Raiga Kurosuki interjected.

Raiga was the newest member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, replacing the previous member known as Ameyuri Ringo. Unlike all other swordsmen, Raiga didn't earn his place in the group through a battle of Kenjutsu.

Instead, Raiga replaced Ameyuri after she died from a fierce and chronic disease, a disease with no known cure. Because of this unearned entry into the group, combined with his young age, many of Raiga's fellow swordsmen considered him to be the weakest member of their group.

Raiga's outfit consisted of a blue-tinted Kimono that was held in place with a purple sash, holding the twin blades of Kiba against his waist. Also, Raiga wore a pair of blue shinobi shoes with several pierces of white linen fabric wrapped around each of his arms.

Unlike the other swordsmen, Raiga didn't have any linen fabric wrapped around his neck or face, symbolizing his fresh entry into the group. However, Raiga was completely unconcerned about the opinions of his fellow swordsmen, he just wanted to find his purpose in life.

At this moment, a gangling silhouette abruptly stood up before towering over each of the nearby swordsmen. This silhouette belonged to Kushimaru Kuriarare, an elite Jounin from Kiri that stood over 7ft tall, the tallest member of the seven swordsmen.

Kushimaru had an extremely slim figure with thin limbs that stretched out in horrifying length, giving him a ghastly appearance. This nightmarish figure was magnified by Kushimaru's shoulder-length, shaggy and pale blond hair that enveloped the Anbu mask he wore.

This mask had the symbol for Kiri engraved upon its forehead, but Kushimaru's hair completely concealed it from view. Also, the lower portion of this mask had a dark green triangle over Kushimaru's concealed mouth.

Kushimaru's attire consisted of a sleeveless black shirt that matched his ankle-length pants and the steel waist-guard around his hips. Also, Kushimaru wore a pair of blue-tinted sleeves around both forearms and shins, matching his blue shinobi shoes.

Similar to the other swordsmen, Kushimaru had several layers of white linen fabric wrapped around his neck and collarbone. Several pieces of this fabric were hanging loose, decorating various portions of his shirt and shoulders.

Suddenly, a deep and sadistic chuckle radiated out from behind Kushimaru's mask as both his shoulders began to rise and fall several times. Soon, this chuckle evolved into a chaotic laugh as Kushimaru unsheathed his legendary blade, the blade known as Nuibari.

Nuibari was a guard-less sword with a circular blade, basically just a large needle with layers of blue fabric wrapped around the hilt. There was also a circular eye located at the hilt of Nuibari with a large bundle of metal thread tied to it.

"Let me pierce their flesh..." The 24 year old Kushimaru groaned with delight.

"Back off! I called dibs!" Jinpachi protested.

"Calm down, children." The veteran voice of a 41 year old shinobi spoke out.

This voice belonged to Jinin Akebino, the oldest and wisest among all seven swordsmen, acting as their leader. Jinin was the only living member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen that lived long enough to actually remember the 2nd Mizukage, the strongest Mizukage in shinobi history.

Jinin was a short man with fair-skin and a well groomed goatee that matched his shoulder-length brown, contrasting the bandana of Kiri worn over his forehead. The top of this bandana had a hole cut through in, allowing Jinin to tie his brown hair into a topknot.

Similar to Kushimaru, Jinin wore a sleeveless black shirt that matched his black pants and the steel waist-guard he wore. Also, Jinin wore an identical pair of blue tinted sleeves around both forearms and shins, a trademark piece of fabric from Kiri.

Jinin's most prominent features were his large nose and the waist-length grey poncho he wore, concealing a majority of his chest. This brought attention to an intense bundle of white linen fabric that was wrapped around Jinin's neck, matching his shark-like teeth in color and tone.

"Let them play, they remind me of my kid." The elderly voice of a 35 year old man spoke out.

This man was known as Yusame Hoshigaki, the father to a 15 year old Kisame Hoshigaki, a high ranking Chunin from the village of Kiri. Yusame was an elite Jounin-level swordsmen from the Land of Mist with over 30 years of experience as a shinobi.

Yusame was the 3rd tallest member of the seven ninja swordsmen with fair skin and round, blue eyes. These eyes brought attention to Yusame's shark-like teeth, an identifying trademark for all seven swordsmen.

Similar to Fuguki, Yusame wore a full-bodied blue jumpsuit with vertical black stripes sprawled across it. Over this, Yusame wore a sleeveless grey flak jacket with various pouches and satchels tied across his waist.

Yusame also wore a pair of blue shinobi shoes that matched the fabric on his headband of Kiri, a headband that was tied around his neck. Underneath this headband, several layers of white linen were also wrapped around Yusame's neck, contrasting his short brown hair that was cut into a point.

The sacred blade known as Hiramekarei was also strapped against Yusame's back in a slanted vertical fashion. This weapon was completely covered in a dense layer of white linen bandages with two golden hilts protruding from it.

Hiramekarei was an extremely odd shaped sword with a wide and flat blade that could detach from each other at will. Similar to Kiba, this blade was sometimes called the twin blades of Hiramekarei, a title earned from its high versatility in combat.

"I go first, I need to bathe my weapon in blood." Jūzō groaned with delight.

Soon, a tense period of silence filled the air as all three Genin from team Choza began to sweat with disbelief. After several moments, Guy clenched both fists as the concealed face of a 12 year old Kakashi drifted though his mind.

"What'll we do...?" Genma whispered under his breath.

"We can't take them on by ourselves..." Ebisu mumbled.

While this conversation unfolded, Guy was filled with pure shame, embarrassed that his flame of youth didn't burn bright enough. No matter what Guy did, he was nothing compared to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

The seven ninja swordsmen were an extremely lethal and deadly group of shinobi from Kiri, the most iconic group from the Land of Mist. Each of these swordsmen were easily Jounin-level while some of them were even Kage-level.

Suddenly, portions of nearby earth abruptly cracked and splintered as the blurred silhouette of an unknown man landed in front of team Choza. This silhouette belonged to Might Duy, a 35 year old Genin who was engulfed in a tangible aura of green chakra that pulsated around his body.

The green chakra that radiated out from Duy was a result of the Gate of Healing, the 2nd gate that was used in the Eight Gates technique. This was a level of Taijutsu that very few people even knew about, but Might Duy managed to completely master the S-rank technique, a forbidden technique.

Similar to Might Guy, Duy wore a full-bodied green outfit that contrasted his blue eyes, shinobi shoes and the headband of Konoha around his waist. Also, Duy had fair skin with ear-length black hair that matched his bushy eyebrows, moustache and soul-patch.

Duy's most prominent feature was the bright orange scarf that was wrapped around his neck, matching his orange leg warmers. However, these pieces of fabric were violently rustling and wavering under the intense breeze from Duy's charka.

"I made it just in time!" Duy proclaimed.

"F-... Father!" Guy stuttered.

This sudden appearance forced Ebisu and Genma to both gasp with shock before glancing at each other. At the same time, Jūzō and Kushimaru both chuckled with a sadistic tone, eager to spill more blood.

"What're you doing here, father?!" As Guy spoke, his hair rustled under the intense breeze from Duy's chakra.

"Don't worry about that... Just run away, go find Choza." Duy exclaimed.

"I'll buy you some time." After speaking, these words forced Guy to gasp with disbelief.

"Run away!? But father!" Guy protested.

"You're just a Genin! And they're the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from the Mist!" While shouting, Guy's hair continued to waver under Duy's chakra.

"You're no match for them!" After Guy spoke, a tense silence filled the air.

At this moment, Guy's mouth fell open while both eyes bulged after Duy's left hand gave him a thumbs up. Afterwards, Duy turned his face just enough to glance at Guy before smiling with joy and love.

"I'm following my self-rule." Duy explained, causing his son to dramatically gasp.

An extensive silence then pierced the air as green chakra continued to radiate and swish around Duy's body. After several seconds, the giggling silhouette of Kushimaru appeared behind team Choza before raising his sacred Nuibari into the air.

Kushimaru then thrust his needle-like sword forward before Duy's left foot kicked the approaching blade at the last moment. This kick unleashed a minor shockwave of chakra that rippled out, cracking sections of nearby earth.

Soon, these shockwaves collided against the three Genin from team Choza, flinging each of them back against nearby trees. Duy then clenched his right fist before plunging it into the ground, shattering a significant portion of the earth.

This punch uprooted several chunks of rock and stone while Kushimaru leapt back before landing on top of a nearby tree branch. At the same time, Genma rushed up to Ebisu and Guy before encouraging them to leave.

A giggling Jūzō then appeared beside each of these Genin before raising his sacred Kubikiribōchō high into the air. Jūzō then swung this legendary weapon down in a vertically slash before Duy appeared underneath it.

A minor shockwave of green chakra then radiated out from Duy before launching his left foot out in a fierce uppercut. This kick managed to completely snapped Kubikiribōchō in half before colliding against Jūzō's jawline.

Jūzō then flew back over 10ft before smashing against a tree while the broken half of Kubikiribōchō fell to the ground. Afterwards, the panicked Genin from team Choza scrambled to stand up before retreating towards a nearby tree-line.

Soon, the silhouette's of Jinpachi and Raiga appeared in the air above team Choza before raising each of their sacred weapons. During this, Duy clenched both fists before sections of nearby earth abruptly cracked.

"The 3rd gate... Gate of Life, OPEN!" Duy's voice echoed through the air, magnified by a shockwave of green chakra.

Suddenly, Duy's entire body was flooded with an increased flow of blood, forcing his skin to turn bright red while both eyes became solid white. Duy then surged across the ground with an insane level of speed, uprooting portions of nearby earth with each footstep.

Raiga barely had enough time to turn around before a fierce punch from Duy struck his chest with Kage-level strength. This punch torn straight through Raiga's kimono before carving a permanent scar across his chest.

The impact of this punch then knocked Raiga backwards before he flipped and twirled through the air for several feet. Afterwards, Raiga crashed through a dense oak tree, snapping the large piece of timber before it fell on top of him.

Jinpachi then landed on the ground before slicing his revered Shibuki blade through the air in a horizontal fashion at Duy. As this sword approached, several dozen explosive tags spewed out from the scroll-shaped blade.

Each of these tags then radiated with a fiery aura before erupting into a consecutive series of smoke-filled explosions. At the last moment, Duy clapped both hands together, creating an intense shockwave of green chakra that rippled out in every direction.

These shockwaves managed to effortlessly overwhelm the approaching explosions, disrupting the smoke-filled air. At the same time, several chunks of nearby earth and stone were uprooted before flying backwards through the air.

As these shockwaves continued to radiate out, the young members of team Choza could be seen jumping through a distant tree-line. Soon, the concerned face of Might Guy glanced back at his battling father before disappearing from view.

Suddenly, the sacred blade of Nuibari was hurled through the air at Duy, magnified by Kushimaru's twisted and sadistic laughter. However, Duy casually kicked this legendary blade away with his left foot, creating a minor shockwave of green chakra in the process.

At this moment, a visible thread of metal flickered into view, the sewing thread that connected Kushimaru to his revered Nuibari. Kushimaru then used this thread to pull his legendary Nuibari through the air before grabbing it with both hands.

After several moments, Kushimaru entered a crouched stance while pointing to tip of his needle-like blade at Duy. During this, Jinpachi and Jūzō both appeared behind Duy before raising each of their sacred blades into the air.

Jinpachi, Jūzō and Kushimaru then each launched towards Duy from various angles, creating a lethal combination of Kage-level Kenjutsu. As these sacred blades approached, portions of nearby earth abruptly cracked before small pebbles began to float through the air.

As these pebbles polluted the air, Duy's veins began to bulge and protrude across his red-skinned face and neck. While this occurred, Duy's feet dug into the ground, creating several cracks and splinters under the weight of his chakra.

"The 4th gate... Gate of Pain, OPEN!" Duy's pain-filled voice echoed through the air, instantly shattering the nearby pebbles.

Duy's declaration also unleashed a significant shockwave of green chakra that radiated out in all directions. This Kage-level amount of chakra then pushed each of the attacking swordsmen back while uprooting several boulders in the process.

One of these boulders then floated through the air in front of Duy, polluting his field of vision for a brief period of time. Moving with Kage-level speed, Duy clenched his right fist, popping various joints and muscles under the weight of his strength.

Duy then plunged his chakra infused fist against the boulder in front of him, instantly shattering the large rock into thousands of pebbles. These pebbles were then launched through the air by a dense shockwave of Duy's chakra, acting like stone bullets.

These bullets sprayed and spewed across a portion of earth before slowly approaching Jūzō, causing him to briefly gasp. Afterwards, Jūzō giggled with delight before deflecting an intense barrage of stone bullets with his Kubikiribōchō.

A tense and awkward period of silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of Duy's resonating aura of green chakra. During this silence, the young silhouette of Raiga pulled himself loose from a collapsed tree before snarling.

After several moments of silence, all Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist began to intently focus on Duy. At the same time, the smiling and youthful face of Might Guy continuously drifted through Duy's mind.

"Oh... I've heard about you..." Fuguki groaned while crossing both arms in front of his obese stomach.

"You're the eternal Genin from Konoha... Might Duy." As Fuguki spoke, streams of blood poured from the wound across Raiga's chest.

"The eternal Genin? I heard he can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." Jinpachi interjected.

That skin color and strength... Is he using _that_ technique?! Jinin panicked internally, the only swordsmen who was old enough to understand.

"You're right... I can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu..." Duy admitted with low tone.

"Just a Genin?! HAH." Jūzō scoffed.

"I was hoping for a real opponent... Like Sakumo Hatake, that man is a genius." As Jūzō spoke, his words caused Duy to visible tense.

"The White Fang of Konoha? I thought he died a few years ago?" Yusame interjected with an inquisitive tone.

"A genius, huh?" Duy mumbled while his aura of chakra continued to pulsate.

"What does that mean? 'Genius'?" While speaking, the air around Duy became dense and heavy.

"I wasn't born with a whole lot of natural talent, I wasn't gifted like Sakumo…" As Duy spoke, he briefly downcast his face before staring at the ground.

"But none of that matters! Because I work hard and I never give up! That is my gift; that is my ninja way!" After shouting, the aura of Duy's chakra doubled in size.

At this moment, a intense gust of wind blew in from the east, causing several leaves to dance and float through the air around Duy. Each of these leaves were young and fresh green leaves of youth, matching Duy's chakra in color and tone.

Soon, the sound of breaking bones and tearing muscles could be heard as Duy's vein became flooded with a Kage-level amount of chakra. At the same time, the beautiful face of Duy's wife floated through his mind, a woman would died giving birth to Guy.

Because of her sudden death, Duy was briefly left a scarred and broken man, unwilling to continue without the woman he once loved. However, Guy gave him a renewed sense of vigor and youth, a sense of pride and love that would never fade.

Suddenly, Jūzō leapt into the air before slicing his half-broken Kubikiribōchō down through the air in a vertical slash. As this weapon approached, Duy casually deflected it with the back of his hand before headbutting Jūzō.

During this confrontation, Jinpachi, Kushimaru and Yusame each appeared behind Duy while giggling with a unique and twisted laughter. This lethal combination of Kenjutsu caused Duy to turn around before struggling to deflect and parry each of these attacks with his bare hands.

Duy was so distracted by the consecutive attacks from three separate swordsmen that he failed to block a fierce strike from Jūzō. This attack cut a giant gash across Duy's back, tearing through the fabric of his outfit before Kubikiribōchō soaked in his blood, rebuilding sections of the blade.

A chaotic shockwave of green chakra then radiated out from Duy, knocking back each of the attacking swordsmen. Afterwards, portions of nearby earth abruptly cracked before dozens of pebbles floated through the air, polluting it for several seconds.

"The 5th gate... Gate of Closing, OPEN!" Duy's voice echoed through the air, magnified by the sound of snapping bones.

Soon, Fuguki appeared beside Duy before raising his sacred Samehada blade into the air while smiling. The obese swordsmen then hurled this bandaged weapon down at full strength before Duy kicked the approaching blade.

The force of this collision carved a shallow crater in the ground, spewing several chunks of rock, earth and pebbles into the air. Afterwards, Duy utilized his Kage-level strength to kick Fuguki's sacred blade away before preforming several backflips across the ground.

While flipping across the earth, Duy leapt over various attacks from Kushimaru, Jūzō and Yusame, displaying a vast amount of speed. At the last moment, Jinpachi appeared behind Duy before slicing his revered Shibuki blade out in a horizontal slash.

As this blade approached, Duy used his right foot to unleash a fierce uppercut against Jinpachi, launching him into the air. This kick also managed to disarm Jinpachi, knocking his sacred Shibuki blade to the ground.

At this moment, a collection of four sacred blades were sliced out towards Duy from various different directions and angles. However, each of these attacks completely missed Duy after he jumped over 20ft into the air.

While hovering, Duy contorted his body before kicking a nearby Jinpachi directly in the stomach, knocking him higher into the air. Duy then unleashed a consecutive and impressive series of kicks upon Jinpachi before both of them hovered above the tree-line.

Suddenly, Duy drifted through the air before grabbing Jinpachi's back and wrapping both arms around him. After several moments, Duy and Jinpachi before flipped over in midair before directing their heads towards the ground.

Soon, Duy and Jinpachi began to rapidly spin with an intense amount of speed, distorting their faces into a blurred and hazy image. During this high-level display of velocity, Duy and Jinpachi flew towards the earth while gaining speed with each second that passed.

These shinobi were spinning with such high rotation that minor shockwaves of wind and chakra radiated out from them. At the same time, Jinin gasped with shock while staring at Duy, fully aware of the elite Taijutsu technique that he was using.

"HIDDEN LOTUS!" The enraged voice of Duy pierced the air before slamming into the ground.

This impact forced the nearby earth to quake and rumble as various portions of dirt and rock were instantly uprooted. Afterwards, a dense cloud of dust and debris filled the air for several minutes before dissipating.

As this dust continued to pollute the air, Jinin released an inquisitive hum while Kushimaru giggled in a sadistic tone. Soon, the cloud of debris faded away before a panting Duy came into view.

Duy's previous aura of green chakra had dissipated while his skin reverted back to its normal tone and color. Also, the limp corpse of Jinpachi was protruding out from the ground while his head was completely concealed from view.

After several moments, the sound of bones snapping and muscles tearing could be heard as Duy struggled to move. While this occurred, Jūzō's tongue briefly licked his lips before revealing a shark-like smile.

"Nice job! I hated that guy!" Jūzō chuckled.

"It looks like you've reached your limit..." Jinin muttered.

"This was just a hopeless display... I'm ready for your funeral." Raiga exclaimed before wiping blood from the wound on his chest.

"Such a waste... You're just a Genin who's daydreaming about a failed wish." Yusame remarked.

"We're the Seven Ninja Swordsmen... It'll take a lot more than some average Genin to defeat us." Fuguki interjected.

This collection of words forced Duy to dramatically clench both fists while the smiling face of Might Guy drifted through his mind. During this, the sound of breaking bones and tearing muscles could be heard as Duy's entire body twitched with pain.

"It's true that our dreams and wishes do fail, sometimes..." Duy mumbled with a low tone.

"But... Everything we dream about, must always begin with a simple wish." While speaking, Duy used his right hand to tear off a significant portion of his jumpsuit.

This action removed the entire left sleeve of Duy's outfit and a vast amount of his torso, drawing attention to his scarred chest. These scars were a result of Duy's decade-long training, training that was far beyond an average Genin.

My son... A single phrased echoed through Duy's mind.

Live a long life and eat plenty of vegetables, they're an important part of your youth. While thinking these thoughts, Duy raised right hand in front of his chest.

Also get plenty of sleep and exercise… You'll need it if you want to defeat your rival. As these thoughts raced, the young and concealed face of Kakashi pierced Duy's mind.

At this moment, Duy dramatically pressed his thumb into his chest, piercing the internal chakra network around his heart. Afterwards, a pulsating aura of green chakra once again flickered into existence around Duy's body.

After several moments, Duy's skin once again turned solid red as his veins violently bulged and protruded. At the same time, the sound of snapping bones mixed together with tearing muscles, polluting the air with a ghastly sound.

My son... It's finally time for a true victory... These thoughts were followed by an aura of red chakra that slowly oozed out from Duy's heart.

Because a true victory isn't beating someone who's strong... It's being able to protect someone who is important to you. After these thoughts raced, Duy's hair and eyebrows turned solid red, taking on a fiery-like appearance.

Suddenly, Duy's previous aura of chakra morphed and discolored into a bright aura of crimson red, the color of blood. During this, portions of nearby earth and trees were instantly crushed under the weight of Duy's chakra.

"The 8th gate... Gate of Death, OPEN!" Duy howled with a tone of youth and vigor.

This declaration created a major shockwave of heated wind and debris that rippled out in all directions. Soon, this wind collided against the six remaining swordsmen from the mist, causing their hair to rustle in the breeze.

Raiga then gasped with shock after staring at Duy's crimson aura, leaving him utterly speechless by the strange technique. While this occurred, Jūzō and Kushimaru were both groaning with delight while holding their sacred blades.

"Red chakra... A unique trait that occurs when all eight gates are opened... I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes." Jinin exclaimed, displaying a great amount of knowledge.

"It looks like blood." Fuguki muttered.

"Nah... It kinda looks like fresh autumn leaves to me." Yusame chuckled.

"You're right... The leaves of autumn burn bright with a fiery red aura..." Duy admitted.

"And that bright color is the result of youth! Bursting and burning for its final climax, before a new leaf takes its place!" While shouting, the nearby air was polluted with extreme heat.

At this moment, Duy instantly appeared in front of the elite swordsmen with a display of speed beyond Kage-level. Duy then launched his left foot forward in midair, creating a tornado-like vortex that rushed towards the elite swordsmen.

A majority of these swordsmen struggled to dodge this vortex before Raiga took a direct impact from this fierce attack. This vortex then slammed Raiga backwards over 20ft, crashing him to crash through various trees in the process.

As Raiga hovered backwards, Duy unleashed a consecutive barrages of chakra-filled fists through the air. These punches were so fast that they created friction with the air, producing several hundreds fireballs from Taijutsu alone, a God-like display.

Dozens of these fireballs then collided against portions of Raiga's chest and neck, permanently scarring him for the rest of his life. After several moments, Raiga slammed against a collection of three separate trees before they all fell on top of him.

Suddenly, the sacred blade of Samehada broke free from its bandages before Fuguki sliced it through the air. Samehada then collided against dozens of fireballs before attempting to absorb their chakra.

However, these fireballs weren't made of chakra, they were created from a pure display of Taijutsu. Because of this, Samehada's strange mouth gagged with disgust while dozens of purple scales twitched under the intense heat.

Soon, the bandages around the legendary Hiramekarei blade were dissolved underneath a pulsating aura of blue chakra. During this, Yusame tightened his grip on both hilts of his sacred weapon before slicing it through the air in a horizontal slash.

This action created a dense shockwave of blue chakra that surged towards Duy, cracking the ground underneath its weight. As this shockwave approached, Duy stomped both feet into the ground, shattering it in the process.

"HIRUDORA!" Duy's voice pierced the air before clapping both hands together in a reversed angle.

This action created an insane amount of air pressure that polluted the air around Duy, so much pressure that it even became tangible. This pressure then took on the appearance of a white tiger's head while Duy's red chakra illuminated both eyes.

Duy then weaved both hands into the tiger seal before directing his finger tips at Yusame. Afterwards, these fingers tips glowed with a bright red aura before Duy's white tiger unhinged its jawline and began to roar.

This roar uprooted sections of nearby earth before the massive tiger head surged across the ground with a Sage-level display of speed. This tiger moved with such speed that Yusame barely had enough time to gasp before his entire body was swallowed under the weight of Duy's attack.

Soon, Yusame's body was crushed by the intense air pressure inside Duy's technique before being slamming through various trees. After several moments, Yusame's torso was impaled through a fallen tree branch, spewing blood in every direction.

Suddenly, Jūzō and Kushimaru both appeared behind Duy before slicing their sacred blades out in different angles. Despite their silence, Duy instantly turned around before clenching both fists, cracking various bones in the process.

"SEKIZO!" Duy's voice once again pierced the air before unleashing a condensed barrage of punches.

These punches created a tornado-like vortex of swirling wind that surged towards Kushimaru and Jūzō, cracking the ground underneath them. At the last moment, Kushimaru barely managed to dodge this fierce display of Taijutsu before Jūzō took several direct hits.

These vortex's then hurled Jūzō backwards before he slammed through various trees, dropping his sacred Kubikiribōchō on impact. Afterwards, Kushimaru lunged towards Duy while laughing with a sadistic and twisted tone.

Duy then surged past Kushimaru with a Sage-level display of speed, completely bisecting the elite swordsmen with a kick from his right foot. This kick separated Kushimaru's body at the waist before his limp corpse fell to the ground with a hollow thud.

After preforming this God-like kick, Duy landed on the ground before his entire right ankle abruptly shattered under the weight of his chakra. This action unleashed a crippling surge of pain through Duy's body as he grinded his teeth together, causing steam to pour from his mouth.

Soon, a shocked Jinin and Fuguki came into view as they stood on the edge of a nearby tree-line. After spotting these shinobi, Duy coughed up a severe amount of blood before falling on both knees.

Suddenly, the amount of heat from Duy's chakra began to burn and scorch portions of his jumpsuit and outfit. At the same time, various streams of sweat began to drip across Duy's solid red face as he gasped for air.

My son... Forgive me. A single phrase echoed through Duy's mind before pressing both hands against the ground, eating an animal-like stance.

"Charge..." Duy mumbled, creating a chaotic explosion of red chakra.

This explosion carved a small crater into the earth around Duy before a geyser of red chakra spewed into the air. Afterwards, a intense shockwave of dust and debris rippled out from this geyser, forcing Jinin and Fuguki to hold both arms in front of their eyes while squinting.

"This is getting bad..." Fuguki stuttered as various pebbles flew past his face and large body.

"Don't tell me... He has something even greater than his previous techniques?! Jinin panicked.

After several moments, Fuguki and Jinin both gasped with shock after Duy raised his face, revealing various lava-like cracks across his skin. This lava-like appearance was magnified by Duy's red hair and eyebrows as they both violently rustled under his chakra.

Soon, various boulders and portions of earth were lifted into the air as Duy's chakra morphed into dragon-like face. The heat from this chakra instantly scorched nearby trees before the dragon-like face unleashed a terrifying roar.

As this roar echoed through the air, a panicked Jinin glanced from side-to-side, staring at the various corpses of his fallen swordsmen. Afterwards, Jinin raised his sacred Kabutowari into the air before charging at Duy.

"Run, Fuguki! Get out of here!" As Jinin shouted these orders, he continued to charge forward.

Fuguki then gasped with shock before a tense period of hesitation followed as Jinin charged towards Duy. After shaking this hesitation from his mind, Fuguki sheathed his legendary Samehada across his back before running away.

While running Fuguki spotted Raiga's arm hanging out from a dense collection of nearby trees. This sight inspired the elite swordsmen to pull an unconscious Raiga free from the ground with one arm.

Fuguki's left hand then picked up each of Raiga's twin blades before glancing back at Jinin with one eye. Suddenly, a chaotic explosion of red chakra erupted from Duy before he surged at Jinin with a display of speed beyond Sage-level.

This explosion caused Fuguki to run away at full speed while a partially burnt Raiga dangled underneath his right arm. As these two shinobi disappeared into a nearby tree-line, a mountain-sized crater was abruptly carved into the earth as Duy and Jinin collided with each other.

Even though Raiga was extremely burnt and injured, he still clung to the conscious world, fully aware of his surroundings. This gave Raiga a series of traumatic memories and scars, a collection of wounds that would haunt him for the rest of his life.


	85. Chapter 85

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Yvan475 - T** **he only people who think Hashirama is stronger than Hiruzen are people who think Naruto Shippuden is better than Naruto Part 1. With this being said,** **Naruto Shippuden is roughly 67% hot fucking garbage, so of course I'm trying to put distance between this story and Shippuden.**

 **You expect me to make the same dogshit retcons and retarded mistakes that Kishimoto did, and that's depressing. It was clearly confirmed in Part 1 Naruto that Hiruzen was the 2nd strongest Hokage. (Iruka even claimed that he was the strongest Hokage overall, better than Minato)**

 **Part 1 Naruto is the priority in terms of lore, because of this, every thing from Shippuden is irrelevant in comparison. Hiruzen is the victim of several retcons from Shippuden that polluted his power level, but since a majority of Shippuden is garbage, none of that retconned bullshit is relevant.**

 **In regards to the 4th Shinobi World War and the HashiramaxMadara shit, that entire arc is dogshit. There were so many plot holes and retcons in that arc that the entire thing is just a pile of dogshit, even if I took it seriously, Hiruzen was an absolute God in that arc so my argument still stands.**

 **It was confirmed in Part 1 Naruto (by Kabuto) that Hiruzen mastered EVERY technique in Konoha, every. single. fucking. one. That means Hiruzen should know Flying Thunder God and the Rasengan, and that isn't head canon, that's how powerful Hiruzen was originally written to be by Kishimoto.**

 **We as the reader didn't understand how powerful the Flying Thunder God or even the Rasengan was back then. However, it was still confirmed that Hiruzen learned every single technique from Konoha, if a technique existed in Konoha, then Hiruzen learned it.**

 **It is extremely important to understand just how powerful Hiruzen was originally hyped up to be. I'm not polluting Hiruzen with head canon, I'm giving him the same hype and wankage that Kishimoto did in Part 1 Naruto.**

 **The vast majority of your review focuses around Shippuden retcons, retcons that aren't relevant to this story** **. If you want to talk about Madara/Hashirama in Part 1 Naruto, that's completely different, but don't pollute this story with retconned bullshit from Shippuden.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 85: A Cherry Blossom Blooms Twice! Confrontation: Shark Vs Monkey.**

 _Sunday 5:17pm, June 25th 58SSP._

A sweating Raiga sat up from a poorly-crafted wooden bed that was filled with cheap hay and a tattered blanket. This bed was located inside a house of Katabami, one of the few houses that managed to survive Deidara's concentrated explosions.

Soon, the sound of construction could be heard from outside as Rokusuke directed various citizens while rebuilding their town. At the same time, the faint silhouette of a setting sun was piercing through a nearby glass window, a window with several holes in it.

Raiga then pressed both hands against his bandaged wrapped chest, a chest that was scarred with various burns and wounds from his battle against Might Duy. After several moments, the consecutive sound of various footsteps could be heard from outside Raiga's house.

"Will he be okay?" Ranmaru asked with a quiet tone.

"Lady Tsunade is the finest medical Kunoichi around. I'm sure he'll be just fine." Shizune exclaimed.

"Making a cure for his poison took longer than I expected... But he should make a full recovery." Tsunade explained.

Suddenly, the sound of metal piercing wood could be heard as Sakura perfectly hurled a handful of senbon against a nearby tree. Each of these senbon were illuminated by an emerald glow of chakra, the concentrated chakra of Sakura.

"Now use your fist." Tsunade ordered before sitting down on a poorly-crafted wooden bench.

The sound of popping joints then echoed through the air as Sakura violently clenched her right fist, creating a tangible aura of chakra. The 13 year old kunoichi then stomped both feet across the grass-covered earth before charging at the house-sized cedar tree.

"Chaaa!" Sakura unleashed her iconic growl before hurling her fist against the tree.

Despite her best attempt, Sakura barely managed to create a minor hole in the tree, earning a dramatic gasp from Tsunade. Sakura then slid down on both knees before sighing with defeat as she downcast her head.

"This is so hard..." While mumbling these words, the face of Sasuke drifted through Sakura's mind.

This adorable image gave Sakura an intense surge of strength, forcing her to abruptly stand up before funneling chakra into her right foot. Sakura then utilized this chakra by kicking the large tree in half with one strike.

Shizune then gasped with shock before the large tree fell through the air, crushing a nearby fence as it collided with the ground. At the same time, Ranmaru awed with admiration as he glanced at Sakura while blushing.

At this moment, the front door to the nearby house slowly opened before Raiga limped out with a calm-expression on his face. This action earned a consecutive series of joyful laughs from Ranmaru as he ran towards Raiga with both arms outstretched.

Raiga and Ranmaru then embraced each other with a loving hug as the latter continued to laugh with joy. As this occurred, Tonton ran out of the house before violently sniffing each of Raiga's feet.

"I don't think you should be walking around so soon..." Shizune exclaimed with pure concern.

"I'll be fine... Me and Ranmaru should move on from this village anyway." Raiga interjected.

"Move on?! You're a wanted criminal! What makes you think you'll get past me?!" Sakura shouted.

Suddenly, Tsunade pulled a massive brown sack loose from her breasts before jiggling it through the air. This sack was filled with over a hundred golden Ryo, a fine ransom that could easily buy a small village.

"I've already gotten paid, so I couldn't care less." Tsunade explained.

This declaration created a sour expression across Sakura's face before she crossed both arms in front of her nonexistent chest. During this, Ranmaru continued to blush as he stared at Sakura, fascinated by her green eyes and pink hair.

"What's your name, kid?" Raiga asked before towering over Sakura.

This question earned a confident scoff in response as Sakura used her right hand to dramatically poke Raiga's nose. While this occurred, Tonton was oinking several times in the background as Shizune fed her various pig snacks.

"My name is Sakura Haruno! And I'm gonna be an awesome kunoichi!" Sakura declared with a confident smile.

"You seem like a runt..." Raiga muttered.

This statement forced Sakura to violently face plant the ground before both arms twitched for several moments. Afterwards, Sakura pushed her twitching face from the earth before snarling at Raiga.

"You sound just like Zabuza!" Sakura shrieked, earning a condescending glare in response.

At this moment, Raiga's right hand gently patted Sakura on top of her head before smiling down at her. At the same time, Ranmaru was twirling his index fingers together in a fashion very similar to Hinata.

"But you're pretty tough, kid... If you stay on this path, you'll become a fine kunoichi." Raiga complimented.

"I heard Zabuza has made a life for himself in the Land of Waves..." While speaking, Raiga turned around before walking away from Sakura.

"I'm going to make a life here, in the Land of Rivers... The village of Tani could use people like me." As Raiga spoke, he glanced up at the setting sun.

"Who knows... Next time you see me, I could be a shinobi of Tani." After speaking, Ranmaru timidly walked up to Sakura.

"He-... Hey... Hi..." Ranmaru stuttered.

After glancing down at Ranmaru, Sakura's eyes morphed into sparkling emeralds before she pinched each of his cheeks. During this, Sakura giggled with delight as Tsunade shook her head from side-to-side in the background.

"You're so cute! You're just a little baby!" Sakura giggled.

"No I'm not! I'm fierce!" Ranmaru protested before stomping his left foot atop the ground.

Suddenly, Ranmaru gasped with shock after Sakura gently kissed his forehead before giggling. As this occurred, Tonton was chasing after Shizune in the background while violently oinking for more snacks.

"You're so fierce." Sakura giggled, causing Ranmaru's entire face to turn solid red.

"I supposed we should get going too... I don't want to sleep in this town." Tsunade interjected before standing up.

As Tsunade stood up, she crossed both arms in front of her jiggling chest before sighing. Afterwards, Tsunade fell into a brief daydream about Sake and gambling, a pair of things that she deeply missed.

At this moment, Raiga raised his left hand into the air before waving goodbye as he walked towards a nearby dirt road that led south. After several moments, Ranmaru briefly stuttered before running after Raiga as he continued to blush from Sakura's kiss.

"Lady Tsunade! Tonton is getting violent!" Shizune panicked while running in circles around the deadly ninja pig.

This statement earned a dramatic sigh from Tsunade before she lazily walked towards a nearby dirt road that led north. Afterwards, Sakura chased after Tsunade while Shizune was running away from Tonton in the background.

This was the beginning of a long journey for Sakura, a journey that would transform her into one of the greatest kunoichi's that ever lived.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Faint rays of the setting sun sparkled down on Gaoling Village, a large town that rested on the southeastern border inside the Land of Earth. As the setting sun sat on the horizon, tangible rays of purple and orange mixed together, creating a beautiful sight.

Gaoling Village was a moderately wealthy town with a mixture of stone houses and wooden restaurants. However, all of these buildings were lined with a collection of brown roof tiles, one of the identifying trademarks for the Land of Earth.

Soon, the shadowy figure of a distorted silhouette came into view as he walked down the mist-filled streets of Gaoling. This was extremely strange and unusual, because Gaoling was normally bursting with life and commerce.

As this silhouette walked through layers of dense mist, portions of his long-sleeved magenta kimono shirt came into view. This kimono was held in place by a black sash that was tied around the nameless man's waist.

This sash matched the pair of black shinobi shoes that he wore while drawing attention to the black glove on his right hand. Soon, sections of brown armor plates came into view, armor that covered the mans chest, back and both of his outer thighs.

This armor matched the headband of Iwa that briefly flickered into existence, a headband that was attached to a crown-like helmet. This headband contrasted the bright red hair, moustache and beard that was sprawled across the man's face, hair that was tied into a fluffy ponytail in the back.

This man was known as Rōshi, a 51 year old shinobi from Iwa, and a perfect jinchūriki for Son Gokū, the four tails. Rōshi was made a jinchūriki over forty years ago, giving him a great deal of strength and experience with the four tails.

Despite his extended period of time with Son Gokū, Rōshi never even bothered to use his true name, leaving a tense relationship between the two of them. However, both of them still managed to get along with each other, a rare feat that most jinchūriki couldn't reach.

As Rōshi continued to walk down the mist-filled street, he passed a Dango restaurant that had a shadowy figure inside. This figure belonged to Itachi Uchiha, an S-rank rogue ninja that was casually eating Dango with a far-off expression on his face, as if he wasn't paying attention.

Instead of questioning Itachi, Rōshi continued to walk down the road without even glancing at the rogue ninja. Soon, the distorted silhouette of tall man phased out from the dense mist, blocking Rōshi's path.

"I'm delighted to meet you, my name is Kisame Hoshigaki." As the rogue swordsmen from Kiri spoke, he unsheathed his sacred Samehada with one hand.

"And I'll be kidnapping you today." After speaking, these words forced each of Rōshi's black eyes to narrow.

Suddenly, the dense sound of rumbling thunder echoed through the air as dark clouds began to swirl overhead. During this, Itachi was casually eating Dango inside the nearby restaurant, completely unconcerned about his surroundings.

A tense period of silence then polluted the air as Kisame and Rōshi both glanced at each other for several minutes. Afterwards, a bright flash of blue lightning illuminated the dark clouds overhead, causing both of these elite shinobi to charge forward.

Despite the large size of his sacred blade, Kisame managed to rush across the ground while holding Samehada with one hand. As he advanced, Rōshi clapped both hands together before weaving through the Dog, Ox, Hare and Snake seals.

"Lava Style: Scorching Rocks Jutsu!" Rōshi spewed a condensed barrage of boulder-shaped molten rocks.

This style of nature transformation was an extremely rare kekkai genkai that barely occurred within a handful of bloodlines. However, it was also a display of Ninjutsu that Son Gokū possessed, giving his jinchūriki the trademark ability of Lava Style.

As these lava-filled projectiles surged through the air, Kisame chuckled before slicing his legendary Samehada forward in a horizontal slash. A tense shockwave of red and blue chakra then erupted into existence as Samehada collided against Rōshi's technique.

The bandaged silhouette of Samehada then giggled and twitched after casually absorbing the chakra from each of Rōshi's projectiles. This caused each of Rōshi's molten boulders to harmlessly fall to the ground near Kisame's feet, reduced to a pile of cold rocks.

Suddenly, Kisame once again giggled with delight as Rōshi continued to charge towards him before flipping over the elite Akatsuki member. While hovering through the air, Rōshi directed various kicks and punches down at Kisame, fighting like a monkey.

Despite the power of Rōshi's attacks, each of his blows were blocked by the bandaged silhouette of Samehada, creating a heavy thud with each impact. At the same time, various cracks and fissures were carved into the nearby earth, a result of Rōshi's dense chakra.

After exchanging a concentrated barrage of attacks, Rōshi landed behind Kisame beforelaunching his left foot against Samehada. Rōshi then became locked in a fierce parry with Kisame before he was pushed backwards by Samehada.

This caused Rōshi to preform several backflips across the ground before flipping through the air and landing with a hollow thud. Afterwards, Rōshi dramatically clapped both hands together before weaving through the Dog, Ox, Tiger and Horse Seals.

"I assume this isn't a case of mistaken identity…" Rōshi grumbled with a stern tone.

"It looks like you carefully researched my weakness..." While speaking, Rōshi funneled a Kage-level amount of chakra into his next technique.

"Heheheh… I'm just doing my job." Kisame chuckled.

At this moment, Rōshi abruptly kneeled down before slamming both palms against the earth, creating a massive shockwave. After several moments, sections of nearby earth began to boil and quake before various geysers of lava spewed into the air.

"Lava Style: Lava Wall!" Rōshi's stern voice pierced the air.

This declaration caused the entire street to quake before a large section of earth was flooded with lava from all directions. This lava merged with the existing geysers before a 20ft tall wall of molten magma slowly bubbled into existence.

As this wall slowly rose from the earth, pillars of steam polluted the air as nearby houses and street lamps were completely melted. Afterwards, this bubbling wall of lava surged forward like a tsunami, burning everything in its path.

As this lava approached, Kisame chuckled before stabbing the tip of his legendary Samehada into the ground. Kisame then clapped both hands into the Snake seal before inhaling a significant portion of air, causing his cheeks to bulge.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Shock Wave!" Kisame gagged before spewing an impressive amount of water from his mouth.

This water poured across the surrounding earth before a small geyser erupted underneath Kisame's feet. Soon, the amount of water that spewed from Kisame's mouth doubled in volume, flooding the entire street.

As this water continued to rush out, Kisame stood atop a massive wave of chakra-filled water that towered over nearby buildings. After several moments, a dense cloud of steam polluted the air as Kisame's water collided against Rōshi's lava.

This steam concealed everything from view as a tense period of silence filled the air for several minutes. As this occurred, Itachi continued to sit inside a nearby restaurant while casually eating Dango.

After an extended period of silence, the dense cloud of steam slowly dissipated, revealing a confident Rōshi. This elite jinchūriki was standing atop a shallow lake of water that filled the street, a result of Kisame's Kage-level display of Water Style.

Suddenly, Rōshi gasped with shock as the bandaged blade of Samehada lunged out from the water beneath him. As this blade approached, an aura of green chakra abruptly engulfed Rōshi's entire body, the chakra of Son Gokū.

At this moment, a gorilla-like tail ruptured from Rōshi's low back, a red-furred tail with spike-like protrusions across its entire length. This tail then deflected the approaching blade, creating a minor shockwave that forced the nearby water to violently ripple.

Soon, the silhouette of Kisame rose out from the water before slicing his sacred Samehada out in a horizontal slash. At the last moment, Rōshi leapt over this deadly attack with a Kage-level display of speed before briefly hovering in the air.

As Rōshi floated in front of Kisame, he quickly clapped both hands together before weaving through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals. At the same time, Rōshi inhaled a staggering breath of air, causing both cheeks to protrude and bulge.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Rōshi exhaled a condensed spray of green fire.

This green fire was filled with Son Gokū's chakra, chakra that was so hot that it boiled ordinary fire into a green color and tone. This was a display of Fire Style that very few shinobi could even dream of reaching, beyond Kage-level.

This spray of chakra-filled flames then completely engulfed Kisame's silhouette before various green embers flickered through the air. After exhaling for several moments, Rōshi landed atop the water before jumping back over 10ft.

After landing, an intense series of ripples echoed out across the water while the smoke from Rōshi's previous technique polluted the air. After several minutes, the smoke slowly dissipated before the scorched silhouette of Samehada came into view.

"Heheheh… Not bad, not bad." Kisame chuckled while his sacred blade growled and twitched.

A tense period of silence then filled the air for several minutes as Rōshi and Kisame became locked in a fierce staring contest. Afterwards, pillars of steam polluted the air as the water near Rōshi was evaporated under the heat of his green chakra.

This green fire and chakra was a result of Monkey Flame Arson, a unique type of Fire Style that was only useable by Son Gokū and his jinchūriki. This was arguably the most iconic trademark for Son Gokū, the ability to use green fire.

As portions of Rōshi's body were concealed by dense steam, he clenched his right fist before raising it into the air. During this, Rōshi's arm began to contort and bubble with fiery embers before his entire arm was engulfed by an aura of green fire.

At this moment, Rōshi plunged his fire-infused fist into the ground, instantly evaporating all water in a 10ft radius around him. At the same time, Rōshi's fist plunged even further into the earth, cracking various boulders and rocks in the process.

Soon, a shockwave of green fire radiated out across the ground in all directions, filling the air with more steam as Kisame's water was evaporated. As this wave of fire rippled out, Kisame chuckled before slicing his sacred Samehada through the air in a vertical slash.

Samehada then plunged into the ground before twitching as green fire covered the entirety of the sacred blade. After several seconds, this fire completely dissipated from view as Samehada absorbed the delicious chakra of Son Gokū.

This action caused Samehada to growl and groan as each of its purple scales twitched, earning a joyful laugh from Kisame. As this occurred, a carefree Itachi was sitting inside a nearby restaurant while drinking water from a wooden cup.

Suddenly, Kisame and Rōshi once again charged at each other, dispersing clouds of steam with each footstep they took. As they approached each other, the fire around Rōshi's arm bubbled into molten magma, giving on an orange color.

Samehada then growled with delight as Kisame raised his sacred blade into the air by slicing down at Rōshi. An intense shockwave of blue and green chakra then carved a small crater into the earth as these shinobi collided against each other.

Various drops and embers of molten magma then spewed through the air as Kisame and Rōshi became involved in a fierce display of close combat. During this Kage-level battle, portions of nearby earth abruptly cracked under the weight of dense chakra.

As this exchange of close combat continued to stretch on, Samehada growled after Rōshi shoved his lava-covered fist against it. Afterwards, a vast amount of lava from Rōshi's arm was quickly absorbed by a growling Samehada.

This action shocked Rōshi before he struggled to jump over a horizontal sword swing from Kisame, allowing him to briefly hover in the air. While floating through the air, Rōshi loudly clapped both hands together, creating a sound that echoed through various streets.

At this moment, the aura of green chakra around Rōshi's body tripled in size, forcing Kisame's outfit to violently rustle in the breeze. After several moments, two separate gorilla-like tails ruptured from Rōshi's lower back before swishing through the air.

This gave Rōshi a collection of three separate gorilla-like tails with red-fur and various spikes, giving him a Sage-level amount of chakra. As this chakra swelled through this body, Rōshi launched his foot out in midair, kicking Kisame directly in the face.

This kick knocked Kisame back over 20ft, causing him to flip and twirl across various ponds and portions of earth. While this occurred, Rōshi landed on the ground with a chakra-infused thud, shattering several rocks in the process.

Soon, the aura of green chakra around Rōshi began to bubble and contort before molten magma slowly oozed out from his tails. This magma slowly consumed Rōshi's chakra aura, covering his entire body with bubbling lava before he crouched down on all four limbs.

A vast amount of this lava continued to bubble and rupture for several minutes before faint flickers of green chakra illuminated the air. These flickers of green chakra then grew and spread across Rōshi's body like an open wound.

Soon, the green silhouette of a gorilla-shaped humanoid came into view, a creature made out of pulsating green chakra with a fiery appearance. This figure was the partially transformed Son Gokū, a result of Rōshi's high experience as a perfect jinchūriki.

This humanoid creature stood on his back legs with both fists dug into the earth, standing in a similar fashion to a gorilla or monkey. This gorilla had three solid green tails that were each lined with chakra-spikes as they swished through the air.

The most prominent feature of Son Gokū were two spiked protrusions that sprouted out from his skull while pulsating with a fiery green chakra. These protrusions resembled a collection of green fangs that hung from Gokū's chakra mouth.

Suddenly, Gokū stood on his back two feet before violently beating both hands against his chest, the trademark war cry of an enraged gorilla. Each time Gokū beat his chest, a chaotic shockwave of fiery green chakra resonated out in all directions.

These shockwaves instantly shattered dozens of nearby windows while uprooting the entire street that Gokū stood on. As these shockwaves rippled out, a distant Itachi was forced to stop eating before casually outrunning the chaotic chakra of Gokū.

The iconic sound of a howling gorilla then pierced the air, magnified by a dense collection of thunder that rumbled through the dark clouds overhead. Afterwards, the sadistic chuckle of Kisame mixed in with the deep howls from Son Gokū.

At this moment, the legendary blade of Samehada began to growl and groan while each of its purple scales twitch with anticipation. While this occurred, the silhouette of Itachi appeared atop a distant building with a half eaten Dango stick held in his right hand.

"My great blade Samehada loves to feed on powerful chakra... And it really enjoys your scent." Kisame exclaimed after walking into view.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to be food for my Samehada." While Kisame spoke, Itachi was casually eating Dango in the background.

Itachi was always a quiet person with very few friends, Shisui was the only real friend he ever had. Because of this, Itachi always gave off a far off and distant personality, shrouding the majority of his life in mystery.

Infact, Itachi recently had his 18th birthday several days ago, an occasion that would normally be celebrated by any average person. However, Itachi's birthday went by without a single mention of the subject or any celebration.

Soon, a chaotic shockwave of green fire once again resonated through out the streets of Gaoling as Son Gokū charged forward. As this Sage-level beast surged across the ground, everything he touched was instantly burnt into green fire.

While rushing across the ground, Son Gokū moved with the grace and swiftness of a gorilla, running on all four limbs. As this lethal beast approached, Kisame giggled with delight before charging at the three tailed version of Son Gokū.

As these Kage-level opponents approached each other, Son Gokū unleashed a condensed barrage of green fireballs from his chakra mouth. Kisame then utilized his sacred Samehada to absorb dozens of these fireballs before slicing his legendary blade out in a horizontal slash.

While slashing his blade through the air, the yellow-tinted hilt of Samehada abruptly extended and stretched out like a loose rope. This allowed Kisame to slash his legendary blade out with great length as coils of Samehada's rope-like hilt briefly hovered in front of his face.

Despite the speed of Kisame's attack, Son Gokū fought with the grace of a gorilla, allowing him to backflip over Samehada before flipping through the air. During this, various coils of Samehada's rope-like hilt continued to float in front of Kisame's face before slicing his blade out in a vertical fashion.

This action launched Samehada through the air like a spear before Son Gokū unleashed a horrifying and gorilla-like howl. This howl instantly cracked the nearby earth before Son Gokū shoved his left chakra fist against the sacred Samehada.

Upon contact, Son Gokū's entire left forearm was completely drained of all chakra, exposing the kimono-covered sleeve of Rōshi. Afterwards, each of Gokū's chakra feet stomped into the earth, creating a minor shockwave of green fire that forced Kisame to jump back over 15ft.

Samehada then began to groan and twitch with delight while feasting on the delicious chakra of Son Gokū. At the same time, Son Gokū was beating both hands against his chest while howling a fierce roar.

Soon, an aura of fiery green chakra once again spread over Rōshi's left forearm and hand, completely concealing them from view. While this occurred, the fourth and final tail of Son Gokū abruptly ruptured from his lower back before swishing through the air.

At this moment, Son Gokū's gorilla-like howls grew in volume and strength as blue lightning struck out from the clouds overhead. This lightning ignited several nearby buildings with fire before a light drizzle of rain began to bombard Gaoling Village.

Suddenly, portions of Gokū's chest, feet, hands and face began to cool down before morphing into green flesh. At the same time, a vast amount of Gokū's arms, legs, torso and face grew red-fur.

This brought attention to Gokū's four tails, tails that were each covered in red-fur with several spikes protruding from each of them. These spikes matched the pair of horns that protruded from Gokū's skull and the fangs that hung from his mouth.

Gokū's most prominent features were his eyes, eyes with a solid yellow iris and white pupils, giving off a Sage-like appearance. After several seconds, the proud personality of Son Gokū shifted into reality.

Among all nine of the great tailed beasts, Son Gokū was the most loyal and devote to the Sage of Six Paths. Every day, Son Gokū would meditate on the past words from the Sage of Six Paths, waiting for his true heir to finally arrive.

However, almost a thousand years had passed since the tragic death of the legendary Sage, robbing Gokū of all hope for his true heir. Infact, Son Gokū had even developed a deep hatred for humanity over the past centuries, enraged over their attempts to control him.

"Oooh? So are you finally going to take me seriously, four tails?" Kisame chuckled.

This question forced each of Gokū's Sage-like eyes to narrow and twitch as a disgusted snarl bloomed across his face. Son Gokū hated that name, he hated everything about humanity and their rampant attempts to demean the once sacred tailed beast.

"HOW DARE YOU!?" Son Gokū howled with a demonic roar.

At this moment, an enraged Son Gokū slammed both of his green-skinned gorilla palms into the ground, instantly scorching it with green fire. Afterwards, Son Gokū raised his mouth into the air before various orbs of red and blue chakra began to bubble into existence.

This collection of chakra caused Kisame to jump back over 20ft before plunging his sacred Samehada into the ground beside him. Kisame then clapped both hands together before weaving through the snake seal and preforming a unique hand seal.

This unique hand seal had each Kisame's wrist touching one another while both hands were reaching out towards Son Gokū in a vertical fashion. Kisame's left hand had his fingers tilted up in the shape of teeth, while his right hand was shaped like a shark's snout.

"Do you wanna know why they call me the tailed beast without a tail...?" Kisame asked before various orbs of chakra merged together in front of Son Gokū.

This combination of chakra created a dense purple sphere that abruptly carved a 5ft deep crater into the earth around Gokū. The elite four tails then partially unhinged his jawline before biting into the pulsated sphere.

This action unleashed a fierce shockwave of heated air that radiated out with a force of a tornado, uprooting nearby buildings. At the same time, Kisame was laughing with joy as his Akatsuki outfit dramatically rustled in the breeze.

Soon, ponds of nearby water began to rush and stream towards Kisame before swirling around each of his feet. While this occurred, drops of rain began to mix in with his water, adding even more strength and volume to Kisame's upcoming attack.

"Water Style: Super Shark Bomb Jutsu!" As these words pierced the air, a Kage-level eruption of water completely engulfed Kisame's body.

This technique was an extremely high level display of Ninjutsu that was capable of absorbing chakra on impact, an A-rank technique. Because of this, the super shark bomb would swell with greater volume and strength depending on the opponent.

Infact, the stronger the opponent was, the stronger this technique would become, a realization that filled Kisame with joy. Suddenly, the water that swirled around Kisame's body took on the shape of a house-sized shark before unhinging it jawline.

At this moment, Son Gokū unhinged his mouth before unleashing a chaotic beam of pure violet chakra, the result of a tailed beast bomb. During this, Kisame laughed before his Kage-level display of the super shark bomb surged across the ground.

While each of these Kage-level attacks rushed towards one another, a dense collection of thunder rumbled overhead. Also, portions of earth cracked underneath Gokū's tailed beast bomb while Kisame's super shark bomb flooded several streets.

Despite his fierce opponent, Kisame continued to laugh as he swam through his super shark bomb, a technique that grew in size with each second. This technique was feasting off the chakra of Son Gokū, chakra that was so dense that it polluted the air like steam.

Suddenly, a mountain-sized explosion of water, debris and purple chakra erupted into existence, uprooting over half of Gaoling Village. This explosion forced the distant hair of Itachi to rustle in the breeze as he was staring up at the rising moon.

An extended period of silence then filled the air as a dark, moon-lit sky gently sparkled down on the battle-scarred village of Gaoling. After several minutes, the iconic chuckle of Kisame filled the air before he walked through a cloud of debris on the streets below.

Kisame had the sacred blade of Samehada propped against his right shoulder while various streams of water dripped across his face. Soon, the twitching silhouette of Rōshi came into view as he rested atop the tip of Samehada, a blade that was slowly devouring his chakra.

"Are you done?" Itachi asked as drops of rain bombarded his face.

"Yea, but having to capture him without killing him was such a pain." Kisame chuckled.

"It looks like a storm is coming, the rain won't stop for awhile." Itachi mumbled without even looking at Kisame.

"Let's take cover under a tree... Or else we'll catch a cold." Kisame exclaimed.

Itachi then casually leapt to the street before landing beside Kisame as the downfall of rain increased in volume. Afterwards, each of these elite Akatsuki members walked down the battle-scarred streets of Gaoling as Rōshi continued to twitch atop Samehada.

"Our leader is waiting for word of his capture... We should keep moving." Itachi spoke with a quiet tone.

"Nah... We'll make him wait a little..." Kisame chuckled.

"Because once we get this troublesome jinchūriki back to the hideout, we'll be too busy to relax." After speaking, Rōshi coughed up several drops of blood.

"He seems to be near death... You should really treat the elderly with care." Itachi muttered.

"Heh! You're just saying that because you didn't have to fight him!" Kisame laughed.

"I'd fell bad for him too if all I do was eat food and sit on the side lines." While speaking, streams of rain dripped across Itachi and Kisame.

"You asked to fight him alone, and then you told me to go eat because you wanted to play around." Itachi interjected, earning a innocent chuckle in response.

"Yea, yea... I know, I just like messing with you!" Kisame retorted with a deep laughter.

After several minutes, this pair of elite Akatsuki members both disappeared into the moon-lit horizon as mist shrouded them from view. However, the battlefield behind them would soon reach the ears of the 3rd Tsuchikage, a man who would treat this attack as a direct action of war.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Bright rays of moonlight sparkled down on a narrow dirt road, one of many inside the Land of Rivers. This road was filled with a pair of dark silhouettes that walked beside each other, the figures known as Deidara and Sasori.

"Awh man... I'm so sleepy..." Deidara grumbled while both arms hung limp beside his body as he walked.

"Why didn't we just stay on that bird of yours?" Sasori asked.

"I already told you!" Deidara snapped out.

"I can't just use my artistic talent all day every day! I need my beauty sleep!" After shouting, Sasori sighed in response.

Suddenly, Deidara's visible eye morphed into a sparkling star after he noticed a wooden inn that was positioned down the road. This inn had several advertisements and billboards outside, offering a vast array of food.

"Look, master Sasori! They probably have ramen and a warm bed!" As Deidara shouted, he pointed at the distance restaurant with his left hand.

"You know I don't need to eat or sleep..." Sasori mumbled before Deidara ran ahead of him.

This action earned a dramatic sigh from Sasori before he dragged both feet across the ground while following Deidara. After several moments, each of these Akatsuki approached the small inn before walking inside.

This building was filled with a collection of wooden booths and tables while a beautiful woman stood behind the counter. She was roughly 28 years old with sparkling green eyes and shoulder-length blond hair.

This hair contrasted her ankle-length yellow kimono, a piece of fabric that was held in place by the blue sashed that was tied around her waist. Despite her obvious beauty, Deidara was so distracted by his lust for food that he didn't even care.

"Yo, yo, yo! Get me and my man some ramen!" Deidara exclaimed before sitting in a nearby booth.

This declaration earned another dramatic sigh from Sasori before he sat in the same booth as Deidara, sitting on the opposite side. Afterwards, Sasori used his right hand to twirl various strands of his bright red hair while Deidara waited for food.

"You know I don't need to eat... That stuff is so boring." Sasori complained.

"Come on! Don't be so negative! I'm sure that wooden body of yours could use some ramen!" Deidara protested.

Soon, the attractive waitress approached the table before giving a bowl of fresh ramen to each of the elite Akatsuki members. These bowls were filled with sautéed pork and poached eggs, earning a delightful groan from Deidara.

Deidara then grabbed a nearby pair of chopsticks before digging into his fresh meal as Sasori continued to twirl several strands of his hair. While this occurred, a small group of waitresses were giggling in the background before arguing over which Akatsuki member was the cutest.

"You know how much I hate to wait... Or keep others waiting..." Sasori groaned.

"Come on, just relax, master Sasori!" Deidara encouraged.

"You're just mad about Kabuto!" While speaking, Deidara was partially gagging on a mouthful of noodles.

"Nah... What's done is done..." Sasori mumbled.

"Besides... I have plenty of other options..." While speaking, the youthful face of Sakura briefly pierced Sasori's mind.

"I'm more upset about that girl... She would've made excellent material." As Sasori spoke, he rested his face in both hands.

"Tch, the pink-haired girl? I barely saw her." Deidara remarked.

Suddenly, Sasori once again sighed in a dramatic fashion as Deidara finished eating his bowl of ramen. Afterwards, Deidara reached out and grabbed Sasori's bowl before eating it in front of him.

This was the type of life that Deidara and Sasori lived, a life that was constantly spent on the road, moving from place to place. At first, Sasori was rather content with his new job, eager for any chance to find new materials for his puppets.

However, over the past several months, Sasori had become rather bored and annoyed with the Akatsuki. Even when he battled against a deadly tailed beast, Sasori barely found any enjoyment in life.

This level of carefree boredom was an iconic part of Sasori's personality, he was extremely bored with the world and everything in it. However, this level of boredom would soon fade away after Sasori found a new purpose in life, a purpose that would change his entire future.


	86. Chapter 86

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N:** **GunBlade2019 - Sasori (and the Akatsuki as a whole) will be the main focus of season three, so I don't want to spoil anything. The only reason I'm giving the Akatsuki so much attention right now is because I'm trying to give them hype before season three.**

 **We're extremely close to the climax for season two with only four arcs left, three if you don't count this arc, the Will of Fire arc. Because of this, I'm trying to hype up the next season. I also have an Arc index in Chapter One if you're curious about what Arc we're on or which one is next.**

 **Guest - The Susanoo will be in this story, it just won't be anything like the Mecha Gundam bullshit that Kishimoto wrote in canon. Also, I've giving several changes to the EMS, like abilities, usage and etc - but I do genuinely consider them to be realistic.**

 **These changes will be high-lighted in season three, a season that will sprinkle in development with Sasuke, Itachi and the memory of Shisui. I really love the concept of the Uchiha Clan, I just hate what Kishimoto did to them in Shippuden. Especially Madara.**

 **DarksiderForever - You think the five day time skip in chapter two is lazy, too which I must ask, is that really the only thing you can complain about? Do you seriously think that I should have spent five days focusing on Konoha while Naruto was sleeping?**

 **Do you even have common sense? I'm trying to be polite but your review is so fucking stupid and petty. If you're going to leave a review, at least give some valid criticism because other people actually have to read your trivial bullshit.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 86: Civil War: The Land Of Sound! The Shiin Clan Emerges.**

 _Sunday 10:47pm, June 25th 58SSP._

An intense downpour of heavy rain bombarded the southwestern border in the Land of Sound, muffling the screams for help. Soon, a fiery aura came into view, the result of a small town that was engulfed in chakra-filled fire.

This town was known as Akarios, a small and insignificant trading hub for travelers from the Land of Fire and the Land of Forests. Despite its small size, this town was filled with hundreds of freshly arrived migrants and tourists.

The past week had been a very ambitious time period for Oto, and the Land of Sound as a whole. The ascension of the Fuma Clan sent a rippling effect throughout the nearby nations, garnishing national attention.

The new leadership inside the Land of Sound prompted an invasion of tourists and traveling tradesmen, eager to establish contact with Oto. However, this new leadership also enraged the Shiin Clan, a clan of shinobi that swore an oath to serve Orochimaru.

Like the Fuma Clan, the Shiin Clan originated from the Land of Sound, a country that was once known as the Land of Rice Paddies before Orochimaru took over. Because of this, the Shiin clan felt betrayed and outraged over the recent promotion of the Fuma.

Even though the Shiin openly served Orochimaru, they were all dispatched on a classified mission inside the Land of Forests over the past few weeks. This meant that the Shiin were completely absent during Naruto's recent incursion into the land.

This feeling of betrayal just ignited into an act of civil war as the Shiin were burning a small town inside the Land of Sound. This action was extremely brutal as members of the Shiin Clan slaughtered dozens of fathers, mothers and children.

The Shiin Clan were a small group of shinobi that specialized in several different variations of Bukijutsu. Also, the clan possessed a secret and forbidden jutsu known as the Memory Blocking Technique, an ability that very few members of the Shiin even knew about.

Suddenly, a chorus of laughter filled the air after a nearby Shiin Clan member savagely cut down an elderly man. Afterwards, each of these Shiin Clan members groaned with interest as the fleeing silhouette of a middle aged man disappeared into the nearby tree line.

This man wore a tattered black shirt with torn sleeves, contrasting his dirt brown pants and cheap sandals. He also had ear-length black hair that contrasted his tan skin, skin that was covered in dirt and bruises.

Despite the pour circumstances that plagued the Land of Sound, this man wore an extravagant emerald rock around a ragged necklace. This sparkling rock was an heirloom of his family, passed down from generation to generation.

As this man continued to run, he ran past several trees as an intense downpour of rain continued to bombard his hair and outfit. After several minutes of running, a kunai was hurled through the distant air before piercing the mans back.

This action created a minor squirt of blood that ruptured from the man's back before he fell down on both knees. After several seconds, a pair of partially concealed silhouette's came into view before casually approaching the bleeding man.

At this moment, a faint ray of moonlight sparkled down between a pair of tree branches that hung overhead. This light illuminated the previously concealed silhouette's, revealing the Shiin Clan members known as Menma and Sokubai.

Sokubai was a 17 year old shinobi with spiky black hair that was worn in a familiar fashion to Deidara. Also, several bangs rested in front of Sokubai's left eye, held in place by a layer of white linen bandages that was wrapped around his head.

Despite Sokubai's young age, his tan skin was covered in a series of ghastly scars, matching his eerie face and zombie-like eyes. This brought attention to his ankle-length green kimono that was held in place by a dark violet sash around his waist.

Sokubai's most prominent feature was a guard-less curved sword that was strapped against his back in a slanted vertical fashion. This oddly shaped blade was evidence to the high levels of Bukijutsu that the Shiin Clan managed to reach.

Soon, Sokubai unsheathed his strange blade as Menma took several steps past him, exposing the emotionless expression across his face. Afterwards, an extended period of silence filled the air as a heavy downpour of rain bombarded Menma and Sokubai for several minutes.

Menma was a 13 year old boy with shoulder-length blond hair that framed each side of his face, contrasting his pale skin and grey eyes. Menma's hair was also extremely wavy and tousled, creating various split ends that hung out in several different directions.

Menma's outfit consisted of a long-sleeved lavender shirt with a loose green scarf tied around his pale neck. These pieces of fabric contrasted his black pants and the pair of black shinobi shoes that he wore.

"Stop!" The helpless plea of a 6 year old girl echoed through the rain filled air as she ran in front of her dad.

"Don't push my father around!" After screaming these words, they had a visible affect on Menma, causing him to gasp.

"You idiot, Fuki! Get out of here!" The bleeding man shouted at his daughter.

At this moment, an intense barrage of lightning flickered throughout the moonlit clouds overhead. This lightning illuminated Fuki's figure, drawing attention to her sleeelees pink t-shirt and the green shorts she wore.

Fuki also had skin that was extremely pale, one of the trademark characteristics for a majority of citizens inside the Land of Sound. This skin was contrasted by her ear-length brown hair and black eyes, eyes that were filled with innocence.

"What are you hesitating for? Take care of him already." Sokubai complained while glancing at the back of Menma's head.

This statement created a tense period of silence before Sokubai scoffed with annoyance after taking several steps forward. Soon, Sokubai raised his oddly shaped blade into the air before resting it against his right shoulder.

"That's your job, right?" While speaking, the heavy sound of rain mixed in with Sokubai's voice.

"Get out of the way." As Sokubai spoke, he brutally kicked Fuki in the stomach, knocking her into a nearby mud puddle.

"Fuki!" The bleeding man panicked.

Suddenly, Sokubai crouched down before glancing at the valuable emerald around the dying mans necklace. Afterwards, Sokubai giggled with delight before reaching out and pulling the sparkling emerald loose, snapping the necklace with a damp thud.

"You got something nice there, I'll take that." Sokubai spoke before towering over the unknown man.

"Please, spare my daughter!" The dying man pleaded.

"Like I care." Sokubai muttered before raising his sword into the air.

A dramatic barrage of lightning then echoed through the clouds as Sokubai sliced his blade down at the defenseless man. This attacked was then magnified by screams of agony before Fuki's dad fell to the ground in front of Sokubai.

"Father! Father!" Fuki panicked while running towards her dad.

As Fuki approached, Sokubai once again kicked her away with his right foot before laughing. Fuki then collided against a nearby tree before falling to the ground as her fathers blood dripped from Sokubai's weapon.

Soon, Sokubai chuckled with joy before casually approaching Fuki as blood continued to drip from his sword. As this occurred, an abrupt snap echoed through Menma's mind, forcing each of his grey eyes to violently twitch.

"NOOO!" Menma shrieked before hurling a barrage of kunai threw the air.

These kunai then plunged into Sokubai's back, forcing him to cough up blood before staggering. At the same time, the pain-filled voice of Fuki could be heard as she cried and begged for her dad to get back up.

"Y-... You traitor!" Sokubai stuttered before falling to the ground.

A tense period of silence then filled the air, a silence pierced only by the sound of dense rain fall and Fuki's muffled crying. During this, a traumatic expression was spread across Menma's face while thinking about horrific memories from his orphaned childhood.

This traumatic childhood was now the exact type of life that Menma had forced upon Fuki, a realization that filled him with pure dread. Because of this, Menma struggled to take several steps forward before slowly approaching Sokubai's limp corpse.

Menma then crouched down before pulling the emerald necklace loose from Sokubai's hand as Fuki crawled next to her dad in the background. Afterwards, Menma quietly approached the crying Fuki as she buried her face against her fathers limp back.

Suddenly, the faint sound of voices could be heard as several other Shiin Clan members searched for Menma and Sokubai. These sounds forced Menma to panic before crouching down in front of Fuki.

"We have to go." Menma exclaimed, garnishing Fuki's attention.

Menma then reached out before gently tying the fancy emerald jewel around Fuki's neck, an heirloom of her family. This created an awkward silence as Fuki stared at Menma's grey eyes while sniffling.

"Stay with me, I won't let anything happen to you... Not again." While speaking, a genuine smile spread across Menma's face, something he never did.

At this moment, Menma gently patted Fuki on top of her head before they both disappeared with an impressive display of the Body Flicker Technique. This revealed Menma's true power and potential, even though he was only 13 years old, he was easily Chunin level.

After several seconds, a group of various Shiin Clan members erupted from the nearby trees before observing the pair of dead bodies in front of them. The limp corpse of Sokubai then sparked a minor shouting contest between various clan members before a dominating silhouette silenced all of them.

This silhouette belonged to Shiin, the leader and founder of the Shiin Clan, a clan that was heavily in debt to Orochimaru. Because of his lust for power, Shiin had no problem making deals with Orochimaru, he actually enjoyed it.

However, ever since the failed invasion of Konoha, Orochimaru had completely disappeared from existence. Infact, a distant rumor was being spread throughout the five great nations, a rumor that Naruto was responsible for Orochimaru's disappearance.

This abrupt disappearance left a crippling effect on the Shiin Clan, a clan that relied on Orochimaru for food and security. Orochimaru's disappearance had sparked a conflict of civil war inside the Land of Sound, a battle between the Fuma Clan and the Shiin Clan.

Soon, an intense barrage of lightning flickered into existence throughout the cloud-filled horizon, illuminating Shiin's figure. This brought attention to his pallid face and shoulder-length black hair, giving him a similar appearance to Orochimaru.

Shiin's outfit consisted of an ankle-length purple kimono that was held in place by a dark violet sash wrapped around his waist. Over this, Shiin wore a grey haori with a beige collar, giving him a Kage-like appearance.

Suddenly, a deep hum filled the air as Shiin narrowed each of his black eyes while glancing at Sokubai's corpse. After several seconds, a faint glimmer of light erupted from beneath Shiin's haori, a result of the unique metal flute that he carried.

"I wonder where Menma is?" Shiin mumbled before glancing up at the cloud-filled sky.

This caused various rain drops to crash against Shiin's sickly face before slowly dripping down across his chin and neck. While this occurred, dozens of Shiin Clan members all glanced at each other while nodding in agreement.

The Shiin Clan were extremely odd, lacking any definitive bloodline or kekkai genkai to utilize in combat. While the Shiin did possess a unique forbidden jutsu, Menma was the only member of there clan that could use the technique.

Because of this, Menma was always valued highly among the Shiin, treasured like a gift from the Sage of Six Paths himself. And this high level of value would soon fuel the Shiin into a lethal hunt for Menma, a hunt that would ignite a dramatic climax inside the Land of Sound.

* * *

 _Several hours later._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down atop a tree branch that hung over a narrow dirt road inside the Land of Fire. This tree branch was filled with the awkward silhouette of Sai as a large notebook of paper was resting in his lap.

A unique sunrise of purple, orange and red was sprawled across one of these pages as Sai was making the final strokes with his colored pencil. Afterwards, a hostile snort echoed through the air as Konohamaru appeared behind Sai before glancing over his shoulders.

"Tch… I didn't know you could draw..." Konohamaru scoffed.

"But that drawing is terrible. It's a complete waste of time and it doesn't accomplish anything." While speaking, Konohamaru crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"That's right." Sai replied with a wide smile before glancing at Konohamaru and closing both eyes.

"Just like your penis." As Sai spoke, his words completely stunned Konohamaru for several minutes.

At this moment, the cheerful silhouette of Yamato appeared between each of these shinobi before patting both of them on the shoulder. After several seconds, Konohamaru quickly brushed this hand away while Sai went back to drawing.

"Now, now. You're both on the same team, so you need to get along." Yamato explained.

"He's weird! Why do I have to team up with him?!" Konohamaru protested.

Suddenly, an intense and horrifying aura radiated out from Yamato as his eyes glared at Konohamaru with a deathly gaze. Soon, this horrifying aura began to pollute the air, contorting the previous morning sunrise into a horrific nightmare.

This intense facial expression forced Konohamaru to chatter his teeth together with fear, overwhelmed by Yamato's horrifying presence. This created an awkward period of silence as Sai continued to casually draw in the background.

"I prefer to handle situations with diplomacy..." Yamato exclaimed.

"But I have no problem controlling people with fear." While speaking, Yamato managed to keep both eyes opened for several minutes.

"U-... Understood..." Konohamaru stuttered before staggering back against a nearby tree.

"Good!" Yamato cheered with a joyful voice, an abrupt shift from his previous dark tone.

This odd shift between personalities caused Konohamaru to sigh with a breath of relief before wiping a bundle of sweat from his face. At the same time, the sound of chirping birds could be heard as the Land of Sound bathed in a fresh sunrise.

"Anyway, let's get moving! We need to make it to Oto by tonight." While speaking, Yamato jumped down onto the nearby road before casually walking away.

This awkward moment was extremely common inside Team Yamato, especially between Sai and Konohamaru. Infact, this type of awkward life style would soon become a daily occurrence in Konohamaru's life.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A tranquil Menma was standing atop a rocky cliffside while bathing in various rays of bright sunlight with both arms stretched out towards the sky. As this occurred, a consistent gust of wind was blowing in from the north, forcing Menma's loose hair to rustle and wave in the breeze.

After several moments, the timid silhouette of Fuki came into view before she quietly walked up behind Menma. Afterwards, an extended period of silence filled the air as Menma continued to bask in the bright rays of sunlight.

"Will my dad be okay?" Fuki asked, bringing Menma back to reality.

This question created a crushing expression of regret that swelled inside Menma's chest before he stared at the ground. This moment of regret then stretched on for what felt like hours before Menma pulled a yellow ocarina from beneath his shirt.

Suddenly, Menma raised this instrument to his lips before blowing a condensed stream of chakra-filled air into the object. This produced an orgasmic melody of music that polluted the air, similar to Tayuya's music but more peaceful and pure.

This beautiful music managed to create a genuine smile across Fuki's face, filling Menma was joy as he continued to play. However, Menma couldn't ignore the deep feeling of regret inside his heart, a feeling that ravaged his mind.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

The illuminated silhouettes of Yamato, Sai and Konohamaru were walking down a narrow road that led into the southwestern border in the Land of Sound. Soon, the distinct smell of burnt wood, leaves and human flesh abruptly polluted the air.

Because of their vast experience as Anbu-level shinobi, Yamato and Sai were easily able to identify the smell of burnt flesh. However, Konohamaru was left completely confused by the strange aroma, it was brand new smell to him.

"What's that smell?" Konohamaru asked, earning a brief period of silence in response as Team Yamato stopped walking.

Suddenly, Yamato and Sai each glanced at one another while narrowing their eyes, filling Konohamaru with even more confusion. Afterwards, both of these former Anbu members disappeared into the nearby tree line with a blinding level of speed, briefly paralyzing Konohamaru.

Despite his rapid advancement in the recent weeks, Konohamaru was just a 6 year old boy who struggled to walk in his grandfathers shadow. Even though he was a Genin now, Konohamaru was basically nothing compared to Sai or Yamato.

Konohamaru struggled every day to catch up with his grandfather, to reach the same level as Naruto so he could finally confront him. But each day that passed filled Konohamaru with self doubt, polluting his young mind with depression and regret.

At this moment, Konohamaru violently shook his head from side-to-side, shaking the depressing thoughts from his mind. Konohamaru then leapt into the nearby tree line before trailing after Yamato and Sai, eager to grow as a shinobi and a person.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

A faint cloud of smoke polluted the air, rising from a charred pile of burnt ash, wood and portions of human flesh. Soon, various collapsed and burnt buildings came into view while dirt-stained survivors were digging graves in the background.

This brutal depiction was the remains of Akarios Village, the small trading hub that was attacked by the Shiin Clan last night. After several moments, Konohamaru noticed a distant flock of ravens that were feasting on a dead corpse, a sight he never saw before.

Suddenly, the footsteps of Team Yamato disturbed each of these ravens, causing them to spread their wings before squawking. Afterwards, these ravens flew into the air before hovering through the sky, unleashing various black feathers that polluted the smoke-filled wind.

At this moment, a barrage of arrows were launched through the air, forcing Konohamaru to gasp with shock. As these projectiles approached, Yamato grabbed several of these arrows with his bare hands while Sai deflected over a dozen with a small paint brush.

Soon, a small crowd of armed citizens rushed out from nearby alleyways and burnt houses before blocking the street in front of Team Yamato. A 23 year old man then slowly walked in front of this crowd while pointing a crossbow at Team Yamato.

This man was known as Nan, an adept blacksmith who worked inside Akarios, the man directly responsible for arming the rest of his town. He had fair skin with black eyes and neck-length brown hair that was held in place by a ragged white bandana around his head.

Nan's attire consisted of a long-sleeved blue shirt that matched his dirt-stained gloves, the tattered gloves of a blacksmith. Also, he wore a pair of black pants and black shoes, contrasting the knee-length red apron he wore across his torso, an apron covered in various stains.

"Don't move, or I'll shoot." Nan exclaimed.

"What's your deal?! Who attacks a foreign shinobi for no reason?!" Konohamaru complained.

"Are you their minions?" Nan asked.

"What...?" Yamato mumbled before dropping a handful of arrows to the ground.

"If you serve the Shiin, I'll kill you myself." Nan interjected.

Suddenly, Nan gasped with shock as Yamato's unique headband began to sparkle under the bright sun, garnishing the attention of several survivors. This allowed Nan to finally notice the symbol of Konoha that was engraved into Yamato's headband, filling the young blacksmith with ease.

"Oh-... Forgive me... I didn't realize your shinobi from Konoha." While speaking, Nan lowered his crossbow as various citizens sheathed their weapons in the background.

"What do leaf shinobi want in a place like this?" As Nan spoke, his tone was incredibly harsh and condescending.

"Well, we just happened to be passing through and..." Konohamaru spoke out before being interrupted.

"As you can see, there's nothing here... So just beat it." Nan scoffed before turning around.

Soon, a large crowd of citizens slowly walked down the ash-filled streets of Akarios before disappearing into the nearby alleyways. As these bruised men disappeared from sight, Konohamaru mumbled various insults under his breath.

As Konohamaru mumbled these words, Sai and Yamato both narrowed their eyes before glancing at each other. Afterwards, a brief period of silence filled the air, a silence pierced only by various insults from Konohamaru.

"Who's there? Come on out." Sai exclaimed before crossing both arms in front of his chest.

At this moment, the scuffed sound of various footsteps could be heard before a 28 year old woman came into view from behind a nearby alleyway. This woman had pale skin with waist-length brown hair that was tied into two ponytails, matching her brown eyes.

This woman was known as Ran, the older sister of Nan and Fuki's mother, a widow ever since her husband was brutally murdered last night. Despite the dark circumstances around her husbands death, Ran was still confident that Fuki was alive because they never found her body.

Ran's outfit consisted of an ankle-length red dress that was held in place by an orange sash around her waist. This dress deeply contrasted her brown shinobi shoes and the brown satchel around her waist, a satchel filled with medical tonics and potions.

"You guys are shinobi, right?" Ran asked.

"I heard you talking to my brother." After speaking, Ran earned a confident scoff from Konohamaru in response.

"Oh, well... I don't like to brag, but..." Konohamaru muttered while gripping the back of his skull with both hands.

"You're probably talking about Konohamaru Sarutobi from the Village Hidden in the Leaves... I'm pretty well known." While speaking, Konohamaru's tone was rather dull and bland.

In the past, Konohamaru would always be cheerful or smiling as he daydreamed about overcoming his grandfather, the 3rd Hokage. However, the dark reality that tormented Konohamaru's life was nothing like his innocent past.

"Really? Because I have no idea who you are." Ran exclaimed.

This response caused Konohamaru to hang his head down with defeat while Yamato laughed in the background. After several seconds, Sai causally grabbed Konohamaru's right ear before pulling him away like an animal.

This action earned various insults from Konohamaru as he struck out at Sai with both fists, but he was too short to reach him. As Sai dragged Konohamaru away, he was reading from a dark green book with the title of "How to Lie!" written across the cover in yellow ink.

"We're not looking for any trouble, just passing through." Yamato stuttered with a sheepish tone.

"I need someone to save my daughter." Ran interjected, forcing Sai and Konohamaru to freeze mid step.

"Someone... To save your daughter?" Konohamaru mumbled before daydreaming about being a hero, like his grandfather.

"What do you mean?" Sai spoke out before causally releasing Konohamaru from his grip.

"This town borders the Land of Fire, Forests and Sound... Giving us an excellent position for trade..." Ran remarked.

"But it also leaves us venerable to border conflicts. Because the village of Oto is so far away, it takes them a long time to reach our town." As Ran spoke, Yamato nodded his head various times in response.

"Where are your shinobi? Even the small towns across the Land of Fire are filled with shinobi." Konohamaru interrupted.

"We aren't the Land of Fire." Ran argued.

"Oto doesn't have the military strength that Konoha does... I've sent letters begging for help, but I don't even know who's in control of Oto anymore." While speaking, Ran downcast her face before staring at the ground.

"So... This is the Land of Sound with Orochimaru?" Yamato asked, earning a brief nod in response.

This response forced Yamato to sigh with defeat before crossing both arms in front of his chest. While this occurred, Sai was reading from his green book in the background as Konohamaru was glancing at a nearby pile of ash.

"We don't have time for this, can you bother someone else?" Sai questioned with a polite smile.

This apparent lack of emotion enraged Konohamaru, forcing him to snarl at Sai before jumping in front of Ran. Afterwards, Konohamaru extended his right hand out before giving Ran a confident thumbs up.

"Just ignore him, I'll find your daughter! Or my name isn't Sarutobi!" Konohamaru cut in, earning a dramatic sigh from Yamato.

"I guess this could give us some diplomatic strength with Oto..." Yamato mumbled while rubbing the back of his head.

"What about the Daimyo? Oto isn't the only power in these lands." Sai muttered while reading his book.

"The Daimyo of this land is a weak and powerless puppet, he only has the title because Orochimaru gave it to him." Ran explained.

"And this town..." As Ran spoke, her words became heavy as she struggled to speak.

"I'm guessing the 'Shiin' attacked last night? That explains why your brother was so tense." Yamato proclaimed.

"Yes... They got distracted after one of their members disappeared, but I'm sure they'll be back." Ran exclaimed.

Suddenly, Yamato once again released a dramatic sigh before rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. At the same time, Konohamaru was lost in a dream before the violet eyed silhouette of Naruto polluted his mind.

This image forced Konohamaru to shake his head from side-to-side before grinding his teeth together with pain and regret. During this, Sai was casually reading from his green book before flipping through several pages.

"I guess I can search around the nearby woods while you two stay here and keep watch..." Yamato mumbled with a defeated tone.

This declaration earned various screams of protest from Konohamaru as he stomped his right foot atop the ground. This reaction forced Yamato to once again sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Please, just get along." While speaking, Yamato continued to pinch the bridge of his nose.

At this moment, Yamato disappeared with a textbook perfect Body Flicker Technique, earning a dramatic protest from Konohamaru. At the same time, Konohamaru, Sai and Ran were now isolated inside one of the many ash-filled streets of Akarios.

Soon, a crowd of citizens came into view before calling Ran over, leaving Konohamaru and Sai alone on the road together. This realization earned a dramatic sigh from Konohamaru as he slowly approached a burnt alleyway before sitting down on the side of the road.

An extended period of silence then filled the air for what felt like hours as Sai stood in the middle of the road while reading his book. After a significant amount of time passed, Sai sat down on the opposite side of the street from Konohamaru.

This action caused Konohamaru to glance up before noticing Sai's smile, a smile that made him feel uneasy. After several moments, Konohamaru once again sighed before scratching the bridge of his nose in an Iruka-like fashion.

Suddenly, a flock of ravens violently soared overhead, forcing Konohamaru to abruptly scream and twitch. Afterwards, Konohamaru calmly sat back down before acting like nothing happened.

Konohamaru's brief scare caused Sai to hum with interest before flipping through several pages inside his green book. Soon, Sai came upon a chapter that explained what to do if your friend was scared.

Sai wasn't the best at personal communication or expressing himself, a result of his extended time spent as a former member of Root. Because of this, Yamato recently gifted Sai with his green book, trying to teach the young shinobi how to act with friends.

When your friend is frightened or scared, try gently placing your hand on their shoulder. Sai read a sentence from his book.

This sentence gave Sai an idea, forcing him to stand up before causally approaching Konohamaru and sitting several feet away from him. This earned a sinister glare from Konohamaru as he narrowed both eyes with distrust.

An awkward and tense period of silence then filled the air for several minutes as Konohamaru and Sai quietly sat beside each other. During this silence, Sai continued to read from his book while Konohamaru glared at him.

At this moment, Sai's left arm reached out before abruptly wrapping around Konohamaru's shoulder and pulling him close. This action caused Konohamaru's forehead to slam against Sai's shoulder, enraging the young Sarutobi clan member.

Suddenly, an awkward moment of silence once again filled the air as Konohamaru grinded his teeth together with rage. While this occurred, Sai's face was completely calm and emotionless as he continued to read his book.

I don't think this is working... I think he's still upset. Sai concluded before flipping through several pages with one hand.

If a gentle shoulder pat doesn't work... Try pulling them close for a warm hug. After reading this statement, Sai hummed for several seconds.

Soon, Sai turned his head just enough to glance at Konohamaru before each of these shinobi became locked in a brief staring contest. Afterwards, Sai slowly began to lean forward, causing Konohamaru to panic and stutter.

At the last moment, Konohamaru pushed Sai to the ground before jumping up on both feet and waving his fists through the air. During this, Sai was sprawled across the ash-filled road with an innocent and confused expression across his face.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Konohamaru shrieked.

"I-... I thought it was a good idea..." Sai stuttered.

"IT WASN'T!" Konohamaru protested while dramatically pointing at Sai.

This declaration forced Sai to panic, causing him to stand up on one knee before shuffling through various pages in his book. At the same time, various citizens of Akarios stood in the background while staring at Sai and Konohamaru.

Where is it... Where is it... Where is it... Sai thought while shuffling through dozens of pages before focusing on a specific paragraph.

When your friend misunderstands you, it's best to-... While reading this sentence from his book, Sai's thought were interrupted by Konohamaru.

"I've had enough of you, I'm leaving." Konohamaru declared before turning around and running away.

"W-wait! We're supposed to stay together!" Sai protested before Konohamaru disappeared from view.

"Did I do something wrong?" While speaking, Sai once again shuffled through various pages of his book.

This was an extremely awkward moment for Konohamaru, a situation that was common with Sai because he didn't understand personal space. However, this awkward confrontation would soon become a daily occurrence in Konohamaru's life.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Various silhouettes polluted a shadow-filled forest inside the Land of Sound, a land in the middle of civil war. After several moments, the pallid figure of Shiin came into view as several clan members stood behind him.

Suddenly, a pair of spiky haired figures came into view before slowly walking out from between a bundle of nearby trees. These figures were known as Gōzu and Meizu, the Demon Brothers from Kiri that once served under Zabuza Momochi.

Several weeks ago, during Team 7's mission inside the Land of Waves, the Demon Brothers were a pair of Chunin-level mercenaries. However, each of these shinobi were now elite Jounin-level bounty hunters.

"I need him brought back alive, he has a valuable technique to my clan." Shiin remarked.

"What's so special about this Menma kid? What technique are you talking about?" Meizu interrupted, always more brash and ignorant than Gōzu.

"It's a forbidden technique that is sacred to my clan. That's all you need to know." Shiin exclaimed.

This statement earned a hostile scoff from Meizu before several rays of sunlight sparkled down from between the tree branches overhead. These rays of light completely illuminated the Demon Brothers, drawing attention to their Kiri-like outfit.

The Demon Brothers wore almost the exact same outfit during their mission inside the Land of Waves. However, the large chain that previously connected Gōzu'z right gauntlet to Meizu's left gauntlet had completely disappeared.

This gave each of the Demon Brothers a higher level of versality while allowing them to utilize their sharpened gauntlets in battle. Also, this gave the elite Demon Brothers greater mobility to impale their enemies, mainly with the horns on their headband.

The most prominent feature of these improved Demon Brother were the identical long swords that were strapped against their back in a slanted angle. Both of these swords had dark blue fabric wrapped around the hilt, drawing attention to there black cross-guards.

The hilt and blade of these swords were extremely massive, giving off a similar appearance to Zabuza's legendary Kubikiribōchō. Also, these weapons were sheathed within a simple strap, exposing their sharp blades to the elements.

"Yea, yea, we'll find the kid." Gōzu spoke out.

"Just be ready to pay us." While speaking, Gōzu crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"I feel like this is a waste of time." Meizu complained.

"It's easy Ryo." Gōzu protested.

"My clan will attack Akarios soon, we need to secure a home." Shiin explained.

"I want you to search the surrounding towns until you find Menma, then bring him back to Akarios." While speaking, various rays of sunlight reflected off Shiin's pallid skin.

This statement earned an inquisitive hum in response as Meizu used the sharpened fingers of his gauntlet to scratch the rebreather on his face. At the same time, Gōzu was mentally counting the large pile of Ryo that Shiin had offered.

"What if he has friends?" Meizu asked.

"I don't care about his friends, just find him." Shiin replied with a hint of rage, the first time he ever showed emotion.

This declaration created a sinister smile that spread across Meizu's concealed face while Gōzu continued to mentally count Ryo. After several moments, Meizu gleefully nodded his head in approval, causing his loose black hair to waver through the air.

"Sounds like a plan." Meizu grumbled.

At this moment, the elite Demon Brothers both dissolved into a puddle of water before completely disappearing from sight. Afterwards, these elite Jounin began an extensive search inside the Land of Sound, a search that would stretch throughout the entire nation.


	87. Chapter 87

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN** **NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 87: Battle For A Nation! Future Of The Sarutobi.**

 _Monday 2:49pm, June 26th 58SSP._

Sai and Konohamaru were sitting in a partially burnt alleyway while the latter was laying underneath a blanket, concealing a majority of his body from view. During this, Sai was admiring a nearby raven while drawing a picture of it with colored pencils.

After several moments, the spiky haired silhouette of Yamato walked around a nearby corner while rubbing the side of his head. Afterwards, Yamato sighed in a dramatic fashion while casually approaching his teammates before glancing at Sai's drawing.

"I haven't had any luck... Did you two see anything?" Yamato asked, earning a brief period of silence in response.

"No, it's been pretty quiet." Sai commented.

This statement forced Yamato to gasp before glancing at Konohamaru, shocked that he wasn't screaming or shouting like usual. Soon, Yamato noticed that Konohamaru was sleeping, filling him with a breath of relief.

"Well, I don't want to just abandon these people... But we really should get moving." Yamato remarked.

"Sure, I don't care about this town." Sai replied with a sincere tone, before drawing a pair of feet onto his raven.

This response earned a sigh of disappointment from Yamato before smearing his right palm across his face. Yamato then slowly approached Konohamaru before sitting down next to him as the brand new Genin continued to sleep.

"Konohamaru... We should leave soon." Yamato proclaimed with a booming voice, trying to wake up the young Genin

Suddenly, Konohamaru rolled over inside his blanket before yawning in an extended and dramatic fashion. While this occurred, the only part of Konohamaru that was visible was his spiky brown hair.

"Konohamaru..." While speaking, Yamato reached out with his right hand before gently grabbing the young Genin.

At this moment, Konohamaru's concealed body erupted into a puff of smoke before his blanket gently floated to the ground. This action forced Yamato to gasp with shock before grabbing the blanket and throwing it against a nearby wall.

"A clone?!" As Yamato panicked, Sai was casually drawing in the background.

"I wondered why he was so quiet." Sai mumbled.

"Damnit!" Yamato screamed before turning around and running down the street.

After several seconds, Yamato completely disappeared from view as he began an extensive search for Konohamaru. At the same time, Sai raised his drawing into the air before admiring it.

Despite the chaotic circumstance that Yamato was in, Sai was completely carefree and calm while various rays of sunlight sparkled down upon him. Because of this, Sai flipped to a new page in his notebook before drawing even more art as a wide smile spread across his face.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

The young silhouette of Konohamaru was walking through a poor and partially abandoned town inside the Land of Sound. This town was nestled along the southern road leading into Oto, showing that Konohamaru had traveled a significant distance.

The streets of this town were filled with dozens of homeless beggars before a nearby window was shattered after a dirty man was thrown through it. Afterwards, a small group of beggars rushed towards the man before searching through his pockets for Ryo.

This sight earned a condescending scoff from Konohamaru before he turned to the left and walked down a narrow alleyway. As Konohamaru slowly faded away into the alley, he briefly thought about the dark circumstances that polluted his life in the recent weeks.

Just two weeks ago, Konohamaru was an innocent child with a loving grandfather and a kind teacher. However, Konohamaru now had neither of those things, and his innocence was replaced by a boiling rage of betrayal.

The previous life that Konohamaru enjoyed was completely gone, replaced only by a horrific nightmare that he struggled to endure. The kind memory of Naruto was nothing but an illusion to Konohamaru, a façade that he failed to see.

Ebisu always proclaimed that Naruto was a demon who couldn't be trusted, a reality that Konohamaru didn't accept until it was too late. Because of this, Konohamaru blamed himself for the recent disaster inside the leaf village.

As these heavy thoughts continued to weigh down on Konohamaru, he disappeared behind a sharp corner in the alleyway. At the same time, the faint sound of rumbling could be heard as storm clouds gathered in the distance.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Konohamaru walked out from a narrow alleyway before entering a wide and abandoned street that was lined with trash. The houses around this street had several broken windows while some were boarded up with rotten wood.

After Konohamaru entered this street, an eerie silence filled the air, followed by a frigid gust of wind from the north. This forced Konohamaru to cross both arms in front of his chest before shivering as his spiky hair rustled in the breeze.

At this moment, Konohamaru abruptly gasped while both eyes bulged as a distorted silhouette appeared behind him with Jounin-level speed. Afterwards, an massive blade sliced through the air in a vertical angle before Konohamaru struggled to block the attack with his gauntlet.

The impact of this collision created a minor spray of sparks that polluted the air before Konohamaru was knocked backwards to the ground. Konohamaru then panicked before rolling across the ground as a massive blade pierced his previous location.

This blade shattered a small portion of earth on impact before a twisted laughter echoed through the air. As this laughter filled the air, Konohamaru quickly stood up before a 2nd silhouette appeared in front of him.

This silhouette then launched his left foot out before Konohamaru scrambled to cross both arms in front of his chest. Konohamaru was then kicked over 20ft backwards before slamming into a distant pile of garbage and trash bags.

Several of these trash bags then fell on top of Konohamaru, concealing him with view as dark clouds polluted the sky. After several moments, a brief strike of lightning illuminated the twin figures known as Gōzu and Meizu, the Demon Brothers.

"What's so special about this kid again?" Meizu asked, earning an enraged glare with his brother in response.

"You idiot. I already told you." Gōzu hissed out as his voice became distorted by the rebreather he wore.

"That _kid_ is the grandson of the 3rd Hokage. If we took his head to Iwa or Kumo, we could buy a nation with his bounty." After speaking, a light drizzle of rain began to bombard the ground.

Suddenly, various balls of chakra-filled fire ruptured out from the nearby trash pile, the result of Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. Each of these fireball had enveloped a significant bundle of burnt trash, polluting the air with a garbage-like aroma.

As this stinking fireballs approached, Meizu sliced in massive blade through the air in a horizontal angle, knocking away various projectiles. At the same time, Gōzu was using his sharpened gauntlet to deflect and crush several of these fireballs with one hand.

Soon, a barrage of shuriken came into view before surging across the empty street while rotating in unison. Afterwards, a brief flicker of metal wire erupted into existence, exposing dozens of wires that connected the barrage of shuriken.

Despite the lethal appearance of this attack, Meizu giggled with delight before raising his massive sword into the air. Meizu then thrust his blade down in a vertical slash, cutting various wires in half with one strike.

The barrage of disconnected shuriken then harmlessly soared past Meizu before piercing a distant wall with a heavy wood thud. The previous drizzle of rain then evolved into an intense downpour, polluting the air with the heavy sound of rainfall.

At this moment, the spiky haired silhouette of Konohamaru appeared atop a nearby roof before clapping both hands into the Tiger Seal. At the same time, Gōzu pressed both hands together before weaving through the Dog, Horse, Ram and Dog Seals.

After several moments, the sound of rain striking metal filled the air as Gōzu'z rebreather was bombarded by a barrage of rain drops. Soon, several of these rain drops froze in midair before slowly growing into a bundle water-shaped shuriken.

Gōzu then reached out with his left hand before grabbing each of these shuriken and throwing them through the air. This technique was the result of Water Style: Water Shuriken Jutsu, a C-Rank technique that was commonly used inside the Land of Mist.

As these shuriken approached, Konohamaru inhaled such a significant breath of air that both his cheeks bulged like a squirrel. Afterwards, Konohamaru exhaled a condensed spray of chakra-filled fire that took on the shape of a dragon.

These flames were the result of Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb, a basic level of Fire Release that was commonly utilized by the Sarutobi Clan. Gōzu's barrage of water shuriken then collided against Konohamaru's technique, creating various pillars of steam that polluted the air.

As this steam radiated through the air, various drops of rain began to merge together behind Konohamaru, creating a humanoid figure. After several seconds, this figure morphed into Meizu before raising his massive blade into the air.

This abrupt appearance forced Konohamaru to gasp with shock before Meizu sliced his blade down in a slanted fashion. This attack managed to cut Konohamaru's torso in half before his bisected body erupted into a puff of smoke.

Suddenly, a pair of broken logs fell to the ground in front of Meizu, earning a distorted growl of rage from underneath his rebreather. A brief period of silence then filled the air before the silhouette of Konohamaru was seen disappearing into a distant alleyway.

Because of the extreme power gap between Konohamaru and the Demon Brothers, both of these elite Jounin managed to easily catch up with him. As these brothers charged down the narrow alleyway, Meizu dashed in front of his brother, fueled by his brash personality.

The distorted chuckle of Meizu then resonated through the air as he caught up to Konohamaru before abruptly tripping over a metal wire on the ground. Meizu then fell face-first into the ground before a bundle of explosive tags flickered into existence.

This horrific realization barely had enough time to register through Meizu's mind before his entire body was engulfed in a consecutive series of explosions. These explosions scorched several of the nearby buildings while Gōzu froze mid step before crossing both arms in front of his face.

Gōzu's Kiri-style cloak then violently rustled under the chakra-filled breeze of ember and flames. This intense shockwave of fire was followed by a minor pillar of smoke that polluted the alleyway, concealing Meizu from view.

Instead of checking on his brother, Gōzu simply grunted with annoyance before dispersing into a puddle of water. Afterwards, the elite bounty hunter continued chasing after Konohamaru, eager to collect his head at any cost.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The calm silhouette of Sai was seated atop a wooden house inside Akarios that was remarkably well preserved. Sai was drawing a beautiful depiction of a nearby blue lady-bug while bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on his pale skin.

A peaceful and extended period of silence then polluted the air for what felt like hours as Sai continued to draw. Sai had always been a rather distant person with a unique talent for art, a talent that his childhood friend, Shin, continuously complemented him on.

In his youth, Sai was an extremely quiet childhood who only really connected to Shin, because they were both orphans from the 3rd shinobi war. However, both of these brother-like figures were then found by Danzo, a man who prized loyalty and strength.

This desire for loyalty was one of the guiding principles for anyone to enter the Root Foundation. A principle that required Shin and Sai to fight too death in order to prove their loyalty to Danzo.

Even though Shin was far older and superior then Sai in terms of talent of strength, he purposely lost the battle so Sai could survive. This was a realization that continuously haunted Sai, and the main reason why he always smiled or joked around.

Also, Sai continued to work on his art daily, just like Shin always encouraged him too do. In many ways, the death of Shin was a defining faction that shaped Sai's life and personality, creating the iconic and annoying persona that Konohamaru hated so much.

At this moment, each of Sai's eyes briefly bulged before a explosion of fire erupted in the distance. Afterwards, the collective sound of screams could be heard as various villagers began running through nearby streets.

This chaotic depiction forced Sai to close before eyes before causally slamming his notebook atop the roof and turning to a new page. Sai then pulled a fresh bottle of ink loose from his satchel, followed by a wooden paint brush.

Suddenly, an elderly man tripped over his cane before falling to the ground on a nearby street. After several moments, the distorted silhouettes of several Shiin Clan members came into view as they each brandish a unique weapon.

The elderly man then began to plea for help as Sai casually doodled various tigers and lions across his notebook. Sai then held this notebook into the air with one hand before admiring the blots of black ink that were sprawled across the page.

This ink then began to bubble and bulge before several animals ruptured out from the page with a fierce roar. This roar garnished the attention the elderly man before several animal-like creatures appeared in front of him.

These creatures were the result of Sai's unique art, an ability that someone like Deidara or Sasori would be extremely interested in. Each of these animals gave off a paper-like appearance with various strokes of black ink that outlined their bodies.

This strange appearance forced the small crowd of Shiin Clan members to abruptly halt in the street before hesitating. Afterwards, an extended period of silence filled the air before the sickly silhouette of Shiin came into view.

As Shiin approached, the small crowd of his clan members quickly made way for their leader to walk between them. Shiin then stood in front of his fellow clan members before staring at the strange creatures that Sai created.

This crowd of Shiin Clan members then unleashed a concentrated barrage of shuriken that soared through the air at Chunin-level speed. As these weapons approached, one of Sai's animals jumped in front of these projectiles before absorbing dozens of them.

This animal then erupted into an explosion of ink that launched each of these shuriken back at the Shiin. Some of these shuriken even managed to kill several Shiin Clan members while others were deflected.

While this chaotic confrontation occurred, the previously helpless old man managed to crawl too his feet before retreating. During this, Sai continued to sit atop a nearby roof with a carefree and dreamy expression on his face, similar to Sasori.

Suddenly, Sai was forced to roll across the roof top after a kunai was held into his previous location. This kunai was attached to a long rope-like fabric that extended out from Shiin's sleeves, a result of his unique fighting style.

Soon, various Shiin Clan members began an intense battle with each of Sai's drawings while their clan leader confronted the 13 year old shinobi. Shiin then hurled several kunai towards Sai with various red ropes connecting each of these weapons to the rogue ninja.

Despite the lethality of this attack, Sai casually backflipped over a narrow alleyway before each of Shiin's kunai harmlessly pierced a cheap bundle of grey roof tiles. This realization earned a grunt of annoyance from the sickly Shiin before leaping over the alleyway.

While hovering in midair, Shiin unleashed another barrage of kunai that were attached to red ropes extending out from his sleeves. As these projectiles approached, Sai casually deflected each of them with his paint brush, creating a spray of black ink that briefly polluted the air.

Shiin then sliced a kunai through this dense ink before lunging at Sai, causing both of these shinobi to engage in a brief display of Bukijutsu. While Shiin was extremely precise with his rope-attached kunai, Sai was able to maneuver a single paint brush like a sword.

Sai was displaying a leveling of talent and versatility that completely shocked Shiin, a realization that was magnified by Sai's young age. Soon, Sai managed to out maneuver the sickly rogue ninja before kicking Shiin directly in his chest.

This attack knocked Shiin back over 15ft, causing him to fly across a wide alleyway before crashing into a nearby roof. Afterwards, Shiin quickly stood up before pulling his unique flute loose from his outfit.

This revelation caused Sai to hum with interest before Shiin abruptly began to play his flute, creating a shockwave of sound that rippled out in all directions. This shockwave moved at the speed of sound, a level of speed that Sai struggle to react against.

As this sound-wave approached, Sai stomped both feet against the roof before the tiles cracked underneath his chakra. This caused Sai to lose his balance before falling against a poorly made rooftop.

Shiin's chakra-filled sound-wave then crashed against Sai, polluting his ears with a deep pain that completely paralyzed him. Despite the intense level of this pain, Sai didn't even grunt or groan, a result of his horrific training inside the Root Foundation.

While this pain continued to throb through Sai's body, the distorted silhouette of Menma protruded out from behind a distant rooftop. Menma had noticed the intense explosions that echoed through Akarios, forcing him to come and defend the village.

In his youth, Menma was left an orphan from a group of rogue ninja that attacked and raided Akarios. This terrible event left Menma completely alone in the world, except for his childhood friend, Sokubai.

Because Sokubai was the only friend that Menma had, he tried to ignore his twisted and sadistic personality. Also, this sole connection of friendship caused Menma to leave Akarios with Sokubai, because the latter wanted to join a group of rogue ninja.

Menma was still filled with regret from his confrontation with Sokubai, a moment where he stabbed his only childhood friend in the back. However, the brutal murder of Fuki's father created an abrupt shift in Menma's personality, allowing him to finally see just how twisted his childhood friend really was.

This realization filled Menma with the desire to help others, the goal of correcting his previous mistakes and failed actions. Because of this, Menma pulled his iconic ocarina lose before playing it, unleashing his own shockwave of sound that rippled through the air.

This sound then resonated through the air before mixing in with Shiin's, completely polluting his lethal sound-wave. Afterwards, Menma's own sound-wave rushed across Sai's body, filling the elite shinobi with an extreme surge of strength and speed.

Sai then utilized this strength to jump on his feet before soaring into the air, allowing him to notice the distant silhouette of Fuki. This 6 year old girl had completely disobeyed Menma's orders, causing her to follow him back to Akarios.

At this moment, Sai gasped with shock after noticing a barrage of shuriken that were launched through the air at Fuki by various Shiin Clan members. This revelation caused the former Anbu member to surge across various rooftops with high Jounin-level speed.

Despite his best attempts, Sai was too far away to reach the little girl, a realization that weighed down on him as he continued to charge forward. The entire world then briefly slowed down for Sai as he reached out towards Fuki.

During this moment of distorted reality, the distant laughter of Shin suddenly resonated through Sai's mind. This laughter was followed by the youthful face of Shin, Sai's best and only childhood friend.

This barrage of kunai was then mere inches away from Fuki before several blue chakra threads impaled them in midair. These threads of chakra then launched each of the projectiles back at the attacking Shiin Clan members, killing all of them with the luck of surprise.

Each of Sai's eyes then bulged before sliding across the ground for several feet, causing him to bump against the orange-haired silhouette of Sasame. This 12 year old girl was a freshly made Chunin from the Land of Sound, evidence by the Oto headband worn across her forehead.

Suddenly, an awkward and tense silence filled the air as Sai and Sasame glanced at one another while standing extremely close. During this moment of silence, both of these ninja had a small blush sprawled across their face.

After several moments, a small crowd of Shiin Clan members came into view before charging down the street at Sai and Sasame. While this occurred, Menma and Shiin were enraged in a fierce battle of sound in the background.

"Earth Style: Antlion Jutsu!" The muffled voice of Kagerō echoed out from under ground.

This statement caused the entire street in front of Sai and Sasame to abruptly crumble into chakra-filled sand. Afterwards, this sand began to swallow several Shiin Clan members and entire houses with ease, demonstrating Kagerō's power, easily high Jounin-level.

While this sand continued to swallow various rogue ninja, Shiin and Menma were now engaged in a hand-to-hand battle in the background. This was a battle that Menma was struggling to endure as Shiin continuously punched and kicked him with precision.

Shiin felt utterly betrayed by Menma, a betrayal in ability and technique but not with friendship or loyalty. Similar to Orochimaru, Shiin didn't really care for others unless he could use them to achieve a goal.

Because of Menma's recent betrayal, Shiin had been robbed of a forbidden technique, a fact that greatly enraged the rogue shinobi. This rage fueled Shiin as he continued to beat and kick Menma with a deep sense of hatred.

At this moment, both of Shiin's eardrums were abruptly shattered as a Jounin-level display of Sound Ninjutsu radiated through the air. This sound-wave forced Shiin to fall on both knees before screaming while Menma was left completely dazed.

Despite the lethal amount of pain that echoed through Shiin's ears, Menma was completely unaffected by the high level display of sound. Soon, Shiin fell to the ground in front of Menma before a hunched silhouette abruptly towered over him.

This silhouette moved with the speed of sound, contrasting his hunched figure and crooked back, shocking Menma with his display of power. Afterwards, bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on this silhouette, illuminating the mummified shinobi known as Dosu.

Dosu's appearance had significantly changed over the past two weeks, evidence by the ankle-length white robe he wore over his bandages. Also, he wore a knee-length purple haori, but since his back was so hunched, it concealed a majority of his legs.

This haori had the iconic symbol of Oto engraved upon the back, drawing attention to the Kage-style hat that Dosu wore. This hat was also adorned with the symbol of Oto and minor sections of purple fabric.

This new attire was the result of Dosu's position inside the Land of Sound, the Fuma Clan had unanimously voted to make him the 4th Dokage. This title was previously held by a handful of shinobi inside the Land of Rice Paddies, before Orochimaru transformed the entire nation in his lust for power.

Soon, a small band of Fuma Clan members came into view as they each wielded an impressive bow with extreme accuracy. Afterwards, these Fuma Clan members confronted several groups of Shiin throughout Akarios, filling the air with the intense sound of metal striking metal.

These Fuma were then reinforced by Kagerō, Sasame and Sai, allowing them to effortlessly overwhelm the rogue Shiin Clan. At the same time, a chaotic level of pain continued to rupture through Shiin's ears before he slowly glanced up at Dosu.

"Hmmm..." Dosu hummed with an inquisitive tone before casually flicking his metal gauntlet.

This action created an intense sound-wave of chakra that completely overwhelmed Shiin's internal organs, a result of Dosu's high level frequency. Suddenly, this frequency forced Shiin's internal heart to rupture with a brutal explosion of blood.

At this moment, minor streams of blood spewed out for Shiin's mouth before he face-planted against the roof in front of Dosu. While this occurred, the distant sound of metal striking metal was abruptly halted before Akarios entered a brief moment of silence and tranquility.

Dosu then glanced up at the bright sun overhead before once again releasing an inquisitive hum. During this, Menma was staring at Dosu with utter shock and bewilderment, surprised that someone could utilize such a high degree of sound.

Menma was struggling against Shiin, but Dosu managed to effortlessly defeat the rogue ninja in a matter of seconds. This was a realization that washed over Menma, filling him with a mixture of awe and inspiration.

Menma always wanted to do good, he wanted to help others and save them from the same childhood he had, but he struggled to find the right path. However, Menma had no idea that his entire life was about to change, forever.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Konohamaru was running through the trash-filled alleyways of a partially disserted town that was miles away from Akarios. This town was also being bombarded by a fierce rainstorm while Akarios was enjoying a sunny day.

As Konohamaru continued to run, he ran passed a homeless beggar before stealing the large cigarette out from his mouth. Afterwards, the water-soaked figure of Gōzu merged together from the rain before chasing after Konohamaru.

Gōzu then utilized his vast level of speed to quickly catch up with Konohamaru before the latter threw a cigarette on the ground. Konohamaru then casually jumped over this cigarette before weaving through the Dog, Bear and Tiger Seals in midair.

After several seconds, Konohamaru landed atop the ground while Gōzu's right hand was mere inches away. This hand was encased by Gōzu's iconic gauntlet, a gauntlet that was lined with knife-like fingers.

Soon, these fingers slowly stretched towards Konohamaru as Gōzu completely overwhelmed the young Genin with speed. At the last moment, the previously discarded cigarette erupted into a dense wall of flames right underneath Gōzu's feet.

These flames then completely concealed Gōzu from view, creating a confident smirk across Konohamaru's face as he finally stopped running. A collection of fiery embers then resonated through the air, empowered by the shockwave from Konohamaru's attack.

This technique was the result of Fire Style: Flint Yagura Jutsu, one of the basic and most iconic abilities inside the Sarutobi Clan. Infact, the Sarutobi specified in over a dozen separate variations of Fire Style, displaying higher versatility than even the Uchiha.

An eerie silence then polluted the air, followed by a dense aura of black smoke that took several minutes to dissipate. Afterwards, a small crater of burnt grass and splintered earth came into view while Gōzu had completely disappeared from sight.

Suddenly, the burnt silhouette of Gōzu abruptly appeared behind Konohamaru, forcing the honorable grandson to gasp with shock. Konohamaru then barely had enough time to block a fierce punch from Gōzu with his right gauntlet.

This brought attention to Gōzu's burnt outfit, a collection of fabric that was severely burnt from the waist up. Also, Gōzu's previously sharpened gauntlet was severely burnt and discolored while each of his fingertips were missing.

Gōzu then effortlessly knocked Konohamaru off the ground with a powerful sweep from his left leg. As Konohamaru hovered through the air, Gōzu shoved his right knee against the honorable grandson, striking him in the stomach.

Ignoring this pain, Konohamaru quickly reached into the satchel on his waist before hastily searching for a weapon. Konohamaru then pulled out a three-pronged black kunai with the Flying Thunder God Seal sprawled across the hilt.

This weapon was the last thing that Naruto ever gave to Konohamaru, and he always carried it as a reminder of his failure. However, Konohamaru was so distracted by Gōzu that he failed to notice the violet pair of ripple-patterned eyes that briefly pierced his mind.

Gōzu then slammed his burnt gauntlet down before Konohamaru barely managed to parry this attack with Naruto's kunai. Afterwards, this kunai abruptly shattered on impact, unable to with stand the weight of Gōzu's attack.

This action created a minor explosion of sparks and metal shards then radiated through the air, briefly blinding Konohamaru. During this brief moment, Gōzu once again kneed the young Sarutobi Clan member in the stomach before throwing him onto the ground.

Before Konohamaru could react, Gōzu crouched down before slamming both knees against the young Genin. Also, Gōzu used his right hand to grab Konohamaru's head before shoving him into the ground.

A brief moment of silence then filled the air as Konohamaru struggled to free himself, but he was completely overwhelmed by the elite bounty hunter. While this occurred, the iconic sound of heavy rainfall could be heard as Gōzu grumbled from underneath his rebreather.

"You just ran out of luck, kid." Gōzu spat out.

At this moment, Gōzu's left hand reached up before grabbing the hilt of his massive blade and partially unsheathing it. While this occurred, the smiling face of Hiruzen slowly drifted through Konohamaru's mind as he struggled to breathe.

Suddenly, the hand of a hooded figure reached out before casually grabbing Gōzu's hilt, causing the elite bounty hunter hum with interest. Gōzu then glanced over his left shoulder before noticing the cloaked silhouette of a child who wasn't even 5ft tall, resembling the appearance of a 12 year old.

Despite the young appearance of this cloaked figure, he managed to completely overwhelm Gōzu's grip on his blade. This realization created a tense silence as Gōzu glared at the hooded figure while heavy drops of rain fell down on both of them.

During this moment of silence, Gōzu noticed that the young boy behind him was wearing the black robes of Anbu from Konoha. Afterwards, a strike of lightning echoed through the cloud-filled sky, briefly illuminating the hooded figure.

This allowed Gōzu to notice a pair of whiskers that framed the boys face while an aura of violet radiated out from underneath his hood. This revelation forced each of Gōzu's eyes to bulge with shock after instantly identifying the young boy.

This knowledge came from Gōzu's concentrated effort on studying his bingo book, a book filled with over 2,000 entries. One of these bounties was for a young child known as Naruto Uzumaki, wanted for crimes against Konoha.

"Y-... You're-...?!" After stuttering these words, Konohamaru finally managed to pull his face from the ground before gasping.

Before Konohamaru could even react, Gōzu was quickly enveloped by the hooded figure before they both disappeared with a Kage-level blur of speed. The heavy sound of rainfall then resonated through Konohamaru's ears as he sat up on both knees before gasping for several moments.

Instead of questioning the odd moment that just occurred, Konohamaru quickly stood up on both feet before running into a populated street. Konohamaru then surged passed several citizens while the elderly face of Hiruzen continued to drift through his mind.

As Konohamaru continued to run through the street, he ran past a narrow alleyway that was filled with the limp corpse of Gōzu. This corpse was concealed behind a minor pile of trash with a black chakra-rod rammed through his chest.

After several moments, the hooded silhouette of Naruto appeared atop a poorly constructed roof before staring at Konohamaru. At the same time, a blind raven known as Shisui was hovering overhead before landing atop Naruto's left shoulder.

Because of the dark clouds and dense rainstorm, the only portion of Naruto that was visible was his violet, ripple-patterned eyes. Both of these eyes were focused intently on Konohamaru, studying the young Genin as he ran through the street.

Soon, Konohamaru noticed the purple eyed silhouette out of the corner of his eyes, causing him to abruptly turn around. At the last moment, a brief strike of lightning echoed through the air before Naruto disappeared from sight, filling Konohamaru with confusion.

Konohamaru then stood in the middle of the street for what felt like minutes as he stared at the distant rooftop. Konohamaru was certain that he just saw someone up there, but now they were completely gone.

Suddenly, the one armed silhouette of Jiraiya was shoved out from the building behind Konohamaru, a cheap brothel. Jiraiya then face planted into the ground before Konohamaru tripped over him.

"Ladies! Ladies! Please, I'm telling you, I know I have money somewhere!" Jiraiya exclaimed while standing up.

The doors in front of Jiraiya were then slammed shut by several woman that were all poorly clothed, revealing large portions of skin. Afterwards, Jiraiya sighed with defeat with Konohamaru was growling with rage.

"Hey! What's the big idea!? You tripped me!" Konohamaru complained.

"Pft, you just got in my way, kid." Jiraiya scoffed while waving his left hand through the air.

"Kid?! You have no idea who I am! My name is Konohamaru Sarutobi, and I'm gonna be Hokage someday!" Konohamaru protested.

This declaration forced Jiraiya's expression to instantly shift, becoming stern and rigid, displaying a face that had seen decades of war. During this. over 50 years of memories floated through Jiraiya's mind, memories of the 3rd Hokage, of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After several seconds, this brief display of maturity was completely replaced by a childish smile across Jiraiya's face. The Toad Sanin then began to wave his long white ponytail through the air while pointing at Konohamaru in a dramatic fashion.

"Actually! You have no idea who I am, kid!" Jiraiya mocked before clapping his wooden sandals together and dancing.

"Sage, Sanin, Seducer and Savior! I have many titles and names, earned from decades of training and experience!" While shouting, Jiraiya continued to dance.

"Some even call me the greatest author who ever lived! Creator of inspiration that fuels millions of shinobi and damsels!" As Jiraiya continued to introduce himself, he clapped his sandals across the ground in perfect unison.

"The one... The only... MASTER JIRAIYA!" After screaming, a brief period of silence filled the air while an expression of disbelief was spread across Konohamaru's face.

"I have no idea who you are..." Konohamaru muttered.

This statement caused Jiriaya to violently faceplant into the ground before his entire body twitched for several moments. During this, Konohamaru was casually scratching the bridge of his nose in an Iruka-like fashion.

"KONOHAMARU!" The booming voice of Yamato resonated through the air with the strength of canon fire.

This forced Konohamaru to abruptly freeze after noticing the distant silhouette of Yamato charging towards him from down the street. Despite the insane level of speed that Yamato was moving at, he didn't even blink while glaring at Konohamaru.

"You went off on you're own?!" While speaking, Yamato's eyes grew wider with each second that passed.

After running full speed for several moments, Yamato stood directly in front of Konohamaru, completely violating his personal space. An awkward moment of silence then filled the air as Yamato towered over Konohamaru while unleashing a fierce death glare.

"Since you used a shadow clone to fool me, I hope you're prepared for the consequences." As Yamato spoke, his words forced Konohamaru to sweat.

Suddenly, Jiraiya's left hand gently patted Konohamaru atop his head before chuckling with a deep laugh. This garnished the attention of Yamato, causing him to briefly gasp after finally recognizing the elite Sanin.

"Just let me take care of the kid, I'll hang on to him for awhile." Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Wait a second! Who is this old geezer!?" Konohamaru questioned before brushing Jiraiya's hand away.

"What?! You mean to say that you don't recognize master Jiraiya?!" Yamato stuttered, earning a hostile scoff from Konohamaru in response.

"He's one of the three students of the 3rd Hokage." After Yamato spoke, these words garnished all of Konohamaru's attention.

Soon, Konohamaru's opinion of Jiraiya changed as he glanced at the elite Sanin, observing his armored gauntlets and mesh under-armor. During this, Jiraiya's left hand was rubbing the back of his head while laughing with a deep chuckle.

"Sure am, so let me take control of this runt." Jiraiya interrupted before once again grabbing the top of Konohamaru's head.

"I can teach him a few things that his grandfather taught me. I can already smell the character development." After speaking, Jiraiya's nose began to sniff the air.

"Well... I'm sure the 5th Hokage wouldn't mind..." Yamato mumbled before gripping his chin in a inquisitive manner.

"And... I guess me and Sai can finish up this mission with Oto..." After speaking, Yamato briefly hummed.

"Awesome! No more Sai!" Konohamaru cheered, earning a dramatic sigh from Yamato.

While this conversation continued to unfold, the small group of shinobi were each completely soaked with rain. After several moments, these heavy drops of rain began to dissipate and fade before brief rays of sunlight sparkled down from overhead.

These rays of sunlight completely illuminated Konohamaru's face, forcing him to close both eyes while Jiraiya smiled from ear-to-ear. Afterwards, Jiraiya turned around before causally walking through the street while waving goodbye to Yamato.

"Yo, Konohamaru! Let's get going!" Jiraiya proclaimed, causing the honorable grandson to quickly turn around.

At this moment, the elderly silhouette of Hiruzen slowly drifted through Konohamaru's mind, forcing him to run after Jiraiya. As these two shinobi disappeared into the setting sun on the horizon, Konohamaru daydreamed about a better future, a world where he could confront Naruto and redeem the Sarutobi Clan.


	88. Chapter 88

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Freddielebron - I already said that KonohamaruxNaruto will be just like canon ItachixSasuke, because that's what a plot point is. I don't know why you're acting like that's some type of conspiracy, I already confirmed that.**

 **Also, you think the confrontation between NarutoxSasuke was poorly written, and for some reason, compare Naruto to a horror movie character. You also think Naruto should've been honest with everyone, and since he wasn't, you think Naruto is an idiot without common sense.**

 **You think Naruto should have just told everyone about the souls he absorbed, and the memories he obtained. You explain this would be a better plot point because this would allow Naruto to at least keep some of his friends.**

 **With all this being said, I must ask, why would Naruto be honest to his friends if they're the main reason he left? That would contradict everything Naruto sacrificed as a character, a contradiction that you're encouraging me to write.**

 **Why would Naruto want Konoha to learn about his perspective or the souls that he absorbed? Why?** **You keep assuming that Naruto should tell the truth but you never took the time too ask why. Why? Why? Why? Why would Naruto say that?**

 **Why would Naruto kill Danzo and leave Konoha as a Rogue Ninja only to explain his actions to Konoha, what benefit does that give? I can't think of a single reason why Naruto would stay in Konoha. Can you answer why? Because I can't, and that's 'why' your review is dogshit.**

 **I can understand why Naruto would drops hints about it to Lee or Sasuke, but he also understands their friendship had to end. You're correct that Naruto has over 100 years of experience, and that's exactly 'why' Naruto left, because he obviously knows more about the plot than you.**

 **Your review would create more problems than it would solve because it doesn't answer 'why', why would Naruto say that?** **Also, the dialogue you wrote for Naruto makes no sense because he had to be hostile, he had to push Sasuke away because of 'Plot Development'.**

 **I have no problem with harsh criticism, hate speech or acknowledging my own mistakes, but your review makes no fucking sense.** **I appreciate you, and I don't want to come off as a dick, but your argument is worse than trash, it's pathetic.**

 **christopher - We've finally shifted back to Naruto's perspective, so this chapter, and the entire Arc, does revolve around him. Also, this Arc will introduce the 5th member of Naruto's little 'gang', a permanent member.**

 **GunBlade2019 - The Shiin Clan is a filler clan from episode 213-215 of Naruto Part 1. I'm trying to shine a light on filler characters because I feel like a lot of Naruto fans just skip over filler episodes, and that makes me sad. Sasame is basically filler garbage, but I still like her.**

 **In that filler Arc, the necklace that Fuki inherits is just some cheap looking rock that's pretty irrelevant, since it's filler. However, because Fuki is the same age as Konohamaru, I wanted to spice this story up with Fuki's backstory.**

 **Also, Konohamaru has no idea that Naruto saved him, he was barely even able to notice him, let alone see his face. You as the reader are fully aware that Naruto saved him, but Konohamaru has no idea.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 88: The Town Where A Demon Lived! Hatred For The Past.**

 _Tuesday 3:31am, June 27th 58SSP._

Dense shadows flickered across various walls of stone, walls that were each chipped and stained with poorly washed blood. These walls were carved underneath a rocky spire inside the Land of Lightning, resting on the southwestern border.

This partially concealed location was one of Orochimaru's hideouts, a series of connecting tunnels and labs that sprawled under ground. Despite its large size, the only portion of this hideout that was visible was a grey-tinted house nestled between two mountain spires, accompanied by a small watchertower.

As shadows continued to pollute the dark hallways of this eerie hideout, the whispering silhouette of an orange-haired teenager slowly limped into view. His hair was extremely spiky with a dense collection of fresh blood dripping from it, staining the floor.

With each drop of blood, the heavy sound of hollow liquid echoed throughout the empty hallway. This sound was magnified by the harsh scrapping of metal against stone, a result of the large iron ball that was strapped around the teenagers right ankle.

This heavy ball was then dragged across the shadow-filled hallway for felt like minutes, drawing attention to various bodies that littered the ground. Soon, a flickering lightbulb came into view, hanging from the stone ceiling.

This lightbulb repeatedly flickered on and off for several moments as the blood-stained silhouette slowly approached, followed by muffled whispers. After several seconds, the flickering lightbulb completely exposed the blood-stained figure, revealing the 15 year old teenager known as Jūgo.

Jūgo was extremely tall for his age, over 6ft tall with a muscular build and pale skin, drawing attention to his ear-length orange hair. This hair was extremely short but spiky, allowing two small bangs to hang in front of Jūgo's forehead.

Despite the intense amount of blood that was dripping from his hair and body, Jūgo's facial expression was completely calm and tranquil. This blood was the exact same tone and color as Jūgo's eyes, eyes that were very similar to Karin's.

Jūgo's most prominent feature was a bracket-shaped black symbol that was engraved into both of his palms. These symbols were a birthmark that existed throughout Jūgo's entire life, the original 'Cursed Seal' that Orochimaru first studied so many years ago.

Jūgo's outfit consisted of a short-sleeved white shirt with pale green shorts that ended several inches above his knees. This was the attire of a prisoner, a result of Jūgo's extended time locked inside the hideout, isolated from society.

Unlike Tayuya or Kimimaro, Orochimaru actually valued Jūgo because of his unique blood-line, a trait from his unnamed clan. Because of this, Jūgo was always kept at arms reach, safely secured inside Orochimaru's most fortified hideout.

However, this previous bastion of security was now eerily silent with dozens of limp corpses sprawled throughout various hallways and rooms. The only sound that could be heard was the continuous dripping of blood, occasionally magnified by muffled whispers.

"No... A woman... A woman is nice... No, wait." Jūgo whispered with a dark and eerie tone.

"A guy? I guess a guy would be better..." While speaking these hushed words, Jūgo stared at the ground with a calm expression as he walked.

This debate of verbal whispers then continued for several minutes, polluted by the sound of Jūgo's ankle weight sliding across the ground. During this debate, Jūgo couldn't decide who he wanted to kill more, a guy or a girl.

Soon, the nearby lightbulb ruptured into a glass-filled explosion, shrouding Jūgo with a dense aura of shadows. Afterwards, Jūgo continued to slowly wonder throughout the empty hideout, eager for more blood.

* * *

 _Five hours later._

"This is bullshit! I want a new hat! And a flute!" Tayuya complained while dramatically poking Naruto's nose.

Naruto and Tayuya stood in the middle of a narrow dirt road inside the Land of Lightning, the home of Kumo, the village hidden by clouds. This road was surrounded by various pillars of tan-colored rock and stone, the only visible color for miles.

While Tayuya continued to complain, Gaara and Karin could be seen in the background, an area that was covered with vast portions of melting snow. This odd mixture of contradicting landscapes was the result of Naruto's location, he stood between the Land of Frost and the Land of lightning.

The Land of Frost was a rather small nation, its main source of defense was the hidden shinobi village known as Shimo. Despite it's size as a shinobi village, the main capital for the Land of Frost was Dawnstar, a vibrant port city that rested on the northern coastline, home to the Daimyo.

The past few days consisted of a boring journey through the Land of Frost, a nation that pissed Tayuya off because she hated cold weather. However, she hated the Land of Lightning even more, but she would never openly explain why.

"Why can't we go to Dawnstar? They have food, and hats!" While speaking, Tayuya continued to poke Naruto.

"We're looking for the eight tails, remember?" Naruto remarked.

"I don't care, I don't wanna be here." Tayuya retorted before crossing both arms in front of her nonexistent chest.

"Then just leave, and I'll have Naruto all to myself." Karin giggled before pushing her glasses up in a seductive manner.

This declaration forced Tayuya to spin around before snarling in a hostile fashion as she glared at Karin. Afterwards, Tayuya used her left hand to flip Karin off before snorting with contempt.

"If I leave, this whiskered faggot is coming with me." Tayuya argued while pointing at Naruto.

Suddenly, Tayuya and Karin became locked in a fierce staring contest while growling at each other for several minutes. During this, Gaara scratched the side of his head with confusion before Tayuya and Karin continued to argue.

"All you do is complain! You're too negative for Naruto, he needs someone like me!" Karin proclaimed.

"A whore?" Tayuya scoffed.

"L-Li-.. Lies! I'm just 13, I haven't slept with anyone!' Karin protested.

"Then keep your legs closed, and shut the fuck up." Tayuya retorted while dramatically clapping her hands together.

"You can't even shut your mouth for two minutes!" Karin argued.

At this moment, Naruto walked between the pair of arguing kunoichi while waving his hands through the air in a sheepish manner. While this occurred, Gaara was standing in the background as he continued to scratch his head with confusion.

"Just calm down." Naruto encouraged, earning a heated glare from Tayuya and Karin.

"Shut up!" Both kunoichi yelled in perfect unison.

"And you! Stop being so mean to Naruto, he's out of your league!" As Karin spoke, she stomped her right foot atop the ground.

"I'll say whatever I want to him, because he's my bitch - not yours." Tayuya exclaimed.

"You just did it again!? Do you even know what his name is?" Karin complained.

"His name is whatever I say it is." Tayuya scoffed.

Suddenly, Tayuya and Karin both squinted their eyes while leaning forward and growling at each other. During this, Naruto continued to stand between the arguing kunoichi, causing both of them to violate his personal space.

As these kunoichi continued to glare at each other for what felt like minutes, Karin briefly giggled after noticing how close she was to Naruto. Afterwards, Karin grabbed the collar of Naruto's outfit before pulling him close and kissing him.

This action forced Tayuya's mouth to fall open with shock, leaving her completely speechless as Karin kissed Naruto in front of her. At the same time, Gaara continued to stand in the background, filled with even more confusion than before.

After several moments of hesitation, Tayuya roared with jealousy before raising her right fist into the air and lunging at Karin. As this fist approached, Naruto casually grabbed Tayuya's wrist before gently pushing Karin away.

"I'll fucking murder you! You bitch!" While screaming, Tayuya once again lunged at Karin.

Before Tayuya could reach her victim, Naruto wrapped both arms around her waist, but she was too distracted by her rage to notice. This forced Tayuya to wiggle and squirm as she attempted to break free before murdering Karin.

While this dramatic confrontation unfolded, Karin casually ran behind Gaara before poking her head out from behind his gourd. This brought attention to her blushing face, and the mocking expression she made towards Tayuya.

"You wanna know what the best part is? That was my first kiss." Karin giggled.

"I'LL FOOTSTOMP YOU INTO THE GROUND!" Tayuya shrieked.

"Calm down." Naruto whispered.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I WILL NEVER CALM DOWN! I'M A LION!" Tayuya protested.

Suddenly, Tayuya began to violently wiggle while shaking her head from side-to-side, taking on the appearance of a rabid squirrel. During this intense struggle, Tayuya foamed at the mouth before lunging towards Karin, completely overwhelmed by jealousy.

At the last moment, Naruto once again pulled Tayuya close before casually kissing her forehead, completely paralyzing her for several seconds. While this occurred, an odd but familiar feeling began to swirl inside Tayuya's stomach after noticing how close she was to Naruto.

"You're a cute lion." Naruto remarked with a genuine smile.

This statement caused Tayuya's entire face to blush before dramatically pushing Naruto away and crossing both arms in front of her chest. Afterwards, Tayuya casually kicked a nearby rock, causing the object to fly past Gaara before striking Karin in the head, knocking her to the ground.

"Yea... Sure... Whatever." Tayuya mumbled.

"So... I'm confused. Aren't we looking for someone?" Gaara asked as a grumbling Karin slowly stood up behind him.

"Yea, but we should get something to eat at the next town. It's pretty close." Naruto explained.

Usually, Tayuya would jump for joy at the chance for free food, but her intense hatred for the Land of Lightning deprived any celebration. Also, this created an awkward period of silence as Naruto waited for Tayuya to respond, but she said nothing.

"That sounds lovely!" Karin interjected before skipping past Tayuya.

Soon, Karin approached Naruto before grabbing him by the hand and dragging him down the street while Gaara followed. This left Tayuya completely alone on the dirt road as she stared at the ground with an expression of regret in her brown eyes.

After several moments, Tayuya lazily dragged her feet before slowly trailing behind Naruto. During this, Tayuya became briefly overwhelmed by memories from her past, memories that she hated to think about.

* * *

 _Ten minutes_ later.

"This is a town? It looks like a graveyard." Karin remarked as the distant silhouette of an eerie village came into view.

This location was known as Chin Village, an insignificant settle that was nestled on southwestern border in the Land of Lightning. This town was basically a small trading hub with various farms and fields in the background.

The buildings in this village were mainly constructed of cheap wood, but the center of this settlement was embellished with finely carved stone houses. Also, dozens of these buildings had broken doorways and shattered windows.

Despite the current appearance of Chin Village, this settlement was founded by the 1st Raikage over 50 years ago. Infact, this village was specifically named after the 1st Raikage's large chin, a chin that dwarfed all other Kage in size.

The original intent of Chin Village was to monitor the southwestern border while encouraging trade with the Land of Frost. However, the past 50 years were extremely harsh for Chin Village, it was a mere shadow of its former glory.

While various houses were completely abandoned, several other buildings were filled with faint signs of life. Also, a small crowd of citizens could been seen walking throughout the village.

"I'm sure they have some food." Naruto exclaimed.

Soon, this group of traveling friends finally entered Chin Village before walking through various streets. Afterwards, Karin spotted a nearby restaurant before running inside, allowing her to smell the beautiful aroma of sweet dumplings.

This restaurant was filled with dozens of tables while various booths were lined against the nearby walls. Also, a distant wooden counter was positioned in the far corner of the room, garnishing Karin's attention before she ran towards it.

Suddenly, Karin released a confident scoff before asking for a waiter while her friends slowly shuffled towards a booth. While approaching this booth, Tayuya shoved Naruto inside before crawling in behind him, forcing Gaara to sit on the opposite side.

Tayuya then kicked both feet onto the table before closing her eyes and releasing a dramatic sigh. While this occurred, Naruto was glaring at Tayuya with his violet eyes, fully aware about her childhood and her previous life inside Chin Village.

After several moments, a cheerful Karin ran up to the booth before scoffing after she realized that Tayuya was in her way. This created a brief staring contest between each of the red haired kunoichi as they both growled.

"You're in my spot!" Karin complained.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya causally raised her left hand before flipping Karin off. This earned a dramatic gasp from Karin before gently pushing her glasses up, releasing a brief flicker of light.

"So uncivilized..." After mumbling these words, Karin shuffled towards Gaara before sitting down beside him.

"I have your honey dumplings!" A young waitress spoke out after approaching the table.

This waitress was 14 years old with partially tanned skin and shoulder-length green hair, allowing various bangs to hang in front of her auburn eyes. Also, her outfit consisted of a thigh-length brown skirt and a matching shirt, contrasting her black civilian shoes.

"Gimme gimme!" Karin encouraged, earning a cheerful laugh in response.

Soon, this waitress began to feed each of the traveling friends before briefly freezing after she noticed Tayuya. At the same time, Tayuya continued to rest her feet on the table without even looking at the waitress.

"Tayuya? Is that you? Do you remember me? I'm Kuoyuki." The waitress stuttered, creating a tense period of silence.

"Don't bother talking to her, all she does is complain." Karin interjected.

"That sounds like Tayuya... Complaining is what she's best at." Kuoyuki replied with a giggle.

At this moment, Tayuya pulled her feet off the table before standing up and shoving Kuoyuki to the ground, causing several customers to glare at her. Afterwards, Tayuya ran out of the restaurant without saying a single word, disappearing in the sparsely filled streets of Chin.

"I guess I deserved that... Hahah." While laughing, Kuoyuki slowly stood up before pulling her empty tray of dumplings from the ground.

"Don't be deluded, she's just terrible... I used to think I was annoying, but now..." Karin scoffed.

"No, I totally deserved that... I used to bully her a lot, before she left." Kuoyuki explained before her expression became stern, filled with regret.

"Bully her? How could anyone bully her? She's so loud and annoying." Karin remarked, earning a cheerful laugh in response.

"Well... I was a very immature child..." Kuoyuki mumbled before crossing both arms in front of her small chest.

"I did things that I'm not proud of..." While speaking, distant memories slowly drifted through Kuoyuki's mind.

During their childhood together, Kuoyuki would frequently mock Tayuya because she was an orphan, a homeless orphan. Infact, dozens of children used to group together and laugh at Tayuya, mocking her for not having any parents.

However, Kuoyuki recently lost both of her own parents during a frequent collection of disappearances throughout Chin. This was the main reason why Chin was partially deserted, because everyone knew that a demonic horror was terrorizing their village.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Tayuya was walking down an isolated street with a depressed and far off expression across her face. During this, bright rays of sunlight were sparkling down from the radiant sun that hovered overhead.

This street was extremely poor and deserted, drawing attention to several broken doorways and shattered windows. Also, various piles of poorly stacked trash lined each sides of this street, giving off a disgusting aroma.

While this aroma polluted the air, Tayuya didn't even react as she continued to stare at the ground with a dreamy expression. Soon, Tayuya approached a trash-filled alleyway before freezing mid step and releasing a dramatic sigh.

An awkward period of silence then filled the air as Tayuya glanced down the narrow alleyway, studying various objects and trash bags. After several moments, Tayuya slowly entered the alleyway before noticing a nearby pile of cardboard.

This cardboard was extremely soaked with water and covered in mold, a result of exposure to the elements. Sections of this cardboard was also stuck together with mildew, creating a poorly made house with a cheap newspaper blanket inside.

This house was Tayuya's old home, the only type of life she knew before Orochimaru found her barely four years ago. Even though such a long time had passed, Tayuya's previous home was completely undisturbed, because no one cared enough to check on her.

Before Orochimaru, Tayuya had nothing, no friends, family or even a home, she was just a worthless orphan that no one cared about. Infact, barely anyone noticed when Tayuya first left the village, because no one cared.

After sulking in this alleyway for what felt like hours, Tayuya kicked a nearby soda can before leisurely walking towards a nearby road. A heavy frown then spread across Tayuya's face after noticing an old but familiar wooden swing.

This swing hung from an elderly oak tree, a tree that rested in the center of a poorly groomed park, encircled by a rotten and wooden fence. This park was also filled with various pieces of playground equipment, but a majority of them were covered in rust.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Tayuya casually approached the partially rotten swing before sitting down and staring at her feet. Tayuya then bit her lower lip before sighing with a dramatic and depressed tone.

"I hate my fucking life..." Tayuya mumbled.

At this moment, Tayuya's swing was gently pushed through the air, causing her loose hair to rustle in the wind. Tayuya then glanced back before noticing that Naruto was gently pushing her.

"I didn't say you could push me!" While complaining, Tayuya's tone was extremely hostile.

"Do you want me to stop?" Naruto asked.

"No! I didn't say you could stop!" Tayuya scoffed before blushing.

Suddenly, Tayuya began to joyful kick her feet through the air as Naruto continued to push her, earning a face-full of red hair with each push. After several moments of this, Tayuya began to laugh and giggle as she floated through the air.

Tayuya used to sit on this swing for hours at a time, but no one ever wanted to push her or play with her. But now, Tayuya finally had someone that she cared about, she finally had Naruto.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on a freshly maintained rice field while puddles of water were spread across the nearby road. Soon, the young silhouettes of Naruto, Gaara and Karin all came into view while the latter was dramatically sighing.

"This is so boring! Why are we out here?" Karin complained.

"We're looking for the demon that Kuoyuki told us about, remember?" Naruto mumbled, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Whatever, atleast I don't have to deal with Ms. Loudmouth." Karin sighed before rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, Karin abruptly gasped with shock before running past Gaara and Naruto while the blind raven known as Shisui was flying overhead. After running for several seconds, Karin jumped in front of Naruto before dramatically poking his nose.

"Wait a second! You made a clone and found her, didn't you?!" While speaking, Karin continued to poke Naruto's nose.

"Yea." Naruto muttered.

"NO FAIR! Why don't I get my own Naruto?" Karin cried.

"I'm right here." Naruto remarked.

This statement earned a hostile scoff from Karin before she glanced between Gaara and Naruto for several moments. Afterwards, Karin pointed at Gaara while stomping her left foot atop the ground, clearly upset.

"That doesn't count! Gaara is here!" Karin snapped out.

At this moment, Karin wrapped both hands around Naruto's right arm before pulling him close and snuggling against him. While this occurred, a distant farmer could be seen walking through his fields before hoeing the land.

"But at least I have you all to myself." As Karin spoke, she continued to rub her face against Naruto's.

"Hey! What are you kids doing around here?" A nearby farmer spoke out while hoeing his fields.

"We're just looking around." Gaara replied.

"Well, don't go that way." The farmer exclaimed before pointing down the road.

Soon, the farmer stopped hoeing before using his left hand to wipe various drops of sweat from his face. The elderly man then picked up a nearby bucket of water before drinking from it.

This brought attention to a large bundle of rocky mountains that loomed in the distance, casting a grand shadow across Chin Village. Each of these mountains were solid tan without a single blade of grass, one of the most iconic trademarks from inside the Land of Lighting.

"They say a demon lives in that mountain, a demon that even Kumo won't get involved with." After speaking, the elderly farmer once again started to hoe his fields.

"We're actually looking for that demon." Naruto remarked, forcing the farmer to freeze mid-swing.

Suddenly, a stern and horrific expression bloomed across the farmers face before dramatically coughing into his left hand. During this, Karin was snuggling up against Naruto while giggling.

"That's not a good idea." The farmer proclaimed.

Without saying another word, Naruto casually brushed Karin away from walking down the road, earning a dramatic sigh in response. Afterwards, Gaara and Karin both eagerly trailed behind Naruto before walking towards the mountain.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you." After speaking, the farmer shook his head before hoeing his fields.

Even though the farmer lived so close to the mountain, he had an underground basement that he slept in, allowing him to survive the nightly rampages. However, the farmer could still hear the demonic laughter each time he tried to sleep, the laughter of Jūgo.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Naruto, Gaara and Karin walked between a narrow gorge that was surrounded by various pillars of tan stone. While walking, Karin lagged behind both of her friends while dramatically dragging both feet across the ground.

Suddenly, Karin abruptly fell onto her butt before sighing with exhaustion, tired from walking so much. Afterwards, Karin released various sighs and scoffs, but Naruto and Gaara didn't even turn around.

"Hey! Wait up! Let's take a short break." Karin pleaded.

"You keep stopping to rest, is something wrong?" Gaara asked after finally turning around.

"I barely had enough time to eat at that restaurant before we started walking again!" Karin complained.

At this moment, a seductive blush abruptly spread across Karin's face as she began to rub her knees together. At the same time, Karin bit her lower lip while giggling as she glared at Naruto.

"Naruto should carry me, I'll feel much better then." While speaking, Karin continued to blush.

After several moments of quietly flirting, Karin finally noticed that Naruto was staring at a distant house, accompanied by a barely visible watchtower. Both of these structures were constructed with grey-colored wood, the identifying trademark for Orochimaru's hideout.

Soon, Gaara abruptly gasped after noticing several pools of blood that stained the distant watchtower, deeply contrasting the nearby stone. During this, Karin's advanced sensory abilities noticed an eerie aura of chakra that polluted the air.

"Someone is supposed to be on watch." Naruto mumbled.

"Oh... Well... I guess Gaara should go check it out while we stay here." Karin interjected.

Instead of replying with words, Naruto walked towards a nearby cliffside before approaching a partially concealed layer of stairs. This staircase was carved into the mountain, allowing them to perfectly blend in with the dull and tan color, a common color inside the Land of Lighting.

While scaling this mountainside, Gaara and Karin quickly caught up with Naruto before they all approached the blood stained watchtower. This allowed each of these friends to notice various corpses that were sprawled across the ground,

Because of her timid nature, Karin dashed up behind Naruto before clinging to his back while chattering her teeth. After walking for several moments, these friends finally approached a massive steel door that was carved into the mountainside.

This door was painted with the same color and tone as the mountain, allowing it to perfectly blend in with the natural surroundings. Also, this door was extremely thick and sturdy, because it protected Orochimaru's most valuable hideout.

Despite the high value of this hideout, the large steel door was partially opened, allowing a frigid gust of cold wind to repeatedly drift out. These gusts of wind caused Karin to shudder before snuggling against Naruto's back for warmth.

After shuddering for several moments, Karin fell to the ground once Naruto approached the large door before squeezing inside. Afterwards, Karin pulled her face from the ground before correcting her glasses with a dramatic scoff.

Suddenly, Gaara also tried to squeeze inside, forcing his gourd to dissolve into various grains of sand before he could finally fit. This created a brief moment of hesitation for Karin while the previous aura of eerie chakra continued to pollute the air.

At this moment, Karin quickly rushed into Orochimaru's most valuable hideout before the large steel door snapped shut behind her. This forced the red hair kunoichi to dramatically gasp while Naruto and Gaara walked further into the hideout.

"Wa-... Wait for me! This place is creepy!" Karin panicked before running after her friends.

"We're looking for someone, someone special." Naruto remarked.

"We should split up, it'll save time." While speaking, Naruto approached an empty fork in the hideout, leading to three separate directions.

Usually, Naruto would know precisely where Jūgo was because of his advanced memories from Orochimaru. However, the frequent bodies that were sprawled across the floor made it very apparent that Jūgo had broken loose.

"Split up?! SPILT UP!?" Karin shrieked.

Karin then reached out with both hands before grabbing Naruto by the collar of his robes and shaking him at full strength. During this, Karin glanced from side-to-side numerous times, terrified by the eerie chakra that she sensed.

"This is like a horror movie!" After speaking, Karin dramatically shoved Naruto to the ground.

"And the first person to die in a horror move is the comedic side character who doesn't contribute to the plot... AND THAT'S ME!" While speaking, Karin held both hands in front of her small chest.

"I'm sure you'll contribute something." Naruto exclaimed while rubbing his head.

"Well, there's a path for each of us, so I guess we can split up." Gaara spoke out.

"No way! I'm going with Naruto!" Karin protested, completely terrified by her eerie surroundings.

"It would be better if you went with Gaara, you'll slow me down." Naruto remarked.

This response forced Karin to hang her head down with defeat before grumbling and groaning for several seconds. Afterwards, Naruto slowly stood up before disappearing into a nearby hallway.

Soon, Gaara and Karin both walked towards a dimly lit hallway while the latter continued to mumble under her breath. Afterwards, each of these red haired teenagers were completely enveloped by dark shadows, beginning their search for a demon.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

"Why... Why did you have to leave?" Jūgo softly whispered while walking through a shadowy hallway.

Soon, the seals across each of Jūgo's palms began to glow with a fiery aura before spreading across his arms. These seals spread out with the pattern of a squiggly line before reaching parts of Jūgo's neck and face.

The previous fiery aura then completely dissipated before Jūgo's seal cooled off, once again becoming solid black. During this, the emotionless face of Kimimaro was continuous drifting through Jūgo's mind.

"What am I now? I'm nothing without you." As Jūgo spoke, he slowly limped through the shadowy hallway.

Similar to Kimimaro, Jūgo's childhood was mainly spent inside a caged cell, completely deprived of any contact with society. However, Jūgo was freed from his imprisonment barely three years ago by Kimimaro.

Most people only saw Jūgo as a demented freak, because of his spastic moments of rage and bloodlust, a trademark characteristic from his clan. Because of this, Jūgo was always feared and locked out of sight, until Kimimaro saved him.

Kimimaro gave Jūgo a new purpose in live, he inspired the orange haired teenager to grow and prosper, to live a long and beautiful life. This was the last message that Kimimaro ever shared with Jūgo, a message that haunted his dreams.

At this moment, a hollow footstep echoed across the dark hallway, earning a sadistic roar from Jūgo before he charged forward. While charging, the large iron ball that was strapped around Jūgo's ankle would occasionally scrap across the floor.

"Die, DIE, DIEEE!" While shouting, Jūgo's bare feet stomped across the cold floor.

"Stop it, Jūgo." Naruto whispered.

This statement forced the rampaging Jūgo to freeze mid-step while his fist was mere inches away from Naruto's face. Afterwards, a tense period of silence filled the air as Jūgo gasped while staring directly into Naruto's violet eyes.

Because of Naruto's tone, Jūgo genuinely thought that he was Kimimaro, forcing his curse mark to slowly recede back into his palms. Jūgo then hung his face low with shame and regret, depressed that he killed so many people during his recent rampage.

"That's... Enough." As Naruto spoke, his voice filled Jūgo's heart with relief.

Suddenly, Naruto casually approached Jūgo before gently gripping his shoulder and leaning in close. At the same time, Jūgo abruptly raised his face before once again staring into Naruto's violet eyes, eyes that pierced his mind.

"You're not alone, you have me." While speaking these words, Jūgo was completely convinced that Naruto was actually Kimimaro.

This declaration caused each of Jūgo's crimson eyes to slightly narrow as he towered over Naruto, standing like a giant. Soon, an extended period of silence filled the air before Jūgo finally realized that he wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A laughing Tayuya was escorting Naruto through various streets and alleyways across Chin Village. Because of her childhood life inside this village, she knew every obscure path and hiding spot.

While walking, Tayuya couldn't stop laughing from a very cheesy and bad joke that she just told Naruto, but she liked it. This laughter even managed to infect Naruto, forcing him to genuinely smile as he walked beside Tayuya.

"Okay, okay... Wanna hear another one?" Tayuya asked rhetorically before preparing another joke.

Suddenly, Naruto pinned Tayuya against a nearby wall before shoving both hands over her mouth. Afterwards, Tayuya tried to bite Naruto's hand before various footsteps could be heard.

"Yea... Something about a demon, probably just nothing though." An elite Jounin from Kumo spoke out.

This Jounin was walking down a nearby dirt road, accompanied by three other Jounin, proof that Jūgo's rampage had finally reached the ears of Kumo. Also, Kumo decided to send four elite Jounin instead of any Chunin, suggesting that Jūgo's 'demonic' rumor was taken seriously.

"Poor town, I grew up here, you know?" Another Jounin replied.

"I was 13 when lord B found me during one of his epic rap battles." After speaking, this statement earned a chorus of laughter in response.

"Yea, I can't believe lord B is on Turtle Island, he probably won't be back for a few months." A separate Jounin interrupted.

Soon, this group of Jounin walked past the alleyway that Naruto and Tayuya were hiding in, too distracted by laughter to notice. During this, Naruto continued to hold both hands over Tayuya's mouth while pinning her against the wall.

This group of Jounin then exchanged various memories and jokes about Killer B, the elite jinchūriki for Gyūki, the eight tails. While this occurred, a deep blush spread across Tayuya's face after realizing how close she was to Naruto.

After this group of Kumo Jounin finally disappeared from sight, Tayuya garnished enough strength to shove Naruto away before dramatically pointing at him. Tayuya then attempted to display her iconic and harsh personality, but that completely melted away after she saw Naruto's smile.

At this moment, Tayuya noticed a bundle of flickering colors behind Naruto, giving her the perfect distraction from her emotions. After several seconds, Tayuya's mouth fell open with shock after realizing what this bundle of colors actually was.

These colors depicted a freshly hung poster for "The Adventures of Princess Gale", an extremely popular movie that was just recently released. This movie stared the famous actress known as Yukie Fujikaze, the greatest actress throughout the Five Great Nations.

Yukie Fujikaze was a household name, a name that was spoken and praised across the entire world, a name that Tayuya idolized. During her orphaned childhood, Tayuya always saw other posters for Yukie's previous movies, but she never had the money to go watch them.

Suddenly, Tayuya brushed past Naruto before shoving her face in front of the poster and studying it. This allowed her to read several positive quotes and reviews from popular critics.

After reading for several seconds, Tayuya finally noticed that a wide screen depiction of the film was being played inside the village of Dawnstar. This realization filled Tayuya with a wave of joy as she daydreamed about getting a new hat and flute before watching the movie.

As Tayuya continued to study this poster, Naruto was thinking about the recent information he just heard from the group of Kumo Jounin. He was expecting the eight tails to be inside Kumo, not some distant island that could travel the seas at will, this information changed everything.

Naruto was then abruptly pulled from these thoughts after his face, chest and stomach was bombarded by various pokes from Tayuya. This poking then stretched on for what felt like minutes as Tayuya poked Naruto with Chunin-level speed.

"Let's go see this movie!" Tayuya pleaded.

"I wanna see it! I wanna see it! I wanna see it!' While speaking, Tayuya continued to poke Naruto.

This poking was then magnified by a dramatic groan from Tayuya as she begged with a cheerful and flirty tone. This groan earned a defeated sigh from Naruto before rubbing the side of his head in an Iruka-like fashion.

"Fine." Naruto mumbled, causing Tayuya to erupt into cheer.

"Let's go! Too Dawnstar!" Tayuya ordered before grabbing Naruto's hand and running down the street.

While running, Tayuya continued to daydream about getting a new hat and flute, but that joy was dwarfed by her excitement for the upcoming movie. Even though Tayuya was so distracted by her daydreaming, she was fully aware that she was holding Naruto's hand.


	89. Chapter 89

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: DraterAuthor - Saying Hiruzen is stronger than Hashirama or Madara might be controversial to the Shippuden Community. But a majority of Shippuden is dogshit, so the retcons, plot holes and broken power scaling doesn't have any weight on my opinion, or this story.**

 **I'm genuinely curious, why do you think Hashirama or Madara is stronger than Hiruzen? The answer is simple, your opinion is polluted by Naruto Shippuden, instead of Naruto Part 1. Part 1 is the priority in terms of lore, and lore is everything.**

 **Madara is, at his core, broken in terms of power scaling because Kishimoto doesn't understand the continuity of his own story. Madara had beautiful build up, over 7 years of pure hype, but then Kishimoto wasted all that hype when he blew his load in Shippuden.**

 **You're entire concept, idea, notion and perspective of Madara is all poisoned by Shippuden, because that's when he made his debut. Madara did have years of hype in Part 1, but he wasn't actually confirmed to be 'alive' until Shippuden.**

 **Canon Tobirama died against 20 S-rank Jounin, but for some reason, canon Madara was able to fight hundreds of Jounin at the same time. This isn't a result of Madara's hype or the power gap between him and Tobirama, this is a result of bad writing from Kishimoto.**

 **From a narrative perspective, there is no reason 'why' Madara should be that powerful, absolutely no reason. Canon Hashirama beat Madara, and then trained Hiruzen with the help of Tobirama, making Hiruzen their combined heir.**

 **The lore is firmly on Hiruzen's side, firmly, there is absolutely no way Hashirama, Tobirama or Madara is stronger than him. The narrative is more important than power scaling, and from a narrative perspective, Hashirama and Madara should never have been that powerful in Shippuden.**

 **I understand that Madara and Hashirama we're both given a bunch of "really big attacks" during Shippuden. But that isn't because they earned it, that's because Kishimoto doesn't even understand the continuity of his own story.**

 **A large portion of the Shippuden community loves to say "Oh Madara? His number was so huge! It gave me goosebumps!" Well, I used to get goosebumps when I cut myself in 6th grade, but that didn't mean it was good.**

 **Originally, the 1st and 2nd Hokage were summoned at full strength against their fight with Hiruzen during Part 1. However, over time, this was slowly retconned and replaced with the common excuse of "Well, the Edo Tensei doesn't give them full power".**

 **Again, the original Hiruzen Vs Orochimaru battle was even called "Hokage-level combat". I understand that each battle in a story needs to carry more weight than the previous fight, so in theory, it makes sense that Kishimoto keeps wanking people for no reason.**

 **However, this highlights just how terrible Kishimoto actually is, because he's just like Akira Toriyama. The only way these authors know how to create tension is by giving some character a really big attack, explosion or power level.**

 **It's important to remember that one of Kishimoto's biggest inspirations in life is Dragon Ball, and Akira Toriyama. And if you idolize dogshit authors like Toriyama, you will eventually turn into dogshit authors like Toriyama.**

 **I actually have a lot of respect for Akira Toriyama, because it takes a lot of effort to be such a piece of shit. Toriyama managed to create one of the most iconic shows in anime history without respecting any of his characters or the continuity of his own story.**

 **I'm saying Hiruzen is stronger than Madara and Hashirama because I value Naruto Part 1 more than Naruto Shippuden. The only thing we knew about Madara in Part 1 is that Hashirama killed him, and he was feared by all five of the great nations.**

 **Madara's power scaling was introduced during the 4th Shinobi World War in Shippuden. Because of this, Madara is, at his core, a broken character in terms of power scaling, at least in my opinion.**

 **The only reason Madara is so powerful during the 4th shinobi world war is because Kishimoto is a bad author, there is no excuse.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 89: Clash In The Land Of Snow! A Moment Of Drunken Stupor.**

 _Tuesday 3:23pm, June 27th 58SSP._

Chaotic tornado's of smoke filled wind rupture through various portions of broken rubble and houses. These tornado's where magnified by eerie black clouds that polluted the sky, cascading vast portions of land into a faint darkness.

Soon, flicker from a kunai came into view, a kunai that was pierced into the thick branch of a broken tree, a tree that was partially burnt and charred. The hilt-fabric around this kunai was also partially unwoven, causing a loose red ribbon to violently ripple through the wind.

After several moments, dozens of spears, swords, clubs, axes and shields came into view, but all of these weapons were sprawled across the ground. These weapons rested beside dozens of corpses, the corpses of armored samurai that died in combat.

Because the torrents of loose wind were so harsh and heavy, loose plates of armor could be heard as they shuffled under the intense breeze. Afterwards, this shuffling was dampened as a deep and painful groan slowly echoed through the air.

"It's over... We have no where else to go." A 25 year old man spoke out before struggling to breathe.

This man was crouched on both knees with the tip of his blade buried into the scorched earth, struggling to stay awake. He was extremely pale skinned with shoulder-length brown hair and a golden circlet resting around his head.

This man also had pale violet eyes, matching his ankle-length purple kimono, an outfit that was held in place by a dark blue sash around his waist. Also, he wore a pair of wooden sandals that contrasted the black sheath resting between his sash.

This man was known as Sukeakuro, a skilled and well known bodyguard for Princess Gale, a fierce warrior princess from the Land of Demons. This Land was the birthplace of the fabled Sage of Six Paths, a nation that was constantly embroiled in an endless war against demons.

"This is it... Our journey ends here." As Sukeakuro spoke, his loose hair violently rustled in the intense breeze.

"It was a fools decision... Doomed from the very start." A muscular man groaned while resting atop the ground.

This man was known as Shishimaru, another bodyguard for Princess Gale, a was a 32 year old man with tan skin and short black hair. This hair matched his narrow beard and the pencil-thin moustache that was sprawled across his face.

Shishimaru's outfit consisted of a loose black kimono that had both sleeves torn off, drawing attention to his monk-like necklace of large green beads. Also, a monk-like staff of tempered bamboo was sprawled across the ground beside Shishimaru.

"We must turn back..." The 28 year old man known as Brit grumbled with pain.

A majority of Brit's appearance was concealed by his ankle-length kimono and the matching monk-like hat he wore. This hat had a piece of white fabric that hung across a vast amount of Brit's neck, drawing attention to his war-painted face, the face of a warrior monk.

An extended and dramatic silence then filled the air as Brit, Shishimaru and Sukeakuro all accepted defeat, they were completely defeated. Suddenly, the confident silhouette of Princess Gale abruptly stood up, garnishing everyone's attention.

Princess Gale had fair skin with sapphire blue lips and violet-blue eyes, contrasting her shoulder-length black hair, hair that was pinned up into a ponytail. Her outfit consisted of a knee-length green robe with dark blue pants and blue shinobi shoes, the attire of a warrior princess.

Princess Gale also held an ornate sword that was partially chipped and worn, a blade that had seen years of war and battle. This blade then briefly flickered as Princess Gale stared at a pair of distant tornado's, tornado's that were slowly approaching her.

"We'll find a way, I know it... Just have faith." Princess Gale encouraged with a voice of nobility.

"But... Princess..." Shishimaru protested.

"You mustn't give up!" Princess Gale proclaimed as her hair violently wavered in the intense breeze.

"Princess..." Sukeakuro gasped.

Even though Sukeakuro, Shishimaru and brit were all completely broken, Princess Gale was radiating with confidence and nobility. After several moments, the sadistic and harsh laughter of an elderly man rippled out across the smoke-filled wind.

"Princess Gale! This is as far as you go!" The twisted voice of a wizard echoed from atop a distant pile of burnt rubble.

"Mao!' Shishimaru and Brit both shouted in unison.

Suddenly, Princess Gale was encircled by each of her bodyguards as they all brandished a unique weapon and fighting stance. During this, Gale's hair and outfit continued to violently rustle in the smoke-filled breeze.

"This storm is your doing!" Sukeakuro accused the elderly wizard while pointing his sword at him.

Mao was a 68 year old man with pale skin and a pointy white beard, giving him a wizard-like appearance. This appearance was magnified by his large white staff and ankle-length blue kimono, matching his pointy blue hat, a wizard hat.

Soon, Mao's laughter grew in volume, fueled by Sukeakuro's accusation before various corpses slowly rose from the earth. Each of these corpses then charged at the small group of hero's, empowered by Mao's necromancy.

"Look out behind you, princess!" Tayuya shouted from some unseen location.

As this large horde of undead samurai approached, each of Gale's bodyguards became embroiled in a fierce display of combat. At the same time, Princess Gale casually sidestepped an before cutting the undead samurai in half with one swing from her sword.

After effortlessly defeating this zombie, Princes Gale sliced her sword through the air, creating a slash of chakra-filled wind. This wind then ruptured through the air before dispersing several of the nearby zombies.

At this moment, hundreds of undead samurai polluted the nearby horizon while the previous gusts of wind tripled in strength. Despite these harsh circumstances, Princess Gale remained completely determined and confident.

"Give up, princess! Fall to your knees and bow before me!" Mao taunted the elite warrior princess.

"I will never give up." Princess Gale interjected as her outfit wavered in the intense breeze.

"As long as I live... I will gather my strength, and forge a path for others to follow!" After speaking, an aura of rainbow chakra slowly engulfed Gale's body.

"The princess!?" Shishimaru stuttered.

"Her rainbow chakra is ablaze!" Sokueakuro gasped.

"Quickly, my brothers! We must light the flames of our chakra too!" Brit proclaimed, earning a chorus of approval in response.

"Pitiful!" Mao laughed before waving his staff through the air.

This action created a chaotic shockwave of chakra before various tornado's erupted into existence. Each of these tornado's then uprooted several portions of earth and debris before rushing towards Princess Gale.

These tornado's then collided against an aura of rainbows that completely engulfed Princess Gale, and each of her bodyguards. This collision created a blinding explosion of white light that destroyed dozens of undead samurai.

Soon, a surge of colorful light radiated out after Princess Gale sliced her ancient blade towards Mao. The rainbow-filled shockwave of this attack then rushed through the air before completely overwhelming Mao, flinging him into the air.

Mao then continued to rise higher and higher before disappearing into the dark clouds overhead, creating a brief period of silence. Afterwards, an explosion of rainbow chakra erupted through the clouds, purifying the sky while Tayuya's mouth fell open with awe.

After several moments, the previous sky of darkness was completely replaced with a sparkling blue horizon. Also, a faint yet tangible rainbow then slowly faded into view before Princess Gale pointed at it with her sword.

"Hahah! Alright! Princess Gale, you rock!" Tayuya cheered before jumping up from her seat.

Tayuya was inside a popular movie theater in Dawnstar, a theater that was packed with dozens of citizens. While cheering, several of these citizens stared at Tayuya with confusion and annoyance, upset that she was being so loud.

While Tayuya continued to cheer, Karin was rubbing her forehead in the background while Naruto was smiling. At the same time, Gaara and Jūgo both glanced at each other before studying Tayuya.

This was a happy moment for Tayuya, a moment that was extremely rare for her, a moment that she actually enjoyed. Tayuya was genuinely happy for the first time in her entire life, and it was all because of Naruto.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Naruto, Gaara and Jūgo were sitting atop a collection of rusty barrels while Tayuya and Karin stood in the background. Both of these kunoichi were studying a large poster for "The Adventures of Princess Gale", the action-packed movie they just finished watching.

This group of friends were gathered inside a narrow alleyway behind the large theater they just left. Because of this, the faint sound of commerce and trade could be heard in the background, the sound of Dawnstar's market district.

Jūgo's previous prison outfit had been completely replaced by the iconic black robes of Anbu from Konoha, allowing him to blend in with the small group. However, Jūgo was so massive that he continuously towered over each of his friends, even while sitting down.

Also, Tayuya was wearing a solid purple beanie that was snuggly pulled over her forehead, concealing a vast amount of her hair. This hat also had the detailed depiction of a laughing skull sewn into the side, making Tayuya feel like a complete badass.

This beanie was one of over a dozen hats that Naruto just bought Tayuya, hats that she completely loved and adored, a rare feeling for Tayuya. During her childhood, Tayuya never got anything for free because no one wanted to deal with her, but now she had Naruto.

"So... What did you think of the movie?" Jūgo asked, eager to start a conversation.

"I liked her chakra, I thought it was pretty." Gaara explained.

"I think the necromancy was cool." Naruto muttered.

"Man... That movie was so awesome..." Tayuya groaned while staring at the large poster, almost paralyzed with joy.

"I wish we could watch it again... I could've watched that handsome Mitchy who played Sukeakuro all day long." Karin remarked.

Suddenly, Karin slightly blushed before holding both hands behind her back and rubbing her knees together. While this occurred, Karin glanced at Naruto before giggling with a flirty tone.

"But he's nothing compared to you, Naruto." After speaking, this open display of flirtation forced Tayuya to growl.

"Shut your stupid mouth, whore!" Tayuya ordered.

"I'm not a whore! Stop saying that!" Karin complained.

"Awh, what's wrong? Do you got sand in your vagina? Go fuck yourself." Tayuya scoffed, briefly stunning Karin with her words.

At this moment, the heavy sound of a horse galloping could be heard, forcing Tayuya to freeze mid-insult. Afterwards, the real-life version of Princess Gale leapt over a nearby fence while riding a horse.

This realization left Tayuya and Karin completely stunned as Princess Gale landed in the street before riding down the road. An extended period of silence then filled the air before Tayuya and Karin both glanced at each other.

"N-... No way! Was that really her?" Karin asked.

Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses could once again be heard, but this sound was much louder than before. After several seconds, the wooden door of a nearby fence was abruptly shoved open, knocking Karin and Tayuya to the ground before dozens of mounted samurai came into view.

This deadly group of samurai then charged through the streets of Dawnstar as Karin and Tayuya both pulled their faces from the ground. Each of these kunoichi then mumbled various insults under their breath before charging forward, eager for revenge.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Small crowds of civilians and children were forced to jump out of the road as Princess Gale rode past them on her solid white horse. Afterwards, a horde of mounted samurai came into view, knocking over several food carts as they advanced.

Soon, Princess Gale charged directly through an opened Sake restaurant, knocking over dozens of tables in the process. After several moments, Gale emerged from the opposite side of the restaurant with a large red ribbon that was hanging from her horse.

As she continued to ride her horse, several mounted samurai charged out from the restaurant behind her, eager to capture the princess. Princess Gale then pulled the large ribbon loose from her horse before throwing it into the air.

This ribbon then violently wrapped around a pair of charging samurai, briefly distorting their view before Karin jumped on top on them. This laughing kunoichi then knocked both of these samurai to the ground before stealing one of their horses.

"Haha! If I keep this up, Naruto's heart will be mine!" Karin cheered while riding an armored horse down the street.

After laughing for several seconds, Karin abruptly gasped as a large food cart was slowly wheeled in front of her. Instead of moving, Karin's horse completely charged through the cart, creating a minor explosion of wooden debris and cabbages.

These cabbages then rolled across the entire street like a tsunami while Karin's horse disappeared behind a nearby corner. An elderly man then approached these cabbages before picking up several of them with both hands.

"NO! MY CABBAGES!" The elderly man spoke out before crying.

"This place is worse than Makapu!" After speaking, the elderly man turned around before carrying several cabbages down the street.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Princess Gale continued to ride her horse while charging down the populated streets of Dawnstar, the capital to the Land of Frost. Each of these streets were lined with finely crafted restaurants and ornate houses, evidence that Dawnstar was quite rich from trade.

Soon, Gale's horse ran down a steep staircase of stone before various mounted samurai came into view behind her. Several of these samurai then hurled a barrage of glass bottles into the air, bottles that were filled with slippery oil.

These bottles then flew past Princess Gale before colliding with the ground in front of her, creating an explosion of oil and glass. Afterwards, Gale's horse abruptly landed in this oil before losing his balance and sliding across the ground.

Suddenly, Princess Gale was thrown from her horse before sliding across the ground for several feet. While this occurred, the elderly silhouette of Sandayū Asama came into view before a brief flicker of light erupted from his circular glasses.

Sandayū was a 54 year old man with fair skin and a well groomed grey beard, matching his long grey hair that was tied into a short ponytail. His attire consisted of a well-trimmed black suit and matching pants, but a majority of this outfit was concealed by the ankle-length grey cloak that hung from his shoulders.

"Get her!" Sandayū ordered, causing several samurai to charge past him.

These samurai then leapt off their horse before piling on top of Princess Gale, squashing her into the ground. This collision created a minor explosion of smoke before Tayuya began to yell and growl with rage.

"Don't fucking touch me!" Tayuya snapped out before punching an armored samurai in the face.

The odd disappearance of Princess Gale then forced Sandayū to gasp with shock before Tayuya continued to beat and harass various samurai. This terrifying strength caused a handful of samurai to run away, retreating from Tayuya before she chased after them.

As these samurai continued to retreat, the laughing silhouette of Karin galloped out from a distant corner while riding an armored horse. This forced each of the remaining samurai to panic while glancing between Karin and Tayuya as they both approached from different directions.

At this moment, the horrific screams of various samurai echoed through the streets of Dawnstar as Karin and Tayuya tormented them. After several moments, Sandayū attempted to retreat before Tayuya picked up a loose plate of armor and hurled it at him.

This armor plate then collided with the back of Sandayū's head, knocking him to the ground before his horse retreated into the distance. Afterwards, Karin and Tayuya began tying up each of their prisoners with thick coils of shinobi-rope, the first time they ever got along.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"Did you see where the princess went?" Tayuya asked before restraining Sandayū and shoving him to the ground.

"Me!? I thought you were watching her!" Karin retorted, earning a disgusted snarl in response.

"You idiot! You just lost the princess!" Tayuya complained.

While this pair of red haired girls continued to argue, Jūgo and Gaara both appeared atop a nearby building. Afterwards, the dramatic sigh of Naruto could be heard as he casually approached Tayuya while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.

"Killing time." Tayuya scoffed before clapping the dirt from her hands.

At this moment, Naruto instantly appeared in front of Sandayū before each of the imprisoned samurai were abruptly cut free within seconds. This display of speed completely shocked Sandayū, forcing him to gasp before rubbing his sore wrists.

"I'm really sorry at this, I guess they don't know who you are." Naruto apologized before reaching out with his right hand.

Sandayū then gripped Naruto's hand before pulling himself from the ground and dusting the dirt off his pants. The elderly man then stared directly into Naruto's eyes, eyes that were partially discolored because of his tinted glasses.

These eyes then briefly pierced Sandayū's mind, but his glasses distorted the image enough for him to casually break free. This created an awkward moment of hesitation as Sandayū stared at Naruto's whiskers, confused by his strange appearance and eyes.

Even though Sandayū was briefly paralyzed by Naruto's eyes, he was still shocked by his previous display of speed, speed far greater than any samurai. This realization was a continuous thought that drifted through Sandayū's mind for several moments, accompanied by the face of Princess Gale.

"Please! You must save the princess!" Sandayū pleaded, earning a cheerful scoff with Tayuya in response.

"You got it!" Tayuya exclaimed before running down a nearby street and disappearing from sight.

Usually, Tayuya would never openly display her true emotions, but her admiration for Princess Gale was a trait that stretched back to her childhood. Because of this, Tayuya would search for any excuse to get her autograph.

"What's wrong with the princess? Jūgo asked before towering over Naruto and Sandayū.

"Her real name is Yukie Fujikaze. And I'm her personal assistant." Sandayū explained.

"Assistant?!" Then why were you chasing her with armored guards?" Karin retorted.

"Because... We're supposed to shoot a few scenes for our next movie inside the Land of Snow..." Sandayū explained.

"And once she heard that... She just ran away..." While speaking, Sandayū's tone became harsh and heavy as he stared at the ground.

Suddenly, Karin cheerful laughd before running up to Sandayū, giving her to perfect excuse to brush against Naruto. Afterwards, Karin wrapped her right arm around Naruto's shoulders before casually playing with his hair.

"Well... I guess we can help." Karin groaned before pushing her glasses up.

"If we get a place to sleep and eat... Maybe some backstage passes... And money, lots of money." While speaking, Karin continued to play with Naruto's hair.

"Of course! Of course!" Sandayū assured, earning a confident laugh from Karin.

Usually, Sandayū would never trust a group of kids to protect the most important actress throughout all five great nations. However, Sandayū continued to marvel at Naruto's previous display of speed, speed that was beyond any samurai.

"But our boat leaves tonight, so please hurry!" After speaking, Karin abruptly grabbed Naruto's hand before dragging him down the road.

"Don't worry! We'll find her, just hang out with Gaara for now!' Karin exclaimed before pulling Naruto into a dark alleyway, eager for some alone time.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Yukie Fujikaze was sitting atop a stone outcrop that protruded out across a sparkling blue pond. This pond was lined with vibrant oak trees and bundles of violet flowers that sprouted out from the distant embankment.

Even though this pond was nestled inside the Land of Frost, it was the height of summer, erasing a majority of the frost and snow. Because of this, the Land of Frost gave off a warm and welcoming appearance, a land that was rich with trade.

Soon, various ripples began to echo across the pond's surface as Yukie's horse took several drinks. During this, the famous actress had both knees pressed against her small chest while staring at the ground.

This created an extended period of silence, drawing attention to the dull and lifeless expression that filled Yukie's eyes. Even though she was the most famous actress in the entire world, she was still extremely depressed.

"Are you hurt, princess?" Tayuya asked with a noble tone.

This question managed to garnish Yukie's attention before she lazily glanced at Tayuya, further exposing her lifeless eyes. Afterwards, Tayuya snorted with delight before sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, completely paralyzed by the only woman she idolized.

"This is crazy! So, like... I just saw your movie and I loved it! I loved it so much!" As Tayuya spoke, Yukie slowly stood up before walking towards her horse.

"I'm probably, like, your biggest fan... Ever... So can I get an autogr-...!?" While speaking, Tayuya was interrupted as Yukie charged passed her on her horse.

Yukie then galloped for several feet before finally noticing that Tayuya was sitting on the back of her horse. Afterwards, Tayuya continued to giggle while rubbing the back of her head.

"So how did you become an actor? Is that like playing music? Do you think I could become an actor?" While speaking, Yukie's horse abruptly tripled in speed.

After several moments, Yukie and Tayuya were galloping down a populated street at full speed while the latter continued to stutter with embarrassment. Despite her current circumstances, Yukie's face was dull and bland, completely devoid of emotion.

After galloping for several minutes, a group of playing children ran out into the road, forcing Yukie's horse to violently rear back. This knocked Yukie and Tayuya to the ground, garnishing the attention of nearby citizens.

Yukie's horse then slowly walked towards a field of grass before eating, earning a hostile snort from Tayuya. A small group of children then gasped with shock after noticing Yukie, causing each of them to run towards her.

"Princess Gale! Princess Gale!' Several children shouted in unison.

"Look, my name isn't 'Princess Gale'. Okay?" Yukie muttered.

"That's right! You're name is Yukie Fujikaze! Can I get your autograph!?" A 7 year old girl interrupted before pulling a pencil from her backpack.

At this moment, each of the surrounding children all pulled out pieces of notebook paper and pencils before shoving them in front of Yukie. At the same time, Tayuya was grumbling and complaining in the background, eager for her own autograph.

"Enough!" Yukie snapped out before knocking a handful of paper to the ground.

"There's nothing special about getting my autograph! You're just going to shove it into some desk and forget about it." After Yukie spoke, her words forced the nearby kids to groan with defeat.

"All they're good for is collecting dust! They're a complete waste of time! Useless!" After speaking, Yukie brushed past several kids before running down the street.

This sudden outburst left Tayuya completely paralyzed for several minutes as she sat in the center of a populated road. During this, various whispers could be heard from nearby citizens, upset that such a popular actress would be so rude to kids.

* * *

 _Three hours later._

Bright rays of moonlight sparkled down on the large village of Dawnstar, magnified by various barking dogs that could be heard in the background. Soon, several joyful tones radiated out from a nearby Sake bar, the result of a Juke Box.

This bar was lined with leaf green walls and several booths of green upholstery, contrasting the red bricked-floor and wooden bar. Also, the majority of this room was primarily lit by a series of lightbulbs that hung over the bar, drawing attention to a drunken Yukie Fujikaze.

"Go to the Land of Snow...? Who'd want to do that?" Yukie grumbled before gripping the unique necklace that she wore and pulling it loose.

This necklace was constructed with a hexagonal design and a purple tone, giving off a similar appearance to amethyst. Also, the bottom of this hexagon had a carved indentation, giving it a key-like shape.

Soon, an extended period of silence filled the air, a silence pierced only by the nearby bartender who was cleaning glasses. After several moments, a hooded silhouette finally finished drinking before standing up from his booth and stretching.

This figure then took several moments to pull a handful of Ryo loose before placing them on the table and casually walking away. While walking, this hooded silhouette slowly inched closer and closer to Yukie before briefly reaching for her.

At the last moment, the growling silhouette of Tayuya charged into the bar before violently shoving herself against the hooded man. This knocked the mysterious man back into a nearby chair before Tayuya hurled various insults at Yukie.

"I finally found you! PrInCeSs GaLE!" Tayuya mocked before the mystery man disappeared from sight.

"I'm not some princess, kid... I never was." Yukie groaned before taking another drink of Sake.

"You think I don't know that?!" Tayuya snapped out.

"Do you really think you can just stomp all over my dreams like this? I don't give a fuck who you are, give me an autograph!" After speaking, Tayuya earned a dramatic laugh in response.

"Dreams... Hahah... What do you know about dreams, kid?" Yukie teased before drinking even more Sake.

"Have you even had your first kiss yet?" This question forced Tayuya's entire face to blush before stuttering.

"You don't even know what a dream is... You're just some child who's running around, acting like an adult." As Yukie spoke, her words were extremely slow and slurred.

"Ar-... Are you drunk?" Tayuya mumbled.

"Shut up! Go bother someone else!" Yukie retorted with a hostile tone.

At this moment, the panicking silhouette of Sandayū ran into the restaurant before panting for air with each step. Afterwards, Gaara, Karin and Jūgo slowly entered the restaurant, a Sake bar that didn't allow children.

Ms. Yukie! Our boat to the Land of Snow is about to leave! Please! We don't have much time!" Sandayū panted.

"No thanks... I'm quitting." Yukie scoffed with a drunken tone.

"What are you saying?!" Sandayū stuttered.

"If you drop out now, you'll never work in this business again! This movie will scar your entire career!" As Sandayū spoke, Jūgo casually towered over him.

"So?" Yukie muttered, earning a defeated gasp in response.

"Bu-... But... Ms. Yukie..." Sandayū whispered before lowering his head in defeat.

"I guess there's no other choice." Naruto sighed before grabbing Yukie's left shoulder.

Suddenly, Yukie glanced back before staring directly into Naruto's eyes, eyes that easily pierced her drunk mind. Afterwards, Yukie fell unconscious into Naruto's arms before they all rushed towards the nearby docks, racing against the clock.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

"This is bullshit, I can't sleep like this!" Tayuya complained while standing atop the moonlit deck of a iron boat with wooden sails.

Soon, the heavy sound of gagging could be heard as Gaara was throwing up over a nearby railing. This was the first time that Gaara ever traveled on a boat, and it gave him sea sickness.

"I'm sorry, we can't do anything about the waves, these seas are heavy at night." Sandayū explained while a nearby man steered the large vessel.

"But you seem to be handling it better than your friend." As Sandayū spoke, he pointed towards a green-faced Gaara.

"I have my own remedy." The nearby sea captain cut in before drinking from a bottle of Rum.

Suddenly, Tayuya crossed both arms in front of her nonexistent chest before scoffing in a hostile tone. During this, Jūgo and Karin both approached Gaara in the background before he violently threw up into the nearby sea.

"How long will this trip take?" Tayuya asked before tapping her right foot atop the wooden floor.

"We won't be there until morning, at least." The ship captain remarked before raising his bottle of Rum into the air.

At the last moment, Tayuya reached out before snagging this bottle away and taking several drinks. This earned a dramatic gasp from Sandayū while the sea captain chuckled with delight.

"You know how to have party, kid. Here, have another bottle." While speaking, the middle aged captain pulled another bottle of Rum from his podium.

"You're just a kid! You can't drink that!" Sandayū protested.

"Yea, yea. This will help with my stomach, right?" Tayuya asked before harshly gagging on a mouthful of Rum.

"Oh yea, I always sleep like a baby on this stuff." The captain chuckled out in response.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya grabbed the 2nd bottle of Rum before walking down a flight of wooden stairs. Afterwards, Tayuya retreated into the large iron ship, racing back to her bedroom while occasionally gagging on harsh alcohol.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

Naruto was sitting in front of a small wooden desk, surrounded by vast luxurie's and fancy fur rugs, a high display of wealth. Also, various rays of faint moonlight sparkled in from nearby portholes, a collection of circular windows that lined Naruto's room.

Naruto was shuffling through various scrolls and books that detailed the Land of Snow, a small island nation that relied on Dawnstar for trade. Similar to the Land of Waves, the Land of Snow was an extremely poor nation that mainly relied on trade for survival.

Despite Naruto's vast experience and knowledge, he never personally visited the Land of Snow, but he heard many stories. Now, he was attempting to research each of these stories, reading ancient rumors about the isolated nation.

The Land of Snow was so far north that no crops could survive there, it was a nation engulfed by snow and frost throughout the entire year. Even the Land of Frost would melt during the summer and spring, but the Land of Snow had no spring.

At this moment, Naruto's door was violently shoved open before a drunken Tayuya slowly limped inside. Afterwards, Tayuya slammed the door shut behind her before placing an empty bottle of Rum onto a nearby dresser.

"Hey." Naruto mumbled without even looking up from his scrolls.

Suddenly, Tayuya casually approached Naruto before pushing everything off his desk and crawling on top of it. The drunken kunoichi then giggled with a drunken blush on her face before poking Naruto's nose.

"We go together like two pieces of trash." Tayuya giggled, creating a brief period of silence.

"U-... Uh... Um... Th-... Thanks? I think?" Naruto stuttered.

"Whatcha' doing?" Tayuya spoke out with a drunken slur before casually knocking a book out of Naruto's hand.

"I'm just trying to read." Naruto exclaimed.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya crawled into Naruto's lap before sitting down and playing with his hair. At the same time, Naruto finally noticed that Tayuya was wearing one of her new hats.

This hat was extremely soft with a large grey puff-ball on top and various teeth on the bottom, resembling a black otter. This created the illusion of a small otter that was biting Tayuya's head, but it was just a cute hat.

"I'm ready for attention." Tayuya groaned before bouncing on Naruto's lap.

"But I'm trying to read." Naruto remarked.

"Fuck you! I'm just a little fucking baby! Who the fuck is gonna hold my hand?!" Tayuya screamed while gripping the collar of Naruto's outfit.

After shouting, a drunken blush quickly spread across Tayuya's face before she giggled with delight. Afterwards, Tayuya hiccupped several times before glancing at Naruto's face, a face that she adored.

"You're so fucking cute, bitch." While slurring these words, Tayuya played with Naruto's hair.

"I could totally kiss you..." After speaking, Tayuya leaned her drunken mouth towards Naruto before hiccupping at the last moment.

These hiccups forced Tayuya's nose to brush against Naruto's, forcing the drunken kunoichi to laugh with joy. Because Tayuya was so close, this laughter allowed Naruto to smell the heavy scent of alcohol on her breath.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, earning a flirty giggle in response.

"Do you like my hat?" Tayuya replied, completely changing the conversation.

"My hat is so cute, just like your fucking face." While speaking, a genuine smile was spread across Tayuya's face.

"I like your hat, it looks really adorable on you." Naruto mumbled.

This statement earned a cheerful groan from Tayuya before she gently rubbed Naruto's whiskers with both hands. Afterwards, Tayuya pressed Naruto's cheeks together, forcing his lips to pucker out before he mumbled various words, but they were all distorted.

"Awh... Bitch." Tayuya groaned with a flirty tone.

Suddenly, Tayuya wrapped both arms around Naruto before burying her drunken face into his left shoulder. Tayuya then ignored various statements from Naruto before snuggling against his neck and snoring.

"I really do need to finish my reading... I barely know anything about thi-...?!" Naruto attempted to speak before Tayuya shoved two fingers in his mouth, forcing him to gag.

"I'm trying to sleep..." Tayuya mumbled before pulling her fingers loose and running them through Naruto's hair.

Soon, Tayuya's heavy snoring doubled in volume, overwhelming Naruto's previous protest before she fell asleep in his lap. After several moments, Tayuya's snoring was the only thing Naruto could hear as she clung to him like a baby.

This realization earned a dramatic sigh from Naruto before a nearby book slowly floated into his hands. Naruto then shuffled through various pages before finding his previous location and finishing the paragraph.

For several hours, Naruto continued to read various scrolls and books about the Land of Snow while Tayuya was casually sleeping in his lap. However, Tayuya would never admit that she actually cared for Naruto, she would die from embarrassment.


	90. Chapter 90

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: biginferno - I'm glad.**

 **Tenellis - I shall.**

 **Hiatagi-Satori - This entire Arc is basically just NarutoxTayuya fluff with 'Princess Gale' serving as a plot device for Tayuya's emotions. Because of this, I have plenty of time for scenes with Princess Gale, and embarrassing moments for Tayuya.**

 **Guest - I appreciate that, that means a lot to me.**

 **Thor94 - Yes.**

 **iShyboy - In canon, the Sage of Six Paths was trained by the Toad Sage, with this in mind, I see no reason why the Snake Sage should be "far stretched". There are Six Sages in this story, and five of them have directly trained the Sage of Six Paths, but I want each Sage to be unique.**

 **You're correct that most elderly creatures should have standards, but the Snake Sage is different, there was no negative scenario for her.** **If Sasuke failed the three requirements, the Snake Sage would have free food, and if he won, the Sage would have a new 'ally'.**

 **Because of this, I genuinely don't understand why the Snake Sage would turn Sasuke away or refuse his request, she had nothing to lose. Also, this means a majority of the great Sages will be elderly creatures, almost a thousand years old with different requirements and personalities.**

 **And while that is a really long time to be alive, in canon, the Toad Sage was alive for roughly 900 hundred years, so I do consider it realistic. The Blue Butterfly Sage is the only one who didn't directly train the Sage of Six Paths.**

 **I don't want to explain Sage Mode through Author Notes because I think that would be extremely lazy on my part. However, vast amounts of season three and four will focus more on Sage Mode, and the Sage of Six Paths as a whole.**

 **GunBlade2019 - The Land of Snow movie is set after episode 101 during Naruto part 1, but it's technically filler, so none of it is actually canon. In that filler movie, Kakashi is rather important to the overall narrative because of his backstory with 'Princess Gale'.**

 **However, I've taken some creative liberties to Princess Gale's backstory, and the Land of Snow as a whole. This backstory will focus on a specific clan that replaces Kakashi, a clan that's extremely dominant inside the Land of Snow, my favorite clan in Naruto.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 90: Enter: The Land Of Snow! Blinded By Affection.**

 _Wednesday 7:12am, June 28th 58SSP._

Faint rays of morning sunlight sparkled in from a nearby porthole, magnified by the distant sound of crashing waves. Soon, Shisui poked his beak through the porthole before violently squawking, earning a hostile groan from Tayuya.

Suddenly, Tayuya pulled her fluffy hat loose before throwing it at the nearby porthole, forcing Shisui to flap both wings before flying away. Afterwards, Tayuya pulled a thick layer of covers over her face before groaning.

Even though Tayuya was completely submerged by a thick blue comforter, she was frozen solid as faint snowflakes drifted in through nearby portholes. Eventually, Tayuya began to shiver before curling up like a little baby.

After several moments, the harsh sound of static could be heard as a nearby intercom was abruptly turned on. This intercom was positioned in the far corner of Tayuya's room, screwed into the distant wall.

"All hands on main deck. All hands." A static-filled voice echoed across the intercom.

At this moment, Tayuya grabbed her pillow before throwing it at the distant intercom, creating an explosion of static. Tayuya then groaned with annoyance before hiding under her covers.

Suddenly, a crippling pain erupted through Tayuya's forehead, forcing her to grunt before pinching the bridge of her nose. Tayuya was still partially drunk from her heavy night of drinking, giving her an annoying headache.

An extended period of silence then filled the air, polluted by Tayuya's occasional groans and grunts as she struggled to stay warm. Tayuya traveled across dozens of countries with Orochimaru, but she had never been this cold before.

As this intense cold continued to torment Tayuya, she briefly thought about how warm Naruto was before shaking the idea from her mind. The squawking of Shisui then filled the air, forcing Tayuya to snarl before poking her head out from the covers.

"Good morning." Naruto mumbled while casually reading a book.

Naruto was sitting on the corner of Tayuya's bed with a dull blue book held between both hands, a book that focused on the Land of Snow. Also, dozens of books and scrolls were sprawled across the wooden floor, a gift from Sandayū.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya reached out before grabbing Naruto's outfit and pulling him under the covers. Afterwards, Tayuya kicked Naruto's shoes off before rubbing her cold feet against him, stealing his warmth.

"It's hard to read when you're on top of me." After Naruto spoke, he earned a hostile grunt in response.

"Fuck you! I'm always on top, so get used to it!" Tayuya snapped out.

Suddenly, Tayuya reached out with both hands before attempting to grab Naruto's book, creating a brief skirmish under the covers. Soon, Tayuya was crawling over Naruto while swatting at his book, annoyed by his lack of attention.

"Give me that stupid book! Give it to me right now!' While shouting, Tayuya briefly wrestled with Naruto.

"But I'm trying to read..." Naruto muttered.

"Fuck you! I want it! Give it to me!" Tayuya complained.

"You're not leaving this bed until you fucking give it to me!" While complaining, Tayuya continued to reach for Naruto's book.

At this moment, the innocent laughter of Yukie Fujikaze echoed through the room, forcing Tayuya to poke her head out from under the covers. This allowed Tayuya to notice a steaming cup of coffee that Yukie was happily drinking.

"Sleeping with your boyfriend this early into the trip? Young love." Yukie giggled, creating a deep blush across Tayuya's face.

"When you two love birds are done, Sandayū wants everyone on deck." After speaking, Yukie took a smug drink from her coffee before leaving the room.

"Wa-... Wait! It's not what you think!' Tayuya protested before jumping out of bed.

Tayuya then attempted to chase after Yukie before tripping over several books, causing her to faceplant against the wooden floor. However, Tayuya was so embarrassed that she completely ignored this pain before crawling after Yukie.

"No! Come back!" While screaming, an embarrassed Tayuya ran out of the room.

This was an extremely awkward moment for Tayuya, leaving a constant blush across her face as she ran through a wooden hallway. Tayuya was convinced that Naruto was just a friend, and she didn't want Yukie to say otherwise.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Yukie and Tayuya both sat underneath a wide umbrella before yawning in unison, drawing attention to various staff members in the background. Soon, Yukie took a fresh sip from her coffee before several staff members began working on her hair and makeup.

"Here, hold on to this, kid." Yukie ordered before placing her cup of coffee on Tayuya's lap.

Instead of complaining, Tayuya wrapped her cold hands around the steam-filled cup as a light drizzle of snow polluted the air. Several snowflakes eventually clung to Tayuya's red hair while others fell into her coffee, melting on impact.

Suddenly, Tayuya's head briefly throbbed with pain, causing her to drink several mouthfuls of coffee before groaning. This allowed Tayuya to taste the beautiful mixture of hazelnut coffee.

After several moments, the silhouette of Gaara, Karin and Jūgo came into view as they all stood in the background, leaning against a wooden rail. Also, each of these friends wore a small assortment of multi-colored scarfs and gloves.

"I don't know. I think I'm starting to regret this deal." Karin exclaimed before straightening her waist-length blue scarf.

"Are you cold?" Gaara asked while rubbing his glove-covered hands together.

"I'm a little cold, but I'll survive." Jūgo interrupted, drawing attention to his orange scarf and gloves.

"You two are so clueless!" Karin complained before dramatically turning around.

"It's Tayuya! She's way too comfortable with Naruto! I don't like it!" While speaking, Karin stomped her right foot atop the wooden floor.

"Well, I'm comfortable with him too. What's the problem?" Gaara mumbled, forcing Karin to briefly blush.

"Don't say it like that!" Karin retorted.

"Just look at her! I can smell the aroma of bitch before I even see her!" While speaking, Karin dramatically pointed at a distant Tayuya.

"I can't smell anything." Gaara and Jūgo both replied in unison.

"IDIOTS!" Karin snorted before crossing both arms in front of her small chest.

Soon, the nearby wooden floor slowly opened after Sandayū flipped a distant switch, causing the cardboard cut-out of a fancy house to rise from below deck. At the same time, various other staff members were continuously sweeping snow off the deck.

This house was accompanied by a collection of various stage lights that hung from the blue sails overhead. These lights also illuminated several camera's and plastic weapons in the background, props for the upcoming movie.

"Get some debris on the floor! This set has to be live in five minutes!" The harsh and elderly voice of Makino echoed across the deck.

Makino was a famous movie director, well known throughout all five of the great nations, earning a revered reputation. Infact, Makino was the only director that Yukie worked with, he was the only director that she actually respected.

Makino was a 60 year old man with fair skin and ear-length grey hair, partially concealed by the fancy brown hat that he wore. This brought attention to his blue-tinted glasses, contrasting his large orange coat and blue gloves.

Makino was also wearing a pair of ankle-length brown pants while violently waving a speakerphone through the air. As this occurred, Makino was seated inside a unique director chair with his name engraved on the back.

"I want this scene to be beautiful, perfect, GORGEOUS!" While Makino spoke, various staff members could be seen in the background.

Suddenly, the fair-skinned silhouette of a 30 year old man approached Makino while shifting through several script pages. This man was known as Saku, an aspiring artist and the assistant director for Makino.

Saku had ear-length orange hair that was similar to Jūgo, drawing attention to the well trimmed goatee that adorned the lower half of his face. However, a majority of his hair was concealed by the blue baseball hat he wore, a hat that was worn backwards.

Saku's outfit consisted of ankle-length blue jeans, matching his director jacket and the fancy civilian shoes that he wore. Also, Saku's jacket was partially opened, drawing attention to his freshly cleaned white shirt underneath.

"This snow is starting to come down pretty hard, shouldn't we postpone the scene?" Saku suggested, earning a dramatic scoff in response.

"WHAT!? Absolutely not! This snow will add a symbolic aura to our movie. The audience will eat it up!" Makino expressed.

"Symbolic? But it's just snow? And it's a safety hazard." Saku muttered.

"Art is a safety hazard!" Makino exclaimed.

"Where is that debris I asked for!? We need to be live in thirty seconds!" While speaking, Makino waved his speakerphone through the air.

At this moment, various staff members emerged from below deck before sprinkling several pieces of broken wood and shattered kunai across the floor. Afterwards, buckets of soot were dumped across this debris, polluting nearby snow while concealing the wooden floor from view.

"Are you sure the actors will be okay with this? You know Yukie can be quite the diva." Saku remarked.

Suddenly, Saku and Makino both stared at the distant Yukie while her hair was being tied with fancy ribbons and pins. This created a brief period of silence while various staff members were moving cameras and props in the background.

"Poor Yukie. She's always been so distant, I wonder what kind of life she has at home." After speaking, Saku casually scratched the bridge of his nose.

"She's never neglected her work. I don't know anything about her personal life, and I don't need too..." Makino interrupted.

"Say whatever you want about her, but that woman is a natural born actress. The best of the best." After speaking, a small camera crew surrounded Makino's chair.

Soon, the silhouette of Princess Gale could be seen while kneeling atop a small pile of snow-covered soot and ash. The remains of a horrific battle scene from her next movie, an international movie that would play across all five of the great nations.

"Camera's rolling." A nearby staff member spoke out.

"Let's go! I wanna get this scene on the first take!" Makino roared, earning a chorus of approval in response.

"Okay! Scene 26, cut-6, take-1. And... ACTION!" Saku's voice echoed across the deck, magnified by the heavy snapping of a nearby clapperboard.

For several minutes, the snow-filled air was polluted only by the emotional voice of Princess Gale, mourning the death of Shishimaru. During this, Tayuya was gleefully drinking coffee in the background, amazed by Yukie's high-level acting.

Tayuya was always fascinated by Yukie ever since she was a child, and now, she could barely believe how close she was to her idol. However, Tayuya's admiration would soon morph into embarrassment, fueled by the constant harassment from Yukie.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

Yukie sighed with a dramatic tone before sitting down atop a well-lavished chair, partially stained by dozens of snow flakes. As this occurred, a nearby Tayuya had both arms wrapped around her torso while shivering, completely overwhelmed by the frigid weather.

"I thought that robe was supposed to keep you warm." Yukie scoffed with a condescending tone.

"This robe is for complex ninja missions! Because I'm a badass!" Tayuya retorted before chattering her teeth together.

"Yea, yea... Whatever." Yukie sighed while leaning back in her chair.

Suddenly, a ray of sunlight briefly struck Yukie's necklace, creating a sparkle of light that garnished Tayuya's attention. Soon, Tayuya was intently observing Yukie's necklace before accidently staring down her shirt.

The sight of Yukie's small chest forced a deep blush to spread across Tayuya's face, fueled by a brief moment of jealousy. During this, Tayuya was completely distracted by her internal thoughts, allowing Yukie to throw a snowball against her face.

The impact of this collision created a minor explosion of snow, spreading various snowflakes across Tayuya's face and hair. Afterwards, Tayuya was briefly stunned for several seconds before snarling with rage and fury.

"What the hell was that?! Go fuck yourself!" Tayuya shrieked.

"Geez kid, you're so repressed." Yukie muttered before rolling her eyes.

"No I'm not! You're just a bitch!" Tayuya argued.

"Yea, yea... So, where's your boyfriend?" Yukie mumbled, completely changing the conversation.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya crossed both arms in front of her flat chest before snorting with a hostile tone. After several moments, various black feathers slowly drifted through the air, mixing in with the nearby snow.

These feathers were followed by various squawks from Shisui, forcing Tayuya to growl before hurling several snowballs at the blind raven. Despite his lack of eyesight, Shisui easily dodged each of these projectiles before landing atop a distant railing.

"You're such a downer, kid." After Yukie spoke, nearby staff members started to comb her hair.

"I'm not a downer! I'm a cheerful ray of sunshine! Go fuck yourself!" Tayuya retorted.

Soon, Yukie rolled both eyes in a dramatic fashion before sighing, earning a hostile scoff from Tayuya, concealing her embarrassment with rage. The heavy amount of snowfall in the air then abruptly increased, polluting the nearby ocean and wind with a blanket of white.

At this moment, various pins and were pulled out from Yukie's hair before being replacing by a vibrant blue ribbon. While this occurred, Tayuya stood behind Yukie with an enraged expression across her face.

"You know, you remind me a lot of myself when I was younger... You need to grow up." Yukie exclaimed.

"I am grown up! I'm 14!" Tayuya shouted, earning a shallow chuckle from Yukie.

Suddenly, this chuckle evolved into a deep and booming laugh, forcing several aids to stand back as Yukie's hair violently wavered in the wind. During this, Tayuya growled with contempt while clenching both fists, trying to look intimidating.

"Just go hang out with your boyfriend. You're way too tense." Yukie muttered with a carefree tone.

"He's not my boyfriend! I don't even like him!" Tayuya protested.

"Right, that's why you two were sleeping together." Yukie remarked, creating a deep blush across Tayuya's face.

"There was no sleeping! I was trying to grab his book!" Tayuya shrieked with embarrassment.

"Book, huh? Is that what kids are calling it now?" Yukie mumbled.

This statement forced Tayuya's entire face to blush before stuttering for several moments, earning a brief giggle from Yukie. Afterwards, the panicked silhouette of Saku ran through the background before dashing towards Makino.

"Mr. Makino! Mr. Makino! We got a problem!'" Saku shouted before tripping over a wooden staircase and faceplanting the ground.

"What is it?" Makino choked out while standing beside the boat captain.

At this moment, the captain abruptly freaked out before violently turning his large wooden wheel, allowing his boat to narrowly dodge a shallow iceberg. This sharp turn also knocked several staff members to the ground while Tayuya growled with annoyance.

Several icebergs then protruded out from the water, forcing dozens of staff members to panic as Saku finally stood up. The veteran sea captain then preformed various maneuvers and tactics, struggling to save his boat.

"Oh no! I'm too young to die!" Saku panicked.

"I'm not! But I still don't wanna!" Makino cut in.

After several moments, a spear-shaped iceberg protruded out from the snow-covered water, piercing a large hole into the captains ship. This collision forced the iron vessel to violently shake as water poured in below deck.

As his vessel was slowly filled with cold water, the sea captain quickly spotted a mountain-sized iceberg before sailing towards it at full speed. While approaching this frozen island, dense waves of icy water violently bombarded the captains vessel.

Suddenly, the heavy snowfall from overhead quickly hardened into shards of frozen ice, cutting various holes across multiple sails. Also, dozens of frozen projectiles pierced the wooden hull of this sinking vessel, narrowly missing various staff members.

Beads of sweat then dripped across the captains frozen face, fueled by the stark realization that his vessel wouldn't make it in time. During this, the distant silhouette of Sandayū was standing beside Yukie, guarding her like a loyal solider.

Several staff members then fell to the floor as their ship slowly sunk towards the icy water, creating an intense display of panic. At the last moment, the wide hole across their ship was abruptly patched with thick layers of wet sand.

The large amount of water from below deck then ruptured through several portholes, dispelled by some unseen force. While this occurred, the violent squawking of Shisui could be heard while flying in circles overhead.

The partially damaged vessel then collided against an icy coastline on the nearby iceberg, creating an explosion of snow and frozen shards. Afterwards, the large vessel grinded across the snow-covered landscape for several feet before settling.

"Princess! Are you alright, princess!?" Sandayū asked with a sincere and delicate voice.

"Cut it out, Sandayū. You know I'm not a real princess." Yukie scoffed, creating a stern expression across Sandayū's face.

"Mr. Makino! Mr. Makino!" Saku panicked while running through the background.

"What do we do now!?" While speaking, the previous bombardment of harsh ice was replaced by gentle snowfall.

Instead of replying with words, Makino slowly climbed atop a nearby railing before glancing across the snow-covered landscape. Makino then fell into a brief trance, hypnotized by the beautiful mountains and pristine snow all around him.

"Hmmm..." Makino hummed with an inquisitive tone, contrasting the casual expression across his face.

"THIS IS IT! WE'RE CHANGING EVERYTHING!" While shouting these words, Makino dramatically opened both eyes.

This declaration forced Saku to grunt with disbelief while various other staff members were standing in the background. At the same time, Gaara and Naruto both casually walked out from below deck, quickly followed by Karin and Jūgo.

"You moron! We're standing on the perfect spot to shoot! This crash was destined to happen!" After shouting, Saku dramatically gasped in response.

"Cherish this moment! The great movie sage is smiling down upon us!" After speaking, Makino pointed towards a group of staff members.

"Everyone! Prepare to embark! WE"VE GOT A MOVIE TO SHOOT." These words were answered by a weak chorus of groans.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

As several staff members slowly disembarked their damaged vessel, various icebergs floated through the icy water in the background. Soon, the mask-covered face of a pale-skinned silhouette slowly phased out from one of these icebergs.

The vast majority of his exposed skin was extremely white, as white as snow, similar to Sai or Orochimaru. Also, he had shoulder-length black hair, contrasting his sapphire blue eyes, eyes filled with hatred and disdain.

Suddenly, this distorted silhouette grunted with rage before merging with the large iceberg, allowing him to effortlessly disappear from sight. Afterwards, an eerie period of silence pierced the air, magnified by a heavy blizzard that blew in from the north.

While various staff members unloaded handfuls of props, furnaces and unique chairs, none of them noticed the tension feeling in the air. Strengthened by a collection of dark clouds that swirled into existence overhead.

However, this eerie sensation was easily noticed by Tayuya before she violently sneezed several times, completely distracting her train of thought. Tayuya then began to sniffle before rubbing both hands together for warmth.

At this moment, Naruto gently placed Tayuya's otter hat onto her head, earning a brief grunt in response before she sneezed. After groaning, Tayuya wiped her hands across Naruto's outfit before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I'm not built for cold weather." Tayuya mumbled before shivering.

"Sandayū gave me some extra clothes, do you want them?" Naruto asked before pulling a handful of scarfs and various gloves loose.

Instead of answering this question, Tayuya snagged each of these items from Naruto before wrapping each of them around her body. This gave Tayuya two purple scarfs that were completely wrapped around her lower face, contrasting the thick layer of blue gloves that she wore.

Soon, Tayuya spotted a nearby furnace that was resting between a freshly placed bundle of tents, garnishing her attention. After several seconds, Tayuya dashed towards this furnace at full speed before huddling around it.

As Tayuya shivered around the warm furnace, occasionally sneezing for several moments, she didn't even notice the wide smile across Naruto's face. At the same time, various distorted faces briefly flickered across distant icebergs, proof that the recent attack was no accident.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

Howling wind was blowing across an icy landscape, magnified by a dense layer of snowfall that polluted the air, the result of a harsh blizzard. Soon, various camera's, props and crates came into view while dozens of staff members worked in the dangerous weather.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? This ice could be a liability." Saku muttered while standing beside his elderly peer.

"You're opinion is a liability." Makino mumbled.

"If you want to make a good movie, than you have to take some risks. Remember that, kid." After speaking, Makino violently waved his speakerphone through the air.

Makino then directed several staff members to key positions, earning a defeated sigh from Saku while Tayuya was sneezing in the background. At the same time, the intense sound of construction could be heard as various staff members repaired the broken ship.

"Alright people, you heard the boss! We're gonna roll!" Saku interrupted with a booming voice.

At this moment, Saku ran in front of a nearby camera while holding a clapperboard with both hands, the most valuable tool for any director. Afterwards, several portable stage lights were abruptly turned on, illuminating the nearby silhouette of Princess Gale.

"Okay! Scene-36, cut-6, take-1... ACTION!" While shouting, Saku dramatically snapped his clapperboard in front of the nearby camera.

Suddenly, the sadistic laughter of Mao echoed through the snow-filled landscape, drawing attention to his wizard-like attire, beard and weapon. Mao stood atop a towering glacier, barely visible as a harsh blizzard bombarded him from all angles.

"So, princess! You finally arrived!" Mao mocked with a condescending tone.

"It's you, Mao!" The voice of Princess Gale radiated through the air before unsheathing her ancient blade.

"Stay back, princess!" Sukeakuro encouraged while gripping the hilt of his unique weapon.

"We'll deal with him, princess!" Brit interrupted.

"You'll pay for what you did too Shishimaru!" Princess Gale declared with confidence.

Soon, the harsh downpour of snow grew in density and volume, forcing Princess Gale's hair to dramatically waver through the breeze. During this, Saku's camera crew were getting a direct close up on the action, using the natural blizzard to their advantage.

"Did you honestly believe I could be defeated so easily, princess?!" Mao boomed from atop his mountain.

"No one can stop death!" While speaking, Mao twirled his wizard-like staff through the air.

After several moments, the icy mountain behind Mao abruptly cracked multiple times, garnishing the attention of various staff members. The snow atop this mountain then slow began to slid and fall, creating a minor avalanche.

"Is this in the script?!" Mao panicked, completely breaking character.

Mao then tripped over a slippery patch of ice before falling off the mountain, forcing the entire crew to gasp with shock. At the same time, the small avalanche behind Mao abruptly doubled in size.

As Mao continued to plummet through the air, his hat and staff were blown loose while he screamed for help, magnified by Saku's pain-filled voice. At the last moment, Mao was casually caught with one arm by Naruto while Tayuya was sneezing in the background.

"I don't think it's in the script." Naruto mumbled.

The entire ground then began to shake and rumble as a chaotic avalanche raced towards the large group of staff members. This stark realization forced Mao to brush past Naruto before running full speed towards the boat, utterly terrified.

Mao's panic then spread to other staff members, dropping several props and cameras before running for their lives. During this moment of hysteria, Naruto casually scratched the bridge of his nose.

Suddenly, the massive avalanche collided with an unseen force around Naruto, creating an explosion of ice and snow. While this occurred, various crew members continued to run towards the boat, looking for any excuse to get out of the cold.

Instead of reacting towards this harsh collision, Tayuya sneezed multiple times while rubbing both hands towards, overwhelmed by the weather. Soon, the silhouette of Gaara and Jūgo came into view as they both ran past Tayuya.

"What's happening?" Jūgo asked.

At this moment, various distorted shadows abruptly flickered across nearby portions of ice and snow, forcing Gaara to gasp. Afterwards, a group of three silhouette's slowly phased out from the frozen environment, traveling through snow and ice with extreme ease.

"Welcome to the land of snow, friends." The voice of Nadare Rōga echoed across the snow-filled wind.

Nadare was a 35 year old man with pale skin and emerald green eyes, contrasting the purple lines across his face, lines very similar to Jiraiya. Also, Nadare wore a happuri-style headband for the village of Yuki around his forehead, named after the Yuki clan.

This headband concealed a large amount of Nadare's pale purple hair, hair that was tied into a waist-length ponytail in the back. A single strand of purple hair was also protruding out from this headband, hanging in front of Nadare's right eye.

Nadare's attire consisted of fully-bodied chakra armor, a unique and expensive type of defense that was recently invented inside the Land of Tea. Despite the vast amount of distance between these nations, they were both naval powers that relied primarily on trade and commerce.

Because of this, the Land of Snow and the Land of Tea would extensively trade with each other, providing both with a fresh and foreign supply of goods. This created an odd but necessary union between the isolated countries, a pair of nations that depended on each other.

"Let's not waste time on conversation, okay?" The voice of Fubuki Kakuyoku cut in.

Fubuki was a 30 year old woman with fair skin and green eyes, contrasting her ear-length pink hair, giving her a similar appearance to Sakura. Also, Fubuki wore a grey beanie with two holes cut on top, allowing a pair of spiky pig-tails to protrude out.

This brought attention to the headband of Yuki that was sewn across Fubuki's beanie, a unique-type of headband, mainly used inside the Land of Snow. This beanie also perfectly matched Fubuki's chakra armor, armor that was extremely similar to Nadare's outfit.

Fubuki's most prominent feature was her large breasts, infact, her tight chakra armor could barely restrain her massive chest. Fubuki's massive chest even garnished the attention of Tayuya, forcing her to briefly blush with jealousy.

"Anyway, welcome home. Princess Koyuki." After Fubuki spoke, Sandayū entered a protective stance.

This statement also forced Naruto to gasp before staring at the stunned actress, thinking back across the collection of books that Sandayū gave him. Afterwards, the large silhouette of Mizore Fuyukuma took several steps forward, easily towering over his fellow Yuki shinobi.

Mizore was a 33 year old man with fair skin and black eyes, contrasting the short outcrop of purple hair that protruded out from his happuri-style headband. This headband had the symbol for Yuki engraved upon it, matching Mizore's chakra armor in color and tone.

Mizore's most noticeable feature was a large metal arm that extended out from his left elbow, freshly delivered from the Land of Tea. Also, Mizore had a large red snowboard that was strapped against his back in a slanted angle.

"Forget about the princess. We have a wanted criminal in our land." Mizore interrupted while glaring at Naruto.

"He's got some weird eyes... And whiskers. Pretty cute, for a kid." Fubuki scoffed.

"Wait... Isn't he the kid that killed Orochimaru?" Nadare stuttered.

This declaration forced Tayuya and Jūgo to gasp in unison before staring at Naruto, briefly overwhelmed by Nadare's accusation. At the same time, Karin was poking her head out from the distant ship, watching from a safe location.

Suddenly, Sandayū picked Yukie up with both arms before running towards the ship, moving with the speed of a veteran samurai. During this, various other staff members were running in the background, looking for safety.

"Everyone! Get back to the ship!" Sandayū declared before running past Makino.

Tayuya then entered a hostile stance before violently sneezing into her glove-covered hands, magnified by several sniffles. This constant sneezing completely erased Tayuya's harsh demeanor, causing to her shrug both shoulders before casually walking away.

"There's no way some kid could beat Orochimaru." Fubuki remarked.

"Only one way to find out." Mizore joked before pulling his snowboard loose and dropping it to the ground.

After stepping on his device, Mizore's unique snowboard launched across the snowy environment, empowered by some unseen device. Mizore then raced towards Naruto at full speed while smiling, confident in his victory.

As Mizore approached, he abruptly gasped after Jūgo jumped in front of him, creating a brief wrestling contest between both giants. While this occurred, the distant silhouette of Fubuki clapped both hands into the Tiger Seal, forcing nearby ice to crack and splinter.

"Ice Style: Tsubame Blizzard!" Fubuki's confident voice echoed through the air.

This statement created a large cluster of sharpened ice that detached from the nearby mountain, morphing into hundreds of miniature seagulls. These icy creatures then swarmed through the frozen air before soaring towards Naruto.

Usually, Ice Style was a clan specific technique that was only usable by the Yuki clan, a clan that was extremely rare and sparse. However, the village of Yuki mainly focused on the manipulation of ice, an ability that was directly taught by several ancient members from the Yuki clan.

Despite their well known manipulation of ice, the shinobi from Yuki were basically nothing compared to a full-bloodied Yuki clan member. For example, Haku could create ice from thin air while Fubuki or Nadare had to rely on preexisting ice, unable to create their own.

Because the village of Yuki was isolated on some frozen island in the north, it was the best possible location for Ice Style. The Land of Snow was surrounded by thick layers of ice on all sides, giving their shinobi a natural resource for defense.

Soon, the barrage of frozen seagulls collided against a miniature wave of sand, sprinkling several grains and snowflakes across the nearby ground. During this, the distant silhouette of Nadare slowly merged with a pillar of ice, disappearing from view.

After several moments, Nadare phased out from the frozen snow behind Naruto before hurling a barrage of kunai at his back. Each of these kunai had crystal-like orbs tied around there hilt, giving off a blue color and tone.

Suddenly, this handful of kunai collided against an unseen force that surrounded Naruto, knocking each of them to the ground. Afterwards, the attached orbs began to glow and hum before erupting into an icy explosion.

These explosions unleashed a barrage of icy shuriken that flung out in all directions, soaring across the snow-covered landscape. Several of these projectiles then pierced a wall of nearby sand before Nadare charged at Naruto.

Despite Nadare's high-level of experience as a Jounin from Yuki, Naruto dodged each of his attacks while Tayuya was sneezing in the background. Naruto then deflected various punches from Nadare before casually grabbing his throat and squeezing down.

At this moment, the distant silhouette of Mizore picked Jūgo up with both hands before effortlessly throwing him through the air. Jūgo then collided against Naruto, knocking him to the ground while Nadare fell on both knees before gasping for air.

The sound of heavy ice striking damp sand then echoed through the air, followed by various techniques between Gaara and Fubuki. Soon, these sounds of combat were completely muffled by a sadistic chuckle from Jūgo's limp figure.

While Jūgo was sprawled across the snowy ground, laying on top of Naruto, his body occasionally twitched before violently laughing. Jūgo then quickly sat up, revealing the discolored and distorted left half of his face, drawing attention to his bright yellow eye.

Because of Jūgo's forgotten clan, he possessed the unique ability to gather Nature Energy before storing it inside his body, like a real Sage. However, Jūgo's unique Sage Transformation was completely different from the six iconic versions of Sage Mode.

Similar to the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, Jūgo's forgotten clan stretched back to the Sage of Six Paths, an ancient hero that saved the entire world from demons. Before his early death, the legendary sage married a young woman and they had three children together, triplets.

Each of these children were boys with a similar appearance to their father, but all of them inherited a unique and separate ability. Instead of the Sharingan or Byakugan, Jūgo's ancient ancestor was gifted with abnormal amounts of Nature Energy, allowing him to manipulate his own cells.

Because of this, Jūgo's yellow eye symbolized a rare type of Sage Mode, a unique Sage Transformation that was only usable by Jūgo's forgotten clan. Also, this unique bloodline gave Jūgo a massive reserve of Kage-level chakra, fueled by Nature Energy.

"Oh YEA! BABY!' Jūgo howled with a demonic tone, similar to Shukaku.

Jūgo's demonic laughter then echoed through the air while Tayuya continued to sneeze in the background, distracted by the cold weather. After several moments, Jūgo launched across the snowy ground while continuously laughing, garnishing the attention of Mizore.

"Die! Die! DIE!"As Jūgo screamed these words, his entire left arm began to bubble and contort.

Soon, Jūgo's left arm became discolored before several spikes protruded out, forcing a distant Karin to gag with disgust. Afterwards, Jūgo's discolored skin violently twitched before a hardened piece of flesh jolted out.

This flesh took on the appearance and shape of an axe, briefly stunning the nearby enemy as they stared at Jūgo's strange technique. As Jūgo approached, Mizore scoffed before raising his large metal arm into the air.

"Freak!" Mizore spat out before hurling his metal arm towards Jūgo.

A snow-filled shockwave then echoed through the air as Jūgo's bizarre axe buried itself into Mizore's arm, shocking the Yuki Jounin. An intense melee battle then erupted between both giants, spraying various sparks onto the nearby snow.

As dozens of sparks polluted the air, icy spikes were colliding against streams of sand in the background, muffled by the sound of Tayuya sneezing. At the same time, a small crowd of staff members ran past Tayuya while holding a large camera.

This crowd was also carrying Makino's chair while he was casually sitting inside of it, giving him a perfect view on the nearby battle. The exhausted silhouette of Saku then came into view, running beside Makino's chair while panting for air.

"Are you filming this!?" Makino shouted with vigor.

"We're filming, we're filming." Saku stuttered before gasping.

Suddenly, Jūgo's insane thirst for blood allowed him to casually slice through Mizore's metal arm, completely severing the advanced piece of technology. This chunk of broken metal then plummeted to the snow before Jūgo laughed like a demon.

Even though Mizore felt no pain from the previous attack, he still briefly staggered after hearing Jūgo's twisted laughter. After several moments, this laughter was replaced by a hostile grunt as Jūgo's Sage-like eye abruptly focused on Makino.

"Get me a close-up! I want the audience to see his eyes!" Makino shouted, earning a demonic roar in response.

The nearby camera crew then flew into a panic as Jūgo charged towards them, realizing a horrific laugh with each footstep. However, Makino was completely unaffected by the approaching demon, more worried about his movie than his life.

"Close-up! Close-up!" While shouting, Makino violently waved his speakerphone through the air.

At this moment, various streams of sand managed to grab Fubuki's ankle before throwing her against a distant Mizore, knocking both of them to the ground. Afterwards, each of these streams rushed towards Jūgo before struggling to restrain him.

"Keep that camera rolling even if it kills you! Show the resolve of a cinematographer!" After Makino screamed these orders, a demonic laughter filled the air.

While Jūgo wrestled against several waves of chakra infused sand, the distant silhouette of Nadare abruptly chuckled before clapping both hands together. Nadare then jumped through the air while weaving through the Rat, Hare and Dog Seals.

After preforming these seals, Nadare landed atop a snow-covered mountain before dramatically slamming his right palm into the ground. This forced nearby portions of snow to suddenly crack before rolling down the mountain.

"Ice Style: Wolf Fang Avalanche!" Nadare's harsh voice echoed through the snowy air.

This declaration caused sections of nearby snow to bubble and morph into several hundred icy wolves, a Jounin-level display of Ice Style. As this massive avalanche of frozen wolves charged down the mountain, Naruto walked up to Jūgo before effortlessly calming him down.

Suddenly, the mask-covered silhouette of a middle-aged man slowly phased out from a nearby iceberg, capturing Naruto's attention. But instead of looking at Naruto, this unknown man was staring directly at the approaching wave of snow.

This man wore a blue-tinted Kimono that was held in place by a snow-white sash around his waist, contrasting his wooden sandals. Also, his strange mask concealed a majority of his face, drawing attention to his shoulder-length black hair and blue eyes.

This unnamed figure then entered a firm stance before clapping both hands together, shattering nearby portions of ice on impact. This man then weaved through the Ram, Bird, Money, Horse, Tiger and Ox Seals before pressing both hands into the snow.

"Ice Style: White Whale Jutsu." A veteran voice pierced the air, quickly freezing the nearby water.

After several moments, an icy whale erupted from the ocean before swimming towards the nearby ship, forcing Saku to panic. However, this massive behemoth swam underneath the damaged vessel instead of attacking it, briefly disappearing from view.

A massive spear of ice then pierced through the frozen snow in front of Naruto, knocking several barrels and tents to the ground . Soon, this massive spear managed to completely cut the large iceberg in half, allowing Makino's ship and crew to safely float away.

Also, this bisected iceberg forced Nadare's lethal avalanche of wolves to harmlessly charge into the icy ocean, consumed by the dark waters below. While this occurred, Naruto was staring intently at the nearby figure, a masked man who was surrounded by snow and ice.

Unlike Nadare or Fubuki, this unknown man was able to create ice from thin air, possessing the same bloodline and clan name as Haku. This realization forced each of Naruto's eyes to narrow while Tayuya was sneezing in the background.

A brief period of silence then filled the air, magnified by a harsh gust of snowy wind from the north, bombarding Naruto's whiskers. During this silence, Naruto realized that something was terribly wrong inside the Land of Snow.


	91. Chapter 91

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: This chapter is an easter egg for Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 91: Distracted By A Cute Face! Nightmares And Dreams.**

 _Wednesday 5:11pm, June 28th 58SSP._

Gusts of howling wind crashed against various mountain peaks that were covered with thick layers of snow and frozen ice, contrasting the black clouds overhead. Despite the early time of day, these dark clouds were sprawled across the entire Land of Snow.

These frozen peaks were assembled around a snowy crater with hundreds of icy houses inside, the shinobi village known as Yuki. Because this settlement was so far north, stone and wood couldn't be insulated, forcing citizens to live inside snowy homes and huts.

However, this primitive life style was dominated by Yuki's advanced technology, drawing attention to several powerlines and generators. After several moments, a massive airship came into view, hovering over the isolated village with ease.

In Konoha or Suna, this sight would have created panic and fear, but the village of Yuki was extremely advanced, despite its isolation. This high level of technology was a result of constant trade with the Land of Tea.

The Land of Tea was the most technologically advanced nation in the entire world, surpassing even the five great nations. Infact, a majority of Konoha's military weapons and supplies were directly made in the Land of Tea.

While trade between Konoha and the Land of Tea was common, the Land of Snow was treated with far greater respect. This high level of respect was created from a deep fear for Konoha, the Land of Tea was convinced that Konoha would eventually expand into their nation.

Because of this, the Land of Tea and the Land of Snow firmly supported each other, trading food and security for supplies and technology. This defensive pact was the main source of income for the village of Yuki, pumping life into the frozen settlement.

Soon, various footsteps could be heard as Nadare, Mizore and Fubuki walked through several hallways, lined with steel and iron. These hallways stretched through the large airship above Yuki, a vessel that hovered in the frozen air.

After several moments, these Jounin entered a large room with various windows and control panels, illuminated by multiple lightbulbs across the ceiling. These lights also sparkled down on an iron throne, adorned with various ice crystals and gems.

"So... The hex crystal has finally returned home." The calm and calculated voice of Dotō Kazahana echoed through the airship.

Dotō was a 52 year old man with fair skin and shoulder-length black hair, contrasting his pale blue eyes and the snow-white robe. Also, Dotō was the Daimyo for the Land of Snow, giving him a vast amount of independence and prestige.

Even though Dotō was the Daimyo, he still possessed complete control over the shinobi village of Yuki, an extremely bizarre outcome. Usually, a Kage would rule over the ninja village while a Daimyo would control the country side.

However, Dotō completely annexed the village of Yuki into his nation, using the prosperous shinobi village as his own capital. For over a decade, the village of Yuki was nothing but an occupied settlement that Dotō extorted for cash and protection.

Infact, Dotō was the younger brother of the former Daimyo, Sosetsu Kazahana, the father of Princess Koyuki. This gave Dotō a similar bloodline and appearance to Koyuki, but the murderous Daimyo only cared about her hex crystal.

Over 10 years ago, Dotō staged a fierce coup against the Daimyo and his loyal samurai, plunging the Land of Snow into a brief period of civil war. This war also severely crippled the Yuki Clan, forced to pick a side in the fierce conflict.

After years of fighting, Dotō finally managed to win this civil war by brutally murdering his brother, fueled by his lust for power. Afterwards, a large amount of the Yuki Clan was forced into hiding, unwilling to follow Dotō or his murderous allies.

Dotō's greatest threat was a man known as Sokka Yuki, the clan head for the Yuki clan and the elderly uncle to Haku. During his early childhood, Haku happily lived inside the Land of Snow, but Dotō's harsh civil war forced his parents to move, settling inside the Land of Mist.

"Yes, my lord." Nadare groaned with respect before kneeling beside Dotō.

Suddenly, Fubuki and Mizore both mirrored Nadare's actions before kneeling in front of Dotō, creating a brief period of silence. After several moments, Dotō picked up a nearby glass of blue wine before casually sipping it.

"I'm just giddy with excitement. It's taken over 10 years to find her." Fubuki mumbled.

"I'm glad you're excited, but I lost half my arm." Mizore interrupted with a harsh grunt.

"Relax, we'll just build you a new one. Don't over react." Fubuki remarked.

"That arm was very expensive..." Dotō scoffed before sipping his wine.

At this moment, a well-dressed butler casually entered the room before pouring a fresh glass of wine for Dotō. The fancy butler then bowed his head with respect before turning around and disappearing from sight.

"I guess Sokka made an appearance again... But no matter, I'll deal with him soon." After speaking, Dotō chugged half of his wine with one sip.

"It's more than Sokka. The princess has Naruto Uzumaki as a bodyguard." Nadare explained, forcing Dotō's eyes to abruptly narrow.

Soon, Dotō glanced at a nearby TV scene, revealing the cinematic depiction of Princess Gale's newest movie. This allowed Dotō to intently stare at Princess Gale, easily identifying his niece.

"Kabuto should hear about this." Dotō muttered.

This statement forced each of the nearby Jounin to bow their heads before standing up, drawing attention to Mizore's broken arm. These Jounin then turned around before disappearing down a nearby hallway, continuing their service to Dotō.

* * *

 _One hour later._

The shivering silhouette of Tayuya was seated in a wooden hallway, occasionally sneezing before rubbing her glove-covered hands together. Despite her double layer of scarfs, Tayuya released a thick fog with each breath of air, struggling to stay warm.

Soon, the sound of heavy construction could be heard as various staff members continued to repair the ship, undaunted by the cold weather. However, the recent attack also extinguished various furnaces, denying any source of heat or warmth from outside.

Because of this, Tayuya was hiding inside Makino's empty ship, searching for anything that would keep her warm and toasty. But a gust of harsh northern wind easily penetrated the iron vessel, howling through multiple hallways before bombarding Tayuya's face.

After enduring this cold for several minutes, Tayuya briefly thought about how warm Naruto was, a realization that was quickly shook from her mind. Afterwards, the yawning silhouette of Yukie came into view, casually walking down the hallway.

"Oh geez, not you again." Yukie mumbled.

"Go fuck yourself!" Tayuya retorted before sneezing.

Instead of responding with words, Yukie walked past Tayuya before waving at her to follow, earning a dramatic grunt in response. After several moments of grunting, Tayuya slowly stood up before trailing behind the famous actress.

"You sound sick, kid. Maybe you should ask your boyfriend for some medicine." Yukie remarked.

"I'm not sick! I'm just tired of your bullshit." Tayuya argued.

"And now that I think about it. What do you want?" While speaking, Tayuya crossed both arms in front of her flat chest.

"I thought you could escort me to my room. You're a cheerful ray of sunshine, remember?" Yukie muttered with a sarcastic tone.

"Fat chance! It's not like you're a real princess!" Tayuya scoffed, forcing Yukie to freeze mid step.

Tayuya then accidently bumped against Yukie before growling with rage, but the famous actress was too distracted to notice. These distractions were distant memories from Yukie's childhood inside the Land of Snow, a childhood that she never wanted to think about.

"Yea... I'm not a princess." Yukie stuttered with a weak tone before continuing her walk down the hallway..

Despite her protest, Tayuya continued to walk behind Yukie for several moments, creating a brief and awkward period of silence. During this silence, a small grin slowly spread across Yukie's concealed face, enjoying her argument with Tayuya.

"But let's get serious. You and your boyfriend look really cute together." Yukie spoke out, creating a small blush across Tayuya's face.

"No we don't! We look like trash! There is nothing cute about us!" Tayuya protested.

This declaration earned a slight chuckle from Yukie, forcing Tayuya to snarl with rage, struggling to contain her embarrassment. Yukie then stopped in front of a wooden doorway before stretching, forcing Tayuya to stomp both feet against the floor.

"Oh, that reminds me. That iceberg did some damage to the guest rooms... So you'll have a share a bed with your boyfriend." Yukie exclaimed, causing each of Tayuya's eyes to widen.

"He's not my boyfriend! I can't sleep under these conditions!" Tayuya argued, concealing the slight blush on her face.

"Two love birds alone at night? You won't be sleeping at all." Yukie joked, earning a dramatic snarl in response.

Without saying another word, Tayuya abruptly turned around before running down the hallway. causing her scarfs to waver through the cold air. While this occurred, a prominent smile was spread across Yukie's face, her first genuine smile in over a decade.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

The sound of heavy construction could be heard while various staff members repaired Makino's boat, working through the harsh weather. Suddenly, the sneezing silhouette of Tayuya came into view, lazily walking through the snow while rubbing her hands together.

Instead of paying attention to her surroundings, Tayuya became briefly distracted by her thoughts, focused on Naruto's whiskered face. After several moments of this, Tayuya violently shook her head from side-to-side, trying to ignore Naruto's cute face.

At this moment, Tayuya's nose sniffed the frozen air multiple times, allowing her to smell a fresh hint of chicken and herbs. This realization forced Tayuya to dash towards a nearby furnace, occasionally sniffing the air with each step.

Soon, the collective sound of laughter could be heard, forcing Tayuya to freeze mid step before recognizing her small group of friends. Naruto, Gaara, Jūgo and Karin were all assembled around this furnace, holding various bowls of chicken noodle soup.

This group of friends were all sitting atop a small mound of compact snow, taking on the similar appearance of a log. Despite the cold weather that polluted the air, the nearby furnace radiated with dense heat and warmth, providing comfort in the frozen landscape.

Tayuya then downcast her face before staring at the snowy ground, ignoring the constant sound of her growling stomach. During this, Tayuya was shivering with a dreamy and far-off expression in her eyes.

A brief period of silence then filled the air before Tayuya's nose sniffed the frozen wind, triggered by a nearby bowl of chicken noodle soup. Afterwards. Tayuya noticed the wide smile across Naruto's force, filling her with embarrassment.

"I saved some food for you." Naruto spoke out.

"I can't believe Sandayū made this. It's really good." Karin interrupted before stuffing her face with several noodles.

Tayuya then casually walked past Naruto before huddling around the furnace, occasionally sneezing while rubbing her hands together. Tayuya had convinced herself that Naruto was just a friend, and she didn't want anyone else to question that.

While thinking these thoughts, Tayuya abruptly gasped after Naruto wrapped a blanket around her, creating a minor blush across her face. This blush then quickly faded as Tayuya snagged the bowl of food from Naruto before eating.

"Hey, Naruto. Aren't you cold?" Gaara asked while clinging to his warm bowl of soup.

"Nah, I don't really get cold. That's why I gave my extra clothes to Tayuya." Naruto exclaimed while rubbing the back of his head.

"No fair! Why don't I get extra clothes!?" Karin complained.

"Because you keep trying to take them off." Naruto mumbled, forcing Karin to faceplant against the snowy ground.

This statement also forced a nearby Tayuya to briefly laugh before biting her tongue, flustered by Naruto's cute voice and whiskers. Tayuya then placed her empty bowl atop the snow before sneezing, drawing attention to her otter-like hat

A frigid gust of wind then blew in from the north, forcing Tayuya to violently shivering while occasionally sneezing. After several moments of this harsh torment, Tayuya briefly hesitated before sitting between Naruto's legs.

This action earned a dramatic snort from Karin while crossing both arms in front of her small chest, clearly jealous. However, instead of responding, Tayuya pulled her hat over both eyes before cuddling against Naruto, struggling to stay warm.

Despite this open display of affection, Tayuya was only cuddling Naruto because of how warm he was, nothing else. There was nothing romantic about it, Tayuya was cold and Naruto was warm, so snuggling him wasn't a bad idea in her opinion.

While Tayuya played mental gymnastics in her head, lost in denial about her true emotions, she dramatically yawned before grabbing Naruto's hand. Soon, Tayuya casually fell asleep in Naruto's lap, comfortable and warm despite the harsh winter that surrounded her.

 _-Dreamworld-_

A massive iron door came into view, adorned with several rivets and rubies, drawing attention to the large symbol of Konoha in the center. This door guarded a fancy Buddhist temple, filled with various torches, scrolls and books.

Suddenly, this massive door was effortlessly kicked open with extreme force, knocking both pieces of iron off their hinges before falling to the ground. The illuminated silhouette of Tayuya then dramatically entered the temple, wearing the badass robes of a warrior monk.

"Your days of being a cute distraction are over, nerd! I'm taking you down!" Tayuya shouted before stomping her left foot atop the ground.

Tayuya then pointed at the partially clothed silhouette of Naruto, seated in a distant corner while casually eating grapes. While eating, a large portion of Naruto's stomach and chest were visible, drawing attention to the loose purple Kimono that he wore.

This sight briefly paralyzed Tayuya, causing her to blush before entering a dramatic and combat-like stance, ready to fight. Afterwards, Naruto giggled and groaned with a sexualized tone before slowly standing up, forcing Tayuya to bite her lip with hesitation.

"Really?" Naruto teased before taking several steps forward.

"How are you going to take me down? You're not even wearing pants." While speaking these words, Tayuya's chest became flustered by the sound of Naruto's voice.

At this moment, Tayuya's entire face turned solid red after looking down, realizing that she was partially naked in front of Naruto. This realization forced Tayuya to howl with a mixture of panic and embarrassment, overcome by her own emotions.

 _-Dreamworld Ends-_

"AHHH!" Tayuya's embarrassed voice echoed across the snowy wind, creating a minor avalanche in the background.

Tayuya then abruptly patted both legs while vigorously panting and freaking out, making sure that her pants were still on. During this, Tayuya was sitting in Naruto's lap while Gaara was huddled against the nearby furnace.

Soon, the silhouette of Shisui came into view before landing in front of Tayuya, earning a dramatic sigh in response. Afterwards, Tayuya gently patted Shisui on his head before pinching the bridge of her nose, shocked from her previous nightmare.

"It was just a dream, Shisui... My pants are still on." While speaking, Tayuya's voice was incredibly shallow and timid.

"What's wrong with your pants? Do I need to take them off?" Naruto asked, forcing Tayuya to twitch before jumping out of his lap.

Tayuya then dramatically pointed at Naruto with both hands while her entire face was blood red, contrasting the white snow that surrounded her. An awkward period of silence then filled the air, interrupted by various stutters and mumbles from Tayuya.

"What are we doing out here? Where is everyone?" Tayuya asked before glancing at the partially concealed moon.

"Jūgo and Karin went to bed already, Gaara and I are just keeping watch." Naruto explained, earning a hostile scoff in response.

"I'll keep watch too then! I don't want to sleep anyway!" Tayuya shrieked before walking towards a nearby pile of snow and kicking it.

Gaara and Naruto then both glanced at each other before shrugging their shoulders, confused by Tayuya's strange behavior. After several awkward seconds, this pair of jinchūriki focused on a conversation about ramen, unaware that Tayuya was internally freaking out.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

The embarrassed silhouette of Tayuya was continuously punching a sturdy mountain of ice, forcing Naruto and Gaara to glance at each other. Soon, Tayuya mixed in several kicks and jabs, striking the hardened piece of ice with extreme vigor.

"Tayuya... Would you like some food?" Naruto asked, trying to distract her.

"No, no food for me! I need to stay awake and alert!" Tayuya retorted without even turning around.

"Gaara and I can take care of this, just go to bed." Naruto encouraged.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya completely ignored Naruto before slamming her right fist across the hardened ice. This failed attack earned a defeated groan from Tayuya before falling on both knees, overwhelmed by the brief pain.

While laying on her knees, a minor avalanche of snow plummeted from the nearby mountain, completely concealing Tayuya from view. After several seconds, Tayuya dramatically jumped out from the snow before entering a Taijutsu stance.

"You don't get it, do you!?" Tayuya asked before yawning, struggling to stay awake.

"You're a distraction! A cute fucking distraction! And I can't have that!" After shouting, Tayuya attacked Naruto with various karate chops and pokes.

In Tayuya's mind, her attacks carried the strength of Kage-level techniques, but in reality, she fought with the ferocity of a kitten. After chopping Naruto for several moments, Tayuya yawned with a loud tone before briefly staggering.

"Well, I still think you should go to bed." Naruto mumbled.

This declaration earned a hostile snarl from Tayuya before poking Naruto's nose, still terrified from her previous dream about him. Because of this, Tayuya was afraid to go to sleep, convinced that something worse would happen.

"Shut your cute fucking mouth!" Tayuya screamed.

"I'm going to keep watch, no sleeping, at all!" After shouting, Tayuya turned around before stomping away into the snow.

This odd display of emotion forced Gaara and Naruto to glare at each other before shrugging their shoulders, completely confused. During this, Tayuya created various snowmen before attacking them, looking for any distraction from Naruto.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

A sleep deprived Tayuya was slowly limping across a snow-filled landscape, struggling to stay awake with each step. Soon, Tayuya loudly yawned while rubbing her glove-covered hands together, eager to stay warm.

After staggering through the snowy ground for several minutes, Tayuya's eyes became heavy and dull, impossible to keep open. Afterwards, Tayuya fell asleep mid step before falling into Naruto's arms, overwhelmed by her lack of sleep.

Tayuya then casually snored as Naruto picked her up while smiling, filled with a genuine sense of happiness, a feeling that was completely lost since Iruka's death. However, even though Tayuya was cozy and comfortable inside Naruto's arms, her horrific dreams would soon overwhelm her.

 _-Dreamworld-_

A massive iron door came into view, adorned with several rivets and rubies, drawing attention to the large symbol of Konoha in the center. This door guarded a fancy Buddhist temple, filled with various torches, scrolls and books.

Suddenly, this massive door was effortlessly kicked open with extreme force, knocking both pieces of iron off their hinges before falling to the ground. The illuminated silhouette of Tayuya then dramatically stood in front of the opened doorway.

Soon, Tayuya snapped her fingers together, creating an aura of dense fog that poured into the room, making her feel like a badass. Afterwards, Tayuya entered into the room like a fancy warrior, drawing attention to her alternative outfit.

Tayuya wore a waist-length orange kimono with matching gloves and a raised collar, contrasting the bright red bandana around her forehead. Also, Tayuya wore a bright pair of white pants with several chains and locks tied around them, firmly holding them in place.

"Your days of being a cute distraction are over, nerd! I'm taking you down! And this time, I have pants!" Tayuya scoffed with a condescending voice.

This declaration earned a seductive giggle from Naruto before standing up and approaching Tayuya, creating a deep blush across her face. Soon, Naruto's giggle evolved into a sexual groan, forcing Tayuya to panic before taking several steps back.

"But what about my pants..." Naruto groaned before abruptly stripping.

This revelation forced Tayuya to quickly turn around before running out of the temple, screaming with embarrassment at the idea of a naked Naruto. After running for several moments, Tayuya violently jolted before waking her, terrified by her recent dreams.

 _-Dreamworld Ends-_

"AHHH!" Tayuya's embarrassed howls once again pieced the air, creating another minor avalanche in the background.

At this moment, Tayuya quickly shoved Naruto to the ground before falling on top of him, freaking out over her recent dreams. Afterwards, Tayuya patted various portions of Naruto's legs and feet, searching for his pants.

"ARE YOUR PANTS ON!? ARE YOUR PANTS ON!?" While screaming these words, Tayuya continued to molest Naruto.

"Y-... Wh-... Yea.." Naruto stuttered.

This statement forced Tayuya to jump onto both feet before snorting with a hostile tone, shocked from her recent dreams and nightmares. Soon, Tayuya dramatically poked Naruto's nose before crossing both arms through the air several times.

"Your pants are never coming off. Never. NEVER!" After shouting, Tayuya turned around before walking away.

"Are girls always like this?" Gaara asked before helping Naruto stand up.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto wrapped his left arm around Gaara's shoulder before pulling him close, really close. Naruto's right hand then gripped his own chin before humming with an inquisitive tone.

"Well, Gaara... Girls have these crazy things inside their bodies called expectations." Naruto explained.

"They can be very complicated, kind of like a squirrel." While speaking, Naruto rubbed the back of his head in an Iruka-like fashion.

Suddenly, this friendly conversation was interrupted by a distant Tayuya, shouting and screaming as she attacked various snowmen. This sound forced both jinchūriki to once again glance at each other, completely confused by Tayuya's recent actions.

* * *

 _Forty minutes later._

Tayuya had both fists raised into the air while circling around a small group of snowmen, trying her best to stay awake and refreshed. After several minutes of this, Naruto slowly approached Tayuya while rubbing the back of his head, clearly concerned.

"Tayuya... It's the middle of the night, just go to sleep." Naruto encouraged.

"But I'll forget my pants!" Tayuya argued with a dramatic tone.

This response earned a defeated sigh from Naruto before reaching out and grabbing Tayuya's shoulder, holding her in place. Naruto then turned Tayuya around before rubbing both hands against her face, filling her with warmth.

"You're going insane, just get some sleep already, for me." Naruto mumbled, forcing Tayuya to blush.

Soon, Tayuya bit her lower lip before staring at the ground, struggling with the recent dreams and nightmares that haunted her sleep. However, Naruto's encouragement filled Tayuya with resolve, confident that her previous nightmares were over.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

Tayuya was sprawled across a warm bedroll while snoring, occasionally choking on various snowflakes that drifted into her mouth. Also, the sleeping silhouette of Karin could be seen in the background, wrapped in several covers like a burrito.

Soon, both of Tayuya's eyes slowly opened before the blurred and smiling silhouette of Naruto came into view. This sight forced Tayuya to lazily rub both eyes before yawning, struggling to wake up.

Instead of sleeping inside the ship, Tayuya and Karin were both sharing a small tent outside, surrounded by several furnaces. These generators filled Tayuya's tent with a warm gust of air, causing her to drool before taking several moments to wake up.

"Tayuya... Tayuya..." Naruto groaned with a sexualized tone.

"Wake up, sleepy head. Take your pants off." As Naruto spoke, he slowly removed his Anbu robes.

As Naruto continued to strip, various deer, rabbits and squirrels all casually entered the tent before sniffing Tayuya. Afterwards, Naruto climbed atop a white deer before riding off into the snowy sunset.

This image forced Tayuya to abruptly sit up before dramatically rubbing both eyes, causing each of the nearby animals to disappear. Without a moment of hesitation, Tayuya reached out before poking, clawing and shaking Karin, overwhelmed by her recent nightmares.

"KARIN! WAKE UP! I need to know what day it is!" Tayuya panicked.

"W-... What!? WHO'S TALKING?!" Karin shouted before charging out of the tent, barely awake.

Karin then ran face-first into a hardened pillar of ice, knocking her to the ground before groaning with defeat. During this, Tayuya's head was poking out from the nearby tent, glancing from side-to-side as she searched for Naruto.

"Relax, it's the middle of the night." Gaara spoke out while rubbing his glove-covered hands together.

Instead of responding, Tayuya leapt out from the tent before grabbing one of Karin's feet and dragging her across the ground. This caused a vast amount of Karin's red hair to sprawl across the white snow, deeply contrasting her environment.

"KARIN! You have to wake up and practice your rock climbing exercise!" Tayuya screamed with panic.

"Wh-... What?" Karin mumbled as Tayuya continued to drag her across the snow.

"In one of my dreams, you were running from a horde of snowmen, trying to climb a mountain!" Tayuya explained with a dramatic tone.

"But you were too slow, and they got you!" While Tayuya spoke, Naruto was casually standing in the background.

This declaration forced Karin to pull her foot loose before jumping atop the ground, creating a brief staring contest with Tayuya. After several moments, Karin crossed both arms in front of her small chest before snorting.

"But that was just a dream! I'm a great climber!" Karin argued.

"Then climb that cliff! Climb it now!" Tayuya protested while pointing at a nearby mountain.

This mountain was easily over 50ft tall, covered with thick patches of ice and heavy layers of snow, forcing Karin to stutter for several seconds. Karin then glanced at Tayuya, earning various head nods in approval. creating an awkward silence.

Soon, a defeated Karin slowly limped towards the mountain before glancing back at the last moment, earning several more head nods from Tayuya. Karin then downcast her face before walking towards the snowy cliff with depression.

"Stupid Tayuya. Stupid dream. Stupid snowmen." Karin mumbled before scaling the icy mountain, beginning her long journey.

As Karin climbed up the mountain, Tayuya breathed a sigh of relief before yawning, slowly going insane from her lack of sleep. During this, Gaara grabbed a pouch of water before raising it to his lips, forcing Tayuya to dramatically turn around.

"DON'T DRINK THAT!" Tayuya shrieked, creating a minor avalanche that completely buried Karin in the background.

This loud statement also forced Gaara to partially gag before spitting the water out, spewing a mouthful of liquid onto Naruto's hair and whiskers. Afterwards, Gaara continued to gag for several seconds while Naruto wiped the water from his hair.

"W-... Why?! Is it poisoned?!" Gaara asked with concern.

"In my dream, we fought against an army of snowmen and you had to use the bathroom!" Tayuya explained with sincerity.

"We all died because of your tiny bladder!" After speaking, Tayuya hurled a snowball at Gaara, but various streams of sand deflected it.

"AND YOU!" As Tayuya shouted these words, she poked Naruto's wet face.

"Stop being so cute! In my dream, you were taking your clothes off before riding animals around!" These words created an awkward silence.

During this silence, Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose while Gaara scratched his head with confusion, unable to respond. While this occurred, Karin crawled out from a distant pile of snow before once again climbing the mountain.

At this moment, Naruto reached out with his left hand before gently nuzzling Tayuya's cheek, creating a minor blush across her sleepy face. At the same time, Karin lost her grip on the nearby mountain before plummeting into another pile of snow.

"Tayuya, you really need to get some sleep. You're unraveling." Naruto remarked.

After blushing for several moments, Tayuya brushed Naruto's hand away before taking a deep breath, struggling to stay awake, Tayuya then abruptly sneeze into her glove-covered hands before wiping them on Naruto.

"You're right... You're right... I'm losing my mind." Tayuya admitted before violently sniffling.

Without saying another word, Tayuya turned around before limping towards the nearby tent, confident that her nightmares had finally ended. During this, Karin erupted from a distant pile of snow before once again climbing the mountain, determined to show off in front of Naruto.

* * *

 _Forty minutes later._

Faint rays of moonlight sparkled down between several dark clouds, illuminating portions of nearby snow and cozy tents. Soon, the silhouette of Naruto and Gaara came into view, sitting around a furnace while watching over the nearby ship.

Both of these jinchūriki were then interrupted by the pacing figure of Tayuya, unable to sleep despite her best attempts. Even though Tayuya was freaking out, Karin and Jūgo were both comfortably sleeping in their nearby tents.

"It's like anytime I close my eyes, all I see is your cute fucking face." Tayuya stuttered while walking in circles.

"This is so stressful! I'm like a red snowball of nerves!" While panicking, Tayuya twirled her twitching fingers together.

Tayuya's entire body then began to violently twitch, drawing attention to the sleepy expression across her face, barely able to stay awake. During this, Gaara was casually eating a bowl of chicken noodle soup in the background.

Suddenly, Naruto walked up behind Tayuya before wrapping both arms around her, creating a prominent blush across her face. Afterwards, Naruto grabbed each of Tayuya's hands, trying to calm her down.

"I've got a perfect idea. I'll make all of that stress melt away." Naruto spoke out, forcing Tayuya's heart to race.

"No! Nothing helps!" Tayuya argued before pushing Naruto away.

After several moments, Tayuya dramatically turned around before twirling her fingers together, attempting to hide the deep blush across her face. While this occurred, Tayuya's eyes would occasionally close before shooting open, struggling to stay awake.

"There's only one option left! I'm never going to sleep again!" After speaking, Tayuya charged towards a distant snowman before tackling him.

This declaration forced Naruto and Gaara to both glance at each other, shocked that Tayuya would push herself this far over a dream. Since their jinchūriki, Naruto and Gaara didn't have to sleep, but Tayuya was slowly going insane.

This realization continued to echo through Naruto's mind while Tayuya fought several snowmen in the background, losing her grip on reality. If Tayuya didn't calm down soon, Naruto would have to intervene.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

A sleepy Tayuya was walking down a snow-covered coastline, watching waves of frozen ice as they bombarded the coast. After several moments, Tayuya glanced up at the bright moon overhead, illuminating her cold face.

"You look really tired. I think you should lay down and take a nap." Naruto exclaimed while walking behind Tayuya.

"I told you! I can't go to sleep! Never again!" Tayuya remarked before kicking a nearby pile of snow.

"Staying up all night isn't good for you. You need to sleep." Naruto encouraged.

Suddenly, Tayuya stopped walking before glancing at a distant snowman, completely distracting her for several minutes. Afterwards, Tayuya rubbed the sleep out from her eyes before glancing at the nearby ocean, briefly daydreaming.

"Actually... Staying up all night has given me some time to think." Tayuya explained.

"And I've finally realized something really important, nerd." After speaking, Tayuya yawned into both hands.

"Like what?" Naruto mumbled.

"I see everything so clearly now. I finally understand why I'm doing this, what really matters." Tayuya proclaimed.

"I'm doing it for power, but more than that... I'm doing it for one specific person..." While speaking, Tayuya dramatically turned around before grabbing Naruto's hand.

"What are you saying?" Naruto asked.

"I'm saying... I really don't hate you." Tayuya interjected before sweeping Naruto off his feet.

At this moment, Tayuya entered a romantic stance before puckering her lips and kissing Naruto, magnified by various squawks from Shisui. This moment then stretched on for hours while Tayuya kissed the air, losing her mind from sleep deprivation

"Tayuya?" Naruto interrupted, dragging the sleepy redhead back to reality.

"Hu-... What?" Tayuya stuttered as drool leaked from her mouth.

"I said you should get some sleep... And then you started kissing the air." Naruto exclaimed.

Tayuya then scoffed with a nonchalant tone before leaning against a nearby snowman, trying to act cool even though she was freaking out. Soon, Tayuya was casually snorting while shrugging her shoulders, acting like nothing was wrong.

"I was just daydreaming." Tayuya remarked.

"Oh, that's cool. What were you dreaming about?" Naruto questioned, forcing Tayuya's entire face to blush.

"Uh-... Squirrels." Tayuya muttered, concealing the blush on her face.

"That's nice, I like squirrels." Naruto replied before waving goodbye and walking away.

This action forced Tayuya to breathe a sigh of relief while Shisui was squawking overhead, dropping various feathers to the ground. After squawking for several seconds, Tayuya snarled with rage before hurling multiple snowballs at Shisui, missing each attack.

Despite her recent lack of sanity, Tayuya was convinced that Naruto was just a friend, and she wouldn't let her dreams say otherwise. Tayuya would never confess her true emotions, she would never show a moment of weakness.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Tayuya's sleep deprived face was partially concealed behind a wall of snow, a strategic defense for the mental war inside her head. After several moments, Tayuya dramatically jumped into the air before landing behind a nearby pillar of ice.

"Get ready, nerd!" Tayuya shouted at a poorly made snowman.

This snowman had a kunai for his nose and a pair of fancy hand-canes for arms, stolen from the nearby ship along with several spoons. Each of these spoons were spread across the snowman's nose, give him a set of whiskers, just like Naruto.

At this moment, Tayuya charged at the innocent snowman before throwing a handful of kunai at him, missing each of her attacks. Afterwards, these lethal kunai flung through the air before piercing a distant stream of sand, protecting Gaara while he ate chicken noodle soup.

"His face is fucking adorable! I'll have to try a different approach." While talking to herself, Tayuya walked in circles around the innocent snowman.

Suddenly, Tayuya once again charged at the innocent snowman while raising her right fist into the air, releasing a fierce roar with each step. However, Tayuya tripped over a pile of snow at the last moment, face planting the ground with a hollow thud.

The weight of this impact managed to knock Tayuya's hat loose, falling atop the pristine snow while Shisui was flying overhead. Also, the various scarfs around Tayuya's neck fell to the ground, exposing her to the harsh winter.

Soon, Tayuya wrapped both arms around her torso before shivering, enduring the frigid weather while struggling to stay awake. During this, Shisui squawked multiple times before landing atop the innocent snowman.

"This is fucking bullshit..." As Tayuya mumbled these words, Shisui tilted his beak through the air in various angles.

"You're really starting to lose it, kid." An unknown voice echoed through the air, forcing Tayuya to glance from side-to-side.

After several awkward seconds, Tayuya casually shrugged both shoulders before standing up and brushing the snow from her hair. While this occurred, the faint hint of a sunrise could be seen in the distant horizon.

"Did you hear something, Shisui? It's probably just my imagination." Tayuya exclaimed.

"Yes, it is... You're going insane." Shisui replied, forcing Tayuya's jawline to hit the ground.

"I've never seen someone so repressed before." After Shisui spoke, Tayuya violently rubbed her eyes.

The recognizable voice of Shisui then abruptly morphed into various squawks, causing Tayuya to breathe a sigh of relief. Tayuya then quickly turned around before bumping against Naruto, knocking herself to the ground.

Tayuya's cold butt then rested in the snow for several moments before she finally found the energy to stand up, struggling to move. After standing up, Tayuya fell against Naruto before clinging to him, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"What do you want, nerd?" Tayuya teased, trying to act tough.

"I want you to get some sleep." Naruto replied, earning a hostile snarl in response.

"I can't sleep! You're a distraction!" Tayuya retorted.

"With your stupid little haircut and your lame whiskers. You're a big fucking distraction." While speaking, Tayuya repetitively poked Naruto's nose.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Naruto remarked.

"NO! I hear your cute little voice every day. It's distracting, and now I can't even sleep without thinking about you." Tayuya argued with an aggressive tone.

At this moment, Naruto grabbed each of Tayuya's hands while smiling, forcing the nervous redhead to stagger backwards. Because of this, Tayuya accidently walked through the innocent snowman, destroying him before tripping over his remains.

As Tayuya fell, Naruto tightened his grip around her hands before pulling her close, creating a prominent blush across her blush. Tayuya's internal freak out then suddenly melted away while holding Naruto's hand, creating an awkward silence.

"Then just sleep next to me, and I'll hold your little hand." Naruto exclaimed before casually kissing Tayuya.

This kiss forced Tayuya's heart to race before dramatically staring at the ground, unable to form a coherent thought or sentence. During this speechless moment, Tayuya was barely able to stutter as Naruto picked her up with both arms.

"Whatever... But none of that lovey dovey stuff! I'm a badass!" Tayuya shrieked with embarrassment.

"Of course." Naruto replied with a wide smile.

Soon, Tayuya entered a deep discussion about her recent dreams, earning various laughs from Naruto as they slowly approached the distant ship. While this occurred, Shisui landed in the background before biting Tayuya's hat and picking it up.

Suddenly, bright rays of sunlight sparkled down on Tayuya's red hair before a brief gust of wind blew in from the north. This gust forced several strands of Tayuya's hair to wrap around Naruto's face, partially blinding him while carrying her.

As Tayuya snuggled against Naruto, stealing his warmth with each second, she didn't even notice the smiling silhouette of Yukie. This famous actress was standing atop the nearby ship while drinking a fresh cup of coffee.

After several moments, Tayuya nuzzled her face against Naruto's chest before falling asleep, releasing a heavy snore while holding his hand. Despite the weird bundle of emotions inside Tayuya's chest, she was convinced that Naruto was just a friend, nothing else.


	92. Chapter 92

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: biginferno - The climax of this Arc will force Tayuya to finally admit her feelings for Naruto. But until then, she'll deny the whole thing.**

 **Guest - SasukexIno will be introduced and focused on in season 3. Just like GaaraxFuu, HakuxKarin and SuigetsuxIsaribi.**

 **Tenellis - That's just Tayuya's personality, because she's a Tsundere. She's supposed to be like "Nah, I'm fierce and independent, shut your cute fucking mouth." Because that's Tayuya's shtick.**

 **Tayuya will admit her feelings for Naruto very soon, but, as a Tsundere, a main portion of her development revolves around her attitude. Tayuya will eventually be all lovey dovey, like kissing Naruto's forehead and shit, but we aren't there yet.**

 **GunBlade2019 - Sokka, and a large portion of Haku's family, (either OC or rewritten characters from novels) never left the Land of Snow. Haku's mom and dad left the Land of Snow to escape the Civil War, but everyone else stayed.**

 **Faveryy - If you think my 'bashing' of Sakura goes 'above and beyond', that's completely fine. However, I'm curious to know, what specific line of dialogue do you think went to far?**

 **Every single dumb thing Naruto did in canon, Sakura has done instead, except for a large amount of fart jokes. With this being said, I personally feel like I'm treating Sakura with way more respect than Kishimoto ever did.**

 **I gave Sakura her own arc, I gave her Haku and Tsunade as elite teachers, solely focusing on her and her alone. I've even written fights that regularly display a pro-Sakura bias.**

 **Also, in terms of canon, Sakura is my favorite canon member of team 7, and I really do have a soft spot for her. Canon Naruto is an autistic sperg, Sasuke is a selfish prick who took the wrong path and Kakashi is a terrible teacher.**

 **If anything, I show strong favoritism towards Sakura, because she reminds of someone that I used to love.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 92: The Tragic History Of Yuki! The Honor Of Samurai.**

 _Thursday 10:32am, June 29th 58SSP._

The consecutive sound of several squawks could be heard, followed by a massive flock of penguins, slowly waddling over a snowy hill. Soon, Makino's snow-covered ship came into view, drawing attention to various staff members and multiple stage lights.

A barrage of snowflakes then plummeted through a well-trimmed porthole, illuminating the motionless silhouette of Naruto. After several moments, the hexagon-shaped necklace of Princess Koyuki sparkled in Naruto's hand.

Usually, Princess Koyuki kept this necklace on her person at all times, but she had to remove it for the next scene in her movie. Because of this, Naruto casually snuck into her room before inspecting her ancient necklace, lost in distant memories.

Even though Orochimaru never personally visited the Land of Snow, he frequently traded with Dotō, supplying him with various tools. Infact, Orochimaru was personally responsible for the constant trade between the Land of Snow and the Land of Tea.

Over 10 years ago, after Dotō brutally murdered his brother, he assumed control of a weak and crippled nation. This fierce civil war left the island nation as a war-scarred country side, cut-off from all trade and allies.

However, the shadowy henchmen of Orochmaru eventually made contact with Dotō, influenced by the growing Land of Tea. This created a loyal and genuine bond between Dotō and Orochimaru, a bond that Kabuto inherited.

At this moment, the wooden door behind Naruto was abruptly opened before Sandayū entered the room, carrying a stack of books. Afterwards, Sandayū gasped with shock before dropping each of these books to the ground, surprised that Naruto was here.

"Oh...! Uh... The final repairs are being made... We'll be sailing soon." Sandayū stuttered.

"You knew what would happen if she came back here. You always knew." Naruto exclaimed without even turning around.

This statement created a tense period of silence, forcing Sandayū to awkwardly stare at the ground for several minutes. Soon, Sandayū crouched down before casually picking up various books, concealing his muffled sighs.

"Yes... I knew..." Sandayū mumbled.

"But... This was the only way, we need the Princess. We need her." While speaking, Sandayū picked up a dust-covered book.

Instead of replying with words, Naruto placed Koyuki's necklace atop a nearby dresser, creating a brief period of silence. Afterwards, Naruto turned around before casually walking past Sandayū and leaving the room.

This period of isolation forced a deep frown to spread across Sandayū's face, fueled by the childhood memory of Koyuki. In her youth, the Princess was always so cheerful and happy, but everything changed after her father was brutally murdered.

Sandayū was the right hand assistant to Sosetsu Kazahana, the former Daimyo from the Land of Snow, an extremely small island nation. Despite its size, the Land of Snow was once a bastion of peace, isolated from the great and terrible Shinobi Wars.

During those peaceful years, Sandayū was a commander for the Samurai Royal Guard, a common escort used by all Daimyo. Because of this, Sandayū had been watching over Koyuki since the day she was born.

This extensive period of peace also carried a dramatic effect on Sandayū and his samurai, they were poorly-equipped and under-trained. However, this lack of materials was severely dwarfed by their honor, the most valuable trait for any samurai.

This joyful peace left Sandayū completely unprepared for Dotō's rebellion, unable to beat his advanced technology and tools. Also, Sandayū was unable to properly communicate with Sokka in time, dividing their forces in two.

Sandayū's mind was then engulfed with several sparks of fire, a horrific memory from his last night with Sosetsu Kazahana. In those final moments, when Dotō's men stormed Kazahana Castle, lord Sosetsu ordered Sandayū to take his daughter and flee.

Usually, the Samurai Royal Guard was expected to die with their Daimyo, but honor compelled Sandayū to flee, saving Princess Koyuki. But this last minute escape would've failed if a 12 year old Sokka didn't intervene, leading a vain effort to save the Daimyo.

Sandayū's honor was accompanied by unwavering loyalty, willing to fight and die for his Daimyo, and unwilling to betray his land. This level of honor kept the tradition of samurai alive in the western world, a continent that was covered with several shinobi nations.

Infact, the Samurai Royal Guard was a originally started in the Land of Demons, an ancient samurai nation that rested across the Forgotten Sea. The Land of Demons was also the legendary homeland for the Sage of Six Paths, inspiring his ancient war against demons.

Suddenly, Sandayū dramatically shook his head from side-to-side before dropping several books to the ground, clearing his train of thought. Afterwards, Sandayū stood up before approaching a nearby porthole and glancing outside.

At this moment, a fierce barrage of snowflakes bombarded Sandayū's face, partially concealing his glasses from view. Also, various snowflakes fell atop his shoulders and shoes, but the veteran samurai didn't even react.

After several seconds, Sandayū's right hand reached out before firmly gripping a nearby table, creating a tense period of silence. Soon, Sandayū dragged his nails across the wooden table, drawing attention to his grim expression and face.

The time to act was now, for over 10 years, the Land of Snow had quietly suffered in silence, but Sandayū was determined to save his home. Because of this, Sandayū would soon risk everything to unite his people and save his country.

* * *

 _Two hours later._

The joyful laughter of Karin filled the air while rubbing her glove-covered hands together, drawing attention to her waist-length green scarf. Karin, Jūgo and Gaara were all seated in front of a wooden table, located inside the deep hull of Makino's ship.

"Come on, Sandayū. You don't have to keep calling her that, it's not like she's a real princess." Karin chuckled.

Suddenly, Sandayū, Makino and Saku came into view, sitting on the opposite side of the table from Karin and her friends. Afterwards, the nearby silhouette of Naruto flickered into existence, illuminated by various rays of snow-filled sunlight.

"Actually, she is." Naruto mumbled.

"She isn't just some famous actress, she's also Koyuki Kazahana, the rightful heir to the Land of Snow." While speaking, Karin dramatically stood up from her chair, knocking it to the ground.

"What!? No fair! I just wanted some free snacks! I didn't ask for this!" Karin protested.

"Princess Koyuki is the heart of our nation. When the people see her, they will rally behind her." Sandayū interjected.

"So, we're escorting royalty, huh? This movie will be a masterpiece." Makino spoke out.

"Yes, well..." Saku interrupted with several coughs.

"I'm just happy we finished those repairs. We'll be docking inside the Land of Snow within the hour..." After speaking, a nearby door was shoved open before Koyuki entered the room.

An awkward silence then filled the air, fueled by the dull expression across Koyuki's face, polluting her eyes. During this silence, Shisui poked his beak through a nearby porthole before squawking.

"We just finished our last scenes, let's head back to Dawnstar." Koyuki muttered.

"But princess!" Sandayū argued with a dramatic gasp.

At this moment, Sandayū stood up from his chair, knocking it to the ground before running across the room. Sandayū then knelt down in front of Koyuki while staring at the floor, displaying a high level of respect.

"Confront Dotō and save our country, I beg you! I would sacrifice my own life if you would only ask me, my princess, my queen!" As Sandayū spoke, he pressed his forehead against the floor.

After several moments, Koyuki brutally kicked Sandayū in the side, knocking him to the ground while Karin gasped in response. Afterwards, Koyuki stomped both feet atop the floor, drawing attention to her hostile eyes, eyes filled with regret.

"I told you to never call me that! Never again!" Koyuki shrieked.

"I don't care about this pathetic nation and I don't care about you." After speaking, Koyuki turned around before leaving the room.

"This is kinda awkward." Karin mumbled, creating a brief silence.

"As long as there's hope, you can dream..." Makino interrupted.

"And with those dreams, a bright future will come... I love it! It's the perfect theme for our Princess Gale movie." While speaking, Makino had a wide smile across his face.

"But Mr. Makino! Shouldn't we cancel production? Someone's trying to hurt us." Saku panicked.

"The movie is evolving. We're not working with some random actress, she's a legitimate princess, that'll boost our ratings." Makino explained.

This declaration created a cheerful smile across Saku's face, forcing the assistant director to stand up before pointing towards the ceiling. While this occurred, Naruto was scratching the bridge of his nose in the background.

"You're right! Forget about being inter-national, this movie will be inter-continental! We're sitting on a blockbuster!" Saku cheered.

As this cheerful conversation continued to unfold, Sandayū slowly stood up with a grim expression across his face. During this, Jūgo and Gaara both glanced at each other with confusion, surprised that Koyuki could be so brutal.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

An icy splash echoed across the water as a finely-crafty life-boat plummeted to the oceans surface, earning several squawks from nearby penguins. The hooded silhouette of Koyuki then plunged a pair of oars into the icy water before rowing away.

Soon, a dense mist poured from Koyuki's mouth with each breath as she rowed, drawing attention to a pile of blankets in her boat. After rowing for several moments, Koyuki took a brief rest before reaching out towards these blankets.

At the last moment, an explosion of red hair came into view as Tayuya erupted from the bundle of fabric, followed by a dramatic yawn. Afterwards, Tayuya hurled her otter hat at Koyuki's face before snorting with disgust.

"That's payback for waking me up! I could've slept all day!" Tayuya complained.

"Be quiet, you didn't have to come with me." Koyuki remarked.

"I'm surprised you came with me at all. I thought you'd die without your boyfriend." While speaking, a wide smile was sprawled across Koyuki's scarf-covered face.

"Fat chance! I'm just making sure you don't wiggle out of your deal! I have a backstage pass, so I want backstage privilege." Tayuya snorted.

After this conversation ended, a tense period of silence filled the air, a silence pierced only by the loud squawking of nearby penguins. During this silence, Princess Koyuki was overwhelmed by the horrific image of Kazahana castle, a castle that was burning and crumbling.

This image was a searing picture that burned itself into Koyuki's mind, haunting her for over 10 years, forcing her to live in the past. Soon, the pale-skinned face of Sokka drifted through Koyuki's mind, a stark reminder of her past.

In her youth, Koyuki constantly flirted with Sokka and daydreamed about their future together, but that world was so far away now. Koyuki hadn't seen Sokka in over 10 years, ever since that horrific night when she fled the Land of Snow.

During their final moments together, Koyuki begged Sokka to come with her, but the noble clan heir was required to stay, bound by honor. Because of this, Koyuki always daydreamed about what could have been, constantly thinking about the life she could've had.

As these thoughts continued to pollute Koyuki's mind, she glanced up towards a distant island, the isolated Land of Snow. Instead of sailing away from this nation, Koyuki sat down before rowing towards the island, determined to see Sokka for one last time.

* * *

 _Fifteen minutes later._

 _"_ No! No! Noooo! We need her for the next scene!" Saku panicked while running through various hallways.

"Koyuki! Koyuki! WHERE ARE YOU!" While screaming, Saku foamed at the mouth before disappearing behind a corner.

After running for several moments, Saku tripped over his own feet before faceplanting the floor with a heavy thud. At the same time, Sandayū was standing atop a pile of snow outside, surrounded by various staff members.

Makino's ship just docked inside Far Harbor, the only port-city throughout the entire Land of Snow, the main source of trade and income. Because of this, several other vessels could be seen in the background, traveling salesmen from the Land of Tea and the Land of Iron.

Soon, several tradesmen from the Land of Tea began unloading various crates and cargo shipments, freshly imported from their homeland. During this, other tradesmen from the Land of Iron were escorting numerous shipments of weapons.

Suddenly, the sound of metal scraping against metal could be heard, resonating out from a large crowd of armored samurai. These were veteran samurai from the Land of Iron, guarding a valuable shipment of weapons from their homeland.

Similar to the Land of Snow, the Land of Iron was an island nation that primarily relied on trade and commerce to survive. However, the Land of Iron was a massive island nation, larger than the Land of Sound but surrounded by ocean.

Also, the Land of Iron was much closer to the mainland, sharing a coastal border with the Land of Steam and the Land of Lightning. Infact, the Land of Iron was the last samurai nation west of the Forgotten Sea.

While most nations in the western world relied on samurai to protect their Daimyo, the Land of Iron was purely dominated by samurai. There was no shinobi village or academy in the Land of Iron, only the religious zeal of samurai.

Because of its strategic position as an island nation, combined with its samurai neutrality, the Land of Iron enjoyed decades of peace. Ages ago, the 1st Hokage himself even convened the first Five Kage Summit on the island nation.

As these samurai continued to escort their valuable shipment, Karin joyfully dashed across Makino's ship while holding Naruto's hand. Afterwards, Karin dragged Naruto off the ship before pulling him next to Sandayū while giggling.

"She's gone! She's gone! I hope she never comes back!" Karin cheered.

"Karin, she's with Princess Koyuki." Naruto mumbled.

"I don't care! Tayuya screams a lot, it's annoying. I don't know what you see in her." Karin complained before crossing both arms in front of her small chest.

"I think it's cute when she screams." Naruto muttered, forcing Karin to dramatically gasp.

"Sandayū! You can't be serious!" Makino interrupted, garnishing everyone's attention.

"We've already lost Koyuki, we can't lose you too!" While shouting, Makino waved his speakerphone through the air.

"Don't worry, I'll return soon. I promise." Sandayū exclaimed, creating a brief silence.

Sandayū was wearing an ankle-length white cloak with the hood pulled up, concealing a vast majority of his appearance. Also, this white fabric allowed Sandayū to perfectly blend in with the snowy environment, the ultimate camouflage.

While this conversation continued to unfold, Gaara and Jūgo both came into view before standing beside Naruto, Because of his advanced height and size, Jūgo casually towered over his friends and even some nearby adults.

"Naruto, shouldn't we be looking for Tayuya?" Jūgo asked.

"She'll be fine. She gets mad when I treat her like a baby." Naruto explained.

At this moment, Sandayū pulled his hood further down before turning around and walking away, disappearing into the snow-filled streets. During this, no one noticed the grim expression across Sandayū's concealed face, the face of a veteran samurai.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

Deep tread marks were carved into the snow as several cars plowed through the country side, a unique vehicle imported from the Land of Tea. These cars were adorned with large chunks of metal and a lavish living area in the back, allowing the cast to film and travel with ease.

Despite the convenience of these vehicles, they were extremely expensive, even the large budget of an actress could barely avoid five of them. However, these cars were each filled with high-tech heaters and warm carpets, providing comfort from the harsh winter.

As these vehicles continued to travel across the country side, Karin was sitting on the 2nd floor of a large van, glancing out a window. While this occurred, a faint aura of white light reflected off Karin's face, illuminated by a pair of nearby trees.

Suddenly, this large convoy of vehicles came to an abrupt halt in front of a large snowy-cave, forcing Karin to glance from side-to-side. Afterwards, Naruto, Jūgo and Gaara all erupted from a large car before dashing towards the nearby cliffside.

Soon, this group of friends each released a cheerful sigh before peeing off the mountainside, creating a thin fog of warm mist. During this, Karin poked her head out from behind a nearby car, revealing a mischievous grin across her face.

At this moment, Karin casually strolled towards Naruto before partially pulling her robes up to pee, acting like a boy. After several seconds, Karin began to whistle while bumping up against Naruto, acting like it was an accident.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Karin mumbled.

"Naruto. Do girls always act this weird?" Gaara asked, forcing Karin to faceplant the ground.

After pulling his pants up, Naruto hummed with a inquisitive tone while Karin slowly stood up with a dramatic groan. At the same time, Jūgo pulled his own pants up before towering over Naruto, like a giant in front of a child.

"That's just Karin. She's kinda weird." Naruto exclaimed, forcing the red-haired kunoichi to gasp in response.

"Good weird, right!?" Karin stuttered.

Instead of responding, Naruto, Gaara and Jūgo all turned around before walking towards a nearby car. This forced Karin to panic before tripping over a pile of snow and faceplanting the ground.

Afterwards, Karin crawled across the snowy ground for several feet before running after Naruto and disappearing into the car. A brief period of silence then filled the air before the large convoy of vehicles continued to move.

Each of these vehicles then disappeared into the nearby cave, filling the air with silence before a harsh blizzard swirled in existence. Afterwards, various silhouettes came into view, standing atop a nearby tree branch, covered in snow.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Sokka? I didn't see the princess." A slim and middle aged man spoke out.

This man was known as Fugeku Yuki, the elite right hand assistant to Sokka, and a loyal member of the Yuki clan. Fugeku's outfit consisted of an ankle-length white robe, concealing a vast majority of his legs and arms.

This robe brought attention to Fugeku's white-furred boots, matching the thick mask he wore, contrasting his ocean blue eyes. Also, this mask had the symbol of Yuki engraved across Fugeku's forehead, proving his loyalty.

"She's traveling with the blond kid, I saw it with my own eyes." Sokka muttered from beneath his mask.

"Well then, let's go freeze their plans." A nearby female cut-in, laughing at her own joke.

This woman was 25 years old with shoulder-length blue hair, matching her ocean blue eyes while contrasting her pale skin. Her name was Paku Yuki, an elite member of the Yuki clan with blue nail polish and a small chest.

Paku's attire consisted of a fur-padded sweater with knee-length shorts, drawing attention to her large and fluffy white boots. These boots matched Paku's gloves and mask, concealing a majority of her facial appearance from view.

At this moment, each of these elite shinobi disappeared into the snow-filled wind, displaying an icy fashion of the Body Flicker technique. A tense period of silence then filled the air before a harsh blizzard concealed everything from view.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Tayuya sneezed several times while sitting underneath a snowy tree branch, accompanied by the nearby silhouette of Princess Koyuki. After several seconds, various squawks filled the air before Shisui came into view, landing beside Tayuya.

"That fancy bird follows you everywhere, doesn't he?" Koyuki asked, earning a casual shrug in response.

"How does he see? Isn't he blind?" After speaking, Koyuki took several bites from a piece of bread.

"I don't know. He isn't mine." Tayuya exclaimed before throwing a snowball at Shisui.

Despite his lack of eyesight, Shisui dodged the approaching snowball by flapping both wings, allowing him to soar into the air. Afterwards, Shisui released several squawks while flying in circles, forcing Tayuya to snort with rage.

"Does that thing belong to your boyfriend? That's so cute, he's watching over you right now." Koyuki teased.

"Shut up! There's nothing cute about it!" Tayuya argued, concealing the blush on her face.

Suddenly, a thick barrage of snowflakes plummeted through the air, forcing Tayuya to sneeze before pulling her hat down. While this occurred, Koyuki rubbed her glove-covered hands together before glancing up at the cloudy sky.

After several moments, a brief ray of sunlight pierced the dense clouds from overhead, illuminating Koyuki's face while she struggled to see. During this brief moment of paralysis, the childhood laughter of Sokka could be heard, forcing Koyuki to gasp.

Soon, the transparent silhouette of a 12 year old Koyuki and a 12 year old Sokka came into view, throwing various snowballs at each other. These laughing friends were running through a snow-filled forest, smiling as they played in the snow.

In her youth, Koyuki used to be so happy and cheerful, but everything changed the night her father was murdered. Koyuki didn't just lose her father and kingdom, she lost her best friend, Sokka.

As this train of thought continued to echo through Koyuki's mind, she slowly crouched down before picking up a handful of snow. A tense silence then filed the air as Koyuki glared at the snow, overwhelmed by distant memories.

"So what are we doing anyway? Do you even have a plan?" Tayuya asked before scratching the bridge of her nose.

Instead of responding with words, Koyuki hurled several snowballs at Tayuya, knocking her hat loose while Shisui flew overhead. Tayuya then leapt behind a nearby tree before panting for air, briefly staggered by the harsh weather.

At this moment, Tayuya reached down before grabbing various handfuls of snow, dodging multiple snowballs from Koyuki in the process. Afterwards, Tayuya dramatically dived through the air while launching dozens of snowballs at the princess.

After battling for several minutes, Tayuya and Koyuki disappeared into the snowy forest, playing in the snow. During this battle, Shisui flew down from the air before grabbing Tayuya's hat with both talons, picking up the isolated fabric.

Soon, Koyuki rolled behind a snowy tree while ducking for cover, creating a genuine smile across her face. At the same time, Koyuki briefly daydreamed about a life with Sokka, the only boy that she ever loved.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

The hooded silhouette of Sandayū was shuffling through knee-deep snow, partially concealed by a harsh blizzard. After several moments, Sandayū stood atop a wide and snowy hill, adorned with frozen trees.

Soon, several icy mountains could be seen in the background, creating a large crater that surrounded Sandayū on all sides. With each step that Sandayū took, the heavy crunch of snow could be heard, muffled by the harsh blizzard.

Suddenly, multiple shadows protruded out from the nearby trees, drawing attention to a small crowd of hooded individuals. These silhouettes belonged to a group of elite and veteran samurai, partially concealed by dense furs and heavy coats.

After staggering through the snow for several minutes, Sandayū approached this small group before pulling his hood down. Afterwards, a dense gust of wind blew in from the north, partially blinding Sandayū with various snowflakes.

Sandayū then bowed his head, prompting various other samurai to follow his lead, revealing their scarred and aged faces. These faces belonged to the former escort of lord Sosetsu Kazahana, a small crowd of samurai that barely managed to escape.

"Were you followed?" A 62 year old man spoke out, drawing attention to his snow-covered beard.

"The snowfall guides my path." Sandayū exclaimed, earning various nods in response.

"Its been a long time, Sandayū…" A 55 year old man interrupted, exposing his bald head to the elements.

A tense silence then filled the air, pierced only by the harsh wind from a nearby blizzard, partially concealing everything from view. During this silence, each of these elite samurai bowed their heads in respect, honoring Sandayū and his long journey.

"Much has changed since you left, Sandayū." A man known as Ranjin interjected, garnishing everyone's attention.

Ranjin was 58 years old with pale skin, contrasting his black eyes, partially obscured by a large scar across his left cheek. Also, Ranjin had shoulder-length grey hair, tied into an honorable Chonmage and well-combed.

"Too few have come. Many now cling to Dotō for food and warmth." As Ranjin spoke, nearby samurai downcast their faces, filled with shame.

"The Land of Snow has changed..." While speaking these words, Ranjin's own voice was filled with regret.

At this moment, Sandayū pulled his glasses off before dropping them to the snow, creating a brief silence of confusion. After several seconds, Sandayū dramatically stomped on these glasses, shattering the fragile piece of equipment.

"You're right, the Land of Snow has changed... Into the Land of Spring." Sandayū remarked, creating a chorus of whispers.

"That's just a rumor! That device was never finished!" Ranjin protested.

This conversation revolved around a mountain-size generator that Sosetsu created, sending his island nation into bankruptcy. Infact, Sosetsu's lack of economic knowledge was the catalyst for his death, prompting Dotō to betray his brother.

"Princess Koyuki is the key, that's why I brought her back." Sandayū explained, forcing Ranjin to gasp.

"The princess...!? The princess is here?!" Various samurai stuttered with shock and panic.

"Lord Sosetsu sacrificed his own life so we could escape, we must repay that debt! We're bound by honor!" Sandayū proclaimed, earning several cheers in response.

"With the princess, we can finally do this! Lord Sosetsu will be avenged!" Multiple samurai shouted in unison.

While cheering for victory, numerous samurai raised their glove-covered hands into the sky, filled with a renewed sensation of hope. For over 10 years, Dotō ruled over Yuki as a harsh warlord, but now, the Land of Snow finally had their princess.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Boy, I can't see anything at all." Karin mumbled while shoving her face against an icy window.

Karin and her group of friends were huddled inside of a well-lavished car, surrounded by Makino and Saku, the pair of movie directors. This vehicle was parked atop a snowy hill, nestling beside various other cars and staff members.

This traveling convoy was forced to rest, unable to drive in the harsh blizzard, obscuring almost everything from view with lethal effect. Because of this, Naruto, Gaara and Jūgo were seated atop a nearby couch while Karin bounced around the vehicle.

After running around for several moments, Karin held a handful of snacks and sweet candy while pushing her glasses up. Also, Karin snagged various quilts from the nearby closet, sprawling the fancy fabric across her left shoulder.

Soon, Karin sat in front of a flat screen TV before wrapping herself up like a burrito, causing her glasses to slightly bugle out. At the last moment, Karin grabbed the TV remote with her left hand before pulling it under the covers, retreating to her warm space.

"Well, the weather's getting pretty bad... I'm going to find Tayuya." Naruto exclaimed before standing up.

"Okay... I have a plan." Karin muttered before turning the TV on.

"Gaara and Jūgo can go find Ms. Fussypants… And you stay here with me." While speaking, Karin shifted through multiple channels on the TV.

"It would be easier if I went by myself, I don't get cold." Naruto replied, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

At this moment, the quilt-wrapped Karin began to foam at the mouth before wiggling across the floor, acting like a worm. While this occurred, Makino and Saku were seated in the background, casually talking about aspect ratio.

"Samurai Massacre Four is on! That's my favorite movie!" Karin shrieked while rolling across the floor.

"Naruto, what about that seal you use? Can't you just use that?" Gaara asked.

"No, that seal was on her old hat... I'll have to use my legs this time." Naruto explained.

While this conversation unfolded, Karin's eyes were glued on the nearby TV screen, watching the bloody intro for her favorite horror movie. Afterwards, Makino and Saku both jumped for joy before running out of the vehicle, discussing plans for a beautiful action scene.

"Well... Be careful, we'll watch over the convoy until you get back." Gaara remarked.

Naruto then nodded in approval before trailing behind Saku and shutting the door behind him, entering a harsh and fierce blizzard. Despite the freezing temperatures in the air, Naruto continued to wear his thin Anbu robes, unaffected by the weather.

Unlike Jūgo or Gaara, Naruto possessed a living heater of chakra inside of body, heat that even surpassed flames or lava. The nine tails was the most powerful of all the tailed beasts, dwarfing even the eight tails in comparison.

Because of this severe power gap, Naruto could preform many things that some considered to be unnatural, like an immunity to cold weather. This gave Naruto the perfect advantage in a harsh climate, immune to Hypothermia or Frostbite.

However, Naruto's unique abilities would soon be on full display, fueled by his search for Koyuki, Shisui and Tayuya.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

The hollow sound of footsteps could be heard, echoing through a dark and endless cave, devoid of all light and sun. Soon, the red-haired silhouette of Tayuya came into view, carrying an injured Koyuki on her back as they walked through the cave.

"Are you sure this is the right way? I don't trust you at all." Tayuya snorted.

"Relax, have faith in me. I'm a five star actress." Koyuki joked.

"Fat chance! You can't even take a snowball to the face!" Tayuya protested, shaking the snow from her hair.

"I didn't trip over a snowball, I tripped over a tree root." Koyuki explained, drawing attention to her sprained ankle.

Suddenly, an extended period of silence filled the air, pierced only by the occasional footstep from Tayuya. After several moments, a blank expression spread across Koyuki's face, filling her eyes with a lifeless reflection.

"So... How did you meet your boyfriend?" While speaking, Koyuki's eyes were completely blank.

"Pfft…" Tayuya scoffed, creating a brief silence.

"He's just there, and I'm here, so we hang out... Nothing major." While speaking, a slight blush spread across Tayuya's face

"I'm fierce and independent, I don't need his cute face." After Tayuya spoke, she quickly bit her own tongue.

This declaration created a brief spark of life in Koyuki's eyes, forcing to actress to giggle with delight for several seconds. During this, Koyuki thought about her childhood with Sokka, a childhood that she deeply missed.

"You two look so cute together. You're the Ketchup and Mustard to my heart." Koyuki remarked, creating a deep blush across Tayuya's face.

"Yea... Well... Go fuck yourself..." Tayuya muttered.

"I wish I was your age, kid... I wish I had another chance." Koyuki murmured.

"You should really grow up, you won't have your chance forever... Pretty soon, you'll lose your boyfriend." While speaking, Koyuki stared at the ground.

"Whatever..." Tayuya spat out before rolling her eyes.

At this moment, the panicked squawking of Shisui could be heard as the blind raven came into view, soaring down the cave. This rapid sound garnished Tayuya's attention, forcing the flustered kunoichi to turn around.

Soon, Shisui flew in circles around Tayuya were continuously squawking, forcing the red-haired teenager to scoff with annoyance. After several seconds, the distinct sound of a train horn could be heard, echoing throughout the deep cave.

Shisui's panicked squawks then grew in frequency while carrying Tayuya's hat in his talons, acting like a loyal dog. Afterwards, the entire cave began to quake, revealing a pair of railroad tracks that ran across the ground.

"What the fuck?" While mumbling these words, Tayuya noticed a large amount of chakra coursing through the rails.

"It's... It's a train." Koyuki stuttered.

Suddenly, a bright light could be seen at the edge of the cave, followed by the distinct sound of a train horn, earning a dramatic gasp from Tayuya. At the same time, Shisui continued to squawk while flying around Tayuya, shedding a handful of feathers.

"Train? What the fuck is a train?" Tayuya retorted.

A dense fog of coal-filled steam then polluted the air, concealing a large mechanism of metal and steel, an imported train from the Land of Tea. This abrupt appearance forced Tayuya to panic, taking several steps backwards while stuttering.

"Oh... THAT'S A TRAIN!" After shouting, Tayuya quickly turned around before running away.

The behemoth of steel and metal then grinded across the tracks, rushing through the frozen cave with an impressive amount of speed. Shattering various speleothems as it advanced, sprinkling shards of broken ice across the ground.

As a panicked Tayuya ran for her life, multiple strands of bright red hair floated through the air, partially blinding Koyuki for several seconds. While this occurred, the massive train behind her was repetitively honking, releasing the distinct sound of a train horn.

"It's gaining on us! Run faster!" Koyuki panicked.

"Fuck you! I didn't eat breakfast today!" Tayuya snorted.

Soon, Koyuki wrapped both arms around Tayuya before burying her face against her shoulders, consumed by the smiling memory of Sokka. At the same time, Tayuya was daydreaming about a pile of food, free food, the greatest weakness for any girl.

"It's over! We're not gonna make it!" Koyuki screamed with fear.

"This isn't over! I still have some food to eat!" Tayuya exclaimed, struggling to outrun the train.

"Hotdogs... Waffles... PEANUTBUTTER!" While screaming these words, Tayuya stomped both feet across the icy ground.

Tayuya then surged across the frozen landscape while daydreaming about food, consumed by her intense hunger. During this, Koyuki tightened her grip around Tayuya, struggling to hang on.

"TACO'S!" After shouting, Tayuya channeled a significant amount of chakra to her feet, doubling her speed.

After running for several moments, a bright light could be seen at the end of the cave, illuminating Tayuya's hungry face. Afterwards, this light completely concealed Tayuya and Koyuki from view, consumed by the sparkling sun.

Suddenly, Tayuya leapt out from the cave at the last moment, barely dodging the massive train before faceplanting the snow. Also, Koyuki landed beside Tayuya before rolling for several feet, staining her black hair with clumps of snow.

Tayuya then muttered various insults under her breath, cursing the mechanical train with an impressive vocabulary. After complaining for several seconds, Tayuya pulled her face from the snow, revealing an array of snowflakes across her nose.

"That nerd owes me so much fucking food." After speaking, Tayuya brushed the snow from her nose.

While this conversation unfolded, the large train continued for several yards before abruptly stopping, releasing a high pitched geyser of steam. A tense silence then filled the air, pierced only by Tayuya's heavy breathing.

Soon, a large metal door was swung open from the nearby train, allowing various silhouette's to slowly exit the vehicle. As this occurred, Shisui was flying overhead while squawking, dropping multiple feathers in the wind.

"Welcome home, princess." The voice of Dotō echoed through the air, magnified by his static microphone.

Instead of responding with words, Koyuki gasped while digging her nails into the snow, overwhelmed by the burning image of Kazahana Castle. At the same time, Nadare, Mizore and Fubuki all came into view, surrounding Dotō like a royal guard.

"Don't be so shy, we've been waiting for you." As Dotō spoke, his words forced Koyuki to twitch.

At this moment, Tayuya stood up while brushing the snow from her hair, revealing an enraged expression across her face. This abrupt interference forced Dotō to hum as Tayuya blocked his view, unable to see the princess.

A chaotic explosion of snow then erupted from the nearby mountainside, drawing attention to an avalanche of wooden logs. These logs then collided against Dotō's train, knocking several carts off the tracks.

Multiple rays of sunlight then pierced through the cloudy sky, illuminating a small army of samurai atop the nearby mountainside. These samurai were each adorned with white plates of body-armor, matching the snowy environment.

"There she is! The princess!" Sandayū shrieked, garnishing everyone's attention.

Sandayū stood in front of all samurai, drawing attention to his unique armor, a mixture of ocean blue and snow white. This armor was held in place by a blue sash around Sandayū's waist, matching his blue haori.

Sandayū's most prominent feature was his ocean blue Wakizashi and Katana, adorned with the royal talisman of the Kazahana family. This talisman hung from the scabbard of Sandayū's Katana, sparkling in the sunlight.

"Is... Is that Sandayū?" Tayuya asked, forcing Koyuki to stutter.

"With the princess on our side, victory is ours!" Sandayū shouted, earning a chorus of approval from his fellow samurai.

For over 10 years, Sandayū had planned for this moment, watching over princess Koyuki and grooming her for the throne. But now, the moment of Sandayū's retribution was finally at hand, a battle for the Land of Snow.


	93. Chapter 93

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Fuyuriku -** **I agree that Naruto doesn't really say much anymore, but that's the point, that's his personality. Naruto's is a fusion of various souls that are merged together, so what are you expecting? Do you think he should be a murderer like Orochimaru?**

 **Hashirama is the only loud personality in there, Kimimaro is quiet and calm. Orochimaru is quiet and calm, Tobirama was quiet and calm... So, Naruto is quiet and calm.**

 **I understand you're argument, but I don't understand how I'm doing it wrong, I don't understand what your point is. Naruto has over 100 years of experience, why wouldn't he be quiet and calm?**

 **You act like Naruto hasn't grown at all since absorbing Orochimaru's soul, to which I must ask, are we even reading the same story? Chapter 2 Naruto was a timid little baby, Chapter 48 Naruto picks Anbu up with one hand and snaps their neck.**

 **Even if we ignored combat, and focused on emotional development, Naruto is constantly developing with Tayuya. He's smiling more, laughing more and displaying more romantic tension with every single chapter that I release.**

 **With everything I've mentioned, you even claim that Naruto isn't a main character, even though he's everywhere. Konohamaru would be dead without Naruto, Orochimaru would be alive without Naruto and the plot would be nothing without Naruto.**

 **Lastly, you claim there isn't enough world development between fights. And, before continuing, I must say, I have a lot of respect for you, you've really improved my writing in the past.**

 **However, your argument is just terrible, I don't even see the logic it in, you're very smart, what were you thinking? How can you complain about the world development in this story? Where is the logic in that?**

 **Every. Single. Arc. adds a new nation, new side-characters, new plot-points, plot-devices and even new Kage. Also, these Arc's add new villages, new abilities, new memories and new lore.**

 **Even as I write this, we're in the Land of Snow Arc, an Arc that adds an entire island nation off the coastline. This Arc even focuses on the Yuki Clan, developing Haku's backstory and his clan as a whole.**

 **Also, this Arc heavily foreshadows several other nations, like the Land of Tea, the Land of Demons and the Land of Iron. How is this not world development? What is your definition of world development? What are you referring too?**

 **I'm constantly adding new characters while expanding the world with every single chapter. If we can't even agree on something as simply as world development, we can't agree on anything.**

 **I think I understand why your opinion of this story is so erroneous, because you see things that just aren't there. You see things that aren't happening and missed several things that are happening.**

 **For example, you said Naruto absorbed Danzo's soul but I never wrote that, I never said that. That's all you, because you're seeing aspects about this story that just don't exist, so it warps your opinion.**

 **I have no problem with self-criticism and you've really helped me in the past, you've made me a better author. Your knowledge about grammar is far superior than mine, but in regards to the plot, none of your arguments are valid.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 93: Yuki Clan: Reveal Yourself! Rally, Train, Prepare.**

 _Thursday 1:49pm, June 29th 58SSP._

"Hmm? I can't believe they're still alive. I thought my brother lost all his support." Dotō mumbled while standing atop his iron train.

Suddenly, Nadare knelt down on both knees before bowing his head, offering a sincere apology for his failure. While this occurred, Shisui landed atop Tayuya's left shoulder, returning her hat before squawking.

"My apologies... I'll handle them personally, my lord." Nadare exclaimed.

"No... Bring out the cannons." Dotō ordered, earning various nods from Nadare and Mizore.

Soon, several ninja from the village of Yuki came into view, running across Dotō's large train while grabbing the rails. Afterwards, multiple shinobi began opening nearby train-carts, revealing a impressive collection of artillery.

These weapons of war were freshly imported from the Land of Tea, a coastal nation with an extremely odd military. Unlike its neighbors, the Land of Tea fielded an organized army of militiamen, equipped with unique guns and supported by cannons.

The Land of Tea was one of a kind, even their Daimyo was escorted by militiamen, instead of samurai or shinobi. Infact, the Land of Tea had no samurai or shinobi, they primarily relied on their guns, a firm defense.

As these cannons came into view, the hooded silhouette of Makino and Saku were perched atop a nearby cliffside. These directors were hidden underneath a snowy blanket, filming the distant confrontation from a safe location.

"Dotō thinks we're weak, a broken people... He think's we'll roll over, like a scared dog!" Sandayū echoed from the mountain top.

"How wrong he is!" While shouting, Sandayū dramatically unsheathed his Wakizashi.

"We've fought you from the shadows, striking and hiding behind the harsh winds!" As Sandayū spoke, his grip tightened around his ornate hilt.

"We've fought you from the alleys, until our knuckles were skinned and bloodied, and our weapons were shattered across the ground!" These words inspired several nearby samurai, forcing them to unsheathe their Katana.

"And if we found ourselves surrounded and disarmed... Wounded and without hope... We lifted our heads in defiance, and spat in your faces!" While shouting, Sandayū was haunted by distant faces, belonging to his fallen comrades.

"But we will never surrender! TO THE PRINCESS!" This declaration was answered with a cheering chorus for victory.

At this moment, a large avalanche of armored samurai descended down the mountain, charging with their weapons in the air. While this occurred, Koyuki was paralyzed with shock, barely able to stutter.

Soon, multiple cannons were ignited by shinobi from Yuki, aiming the lethal artillery towards Sandayū and his samurai. During this, Tayuya casually put her hat on before sneezing, overwhelmed by the harsh weather.

Suddenly, a barrage of cannon fire we released, polluting the nearby air with steam and heavy smoke. At the same time, Sandayū continued to lead his samurai with honor, undaunted by the deadly cannons.

Multiple craters were then carved into the snowy ground, knocking several samurai into the air before falling limp. Despite this harsh bombardment, Sandayū and his samurai continued to cheer for victory, growing in volume.

As this lethal barrage echoed through the air, portions of nearby snow began to clump and harden, crushed underneath Sandayū's feet. Numerous cannons balls then hurled through the air, rushing towards Sandayū.

At the last moment, a hardened pillar of ice erupted from the ground, protecting Sandayū and his loyal samurai. Afterwards, multiple walls of ice protruded from the ground, allowing Sandayū to slide across the frozen surface.

"The Yuki are with us! FOR LORD SOSETSU!" As Sandayū's voice echoed through the air, he landed atop Dotō's train before striking multiple shinobi.

Dotō then gasped with shock as Sandayū invaded his train, leading a small army of samurai into battle, filled with honor. After several seconds, dozens of icy spikes ruptured from the ground, piercing Dotō's train from various different directions and angles.

This sudden attack was the result of Ice Style: Shattering Ice Spear, forcing Dotō to briefly stagger before Nadare helped him stand up. Also, Mizore and Fubuki were both standing in the background, encircling Dotō with a protective stance.

A intense silence then briefly enveloped Dotō, pierced only by the distant sound of metal striking metal, echoing from Sandayū. Soon, the snow-covered silhouette's of Fugeku and Paku slowly phased out from the nearby ice.

This abrupt appearance forced Fubuki and Mizore to tense, causing the latter to raise his new metal arm into the air. Because of this, Paku grabbed her small stomach before giggling, releasing an occasional snort from her nose.

"Hey, you guys should... CHILL out... Hahah!" Paku chuckled before clapping both hands into the Tiger Seal.

This action created a shockwave of blue chakra that rippled through the air, instantly freezing a large amount of nearby snowflakes. Afterwards, these shards of ice were infused with a Jounin-level display of chakra, growing sharper than glass.

This impressive technique was the result of Ice Style: Mangehyo, a B-rank jutsu was that exclusively used by the Yuki clan. This lethal barrage of shattered ice then launched through the air, impaling sections of steel, iron and Mizore's metal arm.

As Mizore groaned in response, a nearby Fugeku pressed both hands into the Dog Seal, forcing shards of ice to swirl around his arms. This was a display of Ice Style: Ice-Breaking Fist, a combination of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.

Fugeku then plunged his ice-covered fists through the air, shattering a poorly created ice shield from Fubuki before knocking her backwards. While this occurred, a group of Yuki shinobi were running beside the nearby railing, racing to defend their lord.

Suddenly, dozens of snowflakes clumped together in midair, creating the snow-covered silhouette of Sokka. While hovering in the air, Sokka clapped both hands together before weaving through the Dog, Rat and Horse Seals with impressive speed.

"Are you FILMING THIS?!" The voice of Makino echoed from a distant mountainside.

"Yes, we're filming, we're filming... We're on it, we're on it..." Saku mumbled while directing the camera.

At this moment, Saku and Makino both gasped with shock after noticing Sokka's technique, an explosive whirlwind of shattered ice. This A-rank technique then washed over Dotō's shinobi, freezing them into solid chunks of hardened ice.

While the sound of metal striking metal continued to fill the air, Dotō's large train was abruptly detached in half. This allowed several train-carts to slowly churn away, spitting various pillars of steam and smoke into the air.

Because of this, multiple samurai fell to the snowy ground, losing their balance as Dotō's train increased in speed. While this occurred, the distinct color of blood could be seen, sprayed across several portions of snow.

Soon, Sokka landed atop a moving train-cart before rushing forward, garnishing the attention of Fubuki and Nadare. At the same time, Mizore's metal arm broke several railings and sections of the floor, missing each attack against Paku.

Fugeku's ice-covered fists then plunged against Nadare's stomach, forcing the elite Jounin to gag before falling down. Afterwards, Fugeku leapt over the damaged Jounin before hurling his fists towards Dotō, determined to liberate his nation.

At the last moment, Dotō casually swatted Fugeku off the train with one arm, shattering his ice-covered fists with ease. During this, Paku jumped atop Mizore's metal arm before flipping over him, briefly hovering through the air.

As Paku approached the ground, Dotō grabbed her throat with one hand, forcing Sokka to clap both hands into the Dog Seal. A harsh pillar of steam then erupted from Dotō's train, spewing toxic fumes into Sokka's eyes.

Mizore then grabbed Sokka's leg in midair before slamming him against the ground, denting the metal floor. Afterwards, Dotō picked up a nearby shard of broken ice before thrusting it towards Paku.

Suddenly, Dotō was overwhelmed by an unseen force, knocking the veteran Daimyo against his train-cart, bending the metal on impact. Paku then fell to the ground before briefly gasping, garnishing Fubuki's attention.

Mizore then once again grabbed Sokka's leg before slamming him on top of Paku, drawing attention to his confident smirk. After groaning for several moments, Sokka pulled a handful of paper bombs loose before tossing them into the air.

A consecutive explosion of chakra-filled flames then radiated out in all directions, partially obscuring Sokka and Paku from view. Because of this, an extensive silence filled the air, polluted by the nearby silhouette of Sandayū, striking and deflecting various kunai.

While the sound of metal striking metal continued to echo, the partially burnt silhouette of Naruto came into view. A large portion of Naruto's outfit was scorched and charred, revealing his naked and bare feet, covered with sores.

Soon, Paku and Sokka raised their heads, allowing them to notice the young shadow of Naruto, standing between both Jounin. This burnt group was positioned atop a large pile of snow, resting beside Dotō's train, a train that was concealed by dense steam.

After several seconds, the distinct sound of a train horn could be heard, forcing Sandayū to gasp before falling on both knees. Afterwards, Sandayū lost his balance as Dotō's train doubled in speed, knocking various samurai to the ground.

Naruto then dropped Paku and Sokka to the ground before plunging both feet into the ankle-deep snow. A large portion of Naruto's burnt legs then disappeared from view, creating a brief silence before Shisui landed on his shoulder.

Dotō's train then disappeared into the nearby cave, knocking several samurai off a large cliff-side. This revelation forced Sandayū to gasp before charging forward, racing towards his fellow samurai.

At the last moment, Naruto casually grabbed these samurai with both hands, forcing the armor veterans to hang from the snowy ledge. While this occurred, Shisui jumped off Naruto's shoulder before flying in circles, occasionally squawking.

The distant sound of a train horn then echoed through the air, forcing the nearby cave to abruptly collapse. During this, Naruto pulled up the panicked samurai before dropping them onto the snowy ground.

"Waffles! I want waffles!" Tayuya screamed while running towards Naruto.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto glanced at various corpses and injured samurai, staining a large portion of nearby snow. After several moments, Tayuya repetitively poked Naruto's nose, eager for attention.

Suddenly, the cheerful giggle of Paku pierced the air, interrupted by the occasional snort. This Yuki Jounin was rolling across the snowy ground like a child, snorting several times while giggling.

Paku then rolled in front of Koyuki before making a snow angel, ignoring the large amount of blood and death all around her. This created a brief spark of life in Koyuki's eyes, allowing her to move for the first time in several minutes.

"You look pretty cool, princess... Hah!" Paku snorted with a playful tone.

As Paku continued making a snow angel, small clumps of snow began to stain her ocean blue hair. Also, a wide array of snow was spread across Paku's face and outfit, matching her pale skin.

Soon, a brief smile spread across Koyuki's face before kneeling down in front of the playful Jounin. Afterwards, Koyuki wrapped both hands around Paku before laughing with her, filling the air with joy.

"Hey, Paku…" Koyuki mumbled before brushing the snow from Paku's face.

While this cheerful confrontation unfolded, the giant silhouette of Fugeku came into view, towering over Sandayū. At the same time, Tayuya was harassing Naruto in the background, trying to act tough.

The giggles from Paku and Koyuki then doubled in volume, becoming a radiant laugh that echoed through the air. After laughing for several minutes, Koyuki abruptly gasped against noticing the silhouette of Sokka.

A gentle gust of snow-filled wind then blew in from the north, forcing Sokka's black hair to rustle in the breeze. During this, the elite Jounin pulled his face mask off, revealing a pristine and pale face, the elderly image of Haku.

Sokka then knelt down beside Koyuki, forcing a slight blush to spread across her face while Paku snorted with laughter. Afterwards, Koyuki briefly stuttered as Sokka brushed the snow from her hair.

"Welcome home, princess." Sokka exclaimed with a bright smile, forcing Koyuki to bite her lower lip.

A moment a pride and hope then swirled inside Sandayū's heart, influencing the large crowd of nearby samurai. While this occurred, Koyuki was overwhelmed by distant memories of Sokka, daydreaming about her prince.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

Naruto sat atop a snow-covered boulder while rubbing his bare and burnt feet, exposing his charred skin and outfit. Soon, Naruto pulled several sections of dead skin loose before dropping them to the ground.

Suddenly, the distinct chorus of squawking penguin's could be heard, polluting the snow-filled wind. While this occurred, minor pillars of steam protruded out from Naruto's feet, bubbling fresh and healthy skin into existence.

"Nerd! Nerd!" Tayuya panicked while running across the snow.

Tayuya then dramatically stomped both feet into the snow before snorting, drawing attention to her new penguin hat. Afterwards, Tayuya shoved a taco in her mouth before chewing, enjoying the free food.

"They have tacos!" After shouting, Tayuya shoved another taco in her mouth.

"That's good, dweeb. I'm glad you're having fun." Naruto exclaimed.

"Since your shoes got burnt off, that means I get new shoes too, right?" Tayuya asked with sparkling eyes.

While asking this question, Tayuya grabbed Naruto's hand before tugging on it several times, trying to capture his attention. During this, the enraged silhouette of Karin came into view, scowling with an angry face in the background.

"Look at that little hag... She's getting way too close." Karin muttered under her breath.

This statement brought attention to Gaara and Jūgo, standing on each side of Karin with their arms crossed. Also, Princess Koyuki was standing in the background, eating a handful of blue rock candy.

"Karin, shouldn't you be focused on them?" Jūgo interrupted while pointing at a crowd of injured samurai.

"Hold your horses! I'm seething with jealousy!" Karin snapped out before crossing both arms in front of her chest.

After speaking, Karin casually pushed her glasses up with two fingers, trying to act cool and calm. Karin then clenched her right fist before punching a nearby snowman, shattering his innocent head.

This brutal murder brought attention to Paku, giggling and snorting as she built various snowmen in the background. These snowmen each had a piece of blue rocky candy shoved through their faces, acting like an icy nose.

These pieces of candy were a sweet delicacy among the Yuki clan, commonly carried and created by Sokka himself. Infact, Sokka could infuse ice with his own chakra, creating a unique flavor of rock candy.

At this moment, Karin snorted in a hostile tone before turning her head to the side, disgusted by Tayuya's presence. Afterwards, Karin's stomach crumbled and roared, begging for food.

"I'm taking a break real quick..." After muttering these words, Karin turned around before walking away.

"Hold on, I'll come with you." Gaara encouraged, earning a hostile grunt in response.

"No! I'm taking a break from this entire mission!" Karin complained before rushing off into the snow.

This declaration forced Jūgo and Gaara to both glance at each other before shrugging their shoulders, filled with confusion. At the same time, Naruto was completely distracted by Tayuya, allowing Karin to disappear with ease.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Karin shuffled across a flat plain that was filled with snow, kicking the occasional snowman with each step. During this, a flock of penguin's surrounded Karin on all sides, squawking and shuffling.

"That hag, who does she think she is?" Karin asked rhetorically.

Soon, Karin stopped walking before crouching down in front of a baby penguin, poking his fluffy stomach several times. While poking him, the young penguin released various squawks, forcing Karin to briefly giggle.

"You think she's annoying, right?" While speaking, Karin repetitively poked the baby penguin.

Instead of responding, this flightless bird turned around before waddling away, forcing Karin to hang her head with defeat. Afterwards, an extensive period of silence filled the air, pierced only by the occasional penguin.

Suddenly, a large portion of nearby trees began to violently rustle and waver, bombarded by harsh winds. This harsh breeze also garnished Karin's attention, forcing her to stand up before partially covering both eyes.

At this moment, a massive airship protruded out from behind the snowy tree-line, hovering over the icy forest. This large mechanism was the personal vehicle of Dotō, living proof for his alliance with the Land of Tea.

A mechanical door on this airship then abruptly flung open, revealing the massive silhouette of Mizore, and his metal arm. Mizore's metal hand then launched through the air, held in place by an icy cord of metal.

"What?! No! I'm too pretty!" As these words echoed through the air, Karin turned around before running away.

Despite Karin's protest, Mizore's hand managed to grab her robes before pulling her into the air. During this, Karin's glasses fell loose, falling to the ice-covered ground, consumed by a thin layer of snow.

A squirming Karin was then pulled into Dotō's airship before disappearing from view, creating a brief silence. A flock of penguin's then waddled over Karin's glasses, squawking as Dotō's airship surged across the horizon.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"You've got the wrong girl, I'm innocent!" Karin pleaded.

Karin was seated in the lavished control room of Dotō's airship, filled with cozy couches and fancy paintings. Also, a large bottle of blue wine was resting on a nearby table, contrasting Karin's bright hair.

"It's only the 2nd season, I can't contribute to the plot yet!" While panicking, Karin began to bite her nails.

This declaration forced Dotō to sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose, annoyed by Karin's odd personality. The distinct sound of nail-biting then polluted the air for several minutes, radiating out from a nervous Karin.

Suddenly, Dotō grunted with rage before flinging his left hand through the air, knocking an icy vase to the ground. This abrupt shattering forced Karin to twitch before nervously poking her fingers together.

Dotō's butler then quietly entered the room before sweeping up the broken vase, shocking Karin with his speed. While this occurred, Nadare could be seen in the background, piloting Dotō's large vessel.

"She's the same girl, boss... I'm sure of it." Mizore interjected.

Because of Karin's appearance, Dotō's bodyguard mistook her for Tayuya, a side-effect of their similar hair. Because of this, Karin foamed at the mouth after being compared to Tayuya.

"No I'm not! You're an idiot!" Karin protested.

"Throw her in a cell, that'll fix her memory." Dotō grumbled before walking away.

"What?! No! I need my glasses! I can't see without my glasses!" Karin panicked before jumping up from her seat.

As Karin complained, Mizore casually picked her up with one hand before dragging her out of the room. During this, Dotō approached a pair of nearby windows before glancing outside, preparing for his next move.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Naruto crouched down atop a snow-filled landscape, littered with squawking penguins in the background. After several moments, Naruto's hand dug through the snow before grabbing Karin's glasses.

Soon, a clump of black feathers polluted the air before Shisui landed atop Naruto's left shoulder. This brought attention to various pillars of steam in the background, radiating out from Koyuki's convoy.

Suddenly, the frigid silhouette's of Tayuya and Jūgo came into view, walking across a nearby tree-line while carrying multiple boxes. However, Tayuya was rummaging through each of these boxes, revealing a vast collection of donuts.

These donuts were then snagged by Tayuya, creating a brief silence before taking a small bite from each donut. Afterwards, Tayuya placed these donuts back into their boxes, acting like nothing happened.

"Tayuya, shouldn't you finish your food?" Jūgo asked, earning a hostile grunt in response.

"Nah, these snacks are for the nerd... So I'm taking a bite out of each one, just to fuck with him." Tayuya explained.

This declaration created an confused expression across Jūgo's face, allowing an awkward silence to fill the air. During this silence, Tayuya ignored the odd feeling inside her stomach, trying to act tough and intimidating.

"But... Why?" Jūgo muttered, forcing Tayuya to shrug both shoulders.

"I don't know... I never listen to him, but I like it when he talks. It sounds nice." Tayuya exclaimed.

Tayuya then bit her own tongue after realizing what she was talking about, filling her with embarrassment. While this occurred, Gaara and Paku could be seen in the background, standing between a large collection of frozen trees.

A minor explosion of sand and ice then echoed through the air, staining large clumps of nearby snow. This chakra-filled explosion radiated out from Paku and Gaara, battling each other with sandy golems and icy trolls.

As this playful battle unfolded, Paku released the occasional snort before biting a piece of rock candy. At the same time, Sokka stood in front of a large wooden crate while discussing battle tactics, surrounded by Sandayū and various other samurai.

While talking about these super serious battle plans, Paku hurled a barrage of snowballs against Sokka and Sandayū. Afterwards, the boisterous laughter of Koyuki pierced the air, radiating out from a nearby tree branch.

As Koyuki continued to laugh, Tayuya and Jūgo finally approached Naruto before offering him a handful of donuts. However, instead of reacting, Naruto continued to focus on Karin's glasses, creating a scowl across Tayuya's face.

Shisui then repetitively squawked before violently flying away, shedding multiple feathers in front of Tayuya's face. Because of this, Tayuya growled with annoyance before poking Naruto's face, seeking attention.

"What are you doing, nerd? Huh? Huh?" After speaking, Tayuya sneezed into both hands before wiping them on Naruto.

"I haven't seen Karin in awhile... And she dropped her glasses." Naruto explained, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"Who cares?" Karin muttered, created a brief silence.

This statement created a blank void inside Naruto's mind, filled by a harsh collection of distorted shadows and faces. These silhouette's were a faint piece of distant memories, villagers that used to mock and tease Naruto as a child.

Who cares? This was a phrase that Naruto commonly heard, haunting the majority of his childhood.

As this singular phrase echoed through Naruto's mind, he folded Karin's glasses before concealing them in his robe. After several moments of silence, Tayuya poked Naruto's nose before sneezing, unprepared for the long journey ahead.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

A harsh gust of snow-filled wind bombarded Tayuya's face, drawing attention to her ocean blue scarf and gloves. Also, this highlighted Tayuya's penguin hat, contrasting her bright and colorful hair.

Because of this, Tayuya crossed both arms in front of her flat chest before shivering, magnified by the occasional sneeze. Afterwards, the giggling silhouette of Paku came into view, snorting with laughter while eating candy.

While snorting, Paku accidently bumped against Naruto before falling to the ground, creating a hollow thud on impact. A flock of penguins then waddled out from the nearby forest, forcing Paku to cheer before jumping on both feet.

This abrupt change forced Tayuya to sigh with annoyance, creating a brief period of silence that filled the air. During this, the squawking figure of Shisui flew overhead, creating a dark shadow that garnished Tayuya's attention.

"We're getting close." Naruto mumbled, forcing Paku to run past him.

"We sure are! I can feel the frost!" Paku cheered before running atop a large hill.

Paku then dramatically raised both arms into the air before breathing, allowing her blue hair to rustle in the snow-filled breeze. After several seconds of this, Naruto and Tayuya both walked up behind Paku, illuminating the snow-filled village of Yuki.

"If anyone knows about your friend, they're here." While speaking, Paku entered a teacher-like stance.

"Race ya' to the bottom!" After speaking, Paku took off in a mad dash across the snowy-landscape.

This sudden action created an awkward silence between Naruto and Tayuya, forcing the latter to scoff with annoyance. This pair of friends then quickly trailed behind Paku, forcing Tayuya to slightly blush after bumping against Naruto.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Paku, Tayuya and Naruto were walking down an ice-filled street in Yuki, the isolated capital and shinobi village for the Land of Snow. Despite its prestigious title, the village of Yuki was a mere shadow of its former population, permanently crippled since Dotō's revolution.

Because of this, the streets of Yuki were extremely deserted and silent, polluted by the occasional pile of frozen crates. Also, harsh gusts of snow-filled wind radiated through the nearby streets, partially concealing them from view.

At this moment, a white rabbit dashed across the icy street, garnishing Paku's attention before chasing after the fluffy beast. An awkward silence then once again filled the air between Naruto and Tayuya, paralyzed by Paku's personality.

This silence then extended for several moments before Tayuya pulled her hat down, hiding from Naruto's cute face. Afterwards, a chaotic explosion of ice protruded out from the ground, creating various pillars, beams and spikes of ice.

This abrupt revelation was the result of Ice Style: Shattering Ice Spear, using the surrounding environment to their advantage. This extending ice also forced Tayuya to pull her hat loose, creating a brief expression of panic across her face.

This lethal ice then abruptly shattered after approaching Naruto, completely overwhelmed by an unseen force. At the same time, Naruto grabbed Tayuya before pulling her close, spreading a deep blush across her face.

Suddenly, the snow-covered silhouette of a 14 year old girl came into, standing atop a nearby building. This girl worn a similar appearance to Paku, drawing attention to her Yuki headband, draped across her pale neck.

Also, despite the cold weather, this girl held her hair up in a tightly packed bun, held in place by a snow-white bun holder. This brought attention to her shoulder-length black hair, allowing a pair of bangs to frame each side of her face.

This girl was known as Kahyō Yuki, the cousin of Haku and the child of Hakuhyō Yuki, the sister of Sokka. Infact, Haku was even named after Hakuhyō, a gesture of good will from Haku's fallen mother.

Soon, Kahyō raised her left hand before effortlessly preforming the half Dog Seal, displaying one handed seals. This revelation forced Tayuya to gasp with shock, erasing the previous blush across her face.

After preforming this seal, Kahyō leapt into the air before dozens of snowflakes swirled around her right hand. These snowflakes then morphed and hardened into an icy sword, the result of Ice Style: Ice Sword Jutsu.

Kahyō's left hand then clenched this chakra-infused weapon before slicing in through the air, racing towards Naruto. As this ice approached, a chakra-rod abruptly phased out from Naruto's palm before he grabbed it like a sword.

Kahyō's shard of hardened ice then collided against Naruto's chakra-rod, creating a snow-filled shockwave that polluted the air. Also, this shockwave knocked Tayuya back over several feet before regaining her balance, infused with rage.

Because of Tayuya's recent confrontation with Kakuzu, her iconic flute was shattered, an heirloom from a forgotten age. And because Tayuya was so distracted by Naruto over the past few days, she never got a new flute.

This deprived Tayuya of her most iconic technique, the ability to manipulate soundwaves with chakra. Because of this, Tayuya was suddenly overwhelmed by an aura of depression, annoyed by her own weakness.

After several seconds, the dense fog of snow finally began to dissipate, revealing a small crater of shattered ice. This frozen landscape also encased Naruto on all sides, partially freezing his bare feet on impact.

Suddenly, Naruto reached out with his left hand before casually grabbing Kahyō's sword and pulling it close. Because of this, Kahyō briefly panicked before laughing, drawing attentions to various clumps of ice across Naruto's body.

This ice held Naruto in place against the ground, freezing both feet with a solid layer of chakra-infused ice. Also, Naruto's hand was completely encased in ice, holding Kahyō within arm's reach.

An intense and bobbling heat then radiated through Naruto's body, instantly shattering the nearby ice. At the same time, this display of heat forced Kahyō to gasp, shocked that someone could melt her Ice Style.

During this moment of pure shock, Naruto raised his chakra-rod into the air, forcing Kahyō to stagger backwards. An icy snowmen then ruptured from the ground between Kahyō and Naruto, forcing the latter to freeze mid-swing.

"Hold on! Hold on! I was just getting a bunny!" Paku complained before waving a bunny through the air.

This declaration forced Naruto's chakra-rod to disappear beneath his sleeves, filling Kahyō with greater interest. Afterwards, Paku bit down on a hardened piece of blue rock candy, creating a loud crunch that polluted the air.

While chewing this candy, Paku approached Naruto before casually leaning against his shoulder, creating a brief silence. During this silence, an confused expression spread across Kahyō's face.

"Mr. Whiskers is looking for a redheaded girl, have you seen one?" As Paku spoke, she had a mouthful of candy.

"Paku! What are you doing?! You're supposed to stay with Sokka!" Kahyō complained, completely changing the conversation.

"Relax, relax... CHILL out..." Paku mumbled, earning a hostile grunt from Kahyō.

As this conversation unfolded, Tayuya abruptly shoved herself between Naruto and Paku, concealing the slight blush across her face. While this occurred, Shisui flew through the air before landing atop a nearby building.

"You're not supposed to be here! This village isn't safe!" Kahyō shouted.

A consecutive explosion of cannon fire then erupted in the distance, drawing attention to Dotō's massive airship. This hovering vehicle was releasing a concentrated barrage against the nearby mountains, shattering vast amounts of ice and snow.

Soon, this intense bombardment created a fierce avalanche that raced towards Yuki from all sides, completely surrounded by mountains. This chaotic avalanche then forced the entire ground to quake while advancing, swallowing several houses with ease.

Naruto's whiskered face then contorted with panic, overwhelmed with fear for the first times since leaving Konoha. At the same time, Kahyō grabbed Paku before pulling her close and clapping both hands into the Dog Seal.

This action created a Jounin-level amount of chakra that radiated out from Kahyō in all directions, partially freezing the nearby air. During this, Shisui jump into the air before violently squawking, narrowly dodging the massive avalanche.

"Nerd! I'm cold!" Tayuya complained before Naruto grabbed her hand.

Naruto then hurled Tayuya through the air, soaring towards Paku and Kahyō before they were each encased with an icy dome. This last minute technique was the result of Ice Style: Ice Dome Jutsu.

Afterwards, Naruto's was consumed by the lethal avalanche, swallowing the entire village of Yuki with ease. Infact, nothing survived this man-made avalanche, a flat plain of snow was the only evidence for Yuki's previous existence.

After several minutes, Dotō's massive airship climbed into the snowy skyline, a horizon that was polluted by dark clouds and harsh winds. The twisted smile of Dotō then ruptured into view, confident in his victory.


	94. Chapter 94

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: GunBlade2019 - S** **ince Kimimaro is dead, Haku is my favorite character in this story. So a lot of this is just foreshadowing Haku's importance, I'm explaining his backstory before he returns.**

 **Nercius - I understand that snakes smoking weed, or Ninja's using chakra in rave music are both weird concepts. However, it's important to understand that Kishimoto took a lot of inspiration from Dragon Ball.**

 **The world of Dragon Ball was filled with talking animals, suit-wearing demons, and even Mayor's that were bears. With this being said, I consider chakra-infused rave music to be incredibly realistic to the Narutoverse.**

 **If you don't like this concept, that's completely fine, I respect your opinion, but I don't see any problem with it. Most chapters, stories and episodes will be viewed through a unique perspective, you will instinctively like some chapters while hating others.**

 **Qursa - Maturity is an odd thing to define, because everyone has a different definition for mature. For example, what defining action would make Naruto "mature"? Should he flick Tayuya's bean? Should he ask her on a date?**

 **I think maturity is the acceptance of death, that's why post-Orochimaru Naruto is so calm while killing people. I don't see this aspect as emo or edgy, I see this aspect of death as maturity, and the defining growth of Naruto's character.**

 **Naruto is the main protagonist, but I really don't like the canon Naruto, because I think he's really cringey. In canon, everyone know's what Naruto's dream is because he constantly talks about it, he wants to be Hokage.**

 **This is a segaway to Code Geass, my favorite anime and my favorite version of a protagonist. In that anime, the reader/viewer isn't fully aware of Lelouch's mindset until the very end.**

 **I don't want Naruto to run around like "I'mma do this, and free that, and conquer them, and save them!" Because I think that's cringey. Naruto has one known goal at the moment, find all nine of the tailed beast.**

 **I make the parallel between Lelouch and Naruto because Lelouch is very distant from people, even his best friends. Because of this, the reader couldn't make a proper decision until the very end, when they realized his plan.**

 **I focus on Tayuya/Karin and their thoughts because they're extremely important to the story. This story is called "Pantheon of Nine", so I need nine individuals who are fully fleshed out and developed.**

 **There can be more then one main character, while Naruto does share the spot-light frequently, it always settles on him. If shit hits the fan or a superior enemy enters the arena, Naruto always springs up and saves the day, like the main character.**

 **In this story, being a main character is like being a god, and this story will have nine gods. However, Naruto will always be the superior main character that stands above the rest, because the story revolves around him and his motivations, even if they're obscured.**

 **You bring up the 4th shinobi world war, and the civil war that Sasuke instigated afterwards. With this being said, I must ask, who will infiltrate the hidden rain village? What action will trigger the Kage summit and how many 'Kage' will be there? These are important questions.**

 **While the plot of this story is similar to canon, several roles will be replaced by other characters while new Kage are added. This is the main purpose of season two, to add more Kage for the Kage summit. Kage who are extremely attached to Naruto.**

 **Most arc's in season two have added a new Kage, like Dosu, Kazan and (redacted for spoilers). If not, those arcs developed a specific nation, grooming that nation or implementing a backstory for world development.**

 **Finally, in regards to Tayuya being a Tsundere, she's extremely hostile in canon, so being a Tsundere is realistic in my opinion. This is why I hate most NarutoxTayuya stories, because they treat her like a discount Karin, ignoring the fact that she's a brutish tom boy.**

 **Sansblueye - You're right, NarutoxHinata is the best canon ship in the show. But since Kishimoto is fucking terrible at writing romance, that doesn't say much.**

 **Fayth Mayonaka - You think my introduction of the Yuki Clan at this specific time was awkward, and I changed Haku's backstory for no reason. But I strongly disagree, the Yuki Clan is a clan that manipulates ice, so their natural environment should be frozen.**

 **There was no other option (in my opinion) to house the Yuki Clan, I had to expand the clan and Haku's backstory. Because Haku is extremely important to this story, so I need his motivation and history to be fully developed.**

 **If I shoved the entire Yuki Clan into the Land of Water, that wouldn't make any sense to me. However, making Haku a refugee of Doto's civil war makes perfect sense, because the shinobi world is ravaged by war.**

 **You're correct that Naruto has memories from getting laid, memories from Hashirama. But I don't think that should impact his romantic development with Tayuya, he shouldn't be some aggressive pervert.**

 **Lastly, you bring up Orochimaru and his connection to the Land of Tea, you claim Orochimaru should've had full knowledge of this nation. Also, since Orochimaru didn't utilize their advanced technology, I have a habit of contradicting myself.**

 **However, I haven't even focused on the Land of Tea yet, so you don't know anything about their backstory. You, as the reader, barely know anything about the Land of Tea, because they aren't the main focus yet.**

 **You know the Land of Tea is extremely advanced, Orochimaru was involved with their trade deal, and Kabuto has a base there. You also met their Daimyo way back during the Chunin Exams, the Daimyo who waged money on Naruto's victory.**

 **But, you don't know anything about their political situation, you don't know who's in control or where their guns come from. The Land of Tea will be the final arc for season two, but please give me time to focus on them before you criticize them.**

 **Foreshadowing isn't an introduction. I still have time.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 94: Rainbow Chakra! The Dream Of Sosetsu Kazahana.**

 _Thursday 4:59pm, June 29th 58SSP._

The consecutive sound of heavy footsteps echoed throughout a metal hallway, lined with a collection of frozen windows. This reflective surface brought attention to Karin, grumbling and groaning as Mizore shoved her down the hallway.

"Calm down! I can't see without my glasses!" Karin complained with a dramatic tone.

Instead of responding with words, Mizore pushed Karin through a nearby doorway, illuminating his enraged face. Afterwards, Karin tripped over her own feet before hitting the floor, completely blind without her glasses.

"Just sit still and shut up!" Mizore barked out before slamming the door shut.

This action concealed Karin's entire body with dark shadows, creating an extended period of silence. After several moments, Karin's stomach roared with hunger, already daydreaming about her next meal.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Naruto grunted with pain while rubbing his forehead with both hands, swollen from his harsh impact with the snow. Soon, Naruto's surroundings came into view, an icy caravan, polluted by various chunks of broken debris, ruins from the village of Yuki.

This snow-filled cave was an ancient tunnel system that ran underneath Yuki, frozen over by the constant winter. However, Dotō's bombardment triggered a catastrophic collapse, exposing the expansive caravans.

Despite this impressive revelation, the ceiling of this tunnel system was filled with compact snow, blocking the surface. Also, various portions of Yuki were cut off and disconnected from each other, isolated by dense pillars of frozen ice.

"Just my luck..." Naruto muttered before standing up and brushing the snow from his outfit.

Naruto then glanced at the snow-covered ceiling, releasing an annoyed scoff before glancing from side-to-side. This allowed Naruto to focus on a nearby bundle of white and gray fur, partially contrasting the surrounding snow.

After briefly rubbing his hair, Naruto slowly approached this bundle of fur before identifying the distorted silhouette. It was the lifeless corpse of a partially frozen cat, killed in the harsh avalanche.

This realization created a deep frown across Naruto's face, forcing him to kneel beside the lifeless animal. Afterwards, Naruto stared at the limp cat for several minutes before the silhouette of various summoning's came into view.

Each of these summoning's were Naruto's most iconic creatures, imbued with a distinct pair of Rinnegan. However, these creatures also possessed a unique set of chakra rods, pierced in various places across their body.

This knowledge forced Naruto to gently touch the limp cat before a chakra-rod phased out from his hand. At the same time, a frozen stalactite of ice fell from the ceiling before exploding, creating a frozen shockwave that concealed Naruto from view.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Tayuya's pale face erupted from a wide plain of snow before sneezing, drawing attention to her bright red hair. Afterwards, Tayuya casually rubbed her nose while sniffling, overwhelmed by the frigid weather.

At this moment, a snowball exploded against the back of Tayuya's head, knocking her face to the ground. An awkward silence then filled the air, pierced only by Tayuya's muffled screams.

Suddenly, Tayuya leapt out from the snow before confronting her attacker, the docile silhouette of Paku. Despite her elite status as a Jounin, Paku was snorting and giggling as she played in the snow.

This realization completely erased Tayuya's previous rage, forcing her to briefly stutter for several seconds. While this occurred, a cheerful Paku sat up before glancing from side-to-side, staring across an endless plain of snow.

This frozen landscape was the devastated remnants of Yuki, a desolated capital that was completely swallowed by snow. Because of this, the once iconic mountain peaks around Yuki had vanished from sight, concealed by everlasting snow.

The stern face of Kahyō then erupted into view, stomping both feet into the hardened snow. This abrupt appearance forced Paku to gasp before swallowing a wad of spit down her throat.

"This is serious, Paku! Act like an adult for once!" Kahyō complained.

Even though Paku was twice as old as Kahyō, the 12 year old kunoichi was filled with a distinct desire for revenge. As a child, Kahyō could still remember the horrific night that Dotō took control.

Dotō took everything from Kahyō, her home, her clans nobility and her childhood friendship with Haku. This robbed Kahyō of her childhood innocence, forcing her to grow up faster than others.

"Geez... I'm just trying to lighten the mood..." Paku grumbled while crossing both arms in front of her small chest.

Because of Kahyō's elite technique, the group of kunoichi managed to survive the collapse of Yuki. This allowed them to safely emerge on top of the concealed village, protected from the harsh avalanche.

"Wait a second, something's wrong!" Tayuya interrupted, shoving Paku to the ground before glancing from side-to-side.

"Where's my nerd!?" After Tayuya spoke, she violently sneezed.

Instead of responding with words, Paku snorted with delight before poking Tayuya and running away. After running for several feet, Paku turned around before snorting, drawing attention to her confused face.

"Oh, I forgot to say tag!" Paku giggled before casually weaving through one handed seals.

Suddenly, an icy hand erupted from the snow before poking Tayuya, forcing her to snarl in response. While this occurred, Paku was giggling in the background before running away.

"Is she always like this?" Tayuya muttered, earning an exasperated sigh from Kahyō.

"Yes..." Kahyō grumbled.

"Forget about her! I need to find my nerd!" Tayuya retorted with the wave of her hand.

At this moment, Tayuya harshly sneezed for several seconds before sniffling, exposed to the frigid weather. At the same time, Paku continued to run away in the background, releasing the occasional snort.

"He's supposed to buy me food! I can't eat without him!" While panicking, Tayuya stomped both feet atop the snowy ground.

"I really don't care about your boyfriend, I'm trying to save my clan." Kahyō remarked, creating a slight blush across Tayuya's face.

"He's not my boyfriend! He's just a boy that buys me food!" Tayuya argued.

Tayuya then crossed both arms in front of her flat chest before scoffing, trying to act tough. Afterwards, a tense period of silence filled the air, pierced only by Tayuya's and Kahyō's staring contest.

"That's a boyfriend." Kahyō explained, forcing Tayuya to dramatically gasp.

Soon, the distinct silhouette of Shisui came into view, soaring through the air while squawking with a panicked tone. This revelation created a twinkle in Tayuya's eyes, eager to find her nerd.

Because of this, Tayuya raced towards Shisui before snagging him out of the air with both hands. Tayuya then violently shook Shisui through the air before poking his beak, earning a casual squawk in response.

"Where is he!? Where's my nerd!?" Tayuya shrieked.

This hostile confrontation forced Shisui's beak to shift through the air, turning and twisting in various angles. After several moments, Shisui released a single squawk, forcing Tayuya to growl with rage.

Suddenly, the metallic silhouette of Dotō's airship came into view, partially concealed by an unending blanket of snow. This realization ignited an ember of hatred in Kahyō's eyes, fueled by her desire for revenge.

"I don't have time for this!" Kahyō scoffed before disappearing into a flurry of snow.

This created an awkward period of silence, forcing Tayuya and Shisui to glance at each other for several moments. After briefly hesitating, Tayuya released Shisui before glaring at the distant silhouette of Paku.

Tayuya then dashed across the snowy landscape while sneezing, surging towards the cheerful face of Paku. While this occurred, Shisui hovered in the air before soaring after Tayuya, vanishing under a blanket of snow.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The exhausted silhouette of Koyuki came into view before heavily gasping, walking up a snow-covered hill. This landscape was surrounded by snowy trees on all sides, drawing attention to Sokka, standing in the background.

"We're getting close! I heard it! Something's happened to Yuki!" The princess remarked.

"You shouldn't run off like this! Where's your bodyguard?!" Sokka protested.

"That's you, so stop complaining." Koyuki retorted.

Soon, the princess towered atop a snowy hill before looking out across the horizon, partially concealed by a harsh blizzard. After several moments, the mechanic silhouette of Dotō's airship ruptured into view.

This abrupt appearance forced Koyuki to gasp before falling backwards, rolling down the hill. As the princess fell, Sokka picked her up with both arms before glancing at Dotō's airship.

A barrage of kunai then soar through the air before Nadare erupted into view, capturing Sokka's attention. The elite Yuki clan member then gasped with shock after noticing a dark shadow behind him, the outline of Fubuki Kakuyoku.

This stark appearance forced Sokka to casually preform the half Dog Seal, a high Jounin-level display. Because of this, surrounding clumps of snow were hardened into chakra-filled ice.

This impressive jutsu even partially froze the air, forcing Fubuki to jump back at the last moment. At the same time, a confident grin was sprawled across Nadare's face, filled with excitement.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but we've got places to be." Nadare scoffed before jumping from Dotō's airship.

Koyuki then shrieked with panic after Sokka tossed her through the air, drawing attention to Fubuki and Nadare. Each of these elite Jounin then rushed towards Sokka while Koyuki crashed against a nearby snowman.

A harsh collision of snow and ice then ruptured across the landscape, completely obscuring Sokka and his opponents from view. Afterwards, the sound of metal scraping against ice could be heard, radiating out in all directions.

During this confrontation, Koyuki slowly pulled her snow-covered face from the ground, causing her sacred necklace to dangle in the air. While this occurred, the grinning silhouette of Dotō came into view, standing atop the outer platform of his airship.

Despite the harsh weather, Dotō had both arms crossed behind his back, concealed by the long sleeves of his robe. Also, the snow-filled wind forced Dotō's black hair to waver in the breeze.

Instead of speaking, Dotō waved his right hand through the air, forcing Mizore to dash out from the airship. The mechanical shinobi then crouched down with a heavy thud, slamming his knee against steel.

Suddenly, Mizore extended his robotic arm out while clenching his mechanic fist multiple times. This arm then launched through the air with alarming speed, attached to Mizore by a thick steel wire.

As this arm soared into view, Sokka effortlessly knocked Nadare and Fubuki to the ground. Afterwards, Sokka clasped both hands together, forcing a wall of ice to rupture from the ground.

However, a distinct expression of horror then abruptly spread across Sokka's face. Fueled by the realization that Mizore was aiming for Koyuki, instead of himself.

Because of this, Mizore's robotic hand managed to grab Koyuki before pulling her into the air. At the same time, Nadare and Fubuki both twirled across the ground, forcing Sokka to trip before falling backwards.

Each of these Yuki Jounin then chuckled before a pair of mechanical wings protruded out from Fubuki's chakra armor. This was a unique feature embedded in Fubuki's armor, giving her an increased level of mobility and even flight.

While laughing, Fubuki jumped up before flying into the air, grabbing Nadare at the last moment. After several seconds, the chaotic laughter of Dotō radiated through the air, garnishing Sokka's attention.

At this moment, various latches were sprawled open across Dotō's airship, exposing an organized collection of artillery. Also, dozens of armored shinobi came into view, loyal ninja from Yuki that served Dotō.

Each of these ninja were running between the cannons, shuffling a handful of matches to ignite the advanced technology. During this, Koyuki was pulled onto Dotō's airship, quickly followed by Nadare and Fubuki.

Koyuki then violently squirmed before Dotō ripped her sacred necklace off, briefly twinkling in the snow-filled breeze. At the same time, the distinct smell of gunpowder polluted the air, fuel for Dotō's advanced artillery.

These cannons then unleashed a consecutive barrage of chakra-filled cannonballs, creating a minor explosion of ice on impact. Soon, this expansive bombardment of ice spread out across the snowy landscape, surging towards Sokka.

A geyser of ice and snow then ruptured from the ground, completely swallowing Sokka and concealing him from view. Afterwards, the panicked screams of Koyuki could be heard, partially muffled by Dotō's deep chuckle.

Mizore then picked up a squirming Koyuki with one arm before carrying her inside, followed by Fubuki and Nadare. An extended period of silence then resonated through Dotō's ears, drawing attention to his snow-covered hair.

After several minutes, the previous geyser of snow and ice finally dissipated, allowing Dotō to examine a frozen wasteland. This realization created a confident smirk across Dotō's face, forcing the elite Daimyo to turn around before disappearing into his airship.

This advanced airship than rushed towards the snow-filled horizon, beginning the short journey towards Dotō's reclamation. However, this brought attention to a ragged white rope that hung from Dotō's airship, swinging through the air.

Suddenly, the veteran silhouette of Sokka erupted into view, covered with a thin layer of snow and ice. This elite Jounin then slowly scaled the ragged rope, determined to save his country and his princess.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"You've grown into a beautiful woman, Koyuki… My brother would be proud." Dotō remarked, creating a tense silence.

Dotō was escorting his niece through a well-lavished metal hallway, filled with various rugs and fancy paintings. Also, a pristine array of half-frozen windows were spread across the nearby wall, allowing Koyuki to briefly glance outside.

While an awkward silence continued to permeate through the air, Dotō and Koyuki slowly walked down the hallway. This brought attention to Koyuki's sacred necklace, held between each of Dotō's hands.

"And you brought the hex crystal, that's so polite of you." While speaking, Dotō hoarded the sacred necklace like a dragon watching over gold.

"Geez, that's all you ever talked about..." Koyuki scoffed, annoyed by her murderous uncle.

"Do you even know what that thing does?" As Koyuki spoke, her words created a devilish grin across Dotō's face.

"It's the last remaining link to the Kazahana clan... You should be proud, it's sacred." Dotō exclaimed.

Suddenly, Dotō's right hand reached out towards a nearby door before sliding it open, revealing an immaculate living space. However, this room was also lined with thick steel and devoid of any windows.

This realization forced Koyuki's mouth to fall open, shocked by the stark revelation of the strange room. Infact, this room was an exact copy of Koyuki's childhood room, specifically order by Dotō.

Because of this extreme shock, Dotō casually shoved Koyuki into the room before closing the door, locking her in place. Afterwards, the muffled screams of Koyuki could barely be heard, followed by a consecutive thump against the door.

"Your father nearly ruined our clan, and our nation... I did you a favor." As Dotō spoke, his tone was extremely harsh and condescending.

An awkward silence then filled the air before Dotō turned around and glanced outside, observing a distance pair of mountain peaks. While this occurred, Dotō briefly thought about his life over the past 10 years, a decade without his brother.

The veteran Daimyo then leisurely strolled down the hallway, forcing the loose fabric of his robes to slightly waver. During this, the sacred Kazahana necklace briefly twinkled, garnishing Dotō's attention.

"I did the right thing..." After speaking, Dotō walked behind a distant corner before disappearing from sight.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The petite silhouette of Karin was repetitively ramming her shoulder across a metal door, struggling to free herself. After several minutes of this, Karin grunted with annoyance before sliding to the ground.

Despite the thick door of her cell, Karin notice a pair of muffled voices from outside, fuel for her failed escape. Soon, these voices completely disappeared from existence, stealing Karin's determination in the process.

"I wonder what the crew is doing right now..." Karin mumbled before rubbing her hair.

At this moment, a mischievous grin sprawled across Karin's face, drawing attention to a bright red hair pin that she pulled loose. Afterwards, Karin released a naughty giggle before jumping up and probing the nearby door.

"They can't just lock me in here like some worthless side character! I'm main character level, at least!" While shouting, Karin began an extensive escape, eager to prove her worth.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Tayuya was violently sneezing while a cheerful Paku ran through the background, creating various snowmen with the flick of her wrists. While this occurred, the consecutive squawking of Shisui could be heard, earning a hostile grunt from Tayuya.

"This isn't over! I'm not giving up! I can't eat without my nerd!" Tayuya exclaimed.

"Calm down... Try some of my candy!" Paku encouraged, filling Tayuya with rage.

"Calm down!? CALM DOWN!?" Tayuya shrieked before beheading a nearby snowman.

"NEVER TELL A GIRL TO CALM DOWN!" While shouting, Tayuya foamed at the mouth.

Instead of responding with words, Paku snorted with delight as snowfall polluted the air, staining her blue hair. Afterwards, Paku grabbed a handful of snow before throwing it at Tayuya, crashing against her red hair.

This action created a tense period of silence as Tayuya clenched both fists while swelling with rage. After several moments of this, Paku held out her left hand before casually waving it through the air.

"Okay, okay... I'll make a deal with ya." Paku chuckled.

"Let's tell each other some secrets, that sounds fun!" While speaking, Paku pulled out a piece of rock candy before dramatically biting it.

"Secrets? What the fuck does that have to do with anything?!" Tayuya scoffed with an aggressive tone.

"You're just messing up my vibe." Paku admitted.

This declaration earned a hostile grunt from Tayuya before brushing the snow from her hair. At the same time, Paku took several more bites of her candy, enjoying the sweet taste.

"I'll go first!" After speaking, Paku's expression became stern and rigid.

"Do you wanna know what my biggest fear is?!" As Paku spoke, she slowly leaned forward, bridging the gap between her and Tayuya.

Tayuya then blew a harsh gust of wind against Paku's face, but the childish Jounin didn't even react. Instead, Paku sucked on a piece of candy before shoving her face against Tayuya's.

Paku then wrapped her left arm around Tayuya's shoulders before glancing from side-to-side, ignoring the outline of Shisui. While this occurred, Tayuya's face began to steam with rage, burning the snow from her hair.

"Okay, my biggest fear..." While whispering these words, Paku leaned towards Tayuya.

"I'm afraid that when I pee, a hidden snake will bite my vagina." After speaking, Tayuya was completely stunned for several minutes.

Because of this, an awkward silence filled the air, pierced only by the sound of Paku sucking on her candy. After hesitating for an extensive time, Tayuya reached out before grabbing Paku's candy and throwing it to the ground.

"Why the fuck would you tell me that? Now I'll think about that!" Tayuya retorted

Tayuya then shoved Paku away before crossing both arms in front of her flat chest, creating a brief silence. Afterwards, Paku revealed another piece of candy before sucking on it, acting like nothing happened.

"See?! Didn't that lighten the mood?! We're best friends now!" Paku remarked.

Suddenly, Paku wrapped both arms around Tayuya before twirling through the air, earning a hostile grunt in response. After several moments of this, Tayuya foamed at the mouth before biting Paku's hand.

While biting, Paku's skin was abruptly hardened by a thin layer of ice, forcing Tayuya to briefly gag before sneezing. Tayuya then staggered backwards before tripping over a snowman, plummeting into a pile of snow.

"Woah there! You look a little... Chilly!" After speaking, Paku snorted several times before laughing.

This statement forced Tayuya's face to rupture out from the nearby snow, revealing her enraged expression. Also, this brought attention to Tayuya's bright red hair, deeply contrasting the surrounding snow.

Before Tayuya could unleash her rage, an explosive geyser of snow erupted across the distant horizon. This explosion radiated out from a remote canyon, the resting place for Sosetsu's last experiment, the Sacred Generator.

"Let's move! My nerd could be over there!" Tayuya encouraged, earning a casual silence from Paku.

Instead of responding with words, Paku sucked on her candy for several minutes, creating a deep snarl across Tayuya's face. During this, the silhouette of Shisui was flying overhead, partially covered by dense snow.

At this moment, a mechanical outline erupted into existence, resting across the snowy plain, garnishing Tayuya's attention. This strange device then surged towards the pair of kunoichi, led by the muffled orders of Makino.

This famous director was riding on top of a fancy snow glider, surrounded by Saku and Puuku, the driver. This group of directors were racing towards the distant explosion with a large camera, ready to film.

"Hop on!" Makino shouted through his microphone, causing his statement to echo through the air.

This proclamation forced Tayuya and Paku to both glance at each other, creating a brief silence. During this silence, Paku was sucking on a piece of rock candy, satisfying her intense sweet tooth.

After hesitating for a scant period, Tayuya dashed towards the snow glider before jumping on top, slowly followed by Paku. This strange group of accomplices then sailed across the endless snow, beginning their short odyssey towards the Sacred Generator.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A collection of dense and dark clouds billowed through the sky, blanketing the Land of Snow with an aura of darkness. At the same time, a harsh gust of wind was blowing across a frozen landscape, drawing attention to Dotō and Princess Koyuki.

These Kazahana Clan members were standing in the center of their sacred valley, a canyon that was enshrined by Sosetsu. This canyon was filled with an ornate stone well in the center, surrounded by six stone pillars that reached towards the sky.

"I want you to see this moment, Koyuki." Dotō explained with a deep voice.

Dotō then took several steps forward, approaching the sacred well that his own brother constructed, an heirloom of the Kazahana Clan. While walking, the silhouette of Dotō's airship came into view, hovering over the nearby horizon.

Soon, Dotō finally towered over his family well, staring down upon the embellished surface. After observing this sacred object for a brief moment, Dotō noticed a distinct key hole, creating a victorious grin across his face.

While grinning, Dotō plunged his sacred necklace into the Kazahana well, creating a bright aura of blue light. This bright light then ruptured out across the ground, creating the defining symbol of a snowflake.

As this bright aura radiated through the air, a collective hum of energy began to swell inside the nearby pillars, forcing them to glow. Afterwards, an eruption of fire and smoke protruded out from Dotō's airship, briefly garnishing his attention.

Instead of investigating this attack, Dotō casually shrugged both shoulders before focusing on the sacred well. While this occurred, a partially blind Karin was sprinting through Dotō's airship, looking for the way out.

"Geez! I think I overdid it with the explosives!" Karin coughed out, concealed by a thick cloud of smoke.

Because Karin wasn't wearing any glasses, she didn't even know where she was going, but that didn't stop her. After running for several moments, Karin tripped over a loose door hinge before faceplanting the ground.

This action created a heavy thud on impact, followed by an extended and awkward period of silence. Karin then abruptly pulled her face from the ground, revealing a wide bruise across her tiny nose.

"You runt!" Mizore's voice echoed through the air, forcing Karin to panic.

Karin then crawled across the ground before running away, barely avoiding Mizore's lethal foot stomp. However, without her glasses, Karin accidently jumped off Dotō's airship before plummeting through the air.

"Nooo! I'm to pretty too die!" Karin screamed while holding her robe down.

Suddenly, Karin began to violently squirm while approaching the ground, unable to save herself. At the last moment, Karin faceplanted a soft cloud of sand, forcing the young kunoichi to gag on sand.

The scarf-covered silhouette's of Gaara and Jūgo then eclipsed Karin, standing on each side of her concealed face. After several seconds, a barrage of icy kunai were launched through the air, hurled towards the group of friends.

These frozen projectiles then crashed against a wall of sand, creating a thunderous detonation of snow and ice. This erosion tidal wave then rippled out in all directions, forcing a collection of icy spikes to rupture from the ground.

Nadare and Fubuki then phased out from the nearby snow, covered with a thin layer of frozen ice. After revealing themselves, a shockwave of sand radiated through the air, shattering portions of nearby ice.

This approaching sand also forced Nadare and Fubuki to jump back, creating a brief gap between their opponents. During this, another explosion rippled out from Dotō's ship, forcing the expensive aircraft to shut down.

This burning aircraft then plunged through the snow-filled air, unleashing various pillars of smoke and ash. As this mechanical masterpiece surged towards the ground, Dotō was briefly distracted by his crashing airship.

While Dotō stared at his burning vessel, Koyuki reached into her deep sleeves before pulling a small dagger loose. The charming princess then snuck up behind Dotō before stabbing him in the back.

Despite this lethal confrontation, Dotō nonchalantly turned around before smacking Koyuki to the ground. Afterwards, Dotō snorted with a condescending tone before slowly removing his robe.

This revealed a sleek collection of black chakra-armor, freshly designed and manufactured by Kabuto himself. This armor was lined with icy blue frames, drawing attention to a chakra-fueled generator across Dotō's chest.

"Did you really think you could kill me?" Dotō mocked before grabbing Koyuki's dagger and throwing it to the ground.

At this moment, the veteran Daimyo gasped with shock after noticing a barrage of icy shards. This realization forced Dotō to clasp both hands together, creating a forcefield of blue chakra.

Hardened spikes of ice then bombarded Dotō's forcefield, instantly shattering on impact, partially polluting the nearby air. While this occurred, Sokka phased out from the ground before jumping in front of Koyuki, defending his princess.

As Dotō was shrouded by a thick layer of ice and snow, dozens of icy mirrors slowly merged together in the air, floating in place. This technique was the result of Secret Art: Crystal Ice Mirrors, a forbidden jutsu from the Yuki Clan.

This dangerous technique was being used by Kahyō, displaying a vast amount of knowledge for her young age, just like Haku. After revealing this impressive technique, Kahyō hurled a handful of frozen senbon at the mirrors, phasing into the frozen surface.

Suddenly, Dotō's airship violently crashed into a distant mountainside, creating a minor avalanche of snow. As this surging snow rushed forward, the silhouette of Mizore erupted into view, using his snowboard to sail on top of the snow.

Mizore then scoffed with annoyance before focusing on Sokka, determined to finally end his rebellion. However, Mizore was abruptly tackled by Fugeku Yuki, slamming the oversized Jounin into the ground.

Each of these large figures then became embroiled in a fierce hand-to-hand battle, utilizing their massive features. During this, waves of sand were colliding against shards of ice in the background, drawing attention to Gaara and Fubuki.

At the same time, Nadare hurled a barrage of icy kunai through the air, aiming for the towering silhouette of Jūgo. Instead of dodging this lethal barrage, Jūgo's left arm abruptly morphed into a flesh-like axe before deflecting the kunai.

Hundreds of icy senbon then ruptured out from Kahyō's technique, bombarding the concealed outline of Dotō from all angles. While this occurred, sections of nearby snow and icy were melted into boiling water, staining the frozen landscape.

A electric shockwave of blue chakra then rippled through the air, shattering each of Kahyō's mirrors on impact. Afterwards, this intense shockwave forced Sokka's black hair to dramatically waver in the breeze, partially stained by snow.

"It-... It's so warm..." Koyuki muttered while hiding behind Sokka.

At this moment, nearby snowflakes were abruptly hardened and morphed into shards of black ice, briefly hovering in the air. Each of these dangerous shards then launched through the air, impaling sections of the nearby ground.

As these chakra-filled shards pierced the snowy earth, a frozen sphere of ice quickly merged into existence. This hardened creation was protruding out in front of Sokka and Koyuki, protecting each of them from harm.

However, Kahyō was completely overwhelmed by the intense shockwave, knocking her back against a snowy rock. During this, the distant silhouette of Fugeku clasped both hands into the Dog Seal, creating a large chunk of ice in midair.

This chakra-filled ice then crashed against Mizore, completely concealing the oversized Jounin from view. While this occurred, various streams of sand managed to grab Fubuki's arm before swallowing her entire body.

At the same time, Jūgo managed to briefly overpower Nadare before holding him in place. This allowed Gaara to seal the lethal Jounin within a coffin of sand, ending the fight.

The armor-covered silhouette of Dotō then ruptured into view, surrounded by partially frozen debris and rocks. Also, Dotō towered over the sacred Kazahana well, pumping an intense amount of steam into the air.

"Coward! Where is your honor!? Fight me like a man!" Sokka mocked before raising his fists into the air.

This declaration created a disgusted snarl across Dotō's face, followed by a tense and awkward silence. After several moments, each of Dotō's arms began to twitch before he grunted with rage.

Suddenly, the veteran Daimyo stomped his feet into the frozen earth, allowing him to surge across the icy landscape. With each step, portions of nearby snow and ice were slowly melting, fueled by the Sacred Generator.

Soon, the ground beneath Dotō cracked with every step, but the elite Daimyo continued his rapid advance. As this occurred, Sokka clasped both hands together before weaving into the Dog Seal, forcing a minor wall of ice to protrude out from the ground.

"DIE!" Dotō's voice echoed across the howling wind.

A electric aura of blue chakra then swirled into existence around Dotō's right fist, empowered by his advanced armor. Afterwards, the veteran Daimyo plunged his chakra-filled fist against Sokka's ice, abruptly shattering the nearby ground.

This heavy impact revealed a massive lake of water that was hidden underneath Yuki, connected by a set of ancient tunnels. This collision also concealed Sokka from view, forcing the elite Yuki Clan member to sink below the freezing water.

A chakra-filled shockwave then radiated through the air, knocking Koyuki to the ground with a heavy thud. At the same time, another set of explosions rippled out from Dotō's crashed airship, forcing Princess Koyuki to twitch with shock.

The horrific image of Kazahana Castle then burned itself into Koyuki's mind, the haunting image from her childhood, the moment when her father died. During this, Dotō confidently towered over the harsh and freezing water, forcing his hair to violently waver.

Dotō then turned around before casually approaching the Sacred Generator, drawing attention to the limp silhouette of Koyuki. Soon, each of Koyuki's hands began to tremble before digging into the nearby snow.

Believe in the future... If you do, the spring will surely come. The calming voice of Sosetsu managed to echo through Koyuki's mind.

These words struck deep into Koyuki's core, forcing the famous actress to genuinely cry for the first time in over a decade. During this, Makino's snow glider ruptured into view, resting atop a snowy hill on the horizon.

Get up... She needs me...! Sokka's mind raced while sinking through the water.

Despite Sokka's protests, his eyes became extremely heavy while sinking into the black abyss. Sokka then fell conscious before his body was grabbed from below, pulling him to the surface.

The whiskered face of Naruto then ruptured from the water's surface before harshly gagging, spewing water from his mouth. Afterwards, Naruto tossed Sokka atop the nearby ground, a section of freshly melted snow and ice.

A soaking wet cat then jumped off from Naruto's head, drawing attention to its special Rinnegan eyes. Also, this cat had a collection of chakra-rods impaled through his body, jolting out in various angles and directs.

"This little rebellion is over!" Dotō bellowed before weaving through the Bird, Snake, Monkey, Horse and Dog Seals.

These hand signs forced an icy black dragon to spew out from Dotō's chakra armor, the result of Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard. While this occurred, Naruto crawled atop the water's surface before clapping both hands together, weaving through the Dog, Tiger, Snake, Ox and Ram Seals.

This action created an explosive geyser of water that ruptured around Naruto, briefly concealing him from view. The rotating silhouette of a water dragon then swirled into view, partially coiled around Naruto.

As this pair of colossal dragons swirled through the air, Tayuya was leaping across the nearby hills. At the same time, bright rays of sunlight abruptly pierced the dark sky, illuminating Naruto's face and hair.

"Nerd!" Tayuya screamed before freezing mid step, filled with excitement.

Each of the surrounding pillars then erupted into a bright glimmer of white light, sparkling across Naruto's face and his technique. Because of this, Naruto's jutsu was slowly morphed into an aquatic dragon of rainbow chakra.

"Wh-... Rainbow chakra?! Just like in the movie!?" While speaking these words, Tayuya's heart was racing.

This bright chakra also forced Koyuki's mouth to fall open, utterly paralyzed by the sparkling light and the setting sun. During this, Gaara, Karin, Jūgo and Kahyō all squinted their eyes, partially blinded by the bright light.

"Take this! Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Naruto's voice resonated through the harsh wind.

Naruto's rainbow dragon then collided with Dotō's swirling vortex of black ice, creating an explosive geyser of snow and bright lights. A rainbow-filled shockwave then erupted into existence, radiating out in all directions.

As this chakra spread across the landscape, portions of snow and ice were instantly melted into grass and flowers. Also, a large number of lakes were suddenly melted into existence, previously frozen in dense ice.

This resonating aura of rainbow chakra then rushed across Makino's snow glider, having a visible affect on his camera. This chakra also forced Saku's jawline to hit the floor, shocked that ice could melt so quickly.

"That settle's it! WE'RE MAKING THIS MOVIE IN 3-D!" Makino's voice rippled through the air.

As these words echoed across the landscape, Koyuki was cradling an unconscious Sokka in her arms. After several moments of this, a bright rainbow pierced the horizon, forcing Koyuki to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Soon, the fabled princess smiled as Naruto raced towards Tayuya, forcing Koyuki to briefly laugh. After laughing, Koyuki played with Sokka's hair before glancing up at the setting sun.

"They look so cute together... Just like us." Koyuki mumbled before various rays of sunlight concealed her from view.

* * *

 _One day later._

A large crowd of chattering nobles and decorated samurai were traveling among a lavished celebration. The armored silhouette of Sandayū then came into view, leading an escort for Koyuki.

Princess Koyuki was dressed in a pale blue robe with a snow-white sash, hugging her petite waist. Also, this outfit deeply contrasted her black hair, a common trait among the Kazahana Clan.

Soon, the smiling outline of Sokka stood beside Koyuki, drawing attention to his snow white kimono and blue sash. Afterwards, a small group of children ran by in the background, wearing a unique pair of animal ears.

This party was being held at Far Harbor, the isolated port-city for the Land of Spring, formerly known as the Land of Snow. The previous capital of Yuki was completely abandoned, but construction on Yuni, the village hidden by spring, was racing towards development.

The iceberg infested shores from the Land of Snow were now completely melted, allowing safe and secure trade will all nations. However, the Land of Spring could grow their own crops now, so trade wasn't even necessary.

As cheerful statements and toasts could be heard, the enraged face of Tayuya was isolated atop a large table. During this, Karin was stuffing her face with cupcakes in the background, enjoying the free food.

"This is so stupid, why do we have to waste more time?" Tayuya asked.

"Calm down, we're giving you a free boat for the ride. Don't make me regret it." Koyuki remarked.

"You're telling me I get to see Haku again!?" Kahyō interrupted, earning a dramatic sigh from Tayuya.

While this conversation unfolded, Jūgo and Gaara walked by in the background, casually eating a piece of icy cake. At the same time, a white and grey cat slowly walked into view. drawing attention to his Rinnegan eyes.

Suddenly, Tayuya scoffed before staring at the ground, annoyed by the large crowd of happy children. After briefly hesitating, Tayuya glanced up before focusing on the distant silhouette of Naruto, seated atop an isolated roof.

During this moment of hesitation, Tayuya bit her lower lip, garnishing Koyuki's attention. The youthful princess then approached Tayuya before giving her a pair of fox-shaped animal ears.

"Now's your chance... Go get him!" Koyuki encouraged, earning a hostile snort from Tayuya.

Tayuya then snagged the fox ears from Koyuki before stomping off down the street, forcing Shisui to fly after her. After walking for several minutes, Tayuya scaled the isolated building before sneaking up behind Naruto, creating an awkward silence.

As this silence echoed through the air, Tayuya twirled her fingers together while biting her lower lip. Tayuya then felt the odd sensation of guilt, fueled by her stark realization about Naruto's name.

Even though Tayuya had spent weeks beside Naruto, living with him, traveling with him and eating his food, she never said his name. This realization heavily weighed on Tayuya's shoulders, forcing her to briefly stutter before staring at the ground.

"H-... Hey, Naruto... I got you some fancy ears..." Tayuya mumbled.

Instead of waiting for a response, Tayuya slid these ears on top of Naruto's head, giving him a pair of fox-like ears. Afterwards, Tayuya poked the back of Naruto's head, eager to capture his attention.

"That's good, dweeb. I'm glad you're having fun." Naruto remarked, creating a brief silence.

During this silence, Tayuya turned around before sitting behind Naruto, resting her back against his while staring at the sky. As this occurred, Tayuya could feel Naruto's heartbeat against her back, making her sweat.

"Yea, yea... That's good..." Tayuya muttered with embarrassment.

As Tayuya battled with repressed emotions, she repetitively twirled her fingers together, concealing her muffled stutters. Tayuya then swallowed a heavy wad of spit down her throat, struggling to speak.

"So... Naruto..." While stuttering these words, Tayuya clenched both hands.

"The past few days have been kinda weird... And, I've done some stuff that's a little, odd." While speaking, Tayuya stared at the ground.

"But... I really, really don't hate you..." As Tayuya mumbled these words, her entire face became bright red, swelled with embarrassment.

Naruto then grabbed each of Tayuya's hands with his own, forcing the hostile kunoichi to stutter. Afterwards, Naruto leaned his head back before resting against Tayuya, forcing her heart to violently race.

"I don't hate you too." Naruto remarked, filling Tayuya with a wave of relief.

A deep and genuine smile then spread across Tayuya's face, a rare expression for the hostile kunoichi. During this, Tayuya's trembling hands were covered in sweat, filling her with embarrassment.

"Whatever! It's not like I care!" Tayuya scoffed with a hostile tone, contradicting her wide smile.

Naruto and Tayuya then glanced up in unison, focusing on the blind silhouette of Shisui. As this raven soared through the air, various black feathers were knocked loose before concealing everything from view.


	95. Chapter 95

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: GunBlade2019 - In the anime movie, Doto is slammed against a rainbow pillar before disappearing in a bright light. I understand that's super corny, but his death is never technically confirmed, so I didn't think it was necessary.**

 **Overall, this gives me more leeway to develop future plot points if I never specifically say they're dead. For example, I never said** **Jirōbō** **is dead, he's just been missing in action ever since the Chunin Exams.**

 **Usually, when I write a death monologue or a paragraph, it's because that character's death is supposed to be dramatic. Like Hidan; I really like to glorify death, so when an important character has to die, I want it to be really dramatic.**

 **Doto is important to the arc, but I thought vanishing in the bright light was more poetic. Instead of some brutal death with blood and guts.**

 **Mitsukki - Every story/anime needs a Thot Patrol, and I always thought Neji had the perfect personality for that.**

 **Nex - I believe by the time you get to this chapter, your previous questions about Naruto's Rinnegan have already been answered. But let me know if I'm wrong.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 95: Bright Lights Overhead! Sparkling Water Below.**

 _Friday 8:33am, June 30th 58SSP._

A chaotic explosion of stone and earth suddenly ruptured from the ground, shattered by a pair of iron sandals. These strange pieces of equipment were worn by Rock Lee, cracking the road with each step he took.

These heavy sandals also matched Lee's wrist-guards and ankle-guards, a dense collection of training weights that would crush an average Genin. While walking, the embarrassed silhouette of Tenten came into view, holding both hands across her face.

"Lee, just give it up already." Neji protested while walking in the background.

"Give up... GIVE UP!?" Lee scoffed with a dramatic tone.

At this moment, Lee jumped up while twirling both feet through the air, creating a minor gust of wind. Afterwards, Lee landed on one foot before extending his left leg out and holding it in place.

If he wore ordinary equipment, Lee would be completely unhindered by this trivial excise, but his weights were beyond Jounin-level. Because of this, Lee's entire leg was repetitively twitching, exposed to the heavy weight of his iron sandals.

These sandals were held in place by thin iron straps, a piece of equipment that weighed down on Lee's toes. As this weight was focused on Lee's left foot, his teeth grinded together while sweat dripped from his forehead.

"I never give up, because that's my ninja way!" After shouting these words, Lee earned a harsh grunt from Neji.

"Just wait and see, you'll see! I'll become strong and bring Naruto back all by myself!" While screaming, Lee punched the air multiple times.

This statement created a brief period of silence, followed by a pair of dramatic sighs from Neji and Tenten. During this silence, Lee continued to punch the air, determined to grow up big and strong, like his sensei.

Suddenly, Lee screamed like a little girl before jumping into Neji's arms, forcing the elite Hyuga to briefly gasp. This scream also forced Tenten to stare at the ground while shaking her head from side-to-side, hiding her shame.

"What's your problem!?" Neji panicked before dropping Lee to the road.

After hitting the ground, a white snake slithered out from Lee's outfit before rushing across the dirt. This revelation forced Lee and Tenten to both gag in unison, disgusted by snakes.

Lee then leapt onto both feet before chasing after the snake, preforming a set of jumping jacks with each step. After running for several moments, this white snake abruptly slithered up a nearby tree, garnishing Lee's attention.

The pale silhouette of Sasuke then erupted into view, casually sitting atop a leaf-covered tree branch. Soon, a white snake slithered onto Sasuke's lap before coiling up, creating a brief silence.

Sasuke then glanced down at the white snake, exposing the blank and solemn expression across his face. Also, this revealed Sasuke's bright blue eyes, eyes that held the same shape and pattern as a snake.

"You three travel so slow... It's terrible." Sasuke scoffed.

Team Sasuke just entered the southern region inside the Land of Waterfalls, a minor nation that bordered the Land of Fire. Despite it's minor status, the Land of Waterfalls was moderately powerful and semi-respected, a result of their extensive history.

Infact, the Land of Waterfalls was the only minor nation that possessed a tailed beast, a feat of honor for the village of Taki. The Land of Waterfalls even established a failed assassination plot on Hashirama, bringing the young nation into world politics.

However, the shinobi village of Taki was now deep in mourning, triggered by the recent death of the Sukage. The 3rd Sukage was an elderly man known as Hisen, an elite shinobi that recently died from old age.

Because of this, the title of Sukage was thrust upon the only son of the 3rd Sukage, a man known as Shibuki. Shibuki was an honorable man but extremely young and paranoid by self-doubt.

"Maybe if our _sensei_ actually did his job." Neji remarked before crossing both arms in front of his chest.

Instead of responding, Sasuke continued to stare at his snake, creating a brief staring contest with the white reptile. Afterwards, this white snake violently unhinged its jaw before gagging, forcing a slime-covered scroll to protrude into view.

Sasuke then reached out before casually grabbing the slimy scroll, forcing Lee to gag before running through the background. After glancing towards his student, Sasuke unrolled the wet scroll before holding it with both hands, reading the wet paper.

"They're expecting us." Sasuke mumbled.

"Awesome, I'm expecting a warm bath!" Tenten cheered before taking several steps down the road.

As she walked, Tenten smiled from ear-to-ear while swaying her arms with each step, day-dreaming about warm water. After several seconds of this, a squawking crow flew overhead, forcing Tenten to twitch before faceplanting the ground.

"It's just a bird, calm down." Neji exclaimed, earning a dramatic glare from Tenten.

"I know that! I just wasn't paying attention, that's all!" Tenten interrupted.

After hesitating, Tenten pressed both hands into the ground before jumping up, exposing her bruised nose. Tenten then briefly stared at Neji before blushing, distracted by his cute face.

"Quit talking and start walking." Sasuke muttered after jumping to the ground.

Sasuke's pale white kimono then sparkled under the bright sunlight, forcing each of Tenten's eyes to squint. At the same time, Lee was running through the background, shattering the earth with each footstep.

Sasuke then escorted his young students down the dirt-filled road, continuing their long journey through the land. While this occurred, a red-eyed crow erupted into view, sitting on a distant tree-branch while staring at Sasuke.

This crow then violently flapped both wings before soaring into the air, dropping various feathers in the process. Afterwards, these feathers slowly drifted in a gust of wind before concealing everything from view.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The grumbling silhouette of Kakuzu abruptly came into view, walking down a narrow dirt road. This road was surrounded by various trees and bushes, drawing attention to a nearby collection of waterfalls.

As Kakuzu walked, the wet outline of Tobi was repetitively running through the background, squealing like a school girl. This elite yet playful ninja was dashing in between a number of waterfalls, playing with the water.

This lethal pair of Akatsuki members had just entered the Land of Waterfalls, traveling along the eastern road. A pathway that was the main trading route between the Land of Forests and the Land of Waterfalls, a popular highway.

"Splish, splash, splish, splash!" Tobi chuckled.

After playing for several minutes, Tobi jumped into a small lake before leisurely swimming, making various duck sounds in the process. However, instead of responding to this, Kakuzu grunted before glancing over his shoulder.

Kakuzu then briefly rolled both eyes before continuing down the road, forcing a distant Tobi to panic and stutter. After briefly hesitating, Tobi leapt out from the water before chasing after Kakuzu, soaking the ground with each step.

"Senpai! Senpai! Wait for me!" After Tobi spoke, he finally caught up with Kakuzu before gasping for air.

"Stop calling me that." Kakazu groaned in response.

This declaration forced Tobi to dramatically stutter for several moments, struggling to contain his broken heart. As this occurred, Kakuzu continued to leisurely walk down the road, unaffected by Tobi's childish tone.

Because of this, Kakuzu took various steps down the road before Tobi started skipping beside him. This action created an awkward silence, pierced only by the occasional giggle from Tobi.

"Isn't this fun!? Just you and me, hanging out!? We're like a pair of buddies!" Tobi proclaimed with a friendly tone.

"Shut up... Or I'll kill you." Kakuzu spat out.

Despite the hostility of Kakuzu's statement, Tobi giggled with delight before shaking the water from his hair. This water then flung through the air before showering down on Kakuzu, forcing the rogue ninja to harshly grunt.

"Don't say that, Senpai. You love me!" Tobi cheered.

"Say one more word, and I'll steal your heart." Kakuzu remarked.

This declaration created an extensive silence as Kakuzu walked down the road, glancing at a nearby border-marker for Taki. During this silence, Kakuzu was briefly distracted by distant memories of his past, memories from his childhood.

Kakuzu was extremely old and experienced, because he was born before the formation of shinobi villages. This allowed a youthful Kakuzu to directly witness the era of Warring States, a period of global warfare.

Infact, Kakuzu was only 30 years old when the shinobi villages began to form, sprouting up like a pair of weeds. This gave Kakuzu decades of experience with war, because he was there, he was always there.

However, everything changed over 50 years ago, when Kakuzu was ordered to assassinate the 1st Hokage, Hashirama Senju. This assassination was a complete failure, forcing Kakuzu to run home like a coward.

In his mind, Kakuzu expected a warm-welcome, a cheerful response from Taki, congratulating their fallen champion. But Kakuzu received no such response, instead, he was called a failure and imprisoned.

This harsh punishment created a deep hatred for the village of Taki, a hatred that Kakuzu would never forgive or forget. This hatred was the catalyst for Kakuzu's betrayal, forcing him to kill several village elders before stealing their hearts, along with their forbidden jutsu.

Suddenly, Kakuzu was torn from his thoughts after Tobi bumped against him, creating an awkward silence. Afterwards, Kakuzu glanced over his shoulder, allowing him to notice Tobi's hands, held together in the shape of a heart.

"Notice me, Senpai!" Tobi squealed with a girlish tone.

Instead of responding with words, Kakuzu's left arm began to harden, turning solid black in color and tone. The elderly rogue ninja then swung his arm backwards, reaching for Tobi's heart with Kage-level speed.

Despite Kakuzu's speed, his left hand phased through Tobi's chest, forcing both of his discolored eyes to bulge. The veteran shinobi then lost his balance before falling forward, casually phasing through Tobi's body in the process.

Kakuzu then crashed against the ground with a heavy thud, causing Tobi to dramatically cheer before jumping into the air. After floating for several seconds, Tobi fell beside Kakuzu before taking a flamboyant pose, acting like a fallen warrior.

"My heart!... My heart has been, stolen..." After moaning these words, Tobi briefly sobbed before dying.

"Moron." Kakuzu spat out before standing up.

After scoffing at his teammate, Kakuzu used both hands to brush the dirt off his outfit, briefly polluting the nearby air. This masked shinobi then turned around before walking away, forcing Tobi to dramatically gasp.

"Wait! Senpai! Come back!" Tobi panicked before chasing after his teammate.

Soon, Kakuzu and Tobi both disappeared from view, consumed by a collection of waterfalls on the horizon.

* * *

 _Five hours later._

A pair of white sandals were leisurely scraping across a stone pathway, drawing attention to Sasuke's pale kimono. This outfit matched Sasuke's snow-white skin, deeply contrasting his snake-like blue eyes.

As Sasuke walked, the loose fabric of his kimono was wavering under a gentle breeze, exposing his pallid chest. At the same time, Sasuke's loose headband of Konoha erupted into view, protruding from the inside of his kimono.

Suddenly, Sasuke's loose hair was bombarded by a dense gust of wind, blowing several bangs in various different directions. Afterwards, a smiling Tenten slowly poked her head across Sasuke's right shoulder.

"Hey, Sensei. Where are we going?" Tenten asked.

"We're almost there." Sasuke explained.

This statement created a brief silence while Tenten continued to hover across Sasuke's shoulder, violating his personal space. During this silence, Lee was dramatically training in the background, cracking the ground with each footstep.

"We're lost. He just can't admit it." Neji interrupted.

"Calm down, you're my students now... So I have to take care of you, sadly." Sasuke exclaimed, forcing Tenten to faceplant the ground.

At this moment, Lee leapt through the air while squealing with an aggressive tone, garnishing Neji's attention. As he advanced, Lee hurled his right fist against a nearby tree, shattering the dense object with one punch.

"I have to say... These weights you got for me are amazing! I can barely move!" Lee cheered.

"Soon, I'll be stronger than Guy-Sensei!" As Lee shouted these words, he fiercely kicked the wind.

"Yea, yea… Stay focused." Sasuke muttered, earning a dramatic salute from Lee.

Soon, the crashing waves of a roaring waterfall could be heard, forcing Lee to dash ahead of his teammates. After running for several moments, Lee ran past several bushes before a massive lake came into view, shocking the bandaged Genin.

Several spires of wet rock were protruding out from this lake, dwarfed by a mountain-sized waterfall on the horizon. This waterfall was completely surrounded by a large cliff on both sides, covered by poorly-grown fauna.

"We're here." Neji proclaimed with a condescending tone, drawing attention to his prominent Byakugan eyes.

After speaking, a small platoon of ninja ruptured out from the waterfall, forcing each of the nearby Genin to tense. These ninja were partially covered by a thin layer of water, soaking their hair and the unique outfits they wore.

These shinobi were each adorned with the headband of Taki, draped across their bodies in a unique and specific angle. Also, this headband deeply contrasted their grey pants and their long-sleeved green shirts.

While some of these shinobi wore bandana's or eye-patches, they all wore a matching pair of brown shinobi shoes. However, one of these shinobi stood out above the rest, an elderly man known as Senji.

This large group of Taki ninja then landed atop the nearby spires of wet rock, shocking Tenten with their speed. Afterwards, Sasuke leisurely pulled a note from his sleeves before holding it in the air.

"Yo, you called?" As Sasuke spoke, a solemn expression was spread across his face.

This declaration caused Senji to take several steps forward, exposing his elderly and scar-covered face. Senji was a 58 year old man with wrinkles, a veteran of the 2nd and 3rd shinobi wars.

Senji's most prominent feature was a green bandana tied across his forehead, adorned with the headband of Taki. Also, Senji had a grey shoulder pad atop his left shoulder, held in place by a brown sash, strapped against his chest.

"Yes. The Sukage is waiting for you." Senji proclaimed with the wave of his hand.

This elderly veteran then pointed towards the nearby waterfall, creating a brief silence before jumping inside. During this silence, Tenten slowly stood up before brushing the dirt from her outfit, forcing Lee to cough and gag.

As his students continued to waste time, Sasuke casually walked into the waterfall without looking back. After several moments, Neji closed both eyes before grunting with annoyance, disappointed with his teammate and girlfriend.

Neji then quickly trailed after Sasuke before disappearing from sight, filling Lee and Tenten with dread. Each of these Genin then surged forward before jumping into the waterfall, continuing their long journey.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of rushing water could be heard, radiating out from a pair of waterfalls that decorated a distant horizon. This rushing water all collected into a massive lake, surrounding a mountain-sized tree in the background.

This environment was known as Taki, a minor shinobi village that was hidden by a waterfall, and surrounded by cliffs. This gave the village of Taki a wide layer of natural defense, able to sustain hundreds of people within a hidden society.

Suddenly, the silhouette of a 14 year old girl ruptured into view, huddled over a nearby shoreline while yawning. This brought attention to her chin-length layered hair, minty green hair that jutted out in several directions, held in place by an orange clip.

This sleepy girl was known as Fuu, an average Genin from the village of Taki, and the jinchūriki for Chōmei, the seven tails. Because of this, Fuu was always kept at an arms reach within the village, forbidden to leave or travel.

Fuu was extremely petite and tan-skinned, deeply contrasting the pale-skinned villagers that walked through the background. Also, Fuu's chest was as flat as a board, giving her an androgynous appearance.

Fuu's outfit consisted of a short-sleeved white shirt with a midriff, exposing a large amount of her stomach. This also revealed an undershirt of fishnet body armor, protecting her flat chest.

Fuu's tiny shirt also perfectly matched her pair of white armlets, drawing attention to her headband of Taki. This headband was leisurely draped across Fuu's right arm, denoting her status as a kunoichi of Taki.

Finally, Fuu wore a pair of fistnet shorts with a white apron over it, exposing a vast amount of her legs. This apron also matched Fuu's white shoes, a pair of unique sandals that were specifically made for her.

At this moment, Fuu unleashed a dramatic yawn while extending both arms into the air. Afterwards, Fuu fell backwards before hitting the ground with a hollow thud, groaning with distain and annoyance.

"I'm... So... Bored." Fuu mumbled.

After speaking, Fuu opened both eyes before staring up at a dense collection of tree branches, blocking the sun from view. This exposed each of Fuu's bright orange eyes, matching her hair clip.

Soon, an extended period of silence filled the air, pierced only by the distant sound of rushing water and loud frogs. After several minutes, Fuu started to count a nearby bundle of leaves, dying from boredom.

As Fuu continued to count, a pair of Taki shinobi were quickly dashing towards her, jumping past several citizens in the process. These shinobi were known as Kegon and Yōrō, a pair of elite Taki Jounin that were placed on Fuu's team.

Kegon was a 26 year old man with fair-skin and curly brown hair, contrasting his headband of Taki. Kegon's attire consisted of a pale violet jacket with a black top, revealing his scarred stomach.

This black top matched Kegon's pants, drawing attention to his blue shinobi shoes but contrasting his black eyes. Finally, Kegon's most prominent feature were a pair of kunai holsters, strapped against both of his upper arms.

"Fuu!" Kegon spoke out after landing atop a grassy knoll.

"Ehhh." Fuu muttered before rolling on her side.

This declaration forced the silhouette of Yōrō to abruptly tower over Fuu, staring down at her with a condescending face. During this, a brief ray of sunlight pierced the dense tree branches overhead, illuminating Yōrō's short and spiky black hair.

Similar to Kegon, Yōrō wore the iconic headband of Taki tied around his forehead, contrasting his fair-skin and his dark blue eyes. Also, Yōrō wore a black sweater vest with a pair of violet scrolls strapped to his chest, matching his black pants and shinobi shoes.

"Fuu, this is important! Lord Shibuki wants to see you." Yōrō explained.

This revelation quickly filled the young jinchūriki with panic, forcing Fuu to sit up before glaring at Yōrō. While this occurred, a handful of villagers walked by in the background, glancing at Fuu with distrustful eyes.

"What did I do now!? I was just taking a nap!" Fuu protested.

Despite her important status as a jinchūriki, Fuu constantly got in trouble for pranks and jokes, an act of boredom. Fuu had a really low attention span, so she struggled with boredom on a day-to-day basis.

"Just hurry up!" Kegon encouraged before turning around and running out of sight.

This statement caused Yōrō to nod in approval before running after his teammate, creating an awkward silence for Fuu. After several moments of quietly muttering, Fuu stood up before dashing through the streets of Taki.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

An array of candle light was repetitively flickering across a wooden manor, enshrined with the kanji for 'Waterfall'. This 2-story building was known as the Sukage's office, an important hub of paperwork and documents.

Because of its size, the Sukage's office dwarfed every other building in Taki, looming above them like a vigilant watchtower. This building was also lined with bright red roof tiles, deeply contrasting the nearby collection of blue and green.

Soon, the expressionless face of Shibuki came into view, sitting behind a large desk that was clearly too big for him. Shibuki was a 17 year old man, and the recently elected 4th Sukage, following in the footsteps of his father.

Shibuki had ink black eyes with shoulder-length brown hair, drawing attention to his pale skin and a red scarf around his neck. This scarf was worn over an ankle-length blue kimono, held in place by a green sash around Shibuki's waist.

As Shibuki sat at his desk, he held a note from his father with both hands, staring at the paper for several minutes. This note was written by the 3rd Sukage mere moments before his death, struggling to write with each breath.

My son, I want you to know that I love you dearly. Shibuki stared at this sentence, reading it over a dozen times.

You are my pride and my hope. You are the future of Taki. As Shibuki read these words, his hands began to tremble.

Be a good man. Be a hero. This statement forced Shibuki to glare at the floor.

Shibuki's father, a great man known as Hisen, was the 3rd Sukage and the greatest living ninja from Taki. However, his recent death changed everything for Shibuki, forcing him to take up the mantle of Sukage.

Father... What would you do? Shibuki asked himself, creating a brief silence.

You were always so calm, so confident... I'm nothing like you, father. I'm nothing compared to you. As these thoughts raced, Shibuki clenched his father's note with both hands, causing it to wrinkle.

Despite his lavish title, Shibuki was just a child pretending to be a hero, he was nothing compared to his father. This was a realization that constantly bore down on Shibuki, crushing him with the weight of responsibility.

"Lord Shibuki. We've brought Fuu." Yōrō spoke out, tearing the 4th Sukage from his thoughts.

After Yōrō spoke, Fuu sheepishly tip toed into the room with her downcast face, preparing for the worse. During this, Yōrō and Kegon stood on either side of Fuu, guarding the entrance into Shibuki's office.

"What were you thinking!?" Shibuki shouted, forcing Fuu to briefly cower.

"Putting super glue in the elder's shampoo!? That can't be tolerated, Fuu. Your pranks have gone too far." As Shibuki spoke, he crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"Geez, that was like, 4 hours ago... Get over it." Fuu mumbled

This declaration forced Yōrō and Kegon to both swell with shock, surprised that Fuu would be so disrespectful to their lord. While this occurred, Shibuki and Fuu became engaged in a fierce staring contest, stretching on for several moments.

Suddenly, Shibuki sighed with defeat before hanging his head low, causing Fuu to jump for joy. This was a result of Fuu's extensive friendship with Shibuki, they grew up together and he was the only friend she really had.

"Fuu, you have to be more careful. You're a jinchūriki, you need to act like it." Shibuki exclaimed, earning a dramatic sigh in response.

"But being a jinchūriki is sooo boring! I wanna see the outside world, I have nothing to do here." Fuu complained.

Instead of waiting for a response, Fuu crossed both arms in front of her flat chest before turning around. This protest created a brief period of silence, forcing Yōrō and Kegon to both glance at each other.

"Maybe I'll just leave the village by myself!" As Fuu spoke, her words filled Shibuki with panic.

"Wai-... Wait!" Shibuki stuttered.

"No! I want to see the outside world! If you don't acknowledge me! I'm running away!" Fuu interrupted.

"Alright, alright... Once you've made up your mind, you never give up..." Shibuki groaned, easily defeated by his childhood friend.

This statement forced Fuu to abruptly slide across the room while laughing, a sudden shift from her previous tone. Fuu then landed on both knees in front of Shibuki, staring up at her friend and Sukage.

"That's awesome! So you forgive me?!" Fuu cheered, earning a defeated sigh in response.

"Yes... But you have to focus, Fuu." Shibuki remarked.

At this moment, the pale silhouette of Sasuke casually entered the room, causing Yōrō and Kegon to both tense. At the same time, a pouting expression slowly spread across Fuu's face.

"Yo... I left my students outside." Sasuke muttered before rubbing one hand through his hair.

"Is he an outsider!?" Fuu cut in.

Without waiting for a response, Fuu jumped in front of Sasuke before repetitively poking his face. Afterwards, Fuu jumped around Sasuke from various angles, poking his back, stomach and chest.

"Fuu, don't bother him. He's an Chunin from Konoha, and he's here to help." Shibuki ordered,

This declaration forced Fuu to stick her tongue out at Shibuki before dramatically poking Sasuke's nose. Because of this, sweat began to drip from Shibuki's face, holding both hands in the air.

"It's fine... What's the mission?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Fuu.

"Well... As you know, I've recently been elected as the 4th Sukage…" Shibuki explained while staring at the floor.

"For the past few months, everything has gone smoothly, but..." As Shibuki spoke, he briefly glanced at a nearby picture of his father.

"We've heard rumors of rogue ninja traveling through our land." After speaking, Sasuke narrowed both eyes in response.

After hearing these words, Fuu spun through the air before pointing at Shibuki, drawing attention to her orange eyes. While this occurred, Sasuke was casually scratching the bridge of his pale nose.

"Whispers have reached my ear. Kakuzu has returned." While speaking, Shibuki struggled to contain his trembling.

"Oooh! I'm so excited!" Fuu cut-in before jumping for joy.

"Who's that?" Sasuke asked, causing Fuu to briefly stutter.

"He's so cool! I've read all about him in the forbidden library." Fuu exclaimed.

"Wait a second... You're not allowed in that library!" Shibuki raged, forcing Fuu to stagger backwards.

"Uh... Um... Someone's calling my name!" Fuu panicked before running out the door.

This action forced Shibuki to sigh with defeat before pinching the bridge of his nose, creating a brief pause. During this, Sasuke was leisurely standing in the background, acting like nothing happened.

"This is a C-rank mission. If your enemy is a serious threat, we'll have to discuss payment." Sasuke remarked.

Before this conversation could progress, the entire office began to shake after a distant explosion. This eruption forced Shibuki to hide behind his desk while Sasuke stood in the background.

"Lord Shibuki!" Kegon spoke out.

This declaration caused Shibuki to abruptly sit up before coughing into his left hand, forcing Yōrō to stutter. Afterwards, Shibuki calmly ran both hands through his hair, struggling to hide his anxiety.

"Yea, um... This is your mission! Investigate that explosion! I'll pay you double!" Shibuki ordered.

These words inspired Sasuke to turn around before slowly leaving the room, moving without haste. While this occurred, Yōrō and Kegon were both looking towards Shibuki for leadership, confident in their young lord.

"Kegon… Yōrō … Escort Fuu." After speaking these words, Shibuki received an approving chorus in response.

Each of these elite Jounin then disappeared in a blur of water, isolating the 4th Sukage with his distant memories. After several moments of briefly daydreaming, Shibuki glanced at a nearby picture of his father, Hisen.

Father... If you were here... A single thought echoed through Shibuki's mind.

Shibuki lived his entire life stuck in the shadow of his father, a great man and an even greater Sukage. Because of this, Shibuki was constantly underestimating himself, a burden that would continue to weigh on his shoulders.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Did you hear that!?" Lee asked while dramatically spinning through the air.

Lee was preforming a perfect pair of hand stands to walk across the ground, repetitively clapping his weighted ankles together. This caused the sound of metal scraping metal to occasionally fill the air, drawing attention to Neji and Tenten.

"It was some kind of bomb, I can see the debris." Neji explained, exposing his Byakugan eyes.

This special type of Doijutsu allowed Neji to effortlessly glance through solid objects, a feat that even the Rinnegan couldn't preform. This gave Neji a perfect view of the recent explosion, a nearby eruption that shook the entire village.

"Let's go check it out!" Tenten encouraged before rushing forward.

As Tenten ran, a panicked Fuu surged out from the nearby office, garnishing the attention of Lee and Neji. Fuu then ran face first against Tenten, knocking each of the kunoichi to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Hey! Watch it!" Tenten snapped out after rubbing her hair buns.

"You were running too!" Fuu argued, raising her tanned face into the air.

"We don't have time for this, we need to check out that explosion!" Neji remarked with the wave of his hand.

"Naaah… That was just my milk bomb." Fuu exclaimed.

This statement garnished the attention of Team Sasuke, forcing each of the youthful Genin to glare at Fuu. After staring for several minutes, Fuu innocently shrugged while rolling her eyes.

"I get bored, so I make milk bombs. Keeps the village on its toes." After Fuu spoke, she stood up before brushing the dirt from her outfit.

"Bu-... But-... That bomb destroyed an entire house... Are you going to pay for that?!" Neji stuttered.

"Naah… I don't have a family or a job, so no money." Fuu casually mumbled..

"Shibuki will settle it, he always does!" After speaking, Fuu turned around before running out of sight.

This abrupt disappearance forced Lee, Neji and Tenten to all glance at each other, creating a brief pause. During this awkward pause, Lee continued to stand on both hands, filling Tenten with embarrassment.

"I can't take this anymore!" Lee proclaimed, forcing both eyes to erupt into flaming orbs of crackling fire.

"My youth is burning and my spirit is BURSTING! Let's follow her!" After shouting these words, Lee's hands raced across the ground, trailing behind Fuu.

"Wait, Lee! We have to wait for sensei!" Tenten panicked before chasing after her teammate.

This caused Neji to pinch the bridge of his nose before sighing, disappointed with his girlfriend and teammate. Afterwards, the pale-eyed Genin took several steps down the road, following his teammates.

A brief silence then filled the air before Sasuke walked out from the Sukage's office, glancing from side-to-side. Sasuke then casually shrugged both shoulders before walking towards the distant explosion, disappearing from view.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"What's the big idea!? Are you some kind of spy?!" Fuu asked, accusing Lee.

As Fuu spoke, she poked Lee's face while he stood on both hands, exercising without end. During this, Tenten and Neji were standing in the background, walking through the streets of Taki.

"Spy?! No! I'm just looking for our mission!" Lee explained with an innocent tone.

"Lucky! They never give me any missions." Fuu complained before crossing both arms in front of her flat chest.

This statement created a brief pause before Fuu smiled from ear-to-ear, causing her orange eyes to twinkle. Fuu then crouched in front of Lee before shoving her face against his, forcing the elite Genin to stutter.

"I do have a goal though. A dream!" As Fuu spoke, she grabbed Lee's face with both hands.

"I'm trying to make one hundred friends! Will you be my friend?" After speaking, Fuu squeezed down on each of Lee's cheeks.

These tight squeezes prevented Lee from talking, drawing attention to the wide smile across Fuu's face. At the same time, Tenten was cautiously glancing from side-to-side, reaching for her pouch of scrolls.

"Neji..." Tenten muttered, earning a quick nod in response.

Each of Neji's Byakugan eyes then abruptly bulged, forcing dozens of veins to throb and protrude near his eyes. Afterwards, a stern expression quickly sprawled across Neji's face, illuminating his pale white eyes.

Suddenly, Neji noticed that the streets of Taki were completely empty and quiet, devoid of all life. This realization created a tense silence for Neji, pierced only by the sound of distant waterfalls.

"HIII!" The cheerful voice of Tobi pierced the air, standing atop a nearby building.

This appearance quickly garnished the attention of Team Sasuke, confusing each of the Genin. During this, Tenten pulled a green scroll loose before holding it with both hands.

"Hello! I like your outfit!" Fuu replied, waving her right hand through the air.

At this moment, Tobi phased in front of Fuu with a blinding level of speed, forcing Lee to fall down with shock. Also, Tenten unsealed her green scroll, creating a puff of smoke before a massive stave came into view, constructed from black kunai steel.

"Thanks!" Tobi remarked before leisurely shaking Fuu's right hand.

"With this robe and mask, I look kinda spooky..." While mumbling these words, Tobi rubbed the back of his head with one hand.

"Idiot..." Kakuzu grumbled after strolling into view.

This revelation forced each of Fuu's eyes to briefly squint while glaring at Kakuzu, staring at his headband. While this occurred, Lee pushed himself off the ground before landing on both feet, creating a minor crater on impact.

"I know you! You're Kakuzu-senpai!" Fuu spoke out before brushing past Tobi.

Fuu then hovered in front of Kakuzu while repetitively clapping her hands together, filled with excitement and joy. This forced Tobi to abruptly faceplant the ground before crying, overwhelmed by jealousy.

"I can't believe you have another senpai!" Tobi cried, earning a hostile grunt from Kakuzu.

"I don't. I deserted this village a long time ago." Kakuzu explained, forcing Tobi to sniffle.

As Kakuku spoke, he casually towered over the petite silhouette of Fuu, standing like a giant in front of a child. At the same time, Neji entered a tense Taijutsu stance while Lee narrowed his bushy eyebrows.

"Let's talk over some tea!" Fuu spoke out before reaching for Kakuzu's hand.

"I didn't come here for friendship. I came here for the seven tails." Kakuzu muttered.

"That's so awesome! Because that's me!" Fuu replied, causing both of Kakuzu's eyes to twitch.

Instead of responding with words, Kakuzu violently backhanded Fuu, knocking the young jinchūriki through a nearby building. This action forced Yōrō and Kegon to erupt into view, standing on each side of Kakuzu.

These Jounin then unsheathed a pair of kunai before rushing towards Kakuzu, causing Tobi to scream like a school girl. Afterwards, Kakuzu effortlessly deflected both of these attacks, knocking Yōrō and Kegon to the ground.

"Halt! I won't allow you to continue!" Neji proclaimed with a gracious tone.

This declaration earned an aggressive groan from Kakuzu, causing the elite rogue ninja to glare at Neji. Also, Tobi held both hands in front of his mask while squealing, acting like a dramatic child.

Tenten, Lee and Neji then rallied together as Tobi ran through the background, waving both arms in the air. This group of Genin then tensed with anticipation, ready to test their new skills.


	96. Chapter 96

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 96: Rise: Shibuki The Savior! A Twinkle In The Waterfall.**

 _Friday 3:25pm, June 30th 58SSP._

A tense silence was radiating through the air, forcing Tenten to tightly clench her metal stave. At the same time, Lee held each of his weighted fists into the air, occasionally clasping the metal together.

Soon, the flat palms of Neji came into view, drawing attention to his bulging eyes, a distinct trait of the Byakugan. Also, the twitching silhouette's of Yōrō and Kegon were spread across the nearby ground

"Tch… What are a bunch of Konoha runts doing here?" Kakuzu grumbled from behind his mask.

"Runts?!" Lee retorted with a harsh tone.

After speaking, Lee abruptly slammed each of his ankle weights together, causing the pair of metal locks to fall open. Afterwards, Lee kicked these weights loose with a Jounin-level blur of speed.

The strength of Lee's kicks also unleashed a minor gust of wind in all directions, forcing Neji's loose hair to violently rustle. During this, each of Tenten's hair buns were repetitively bouncing, bombarded by Lee's wind.

Suddenly, Lee's weights finally collided with the ground, creating a significant geyser of rock and dirt. Also, this explosive debris managed to completely conceal Lee from view, creating a dramatic silence.

Lee then surged across the road with an insane display of speed, moving so fast that Neji's eyes couldn't even follow him. Because of this speed, even Kakuzu and Tobi were shocked, causing both of them to briefly stutter.

Utilizing this speed, Lee instantly appeared in front of Kakuzu before striking him with a pair of weighted fists. These empowered punches flung Kakuzu back over 20ft, causing the rogue ninja to occasionally roll across the ground.

After rolling for several moments, Kakuzu slammed into a pile of partially rotten barrels, collapsing on the elderly shinobi. As this occurred, Neji and Tenten were both left speechless, gasping at Lee's display.

"Senpai!" Tobi screamed with genuine concern.

At this moment, the ground suddenly cracked after Lee surged forward, shattering the earth with each step. This lethal advance also forced Tobi to panic, holding both hands into the air while pleading for mercy.

Lee then extended his right left out before kicking Tobi, accidently phasing through his entire body. Despite the lack of physical contact, Tobi fell down on both knees before grabbing his stomach, clearly overacting.

Soon, Tobi faceplanted the ground before dying with a childish groan, filling Lee with a large amount of confusion. An extended period of silence then filled the air, pierced only by the sound of distant waterfalls.

"Tobi! Stop playing around!" Kakuzu snapped out, erupting from a pile of broken wood.

This declaration caused Tobi to pull his face from the ground before shrugging both shoulders, capturing Lee's attention. Also, Neji stuttered after focusing on Tobi's chakra network, shocked by his Sharingan eye.

"I can't help it! He's too quick!" Tobi exclaimed.

As Tobi spoke, Neji, Tenten and Lee stared at him, confused by his strange personality and weird abilities. After grumbling for several moments, Kakuzu snapped various bones in his neck.

"I don't care about this village anymore. But let's get the Hero's Water before we destroy it." Kakuzu grunted with annoyance.

"It'll sell for a nice coin." As Kakuzu spoke, his discolored eyes glared at Team Sasuke.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Ugh... My head..." Fuu muttered while rubbing her tiny forehead.

Fuu was buried underneath a large pile of broken stone and wood, concealing her petite body from view. This brought attention to several cuts and bruises across Fuu's exposed arms, revealing fresh blood.

As this blood began to drip across Fuu's tan skin, green slime protruded out from each of her wounds. This slime then abruptly healed Fuu with a flash of green light, the result of Chōmei, the seven tails.

Suddenly, the clumsy outline of Shibuki fell into view, tripping over a wooden beam before hitting the ground. Afterwards, Shibuki quickly sat up while holding both hands over his nose, screaming with muffled pain.

"Shibuki?! What are you doing? The village is under attack!" As Fuu spoke, her words filled Shibuki with anxiety.

Soon, these words carried a tremendous affect on Shibuki, causing both of his hands to violently tremble. During this, a collage of memories slowly drifted through Shibuki's mind, memories from his father.

"Leave me alone!" Shibuki panicked before running away.

This abrupt disappearance filled Fuu with pure shock, causing the young jinchūriki to briefly stutter for several minutes. Fuu then quickly shook her head from side-to-side before surging across the damaged building, racing towards the battle.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"I'm enjoying my youth!" Lee cheered while continuously kicking the air.

Because of the heavy weights around his wrists, Lee's punches unleashed a minor gust of wind, colliding against the distant outline of Kakuzu. While this occurred, Tobi was leisurely sitting on the side-line, cheering for his senpai.

"Being young and inexperienced, I remember that." Kakuzu remarked, creating a scowl across Lee's face.

"Inexperienced?! My flame is burning and my youth is howling! Enough talk!" Lee scoffed before his teeth briefly sparkled.

After smiling, Lee's feet rushed across the road with Jounin-level speed, causing each of Kakuzu's eyes to narrow. At the same time, Tobi raised both hands into the air before repetitively clapping.

Kakuzu then funneled a significant amount of chakra into his right arm, forcing it to harden like stone. Also, this technique caused Kakuzu's skin to turn solid black, resembling the same tone as kunai steel.

Soon, Lee leapt towards Kakuzu, raising both of his weighted fists into the air while advancing. As these fists approached, Kakuzu swung his hardened arm out in a horizontal swing.

Lee's barrage of fists then slammed against Kakuzu's hardened arm, instantly shattering the nearby ground with a fierce shockwave. This chaotic eruption also unleashed a debris-filled torrent of wind in all directions, concealing Lee and Kakuzu from view.

"Senpai!" Tobi's voice rippled out.

As Tobi panicked over his senpai, Tenten and Neji erupted into view, dashing across the green-tiled roof. This brought attention to Tenten's metal stave and Neji's bulging eyes, staring at Tobi.

Is... Is that a Sharingan?! Is he from Konoha?! Neji asked himself.

As several thoughts quickly raced through Neji's mind, Tenten surged past him before raising her metal stave into the air. This approaching stave forced Tobi to squeal like a little girl, holding both hands in front of his mask.

Tenten then swung her stave out in a horizontal slash, accidently phasing through Tobi before falling to the ground. Afterwards, Tobi sincerely apologized before offering a helping hand to Tenten, briefly shocking the young Genin.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!" As Neji spoke, his right palm was hurled forward.

A chakra-filled torrent of wind then ruptured out from Neji's palm, surging towards Tobi with extreme speed. This vacuum of air then collided against the rooftop, knocking Tenten backwards before the entire building collapsed.

A minor gust of chakra-filled wind then rippled across the streets of Taki, occasionally muffled by the sound of metal striking stone. This distinct sound was continuously radiating out from Lee and Kakuzu, engulfed in a fierce hand-to-hand battle.

Because Lee had a pair of weights strapped to both wrists, his punches were cracking the ground on impact. However, Kakuzu was casually blocking each of these punches with one arm.

As this battle progressed, Lee extended several kicks and jabs towards Kakuzu's stomach, striking the rogue ninja with no effect. After several moments of this, Kakuzu grabbed Lee by the wrist before throwing him against a nearby wall.

A brief silence then quickly filled Kakuzu's ears before Tobi laughed, drawing attention to a distant cloud of dust. While laughing, the dense cloud slowly dissipated before Tobi protruded into view.

Tobi was standing atop a cylindrical chimney, towering over a partially collapsed roof while Neji loomed on the nearby horizon. Also, a dirt-scattered Tenten was crouched in the collapsed building, glaring up at Tobi.

"Hiii!" Tobi cheered with the wave of his hand.

This innocent declaration forced Tenten to harshly bite her lower lip, illuminating a collection of dirt across her face. At the same time, Tenten clenched both fists while holding her metal stave.

Who is this guy?! Tenten asked herself.

He's just playing with us... Neji observed while squinting his Byakugan eyes.

As this single thought rang out across Neji's mind, he intently focused on Tobi's chakra network, shocked by his vast reserves. The color of this chakra network was ocean blue, deeply contrasting Tobi's crimson red eye, a Sharingan with a strange pattern.

We're nothing to him... Nothing at all. While thinking these thoughts, sweat began to drip from Neji's face.

Ever since his failed attempt at the Chunin Exams, Neji devoted almost every waking hour to training. Neji constantly pushed himself to his limits, struggling to catch up with Sasuke.

Despite this vigorous training, Neji was still stuck in the shadow of his rival, he was nothing compared to Sasuke. This was a realization that continuously bore down on Neji, filling the young Hyuga with anger and resentment.

In the past, Neji always looked down on the Uchiha, judging them for their failed revolution, and their extinction. But his recent defeat against Sasuke was a crushing blow to Neji's ego, shattering his previous view of the Uchiha.

As these deep thoughts continued to stretch through Neji's mind, Kakuzu was abruptly smacked by a massive green cocoon. This slimy object then exploded on impact, releasing a horrendous swarm of insects, consuming Kakuzu.

"Oh yea, baby! Look at me now!" Fuu shouted from atop a kiosk.

While speaking, Fuu waved both arms in unison before erupting into a loose dance, occasionally swishing her minty green hair. After dancing for several moments, Tobi quickly mimicked Fuu's actions, swaying both arms with a carefree attitude.

"I just defeated Kakuzu!" As Fuu shouted, she continued to dance.

Soon, various outlines dashed into view across a distant street, revealing a group of twelve Taki shinobi. Each of these ninja were wrapped in a bright collection of ocean blue and forest green, blending in with their surroundings.

"Where's lord Shibuki!?" A veteran Chunin spoke out while running down the street.

"His job is to protect the Hero's Water." Senji replied, causing the face of Hisen to briefly float through his mind.

"Our job is to secure this village, and find Fuu!" After speaking, Senji was met with an approving chorus.

As this group of Taki shinobi continued to advance, the sound of stomping feet echoed through the nearby streets. Each of these shinobi then dashed out of sight, racing towards the battlefield.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Faint rays of sunlight occasionally pierced the surface of a deep lake, illuminating the silhouette of Shibuki. The 4th Sukage was swimming underneath the water's surface, floating towards an array of tree roots.

These roots were massive, stretching out from the dark below like a pair of wooden tentacles. This was the foundation for the Sacred Tree, a mountain-sized tree that hid the entire village of Taki under its branches.

Utilizing the forbidden knowledge that his father gifted to him, Shibuki quickly swam through a secret passage in these roots. This hidden tunnel eventually led to a secluded cave, filled with numerous roots that jutted out in different directions.

Soon, Shibuki approached a small island before walking out of the water, staring at an ornate wooden shrine. Afterwards, Shibuki took a brief pause while clenching both fists, struggling to contain his anxiety.

Shibuki then took several steps forward before reaching out with both hands, opening the wooden shrine. This revealed a pristine jug, contained with transparent glass and filled with crystal clear water.

This water caused the face of Hisen to slowly drift through Shibuki's mind, forcing the young Sukage to briefly stagger. Shibuki then reached out with one hand before snagging the Hero's Water, a sacred relic of his village.

Despite his previous anxiety, the 4th Sukage raised the Hero's Water in front of his face, holding it with both hands. An extensive silence then filled the cave as Shibuki glared at the glass jar, staring at the scared liquid.

As this silence continued to ripple through the cave, the smiling face of Hisen slowly phased into view, reflecting off the Hero's Water. This revelation forced each of Shibuki's hands to tightly clench the glass jug, filled with regret.

"Father... You were always a better man than me, you were a better Sukage..." Shibuki muttered.

"If you were here, you would save our village. You wouldn't run and hide." While speaking, Shibuki began to tremble.

Shibuki lived his entire life sheltered by the blood of heroes, heroes like his father and Senji. Now, it was time for Shibuki to do the same, but he couldn't take that final step, he couldn't put his life on the line.

"I'm afraid, father... I'm afraid and I don't know if I can do it." As Shibuki spoke, his entire body was shaking.

"I'm nothing compared to you. I'm nothing without you... I can't be the man you were. I can't be the hero you were." These words carried tremendous weight, knocking Shibuki onto both knees.

Shibuki then stared at the ground for several minutes, daydreaming about his childhood, and his life with Hisen. While this occurred, Shibuki didn't even notice the pale outline of Sasuke, standing on a nearby root.

Suddenly, Shibuki squealed like a girl after Sasuke landed beside, forcing the 4th Sukage to fall on his back. This abrupt appearance also knocked the Hero's Water from Shibuki's hand, causing the object to dramatically hover through the air.

After landing on his backside, Shibuki gasped with panic while staring at the Hero's Water, a sacred heirloom from his father. After gasping for several moments, Sasuke casually snagged the Hero's Water with one hand.

"What's the big deal with this thing? Why go through so much effort to hide it?" Sasuke asked.

While speaking, each of Sasuke's blue eyes were focused on the Hero's Water, swaying the liquid back and forth. This forced Shibuki to scream with protest before jumping onto both feet, grabbing the sacred water with a concerned expression.

"You fool! What are you doing here!? This shrine is forbidden to outsiders! Only the Sukage are allowed here!" Shibuki shouted.

Instead of responding, Sasuke briefly glared at Shibuki with his snake-like eyes, causing the 4th Sukage to stagger. Afterwards, Shibuki downcast his face while both arms began to twitch, struggling with his anxiety.

"That jug you're holding, it just looks like an ordinary bottle of water to me." Sasuke muttered.

"It is... But this water is drawn from the sacred tree, only once every one hundred years." Shibuki explained.

"It's the Hero's Water, and protecting it is the most sacred duty for all Sukage." As Shibuki spoke, his tone was extremely depressed.

"Why? What's so important about it?" Sasuke interrupted.

As this conversation unfolded, Shibuki continued to rest on both knees while shaking, clasping the Hero's Water with both hands. Soon, Shibuki began to hyperventilate, anxious from the deep shadow of his father

"Whoever drinks this water will have their chakra increased by ten fold, maybe even more..." Shibuki proclaimed, straining to speak.

Because of this, the Hero's Water was a sacred relic inside the village of Taki, handed down from Sukage to Sukage. In the village of Taki, their Kage were minor and insignificant, dwarfed by the iconic Hokage in strength and skill.

The Land of Waterfalls was stuck in the shadow of all major nations, and this was a realization that constantly bore down on Taki. Even with Chōmei, the seven tails, the village of Taki was still far behind the major villages.

"My village doesn't have any great shinobi like your Hokage... So in times of desperation, our Sukage relied on the Hero's Water to defend us." While speaking, the silhouette of Hisen slowly drifted through Shibuki's mind.

"During the last shinobi war, the Hero's Water allowed my father to single-handedly save our village..." As Shibuki spoke, his hands continued to tremble.

"But the water carries a terrible price... Whoever drinks it, will have their lifespan cut in half." These words created a tense silence, pierced only by Shibuki's trembling.

"My father... He... He wasn't a young man, and the Hero's Water only made it worse." After speaking, Shibuki earned a solemn scoff from Sasuke.

This sound caused Shibuki to glance up, staring at the pale and snake-like outline of Sasuke, illuminated by a pair of blue eyes. Despite their reptilian appearance, Sasuke's eyes radiated a tranquil expression, soothing Shibuki.

"You talk too much." Sasuke mumbled.

"Your father sounds like a good man... But so was mine, and you don't see me crying about it." While speaking, Sasuke's right hand combed his black hair.

Soon, the stern face of Fugaku Uchiha drifted through Sasuke's mind, causing him to briefly pause. At the same time, Shibuki gained a strange sense of inspiration from Sasuke's words, calming his breath.

As Shibuki glared at Sasuke, the Uchiha quickly poked his forehead with two fingers, stunning the 4th Sukage. Both of these shinobi then glanced into each other's eyes, eyes that deeply contrasted one another.

"You're supposed to be a hero." As Sasuke spoke, he scratched the bridge of his nose.

"You're acting like a little kid, grow up and defend your village." As Sasuke spoke, a blank expression was spread across his face.

"Bu-... But what if I fail! What if my father's sacrifice was for nothing!" Shibuki protested.

This declaration forced Sasuke to sigh before turning around, causing both of Shibuki's eyes to twitch. Afterwards, Sasuke waved his right hand through the air before walking away.

"You keep talking about your father, but you never try to act like him." Sasuke muttered.

"Action speaks louder than words... Don't talk about it, be about it." After speaking, Sasuke vanished from sight, consumed by nearby shadows.

Shibuki then glared at the Hero's Water, a sacred liquid that was reflecting his father's face. This image easily overwhelmed the 4th Sukage, forcing him to bite his lower lip before sweating.

Father... If you were here... A single thought rippled through Shibuki's mind, dragging him further into despair.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A group of four Taki shinobi were hovering in the air before Kakuzu back-handed each of them, knocking them to the ground. This brought attention to Kakuzu's slime-covered outfit, partially eaten by a swarm of insects.

As this battle progressed, Lee was standing in the background, illuminated by a tangible aura of green chakra. Also, numerous veins were bulging across Lee's neck and face, a result of the 2nd gate, the Gate of Healing.

This aura of chakra created a minor gust of air that rippled out in all directions, causing Lee's hair to slightly rustle. During this, Tobi was effortlessly dodging a barrage of kunai, shuriken and jutsu all at once.

"We just can't hit him!" Tenten exclaimed while dashing over various rooftops.

As Tenten advanced, she was surrounded by a small group of Taki shinobi, aiding in the defense of their village. However, Tobi casually phased through each of these shinobi, dodging their attacks without even trying.

"Don't go breaking my heart!" Tobi sung while side-stepping a kunai.

"You couldn't if you tried!" While singing, Tobi briefly waved his butt.

Soon, Tobi broke out into a dramatic dance before Neji charged towards him, thrusting his flat right palm forward. This approaching palm garnished Tobi's attention, forcing him to stutter while waving both hands through the air.

Neji then abruptly phased through Tobi's body before faceplanting the ground, causing a distant Tenten to gasp. Afterwards, Neji grinded his teeth together while staring at the ground, disturbed by Tobi's display.

Uchiha. Uchiha. Uchiha... Why is it always an Uchiha? Neji asked himself.

After thinking these thoughts, Neji glanced up at Tobi, examining the aura of red chakra that swelled around his Mangekyō Sharingan. While observing Tobi's chakra network, Neji grinded his fingers across the rooftop, disappointed in himself.

"Tobi! Get serious!" Kakuzu howled.

Suddenly, a swarm of insects ruptured out from the ground before swallowing Kakuzu, concealing him from view. The joyful silhouette of Fuu then jumped into view, cheering and praising herself.

"Yes! It's time to end this!" Lee declared with a youthful tone.

Lee then slammed each of his wrist weights together, shattering the locks before they fell to the ground. Upon impact, a geyser of dirt and debris erupted into the air, briefly consuming Lee before he charged into view.

While surging forward, a gust of steam protruded from Lee's nose, drawing attention to his discolored and red skin. Also, Lee's feet created a minor crater with each step, cracking the nearby ground.

"The 3rd gate, Gate of Life. OPEN!" These words were magnified by a shockwave of green chakra.

This chakra radiated out in all directions, raising nearby rocks and pieces of debris into the air. Each of these rocks were then crumbled into dust, shattered under the weight of Lee's chakra.

This display of strength and speed forced nearby shinobi to become speechless, causing Fuu and Senji to both gasp. At the same time, Tenten and Neji both glanced at Lee, shocked by his rapid growth.

Kakuzu then grunted before swatting a handful of insects to the ground, groaning after he noticed Lee. This realization caused Kakuzu to narrow each of his discolored eyes, forcing on the bandaged outline of Lee.

Despite Lee's extreme speed, Tobi instantly phased behind him before grabbing his foot, shocking everyone with his speed. Tobi then hurled Lee through a nearby wall of stone, cracking the hard surface before collapsing on Lee.

"Senpai! Don't worry! I'm super duper cereal!" Tobi spoke out before saluting his teammate.

At this moment, Senji unsheathed his green tinted katana before charging through the background. After running for several seconds, Senji slashed his blade towards Kakuzu, slicing the sharpened object in a horizontal slash.

This approaching blade was then effortlessly shattered by Kakuzu's hardened arm, creating an explosion of sparks and steel. Kakuzu then grabbed Senji's throat before lifting him into the air, groaning with annoyance.

As Kakuzu continued to grumble, Tobi giggled with delight before phasing through Fuu, Tenten and several Jounin. Afterwards, Tobi entered a dramatic stance, holding both of his glove-covered hands into the air.

"I hope you all have milk... Because we're about to get cereal." As Tobi spoke, he was partially consumed by an eerie shadow.

"Tobi, don't kill them. We need to find the Hero's Water first." Kakuzu interrupted.

This declaration forced Tobi to dramatically sigh, causing Fuu and Tenten to both tense with anticipation. At the same time, several Taki shinobi were standing in the background, staring at Senji.

"Lord Shibuki would never hand over that water!" A bandaged Chunin shouted out.

"Yea! Lord Shibuki would pour that water out before giving it up!" A random Jounin screamed with distain.

"If Shibuki was a real man, he might do something like that." Kakuzu groaned, insulting the 4th Sukage.

This statement caused Fuu to tightly clench both fists, fully aware that Kakuzu was telling the truth. Shibuki was always a quiet child, he was always timid and anxious, he couldn't even beat Fuu in a Taijutsu match.

"Taki is a joke. This village is a pathetic shadow of its former glory." After speaking, Kakuzu hurled Senji against a nearby wall.

"This village hasn't had a real leader in months, not since Hisen died." As Kakuzu spoke, he crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"Shibuki is nothing but a coward." While speaking, Kakuzu didn't even notice the concealed outline of Shibuki.

Shibuki was crouched behind a distant stone wall, partially collapsed and surrounded by debris on all sides. The 4th Sukage held the Hero's Water with both hands, pressing the sacred jar against his chest.

While holding this jar, the transparent face of Hisen was reflecting off the Hero's Water, smiling at his son. Because of this image, both of Shibuki's hands began to tremble, clasping the Hero's Water with a tight grip.

As Shibuki struggled with his anxiety, Senji was propped against a nearby wall, covered with dirt and debris. Also, Tenten and Neji both loomed in the background, standing between a small group of Taki ninja.

"You're right..." Senji whispered, forcing Shibuki to quietly gasp.

So, it's true... Senji never believed in me. Shibuki concluded.

My people respect me, they follow me. But they don't believe in me, not like they believed in you, father.  As these thoughts progressed, Shibuki's entire body began to shake.

Suddenly, Shibuki briefly thought about fleeing the village, he thought about taking the Hero's Water and running away. While thinking these thoughts, the face of Hisen continued to reflect off the Hero's Water.

"That is what a coward would do. But not Shibuki." Senji interrupted, causing both of Shibuki's eyes to bulge.

"Shibuki is special, he works hard and puts effort into everything he does." As Senji spoke, his words left Shibuki completely speechless.

"Sure, he messes up sometimes, and he gets scared easily... But that only makes him stronger." These words left a small smile across Senji's face.

At this moment, a stream of tears slowly dripped from Shibuki's face, staining the transparent image of his father. During this, Shibuki bit his lower lip while sniffling, struggling to contain his emotions.

"That's what makes him great, that's what separates him from traitors like you." While speaking, Senji glared at Kakuzu with both eyes.

"So you're wrong, he's nothing like a coward. Shibuki is the 4th Sukage, and a hero to our village." After speaking, nearby shinobi spoke out with agreement.

"Yea! You'll be in big trouble once lord Shibuki get's here!" A young kunoichi cut in, a fresh Chunin from Taki.

"Lord Shibuki is on his way right now! He's going to end you!" A random Jounin proclaimed.

These declaration's completely shocked Fuu, forcing a distant Shibuki to cry like a baby, staining the nearby ground. While crying, Shibuki continued to stare at the Hero's Water, focused on the transparent image of Hisen.

Father, they believe in me... Just like I believed in you. A single thought echoed through Shibuki's mind.

The face of Hisen then abruptly faded from view, quickly replaced by Shibuki's own face, drawing attention to his black eyes. Afterwards, an extended period of silence filled the air, pierced only by Shibuki's deep thoughts.

What would you think of me... Right now, dad? After thinking these thoughts, Shibuki tightly clenched the Hero's Water.

"I don't care about your sentiments, I care about the Hero's Water." Kakuzu grumbled before taking several steps forward.

This approaching silhouette disturbed each of the nearby Taki shinobi, fully aware of Kakuzu's deep past and history. As these shinobi briefly hesitated, Neji and Tenten rushed past all of them.

Tenten then thrust her unique stave through the air at various angles, directed towards Kakuzu. However, Tobi jumped in front of this stave before casually dodging each of her attacks.

Tobi then giggled like a girl as Neji and Tenten struck out towards him multiple times, occasionally spanking his own butt. But these Genin missed all of their attacks while Tobi continued to laugh, as if he was playing a game.

Soon, Neji scoffed with annoyance before thrusting both palms out several times, bombarding the air with concentrated chakra. This was the result of Eight Trigrams: Air Palm, a recent technique that Neji learned in his struggle to surpass Sasuke.

Despite his aggressive training, Neji failed each of his attacks while Tobi continued to laugh. This comedic reaction created a disgusted scowl across Neji's face, disappointed in himself.

No matter how far I go, I'm still nothing to him. Neji concluded, focusing on the transparent memory of Sasuke.

This realization caused Neji to swell with envy, increasing his speed while both eyes slowly narrowed. During this, Tobi and Neji were moving with such high speeds that Tenten couldn't even keep up.

I'm a Hyuga… I'm a part of the greatest living clan in Konoha... While thinking these thoughts, Neji continued his battle against Tobi, missing all attacks.

From the moment of my birth, I was destined for glory... These thoughts were quickly muffled as Neji grinded his teeth together.

So why? Why can't I hit him? A single thought echoed through Neji's mind.

Recently, Neji had become fanatically obsessed with Tobi's Sharingan eye, an eye beyond anything he ever saw before. Tobi had reached a level of visual prowess that was completely unheard of by Neji.

Not again. Not again... Not an Uchiha. As these thoughts progressed, Neji's Byakugan began to throb.

Suddenly, Neji's surroundings were polluted by a black void before halting his advance, earning an innocent giggle from Tobi. After a brief pause, Neji envisioned himself in the center of a large Eight Trigram symbol, colored bright green.

Each of Neji's feet then slid across the dirt-covered road, rushing towards the masked silhouette of Tobi. While this occurred, Tobi grabbed both sides of his mask, gasping with a dramatic tone.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji's voice pierced the air.

As this battle continued to progress, Kakuzu was casually walking in the background, strolling towards Senji. While walking, Kakuzu back-handed several shinobi from Taki, effortlessly defeating their top Jounin.

Senji then spent several moments trying to stand up, but his left leg was completely shattered, a side-effect of his extreme age. While Senji struggled, the petite outline of Fuu was running towards him, forcing her minty hair to waver in the wind.

Even though Fuu was dashing at full speed, Kakuzu easily noticed her before grumbling, clearly annoyed. Afterwards, Kakuzu's right hand reached out before grabbing Fuu's hair and lifting her into the air.

Kakuzu's brutality pulled several strands of green hair loose, floating to the ground before contrasting the dirt. During this, Fuu was repetitively kicking Kakuzu, earning no reaction in response.

"Stop moving, I need you alive." Kakuzu muttered.

Instead of responding with words, Fuu tilted her neck sideways before biting Kakuzu's arm, releasing a collection of toxic venom. This corrosive substance then quickly spread throughout Kakuzu's right arm, causing it to become green and discolored.

This lethal poison was a unique ability of Chōmei, an insect-like poison that was comprised of chakra-filled green acid. Because of this, Kakuzu screamed with pain before staggering backwards, dropping Fuu to the ground.

While screaming, Kakuzu fell down on one knee as his right arm began to bubble and contort, boiling from the inside. After screaming for several minutes, Kakuzu casually ripped his arm off before throwing it to the ground.

Soon, Kakuzu appeared beside Fuu before towering over her, raising his left leg into the air. Afterwards, a tense silence filled the air before Kakuzu grunted, shoving his foot towards the ground.

At this moment, a sparkling tornado of water instantly ruptured from the ground, capturing Kakuzu's attention. This swirling vortex then surged across the ground, tearing through Kakuzu's outfit before slamming him against a nearby wall.

This sudden appearance caused each of the nearby shinobi to gasp, forcing Tenten to abruptly freeze. At the same time, Lee popped his head out from a distant pile of rubble, covered in dirt and debris.

As this tornado of chakra swished across the road, Tobi jumped on top of Neji's shoulder before running away. This masked shinobi then landed in the dirt-covered street, partially crouched by Kakuzu.

After several moments, everyone was staring at the chakra-filled tornado, shocked and surprised by such a powerful technique. This whirlwind then abruptly dissipated, revealing the chakra-covered silhouette of Shibuki.

Shibuki was completely engulfed with a tangible aura of blue chakra, creating minor gusts of wind that radiated out in all directions. Also, this chakra caused Shibuki's hair, outfit and headband to violently rustle.

"Let my villager's go, traitor." Shibuki spat out, revealing his darkened face.

"You've been waiting for me, right?! Well, here I am!" As Shibuki spoke, the road cracked under his chakra.

"Lord Shibuki!" Several ninja from Taki shouted in unison.

After several moments, Fuu became speechless after noticing Shibuki's face, the face of a stern and confident Sukage. This facial expression was also noticed by Senji, forcing his elderly jawline to fall open.

"Uuh-...?!" Senji gasped as multiple gusts of wind bombarded his face.

Is that... Is that really Shibuki?! Fuu asked herself.

"Damnit..." Kakuzu muttered before faceplanting the ground, battling with Chōmei's fierce poison.

"SENPAI!" Tobi howled with a demonic tone, extending both arms to the sky.

Suddenly, Tobi snapped his neck at an impossible angle before glaring at Shibuki, causing his Sharingan to briefly sparkle. Afterwards, Tobi charged down the road at full speed, shattering the earth with each step.

As Tobi advanced, a random Jounin jumped in front of him before slashing his kunai through the air. However, Tobi phased through this object before punching the Jounin in his stomach.

This impact forced dozens of wooden branches to rupture from the Jounin's body, flinging him backwards with force. During this, Tobi continued to scream and howl, continuously shouting the word "Senpai".

Was... Was that-... Wood Style?! Neji panicked.

This limp Jounin then collided against the ground before rolling for several feet, stopping in front of Shibuki's feet. This revelation created a deep scowl across Shibuki's face, causing the 4th Sukage to surge forward.

Soon, a swirling blade of water and wind erupted into existence, held between each of Shibuki's hands. This weapon was the result of Hidden Waterfall Style: Water Slicing Blade, a secret A-rank technique that was known only by the Sukage.

Shibuki then swung his secret blade forward, completely phasing through Tobi, as if he wasn't even there. Because of this, Tobi leapt into the air before brutally kicking Shibuki, releasing an emotional howl on impact.

This harsh attack caused Shibuki to flip, skip and roll across the road before slamming against a pile of trashcans. The dramatic shrieks of Tobi then continuously pierced the air, crying over his senpai.

After several moments, the dirt-covered silhouette of Lee came into view, drawing attention to his damaged outfit. Despite this, Lee narrowed each of his bushy eyebrows, drawing attention to his black eyes.

"Taste my youth!" Lee taunted before extending his left foot towards Tobi.

As Lee advanced, Tenten jumped over a collapsed cart before raising her stave into the air, briefly hovering for several seconds. While this occurred, Neji sprinted into view, covered with a thin layer of sweat, dirt and debris.

"Team Guy, attack!" Tenten cheered.

This declaration encouraged all three Genin to strike out at Tobi in unison, utilizing their vigorous training with Guy. However, each of these Genin accidently phased through Tobi, knocking each of them away with ease

Neji then flew into a brief moment of panic after hitting the ground, staring directly into Tobi's Mangekyō Sharingan. This stark appearance caused Neji's heart to abruptly race, forcing him to grab his chest with both hands.

Neji's entire world then slowed down to a grinding halt, struggling to breath and unable to move. During this, the smiling face of Hizashi was floating through Neji's mind, cause his jawline to fall open.

Hizashi was the 32 year old father to Neji, and a loyal member of the Hyuga clan, despite their harsh treatment of him. However, Hizashi died over nine years ago, sacrificing his life so Hiashi, Hinata's father, could live.

This tragic death was a defining moment for Neji's childhood, giving him a deep resentment for Hinata and her father as a whole. But Neji never lost his determination, he was going to become a great man and an even greater shinobi, just like his father.

Usually, this train of thought would reinvigorate Neji, filling him with strength and resolve, for the glory of the Hyuga. But Neji was still panicking over Tobi's eye, a crimson red Sharingan that stared directly into his soul.

Is this... Is this it?! Neji internally panicked as Tobi reached for him.

Neji was then overwhelmed by a new emotion, the crippling sensation of fear and death. Because of this, Neji's breath became violent and staggered, continuously grabbing his chest.

At this moment, a chaotic explosion of dust and debris rippled into existence, polluting the streets of Taki from view. At the same time, several shinobi jumped onto a pair of nearby rooftops, partially covered in dirt.

While this debris permeated the air, the harsh groans of Kakuzu could be heard, grinding his elderly teeth together. Soon, Kakuzu's left hand reached into his own chest before pulling out a poisoned heart, discolored and dying.

Without a second of hesitation, Kakuzu brutally crushed this heart, creating a bloody eruption of tissue and flesh. Afterwards, the rogue shinobi grumbled with an aggressive tone while standing up.

Suddenly, the dense collection of dust and debris finally dissipated, revealing a shocked Neji, sitting on the ground. Also, a sparkling collection of black flames were sprawled across the road, popping and cracking.

"I already told you... You're my students now, so I'll take care you." Sasuke mumbled with a casual tone.

While speaking, Sasuke held Lee underneath one arm while Tenten was resting over his shoulder. Sasuke then reached out before poking Neji's headband with two fingers, briefly stunning the young Hyuga.

As Sasuke hovered over Neji, a pair of crimson Sharingan occasionally flickered into view, allowing Neji to focus on his unique eyes. Unlike the normal Sharingan, Sasuke's eyes had evolved beyond the three tomoe, reaching a level that was far beyond Neji.

Sasuke had acquired the Mangekyō Sharingan, a pinnacle of Doijutsu that was basically a legend among the Uchiha. This was a realization that completely stunned Neji, shocked by the strange pattern of Sasuke's eyes.

A vast collection of Taki shinobi also glared at Sasuke in unison, intently focused on his Konoha headband and Sharingan eyes. This sudden appearance was soon noticed by Senji and Fuu, staring at Sasuke's pale skin and outfit.

The chakra-covered silhouette of Shibuki then sprang into view, leaping out from a pile of rubble. After briefly hesitating, this elite Sukage finally noticed Sasuke, catching a glimpse of his crimson red eyes.

"Enough talk. I'll finish this." Kakuzu groaned with hostility.

Kakuzu then took several steps forward as his previous wounds slowly stitched themselves up, healing his immortal body. Afterwards, Tobi's left hand abruptly grabbed Kakuzu's shoulder, earning a disgruntled sigh in response.

A swirling vortex then protruded out from Tobi's Sharingan, swallowing Kakuzu's entire body with ease. As this occurred, each of the nearby shinobi were left speechless, disturbed by Tobi's strange technique.

"Naaah! Senpai should calm down." Tobi chuckled with the wave of his hand.

After speaking, Tobi's personality took a jarring shift, causing his back to straighten while both shoulders became flat. During this, Tobi's crimson red Sharingan intently focused on Sasuke, forcing both of their eyes to meet.

"I've seen enough, later." A deep voice echoed from behind Tobi's mask, a voice that wasn't his own.

After speaking, Tobi's entire body was completely swallowed by a swirling vortex, drawing everything towards his visible eye. Tobi's crimson red eye then continuously glared at Sasuke before fading from view.

This revelation forced a tense silence to fill the air, drawing attention to Sasuke's solemn face. After quietly scoffing, Sasuke narrowed both eyes, focused on the distinct memory of Tobi's eye, a Mangekyō Sharingan.

* * *

 _Two days later._

The iconic sound of hammers striking wood could be heard, radiating out from a large construction crew. This crowd was working on a damaged street in Taki, cheered on by several kids in the background.

"So, you'll be my friend!?" Fuu jumped for joy.

"Definitely!" Tenten remarked with a wide smile.

This declaration inspired Fuu to squeal, wrapping both arms around Tenten before waving her through the air. During this, Neji and Lee both stood in the background, displaying a different reaction for Tenten's predicament.

"This is unnecessary." Neji muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I like it! It makes my youth burn!" Lee interrupted before dramatically clenching his right fist.

As this conversation unfolded, Sasuke was leisurely sitting atop a nearby roof, staring at his students. This created a brief pause before Shibuki walked into view, garnishing Sasuke's attention.

"My village owes you a lot, outsider. I owe you." Shibuki proclaimed, devoid of his previous anxiety.

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke scoffed before standing up.

Suddenly, Shibuki extended his right hand out while smiling, offering a friendly handshake to Sasuke. Because of this, Sasuke shrugged both shoulders before shaking Shibuki's hand.

While each of these shinobi stood in front of the other, a dense gust of wind blew across the village of Taki. This breeze was empowered by a wave of floating leaves, slowly drifting through the air, muffled by the distinct sound of nearby waterfalls.

"If Konoha ever needs us, if the Uchiha ever needs us. Taki will follow." Shibuki spoke with a noble tone.

"Good to know, I'll make sure my Hokage hears about this. We'll get the appropriate paperwork signed." Sasuke exclaimed.

Soon, Lee, Neji and Tenten all surged down the road in unison, dashing and leaping over several construction workers. While this occurred, Fuu was cheering for each of these Genin, encouraging her new friends.

"Sensei! We're racing back home!" Lee shouted with a youthful voice.

"Last one there has to buy lunch!" Tenten cut in with a mischievous grin.

This declaration earned a defeated sigh from Sasuke, facepalming his right hand before Shibuki laughed in response. At the same time, Senji was standing in the background, staring up at his Sukage with pride.

Hisen… He's finally done it. Shibuki has finally surpassed you. Senji declared, celebrating the Hero of Taki.


	97. Chapter 97

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: GunBlade2019 - Tenten is (subjectively) the most wasted character throughout the entire canon series of Naruto. Canon Tenten is the worst member of the Konoha 12, she's worse than Hinata, and that says something.**

 **Tenten was dreadfully under-developed in canon, she was basically just a cock-sleeve for Neji/Lee. But that makes no sense, Tenten trained more than Ino, Hinata and Sakura combined, she trained daily.**

 **Tenten's dream is to become a strong and powerful kunoichi, just like Tsunade. Because of this, I'm trying to respect Tenten, something Kishimoto never did. (I should note, Tenten is Kishimoto's favorite girl out of the Konoha 12.)**

 **Tenten is the Tien of Naruto, they both have a lot of Chinese aesthetics and themes, set in a Japanese era. Since Japan loves committing ethnic war crimes against the Chinese, Tenten/Tien both got shafted.**

 **Also, Kakuzu and Tobi infiltrated Taki for Fuu, but they got distracted by Sasuke and the Hero's Water. They didn't go there to fight Sasuke, or to fight Shibuki, they went there specifically for Fuu.**

 **Overall, the Land of Waterfalls arc had nothing to do with Naruto, our main character. But, it allowed me to introduce a nation, a Kage, a J** **inchūriki and develop Team Sasuke all at the same time.**

 **It's an extremely short arc, just like the Will of Fire arc (Konohamaru's arc) but I really enjoyed writing it. These short arc's allow me to better flesh out the world, developing side characters and nations.**

 **Tenellis - I shall.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 97: Awaken: Leviathan Of The Deep! Two Becomes Three.**

 _Saturday 6:39pm, July 17th 58SSP._

Faint rays of the setting sun were shining down on a bright ocean, filled with several waves, crashing against each other. Soon, the iron silhouette of an advanced ship came into view, powered by steam but guided by sails.

These sails were adorned with the iconic seal of the Kazahana clan, a lasting heirloom from Princess Koyuki. Also, dozens of crew members were traveling on the iron ship, escorting the vessel to safety.

This ship had just entered Byakuren's Strait, a narrow trading route between the Land of Tea and the Land of Water. Despite the close proximity of nearby coastlines, this strait was an extremely popular trading route, the main passage into the southern realm.

"This is taking forever..." Kahyō muttered, sprawled atop a wooden crate.

After speaking, the distinct sound of laughter could be heard, radiating out from the nearby ocean. This water was polluted by Paku and Karin, playing atop the ocean's surface.

Paku was sitting atop a partially frozen disc, gently floating above the water while washing her hair. As this occurred, Karin was leisurely backstroking across the water's surface, humming with a carefree tone.

This brought attention to Karin's outfit, a loose collection of black shorts and a blue shirt, matching the ocean. At the same time, Paku wore a white crop top and black shorts, exposing her pale-skinned stomach.

"Nah, I like it! I didn't know water could be warm!" Paku chuckled.

As this couple continued to play in the ocean, Gaara, Jūgo and Naruto came into view, seated around a wooden table. These traveling friends were enjoying a late afternoon snack, eating together.

"I've never had this before, what's it called again?" Jūgo spoke out, swallowing a mouthful of noodles.

"Ramen. I always carry some with me." Naruto explained, muffled from all the food in his mouth.

While Naruto continued to gorge himself on food, Gaara was casually eating a sandwich in the background. After several minutes of quietly eating, the silhouette of Tayuya dashed into view, running across the wooden deck.

As Tayuya ran, several rays of sunlight briefly illuminated her outfit, a cozy collection of sleepwear. This soft attire was a gift from Princess Koyuki, blending in with Tayuya's fluffy otter hat.

"This is ridiculous! We've been on this boat for over two weeks already! I want off!" Tayuya complained, scowling with rage.

Because of her delicate outfit, Tayuya's enraged face completely contrasted her innocent otter hat. During this, Tayuya held both arms across her flat chest, tapping her left foot in protest.

"Two weeks down, one too go. The Land of Waves is pretty far away." Naruto replied, earning a dramatic scoff in response.

"Why are we going there again?" Tayuya muttered with a yawn.

This declaration caused the wet outline of Paku to rupture into view, poking her head over Tayuya's shoulder. At the same time, Kahyō was facepalming in the background, shaking her head from side-to-side.

"Because the Land of Waves has a shinobi village now, even I know that!" Paku interrupted, dripping water from her hair and cloths, staining Tayuya's face.

As Paku spoke, Tayuya began to boil with each word, eventually growing into an enraged growl, grinding her teeth together. As this occurred, Karin climbed atop the wooden deck, squeezing the water from her spiky red hair.

"Sokka wants to improve relations between our villages." Kahyō remarked, displaying a noble tone and posture.

Suddenly, Paku wrapped her soaking wet arm around Kahyō's shoulder, pulling her close with an innocent giggle. This earned a brief protest from Kahyō, but she was easily overwhelmed by Paku.

"And we're the dream team for that! We'll improve those relations, for sure!" Paku cheered.

"I don't care about that! My nerd is looking for jinchūriki, not some lame trade deal!" Tayuya scoffed.

This statement captured the attention of a soaking wet Karin, inspiring the youthful kunoichi to rush into view. Afterwards, Karin casually sat down in Naruto's lap, coughing into her left hand before whistling.

"Speaking of jinchūriki... I've been reading some of your books..." Karin whispered, poking Naruto's face.

"Apparently, jinchūriki have a lot of stamina... What kind of stamina?" While speaking, Karin played with Naruto's whiskers.

"Whore!" Tayuya screamed, throwing her otter hat against Karin's face.

This abrupt collision knocked Karin to the ground, releasing a hostile grunt before rubbing her head. At the same time, Jūgo and Gaara continued to sit in the background, eating a mouthful of food.

"Naruto, does she always act like this?" Jūgo asked, huddled atop a wooden bench.

"Yea. But I think she's really cute." Naruto mumbled in response.

After hearing these words, Tayuya leapt onto the nearby table before snorting with protest. This exposed a deep blush across Tayuya's face, partially concealed by rage and embarrassment.

"Okay, okay - first of all! First of all! I'm not cute, okay?!" Tayuya stuttered.

"I'm fierce, I'm intimidating and, and - I'm just an overall badass." While speaking, Tayuya used her fingers to count.

As Tayuya spoke, she casually stood atop the food-filled table, cluttered with noodles and sushi. During this, Karin was muttering several words in the background, speaking under her breath.

Suddenly, Tayuya kicked Naruto's food away before standing on her tippy toes, towering over him. An abrupt shift then spread across Tayuya's face, creating a deep scowl before growling at Naruto.

At this moment, Naruto shoved a fluffy biscuit into Tayuya's mouth, briefly stunning the young kunoichi. This also brought attention to Paku, shaking the water from her blue hair like a dog.

"Don't mind her, she's just hungry." Naruto explained with a weak grin.

"I'm hungry too! But you never feed me..." Karin muttered.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya snarled in protest before jumping off the table, creating a small thud. Afterwards, Tayuya charged forward while throwing various cups through the air, aiming for Karin.

After missing each of her attacks, Tayuya huffed with rage before tackling Karin, knocking both kunoichi over a nearby railing. This pair of red-haired girls then fell over-board, falling into the blue ocean below.

"Girls are weird." Gaara muttered, chewing on a fresh biscuit.

A loose ball of blue yawn then slowly rolled across the wooden deck, quickly chased by a white-furred cat. This tiny feline had several chakra-rods protruding out from her body, contrasting her Rinnegan eyes.

This strange cat were accompanied by the feathered silhouette of Shisui, waddling across floor with both talons. This unique bird was occasionally peaking the ground, drawing attention to his right eye, a vibrant Rinnegan.

Usually, Shisui was completely blind except for his left eye, a unique Sharingan that Itachi hid inside of him. However, the past few weeks brought a lot of change to Shisui, giving him a new and improved eye, a gift from Naruto.

Soon, Tayuya and Karin began to wrestle underneath the ocean's surface, pushing and shoving each other. After wrestling for several moments, Tayuya wrapped both arms around Karin before holding her in place.

As this pair of kunoichi continued to fight, a steady stream of bubbles slowly dripped from their mouth's. At the same time, a deep and dark abyss was sprawled across the bottomless ocean, devoid of all light.

Tayuya and Karin then poked their heads out from the ocean's surface, heavily gasping for air as they continued to wrestle. After regaining her breath, Tayuya pulled Karin below the crashing waves, trying to drown her.

A distorted outline then protruded out from the bottomless ocean, a tower of ornate coral that rose from the darkness. This revelation quickly garnished the attention of Karin and Tayuya, causing both of them to stare into the abyss.

This allowed both kunoichi to briefly notice the murky outline of a monstrous creature, swaying beneath the dark waves. This strange leviathan was defined by a pair of three shrimp-like tails, swishing through the shadows.

This gigantic appearance filled Tayuya with pure panic, swimming to the ocean's surface before screaming. While this occurred, Karin grabbed Tayuya's foot before clinging to her back, terrified.

"Nerd! NERD! NERD!" Tayuya screamed, calling Naruto like a scared girlfriend.

These anxious screams were quickly answered by a cloud of sand, hovering above the ocean's surface. This shifting sand was quickly filled by Karin and Tayuya, dripping water from their hair and cloths.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Naruto spoke out, standing atop a nearby railing.

"Spooky shrimp monster!" Karin and Tayuya both shouted in unison.

Suddenly, the iron hull of Koyuki's ship was abruptly pierced by dozens of coral towers, rising from the dark below. Afterwards, a tremendous tidal wave surged into view, rushing towards the iron ship.

This chaotic wave was quickly met by a tsunami of sand, easily overwhelmed by the chakra-filled water. Because of this, Koyuki's ship was bombarded by a harsh wave of water, washing several barrels and crates from view.

A tremendous explosion of water and chakra then ruptured out from the ocean's surface, soaring towards the sky. This obscene amount of water was enshrouded by a crimson red aura, a unique color of chakra.

As this chakra-filled eruption spewed through the air, a consecutive barrage of rain briefly rained down on Koyuki's ship. Also, this rain partially obscured Naruto and his friend's from view.

Soon, a crab-like gray shell jolted out from the ocean's surface, covered with dozens of spikes and protrusions. Three shrimp-like tails then swished into existence, surging into the air like pillars of stone.

This massive appearance created several waves that rippled out in all directions, crashing against Koyuki's ship. At the same time, the setting sun faded from view, disappearing behind the distant horizon.

A faint aura of darkness then briefly polluted the sky, muffled by the sound of crashing waves. The demonic squealing of an aquatic leviathan quickly followed, drawing attention to the hardened skull of Isobu, the three tails.

After shrieking, Isobu raised both of his hardened arms into the sky, creating multiple waves in the process. During this, Isobu's crimson left eye was repetitively twitching, glancing in several different directions.

"No one hurts my friends..." Gaara whispered, sprinting into view.

While running, various streams of sand began to pour from Gaara's gourd, floating around his body. Gaara then leapt onto this cloud of sand, soaring towards the early night sky.

"Does this type of stuff always happen?" Jūgo asked, holding his plate of food above the water.

Jūgo was then abruptly surrounded by Shisui and his feline companion, the newest and fluffiest member of Naruto's group. Each of these purple-eyed animals quickly devoured Jūgo's food, creating an exhausted expression across his face.

"No! No! Nooo!" Karin screamed with panic, scaling the side of Koyuki's ship.

"I don't like deep water!" Tayuya spat out, rushing past Karin before knocking her off.

"Get off of me! This is serious!" Kahyō shouted, wrestling with the wet outline of Paku.

"Calm down, learn to have fun!" Paku protested, shoving her friend under the water.

As these conversations unfolded, Naruto stood atop a nearby railing, gazing into the crimson eye of Isobu. This massive tailed beast held his right eye closed at all times, a safety precaution.

Isobu's most prominent trait was his crimson red underbelly, matching his left eye in color and tone. Also, Isobu's mouth was covered by a harden jawline of turtle-shell, protecting a vast amount of his face.

Suddenly, Gaara clapped both hands together, forcing several pillars of sand to merge into existence. Each of these pillars then surged through the air, crashing down against Isobu's harden shell.

Despite the power of Gaara's attack, his sand was effortlessly shattered under the weight of Isobu's chakra. Even though Isobu had no jinchūriki, his rabid and uncontrolled power was still far beyond Gaara.

Infact, without a jinchūriki, Isobu was basically just a mindless beast, terrorizing the ocean as a mountain-sized behemoth. This was the natural state for all tailed beasts, a collection of giants and gods.

A chaotic explosion of red chakra then rippled through the air, magnified by the passionate screams of Isobu. This explosion was quickly followed by a fierce shockwave, sprawling across the ocean's surface.

At this moment, Gaara briefly gasped before being hit by Isobu's right hand, covered with a hardened turtle shell. This impact easily overwhelmed Gaara's sand, knocking him through the air for several feet.

While flying backwards, Gaara crashed through a dense wave before sliding across the ocean's surface. Soon, Gaara was completely concealed with view, covered by a dense layer of crashing waves.

The pale hand of Naruto then plunged into the dark ocean, grabbing Gaara's collar before pulling him to the surface. While this occurred, Paku and Kahyō continued to wrestle in the background.

"Don't hurt him!" Naruto screamed with a panicked tone.

"Hurt him?! What about hurting me?" Gaara remarked.

While talking, several drops of water were continuously dripping from Gaara's hair, gourd and outfit. During this, the feathered-silhouette of Shisui came into view, flying in circles overhead.

Suddenly, Gaara gasped after noticing Naruto's face, covered with a deep and foreboding frown, the expression of pain. This face was empowered by the mindless appearance of Isobu, rampaging through the nearby water.

"He's scared... He's afraid." Naruto mumbled.

"Well... Um, yea... I noticed that too." Gaara muttered while rubbing his forehead.

"But he's a five ton turtle, I don't speak his language." While talking, Gaara brushed the water from his hair.

This pair of jinchūriki hovered atop the ocean's surface for several minutes, staring at the massive silhouette of Isobu. This mindless tailed beast was violently trashing from side-to-side, spewing water in every direction.

As the demonic howls of Isobu continued to pierce the air, Naruto abruptly grabbed his stomach with both hands. At the same time, Gaara's forehead began to throb, radiating out from his red-inked seal.

 _-Inner World-_

A faint aura of candle light flicked into view, surrounding a kanji-like seal on the ground, covered with black ink. This seal was enveloped around a small collection of black tomoe symbols, six of them.

"You know, I've really enjoyed our time together." Shukaku chuckled, exposing his sand-covered face.

"It's like we're a family again, that's so sweet." After speaking, Shukaku giggled with a mischievous tone.

Shukaku was seated behind an ornate bundle of candles, illuminating the cursed markings across his large body. After revealing himself, Shukaku briefly laughed before tugging on his left ear.

"Shut up, I'm trying to nap." Kurama growled.

Kurama was sprawled across the nearby ground, laying on his stomach while crossing both arms in front of his snout. Also, several tails were leisurely swishing through the background, lined with orange-fur.

"Come on, don't be like that. You're technically my big brother." Shukaku remarked.

"That explains why I hate you so much." Kurama mumbled.

"Are you two still arguing? Some things never change." The timid voice of Isobu could be heard.

After speaking, a pair of nearby candles became engulfed with fire, illuminating the shell-covered face of Isobu. This three tailed beast was resting on his stomach, holding himself up with both hands.

"It's not my fault, Kurama is just so negative." Shukaku exclaimed, earning a hostile grunt in response.

"Kurama's just tired, you play too much, brother." Isobu cut in, showing great respect.

This declaration caused Kurama to harshly grunt before yawning, capturing the attention of his brothers. Afterwards, Kurama casually scratched his snout, shedding a small amount of orange fur.

"Life must be good for you, Isobu. You're free to roam around without a jinchūriki, I envy you." Kurama barked.

Instead of responding, Isobu lowered his dense skull, staring at the nearby candle light. While this occurred, Isobu briefly thought about the Sage of Six Paths, pondering his last words.

"Ever since Rin died... And then Yagura, I've been lost for so long." Isobu muttered, distracted by distant memories.

"You think I'm free, Kurama? I'm not free, I'm alone... I envy you." After speaking, Kurama scoffed in protest.

"Did you see him? Kurama's jinchūriki?" Shukaku interrupted with a wide grin.

Suddenly, Isobu nodded in agreement before glancing at Kurama, causing each of their crimson eyes to meet. During this, Shukaku scratched his sandy stomach with both hands, briefly laughing.

"He looks like dad, got the eyes and everything." As Shukaku spoke, Isobu and Kurama continued to glare at each other.

"Have you talked to him? Have you told him?" Isobu asked.

"Why would I talk to that runt? Why would I tell him anything? I won't bark and kneel like some trained dog." Kurama spat out.

This statement forced Isobu's left eye to narrowed, focused on the deep scowl across Kurama's face. Also, nearby candles began to flicker, reflecting across the outline of Shukaku, Isobu and Kurama.

"You'll have to tell him. Or I will." Isobu proclaimed.

A tense silence then polluted the air, muffled only by the sound of flickering flames and melting wax. After several moments of this, Kurama grunted with annoyance before laying down, ending the conversation.

 _-Real World-_

A cascading wall of ice quickly ruptured from the ocean's surface, engulfing the damaged hull of Koyuki's ship. Afterwards, Kahyō and Paku both leapt into view, standing atop the icy wall.

The panicked silhouette of Tayuya then ran through the background, dripping water from her hair and outfit. While running, Karin chased after her, rushing towards a nearby railing before looking overboard.

As this occurred, Jūgo was carrying a handful of crew members with both arms, strolling across the ship. With each step, Jūgo shattered nearby coral before advancing, looking for a safe place to drop the crew.

"I don't think we can help. It's too late." Gaara spoke out, muffled by the demonic screams of Isobu.

"It's never too late..." Naruto muttered in response.

Suddenly, Isobu surged across the ocean's surface, creating dense waves that overwhelmed Koyuki's ship, knocking it backwards. This damaged vessel then crashed against a nearby coastline, stranded atop the rocky shore.

As Isobu approached, Gaara briefly twitched before pressing both hands together, creating a wall of sand. However, Naruto quickly pushed Gaara to the ocean's surface, knocking him and his sand away.

"Don't hurt him!" As Naruto spoke, his tone was troubled and anxious.

At this moment, Isobu unhinged his shell-covered jawline before reaching for Naruto, swallowing his body with ease. At the same time, a harsh collection of waves rippled out from Isobu, knocking Gaara against the nearby coast.

Naruto's entire world was then abruptly engulfed by darkness, sinking into a deep abyss.

 _-Inner World-_

Naruto flipped, slid and fell down a dark pit for several minutes, reaching for the wall but unable to find one. Soon, a faint aura of candle light came into view, illuminating the pit's end.

Naruto then crashed against the hardened ground with a heavy thud, briefly groaning before holding his stomach. During this moment of agony, a bundle of candle light was flickering across Naruto's face.

"That hurt..." Naruto moaned before standing up.

Suddenly, Naruto was blinded by a sparkling collection of light, holding both hands in front of his colored eyes. Afterwards, Naruto was distracted by faint laughter, drawing attention to Shukaku.

"Yo, yo... We were just talking about you." Shukaku chuckled.

After speaking, Shukaku casually scratched the bridge of his nose, shedding a large amount of sand in the process. While this occurred, Isobu was looming in the background, raising his shell-covered face into the air.

"Talking...? About me?" Naruto mumbled.

"I'm pleased to meet you, young master." Isobu spoke out with a polite tone.

This declaration quickly garnished Naruto's attention, releasing a faint gasp before focusing on Isobu. At the same time, Naruto didn't even notice a pair of crimson eyes behind his back, glaring at him.

"Wait... You're outside, you can't be inside?" Naruto stuttered.

"And you, Shukaku. You're Gaara's friend, what are you doing here?" While speaking, Naruto glanced between Shukaku and Isobu.

"Awwh, that's sweet. I didn't think I had any friends." Shukaku giggled in response.

As Shukaku continued to laugh, Naruto rubbed his head in confusion, occasionally staring at the nearby candles. A harsh snort then radiated through the air, followed by a gust of wind, crashing against Naruto's back.

"You don't, with only one tail, no one wants to be your friend." Kurama scoffed.

"And now that Isobu is here, that's another runt in my way." As Kurama spoke, he was sprawled across the ground, resting his snout on both arms.

"The one tails and the three tails... You're the weakest among us, it's like I'm a babysitter." After speaking, Kurama closed both eyes.

"You always do this, Kurama. The number of tails doesn't determine how strong someone is." Shukaku protested with a hostile tone.

While these tailed beasts became engaged in a fierce argument about power levels, Naruto stood between each of them. As this occurred, Isobu was completely focused on Naruto, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I can't stay here. I have to help my friends." Naruto cut in.

This statement easily captured the attention of Shukaku and Kurama, causing both of them to glare at Naruto. Also, Isobu's eye briefly twitched as Naruto spoke, deeply effected by his words.

"What did you say?" Isobu groaned, leaning his head down.

"S-... Sorry? You're Isobu, right? You swallowed me." Naruto exclaimed, earning a mischievous laugh from Shukaku.

"It's been a long time since any human has apologized to me." Isobu remarked, lowering his face.

Before Naruto could respond, Kurama snorted with an aggressive tone, briefly snuffing the nearby candles. Afterwards, Naruto straightened his outfit before glancing at Isobu, distracted by his crimson eye.

"Something's wrong, I can feel it. Gaara and I." Naruto proclaimed, reaching out and touching Isobu.

"That's just the jinchūriki sense, nothing special." Shukaku explained, knocking the sand from his ears.

After speaking, Shukaku glared into Naruto's colored eyes, distracted by distant memories of his father. These eyes also captured the attention of Isobu, hypnotized by Naruto's Rinnegan.

"So, what are you going to do?" Isobu asked, pressing his face against Naruto's.

"Ummm… I can climb out? Maybe." Naruto remarked, glancing up at the dark ceiling.

"You can't just climb out..." As Isobu spoke, he rubbed his hardened skull with one hand.

"And even if you did, my mindless body wouldn't recognize you," After speaking, Isobu earned a dark giggle from Shukaku.

While this conversation progressed, Kurama continued to lay in the background, resting his snout on both arms. At the same time, Kurama kept both eyes closed, occasionally snorting in protest.

"I'm sorry, but there's no way you can stop me." While speaking, Isobu lowered his face with respect.

"I'm not trying to stop you, I'm trying to help you." Naruto explained, causing Isobu to briefly gasp.

This declaration forced Kurama to abruptly open both eyes, glaring at Naruto's back with an odd mixture of emotions. As this occurred, Shukaku fell completely silent, allowing Isobu to narrow his left eye.

That's... An unexpected response. Kurama grumbled internally.

For almost a thousand years, Kurama roamed the world of men, once as a god but now a mere weapon of war. During that endless period of time, Kurama became well acquainted with human habits.

Nine tails... This mindless form is nothing but a nuisance, you're just a lost dog. The stern voice of Madara Uchiha could be heard, echoing through Kurama's mind.

I'm sorry, but your power is too great... Regrettably, I can't let you roam free, not anymore. The damaged voice of Hashirama spoke out, injured from his battle with Madara.

Whenever you use your power, you draw hatred and suspicion... Please stay quiet inside of me. The timid voice of Mito Uzumaki briefly echoed.

This is unfortunate for both of us... You're here to watch the world, but I'm here to watch you. The regretful tone of Kushina could be heard.

This collection of memories forced Kurama to drag several claws across the ground, drawing attention to his enraged face. This deep snarl then evolved into a hostile growl, glaring at Naruto's back.

Humans have no strength on their own but they still try to restrain me, too force their ideals on me. While thinking these thoughts, Kurama continued to growl.

Suddenly, Kurama was quickly pulled from these thoughts as Shukaku and Isobu both leaned in front of Naruto. Each of these massive beasts then leisurely poked Naruto's stomach, causing his trigram seal to glow from underneath his outfit.

"This may hurt." Isobu apologized before swallowing Naruto.

"Awh, no fair! I wanted to do that." Shukaku chuckled.

"You're both idiots. I've wanted to eat that runt for years." Kurama muttered, scratching his snout.

"Don't say that, I like him." Shukaku giggled.

"He kinda reminds me of dad..." Isobu whispered with a timid tone.

Instead of responding with words, Kurama shook his snout from side-to-side before laying down on both arms. Afterwards, Shukaku and Isobu became engaged in a conversation about food, earning a hostile grunt from Kurama.

 _-Real World-_

A chakra-filled geyser of red water was violently spewing from Isobu's mouth, polluting the nearby air. Soon, the wet silhouette of Naruto came into view, flying out from the geyser before hitting a nearby rock.

The demonic howl of Isobu then abruptly pierced Naruto's ears, drawing attention to the three tailed leviathan. This massive creature was partially surrounded by a dome of sand, controlled by the wet outline of Gaara.

Gaara was standing atop a cloud of sand, hovering above the ocean's surface, partially concealed by the night sky. Also, shards of broken ice were scattered across the ocean's surface, illuminating Kahyō and Paku.

"I'm just here for comedic relief!" Karin panicked, hiding behind a large boulder.

As Karin spoke, she was surrounded by a small group of cowering crew members, unable to fight. At the same time, Jūgo stood directly in front of Isobu, covered with water and shattered ice.

"Out of the way, losers! I'll finish this with one attack!" Tayuya snapped out, pulling an ornate flute from her robes.

This flute was adorned with silver and black kunai steel, an expensive tool from the Land of Frost. Despite the high price tag, Naruto bought this fancy flute without a second thought, giving it to Tayuya.

Suddenly, Isobu swung both arms against the nearby water, creating a massive wave that knocked Jūgo backwards. This gigantic attack also overwhelmed Tayuya, flinging her against the distant outline of Naruto.

"Damnit, nerd! You interrupted me! I was being a badass." While speaking, water continuously dripped from Tayuya's hair and outfit.

Tayuya then grabbed a handful of red hair before squeezing it, draining the water into Naruto's lap. Afterwards, Tayuya sighed with an exhausted tone, brushing the water from her face.

"I think you're always a badass." Naruto mumbled, earning a cheerful snort in response.

"Yea, well... Do you have a plan? We're having some trouble." Tayuya yawned, still resting on Naruto.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto grabbed his stomach with both hands while staring at Isobu. While this occurred, Tayuya began to casually stretch and yawn, clearly ready for bed.

At this moment, a green scroll abruptly slid into Naruto's left hand, traveling through the sleeves of his outfit. At the same time, Tayuya was sprawled across Naruto's lap, struggling to stay warm.

The cursed seal across Tayuya's neck then flickered into view, capturing the attention of Naruto's violet eyes. This seal was personally placed by Orochimaru himself, the result of an embarrassing moment for Tayuya.

"If I wasn't so exhausted, I'd go stage two on his ass." While speaking, Tayuya rolled across Naruto's lap.

Naruto's right hand then reached out before grabbing Tayuya's neck, dragging several fingers across her curse mark. These fingers created a deep blush across Tayuya's concealed face, hiding her embarrassment from view.

"Just forget about that curse mark, get a new one." Naruto exclaimed.

"I can't just get a new one, dweeb! This curse mark was a special heirloom from Orochimaru!" Tayuya protested, raising her red face.

Tayuya's pale nose then accidently brushed against Naruto's face, forcing her to jump backwards. This embarrassed kunoichi then tripped over a small rock, landing on her back with a slight groan.

As Tayuya mumbled under her breath, Naruto slowly unrolled his green scroll, releasing a significant puff of smoke. After several seconds, the forbidden scroll of sealing came into view, propped against Naruto's leg.

This forbidden scroll was an S-rank secret among the village of Konoha, personally created by the 1st Hokage himself. This scroll was filled with ancient and forbidden techniques, jutsu that even the 1st Hokage feared.

Infact, Hashirama was more concerned about the scroll of sealing than the tailed beasts, a staggering realization. Because of this, Naruto instinctively stole the forbidden scroll, his final act before leaving Konoha.

"I'll give you a new one." Naruto spoke out, throwing his forbidden scroll into the air.

This sacred scroll briefly hovered in the air before sprawling open, revealing an extensive collection of forbidden jutsu. Afterwards, the entire scroll was engulfed in dense smoke before hitting the ground.

This cloud of smoke briefly polluted the air before a small alter came into view, constructed with ornate stone. As this alter came into view, Naruto bit his left thumb, dripping blood atop the nearby ground.

"Now, I just need to get close." After mumbling these words, Naruto glanced at the mindless three tails.

Isobu was involved in a fierce battle against Gaara, a harsh collision of red water and brown sand. This was the result of a high-level shinobi battle, a jinchūriki-level battle that rippled the nearby water.

While this battle progressed, Gaara's cloud of sand continued to hover in the air, dodging multiple streams of water. As this occurred, Isobu was screaming in the background, howling like a mindless animal.

After screaming for several moments, Isobu swung both arms through the air, flinging Gaara backwards with extreme force. At the last moment, this one tailed jinchūriki was caught by Jūgo, standing atop the ocean's surface.

Suddenly, Isobu's crimson eye quickly focused on Naruto before squinting, staring directly into his violet Rinnegan. The mindless Isobu then surged across the ocean's surface, unleashing a violent collection of waves.

With each step, a torrent of red water spewed out in all directions, polluting the nearby ocean with a crimson aura. At the same time, Naruto clapped each of his hands together, creating a brief splash of blood.

"Nerd!? Stop him!" Tayuya panicked, poking her head across Naruto's shoulder.

Instead of responding, Naruto weaved through the Tiger, Horse, Ox and Dog seals, spreading blood across both arms. During this, Isobu released a demonic howl before reaching towards Naruto with both hands.

This approaching attack was met by an unseen wall with the strength of gravity, rippling the nearby water. Also, this fierce collision created a dense shockwave, knocking Tayuya against a nearby rock.

As this unseen wall continued to surround Naruto, his right hand quickly reached out before touching Isobu's arm. A scribbled collection of blood and black kanji then abruptly spread across Isobu, radiating out from Naruto's hand.

After several seconds, this kanji was engulfed with a bright violet aura, sprawling across Isobu's entire body. This kanji also spread across Naruto, inscribed against both of his pale-skinned arms.

Soon, these kanji completely enveloped Isobu's mindless eye, replaced by the pulsating image of a Rinnegan. Afterwards, Isobu's body fell limp before plummeting to the ground, shaking the nearby earth.

This impact created a brief cloud of dust and water, partially concealing Isobu and Naruto from view. However, Tayuya shot up on both feet before running into the cloud, looking for her nerd.

While running, Tayuya accidently tripped over a rock, faceplanting the ground with a heavy thud. Because of this, Tayuya mumbled various curse words and insults under her breath.

After several moments, Tayuya tried to stand up, but Naruto grabbed the back of her neck. This warm hand forced Tayuya to repetitively stutter, evolving into a deep blush as Naruto pulled her hair.

"Hold still, I'm going to fix your seal." Naruto explained, squinting both eyes.

"Whatever, but it better be good! Like, really powerful." Tayuya scoffed.

After speaking, Naruto used his blood-covered fingers to scribble a bundle of kanji across Tayuya's neck. These kanji were written in the shape of a three pronged seal, encircling Tayuya's triskelion-like curse mark.

As this seal came into view, Tayuya's skin began to boil and blister, forcing the elite kunoichi to groan and grunt. At the same time, Tayuya's curse mark started to burn, flashing with a bright collection of red.

After several moments, this bubbling red abruptly morphed into a deep purple, matching Naruto's Rinnegan. Also, the limp silhouette of Isobu started to mumble in his sleep, covered with hundreds of purple kanji.

While a violet aura pulsated through the air, Kahyō and Paku erupted into view, poking out from a nearby rock. This brought attention to the distant outline of Gaara and Jūgo, standing atop a grassy shore.

At this moment, Naruto clasped both hands against Tayuya's curse mark, forcing her seal to violently bulge. This bulge soon evolved into a twitching protrusion, slithering out from Tayuya's curse mark.

This strange protrusion quickly morphed into a white snake, hissing and writhing across the ground, trying to escape. Afterwards, Naruto casually stomped on this snake, crushing the strange creature into white ash.

A blinding eclipse of violet light then radiated out from Tayuya's curse mark, concealing everything from view. As this distinct color polluted the sky, Shisui flew into view, dropping several feathers to the ground.

* * *

 _One hour later._

The sound of thumping feet could be heard, walking across the wooden hull of Koyuki's ship. This damaged vessel was partially filled with broken coral, the result of Isobu's rampage.

Soon, several crew members came into view, working on the damaged outline of Koyuki's ship. During this, Paku was casually playing in the nearby water, drawing attention to an embarrassed Kahyō.

"This is so stupid!" Karin shouted, crossing both arms in front of her small chest.

"I can't believe we're stuck here for a week." While speaking, Karin repetitively tapped her right foot atop the ground.

As Karin spoke, Gaara and Jūgo both walked through the background, stacking wood onto a nearby fire. This collision created a stark eruption of fiery embers, rising into the night sky.

"I like it, I've never been to the Land of Tea before." Jūgo replied, sitting down by the fire.

"Me neither, it looks nice." Gaara remarked, glancing at the nearby trees and flowers

As this group of friends gathered around the fire, Naruto was talking to the ship's captain, a friend of Koyuki. After talking for several seconds, the exhausted silhouette of Tayuya shot into view, limping across the ground.

"Neeerd… Neeerd!" Tayuya called, barely able to speak.

After talking, Tayuya abruptly grabbed Naruto's hand before dragging him away, creating a smile across the captain's face. Also, this action left a sour taste in Karin's mouth, filled with envy and rage.

"Where are we going? The fire is over there." Naruto protested.

"No fire, just sleep." Tayuya muttered with a hazy tone.

Utilizing her newfound strength, Tayuya continued to drag Naruto behind her, leading him into the damaged ship.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Tayuya was sprawled across a fluffy bed, occasionally smacking both lips together before groaning. Afterwards, Tayuya rolled across Naruto's lap, using his body like a heater.

"You should be fine, I never sleep." Naruto exclaimed, holding a book with one hand.

Instead of responding, Tayuya leisurely poked Naruto's nose before rolling on her side, partially blinded by her hair. This elite kunoichi then briefly yawned before rubbing her head, brushing several fingers through her hair.

"Sleep is everything." Tayuya groaned.

After speaking, Tayuya used Naruto's lap as a pillow, grabbing the nearby covers before yawning with a groggy tone. As this occurred, the feathered outline of Shisui came into view, poking his head through a porthole.

While drifting into sleep, Tayuya briefly recapped everything that happened to her over the day. Soon, Tayuya focused on her last conversation with Karin, a discussion about jinchūriki that quickly evolved into violence.

During her past life with Orochimaru, Tayuya would occasionally hear about jinchūriki, but never cared enough to ask. However, Tayuya was now filled with genuine curiosity, rubbing the seal across her neck.

"Hey... Nerd?" After speaking, Tayuya bit her lower lip.

"Hm?" Naruto mumbled, still reading his book.

"My curse mark feels funny." Tayuya explained.

"But I like it, it tickles." While speaking, Tayuya rubbed both eyes.

"It's not a curse mark anymore, it's a seal." Naruto replied, flipping a page on his book.

As this conversation progressed, the faint sound of construction could be heard, the sound of hammers striking nails. Also, Tayuya glanced at a nearby clock, struggling to stay awake.

"It's a good seal, I can feel the power." Tayuya muttered.

"Does that mean I'm a jinchūriki?" As Tayuya spoke, she casually poked Naruto's nose.

"Yea, it's way better than your old curse mark." Naruto proclaimed, releasing a slight grin.

"It's a little weird at first, and somethings might be really difficult for you." After speaking, Naruto scratched the bridge of his nose.

"But overall, you'll like it. Just take a few days to train and practice." As Naruto spoke, Tayuya buried her face in the covers.

Tayuya's mind then slowly drifted through a collection of thoughts, revolving around the large mental image of Isobu. Afterwards, a single thought echoed through Tayuya's mind, polluting it for several minutes.

While thinking these thoughts, Tayuya glanced up at Naruto's face, staring intently at his cute whiskers. At the same time, sweat began to drip from Tayuya's face, filled with anxiety.

"Can jinchūriki have sex?" Tayuya blurted out.

After hearing this statement, a brief silence filled the air before Naruto snapped his book shut, glancing at Tayuya. Naruto's purple eyes then created a slight blush across Tayuya's face, barely contained by her hostile persona.

"Do you wanna find out?" Naruto asked.

This question filled Tayuya's entire face with a bright red color, forcing her to hide under the covers. This elite kunoichi then muttered several words under her breath, struggling with embarrassment.

"Maybe later... I'm going to bed." Tayuya exclaimed.

After speaking, Tayuya snuggled against Naruto's lap before closing both eyes, trying to forget the conversation. Because of this, Tayuya didn't even notice the smile across Naruto's face.


	98. Chapter 98

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: This entire arc is just an easter egg to Teen Titans and Lord of the Rings, with my own changes and some extensions. Also, I did not make up guns, and I didn't just add them to this story for no reason.**

 **Guns are confirmed canon in the Narutoverse, they're confirmed canon in the Manga, I'm not adding anything new. I'm just giving them a more prominent role than Kishimoto did, because they're canon.**

 **Please, don't come to this story and say "OH GUNS?! WHAT!? THIS IS A STORY ABOUT NINJA!". Because I understand that, but this story is set in feudal japan.**

 **The first documented case of guns inside feudal japan comes from around 1270 AD. Guns are historically accurate and guns are depicted in the Manga/anime (either on purpose or accident), so guns are a canon.**

 **Addictorator - In Code Geass, we don't learn about Lelouch tricking the world until season 2. But in season 1, Lelouch just runs around, trying to "build a better world for Nunally".**

 **Until season 4 in this story, that's essentially what Naruto will be doing, he's trying to build true peace. I understand this has many interpretations, and Naruto doesn't really talk about his plan, but that's on purpose.**

 **Because, in season 1 of Code Geass, Lelouch really only had one goal, just like the current Naruto in this story.** **Overall, the last chapter of this story will be a happy ending, but characters have to die before that.**

 **The main character has to struggle, he has to lose and be broken by the villain, that creates tension. That's why each season has a specific antagonist, to test Naruto and contribute to his character growth.**

 **Orochimaru helped Naruto see the failure of the shinobi world, now he has to confront Kabuto. After that, Pain will take center stage, a crucial piece for the final villain of my story.**

 **GunBlade2019 - My main problem with most NarutoxTayuya stories is how rushed their relationship is. In most stories, Tayuya is already sleeping with Naruto, drooling on him and holding his hand within 10 chapters.**

 **This story will eventually segaway into my Boruto series, so I have to foreshadow the main character of that series. For example, since Tayuya is a** **jinchūriki, any child she makes with Naruto will have a mixture of tailed beast chakra.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 98: Enter: The Land Of Tea! Stuck In The Past.**

 _Sunday 4:47am, July 18th 58SSP._

Faint rays of fading moonlight briefly flickered into view, illuminating a dead collection of leaves across the ground. This eerie moonlight was magnified by a minor gust of wind, blowing through a dark forest.

Suddenly, a pair of dirt-stained shoes erupted into view, stomping across several leaves with panic and concern. Despite the high volume of these crunched leaves, they were completely muffled by the sound of heavy breathing.

Soon, the smell of burnt wood polluted the forest, drawing attention to a harsh collection of flames, sprawled across various trees. At the same time, a handful of burnt leaves were floating through the air.

At this moment, the blood-stained face of Idate Morino came into view, the adopted son Jirōchō Wasabi. Jirōchō was the young brother of Kuni Wasabi, the current Daimyo for the Land of Tea, and a prestigious man.

While Idate ran, rays of moonlight quickly exposed his damaged outfit, covered in dirt and blood-stained cuts. Idate was a 16 year old boy with fair-skin and dark brown eyes, matching his shoulder-length spiky hair, tied in a loose ponytail.

Idate's attire consisted of a long sleeved blue shirt, contrasting his tan pants and his mud-stained shoes. Also, Idate had a tattered collection of linen bandages, wrapped around both hands and palms.

Idate's most prominent feature was his flintlock musket, tightly gripped with both of his bandaged hands. Similar to his outfit, Idate's gun was partially covered in mud and dirt.

The horrific howls of an unknown beast then echoed through the dark forest, followed by painful screams. Afterwards, the distorted silhouette of several creatures charged into view, snarling with hostility.

Each of these shadowy beasts ran on all fours, acting like a mindless animal, foaming from their jagged mouths. Also, these creatures were covered with an ornate collection of curse marks.

As several howls continued to pollute the air, Idate tilted his gun backwards, releasing a smoke-filled volley from his musket. This brief sound of gun-fire was then abruptly overwhelmed, muffled by a pair of demonic screams.

While these howls radiated through the dark forest, Idate continued to run, occasionally panting for breath. After several moments, Idate charged through a burning tree, creating an eruption of ember and fiery wood.

Despite his young age, Idate's face was covered with a dense and heavy expression, the face of a veteran warrior. However, Idate was completely surrounded all on sides, running for his life.

While fumbling with his musket, Idate accidently dropped his ammo to the ground, cursing his bad fortune. But Idate refused to stop or turn around, afraid of the demonic horde behind him.

As a harsh gust of wind bellowed through the forest, Idate struggled to reload his musket, panting for air. While this occurred, Idate continued to run, unable to stop for even a moment of rest.

Suddenly, Idate surged past a fancy collection of stone walls, allowing him to enter a large compound. This location was known as Wasabi Manor, the personal home for the Wasabi family, and the central authority for their government.

This settlement was usually filled with important ambassadors, escorted and protected by a loyal army of patriots. However, Wasabi Manor was completely abandoned, partially burnt and crumbled into ruins.

This realization created a stark expression across Idate's face, forcing a deep frown to pollute his weathered face. At the same time, a brutal gust of wind rushed through Wasabi Manor, knocking several trees to the ground.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Idate quickly dashed towards these trees before jumping over them, hiding for his life. The youthful silhouette of Idate then began to sweat, barely able to control his breathing.

An extended period of silence then drifted through Idate's mind, allowing the young teenager to calm down. Afterwards, Idate reached into the tunic of his outfit, pulling a tattered photo into view.

This picture was filled with the youthful silhouette of Ibiki Morino, standing beside his younger brother, Idate. Despite his adoption into the Wasabi family, Idate was originally a shinobi from Konoha, long ago.

A quick jolt of memories then surged through Idate's train of thought, focused on the distant image of his brother. Idate was convinced that his brother died over six years ago, sacrificing himself so Idate could escape.

Because of Ibiki's heroic sacrifice, Idate constantly idolized his brother's memory, and the teachings he left behind. These memories were the only things Idate had left, unable to save his country, his village or his people.

At this moment, Idate's thumb tightly clenched the image of his brother, forcing the tattered photo to wrinkle. During this, a dense gust of wind was blowing through the air, forcing Idate's spiky hair to waver.

... Idate's mind was completely blank, staring at the weathered picture of his brother.

Suddenly, a pair of nearby twigs were snapped under heavy feet, forcing Idate to quickly hide his brother's photo. Afterwards, Idate tightly gripped his musket with both hands, fully aware that he only had one bullet left.

A demonic beast then ruptured into view, covered with various curse marks and poorly-dried blood, howling with rage. This abrupt appearance caused Idate to stagger backwards, raising his mud-covered musket into the air.

The distinct sound of a gun shot then echoed throughout Wasabi Manor, muffled by the eerie howl of nearby wind. This foreboding sound forced a flock of crows to fly into the air, concealing everything from view.

* * *

 _Two hours laters._

"Tayuya squad! Assemble!" Tayuya's voice bellowed through the air.

This red-haired kunoichi was standing atop a poorly-stacked pile of crates, sprawled next to Koyuki's damaged ship. After speaking, several outlines came into view, rubbing their eyes while yawning.

"I don't really like that name..." Kahyō muttered.

"If anything, I'm pretty sure Naruto would be the leader, or Gaara." Karin spoke out.

This declaration earned a hostile snort in response, causing Tayuya to cross both arms in front of her flat chest. At the same time, Paku skipped into view, wrapping both arms around Kahyō before giggling.

While Tayuya and Karin began to argue, several rays of sunlight sparkled across the distant horizon. Because of this, the fiery outline of black smoke came into view, pouring out from a distant manor.

This stark appearance was easily noticed by Gaara and Jūgo, but Tayuya and Karin were too distracted to care. After several seconds, this black smoke was noticed by Naruto, poking his whiskered-face into view.

"That's bad... right?" Gaara and Jūgo both spoke in unison, earning a quick nod from Naruto.

Suddenly, Tayuya abruptly tackled Karin before rolling across the ground, mixing the loose strands of their red hair. Afterwards, Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose before sighing.

"Do they always act like this?" Jūgo cut in.

"Don't worry, they'll tire themselves out... Let's just check out that smoke." Naruto exclaimed, ignoring the loud argument behind him.

After speaking, Naruto, Gaara and Jūgo slowly walked towards a nearby tree-line, illuminated by sunlight. At the last moment, Paku jumped in front of these friends, snorting as she laughed.

"Okay! I'll watch over the boat then! Ya'll be safe!" Paku chuckled, giving an iconic thumbs-up with her right hand.

This statement earned an awkward smile from each of the traveling friends, rubbing their heads. After several awkward moments, Naruto, Gaara and Jūgo all disappeared into the nearby forest.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air, forcing Gaara and Jūgo to hold both hands in front of their mouths. At the same time, several squawks could be heard before Shisui landed atop a nearby wall.

This group of friends were huddled inside Wasabi Manor, a war-torn ruin, filled with several demonic corpses. While staring at these beasts, Naruto gasped after noticing an odd collection of curse marks, infecting the bodies.

These unique markings were personally created by Orochimaru, his final technique that was taught to Kabuto. However, Naruto was quickly pulled from these thoughts, distracted by a nearby crowd of hooded men.

"Halt! You're trespassing!" A stern voice pierced the air, raising his musket into view.

This sudden appearance was followed by dozens of hooded figures, surrounding the small group of friends. Each of these patriots were defined by an ornate musket, tightly gripped with both hands.

At this moment, an extremely tall man exposed his face, revealing a vast collection of scars across his face and nose. This man was surrounded by patriots, glaring at him with utmost respect.

"What business do three children have in the Eastmark?" The prestigious voice of Aiden could be heard.

Aiden was a 35 year old man with fair-skin, completely covered with deep scars and ancient wounds. Also, Aiden had ear-length brown hair, matching his eyes in color and tone.

Despite his important role, Aiden's outfit was concealed from view, hidden by his ankle-length black robe. This attire was also worn by each of the nearby soldiers, hiding their appearance from view.

"Speak quickly! I have no patience for spies!" As Aiden spoke, he briefly glanced at Naruto.

Instead of responding with words, Jūgo's left hand reached out before grabbing Aiden's collar, lifting the grown adult like a baby. Because of this, several muskets were raised into the air, aimed at Jūgo.

"Should I kill him?" Jūgo asked with a causal tone.

After speaking, Naruto quickly brushed Jūgo's arm to the side, dropping Aiden onto both feet, staggering backwards. While this occurred, various muskets were still held in the air, directed towards Jūgo.

"We're no spies, we're friends of Dega… And of Kuni, your Daimyo." Naruto exclaimed, creating a tense silence.

Suddenly, Aiden glanced into Naruto's eyes before looking at the ground, overwhelmed by his violet Rinnegan. During this, Aiden's soldiers stood with a tense posture, ready to fire at any moment.

While an awkward silence filled the air, several patriots dragged demonic corpses through the background. Afterwards, these corpses were stacked atop a heated bonfire, creating a large pillar of black smoke.

"The village of Dega has fallen... Because lord Kuni can't recognize friend from foe." Aiden proclaimed, capturing Naruto's attention.

"The White Sage has poisoned lord Kuni's mind, and claimed lordship over these lands." While speaking, Aiden took a cautious step towards Naruto.

After Aiden spoke, he quietly stood in front of Naruto for several minutes, hypnotized by his Rinnegan eyes. At the same time, nearby patriots lowered their muskets, exposing their distrustful eyes.

"The White Sage is cunning... He walks here and there, they say... Disguised as a hooded snake." As Aiden spoke, Naruto glared at a nearby corpse, covered with curse marks.

"My company are those who are loyal to Dega, and the Wasabi family... So we've been banished." After speaking, Aiden turned around.

"If you're not spies, then leave... Children aren't safe in these lands, not anymore." While speaking, Aiden walked away, escorting his soldiers.

This declaration forced Gaara to leisurely scratch his forehead, confused with the recent stage of events. Also, Jūgo crossed both arms in front of his chest, towering above his friends.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The blood-stained hand of Idate reached out before gripping a nearby tree, struggling to walk with each step. This young boy was walking through an endless forest, trying to stay alive.

Large portions of Idate's outfit were partially torn and ripped, exposing his blood-covered torso and arms. Also, Idate's left arm was completely limp, hanging against his side while dripping blood.

Just keep moving, Idate! Keep moving! The voice of Ibiki Morino spoke out, radiating through Idate's mind.

Despite Ibiki's hostile personality, he always displayed a deep love for his brother, a realization that constantly weighed on Idate. Because of this, Idate found the strength to continue, fueled by his brother's memory.

At this moment, Idate tripped over a nearby tree-root, faceplanting the ground with a heavy thud. Afterwards, an extended period of silence filled the air, pierced only by the occasional meow from a cat.

This constant sound caused Idate to glance up, staring at the purple-eyed silhouette of a white-furred cat. This animal stood in front of a damaged ship, surrounded by several construction crews, hard at work.

After briefly glaring at these strange foreigners, Idate abruptly passed out, leaking blood atop the ground. This forced Idate to drift deep into sleep, dreaming about past memories.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The mechanic sound of rotating pistons could be heard, expelling steam into a dark and dusty room. This shadowy interior was filled with various crates and boxes, dwarfed by pillars of metal and iron.

Suddenly, the sound of mechanic engines were abruptly muffled by a mischievous laugh, exposing a stone chair. This seat was filled with the hooded silhouette of Kabuto, glaring at a nearby collection of TV screens.

These screens were plastered across a distant wall, displaying dozens of pictures from the village of Dega. In the past, Dega was the capital of the Land of Tea, and a central trading hub for the nation.

However, recently, Kabuto shook the entire Land of Tea to their core, invading their nation and poisoning their Daimyo. Kabuto even developed a new experiment for his invasion, mixing Arashi's DNA with rabid wolves.

Despite his introverted nature, Kabuto managed to shatter the village of Dega, reducing it to a mere shadow. The only problem was Aiden and Idate, the last remaining patriots who were loyal to Jirōchō Wasabi.

"This is too easy, I always win." Kabuto exclaimed, revealing both of his snake-like eyes.

Kabuto's appearance was now solid white, exposing the snake-like scales across his face and neck. Also, his eyes were solid yellow, very similar to Orochimaru, his former master and teacher.

As Kabuto spoke, the outline of Genma Shiranui and Raidō Namisashi came into view, standing behind the White Sage. Each of these Jounin were covered in a unique pattern of curse marks, stretching across their entire bodies.

These curse markings deeply contrasted their outfits, a collection of white kimono robes and wooden sandals. While these Jounin were originally loyal to Konoha, their minds were completely controlled by Kabuto's curse mark.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that." The voice of Aoi Rokushō could be heard.

Aoi was a 26 year old Jounin from Ame, the Village Hidden by Rain, and a rogue ninja from the village of Konoha. Infact, Aoi was Idate's former sensei, solely responsible for the deep scars across Ibiki's skull.

Over six years ago, Aoi tricked Idate into stealing The Sword of The Thunder God, a sacred weapon from Tobirama. While successful, Idate had no idea that he committed a traitorous act, dishonoring his family and brother.

Aoi had tanned-skin with shoulder-length green hair, jolting out across his pale purple eyes. Also, his attire consisted of a sleeve-less purple vest and blue pants, contrasting his black shinobi shoes.

Aoi's most prominent feature was the large umbrella strapped against his back, resting the handle against his right shoulder. This umbrella was bundled next to a concealed weapon, repeatedly wrapped in dense layers of fabric.

"But let's not forget why I'm here." As Aoi spoke, he casually pointed at the headband across his forehead, the iconic symbol for Ame.

"Yes... I'm very interested in your report." Kabuto groaned, licking his lips with a snake-like tongue.

"Like I said, Ame has real tight security... I may be a Jounin, but there are tons of restricted areas, even for me." Aoi proclaimed.

"Plus, the rain itself gives me a bad vibe... I always feel like I'm being watched." While speaking, Aoi scratched the bridge of his nose.

Soon, a brief period of silence filled the air, pierced only by the sound of nearby footsteps and grinding metal. After several seconds, the well-dressed silhouette of a butler came into view, pouring a fresh cup of tea for Kabuto.

"But... I know the Akatsuki are planning something big, something real big." After speaking, Aoi crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"And that's not it, it'll happen soon... Very soon." As Aoi spoke, Kabuto smiled in response.

As this conversation unfolded, a white snake abruptly slithered across the floor, disappearing under Kabuto's outfit. Afterwards, this snake coiled around Kabuto's neck before whispering into his ear.

Instead of responding with words, Kabuto clapped both hands together, forcing the large silhouette of Jirōbō to appear. This massive teenager was covered with a distinct pattern of curse marks, very similar to Genma and Raidō.

"Good... Good, but there's an unwanted visitor." Kabuto chuckled.

As Kabuto spoke, he picked up a black remote before shifting though various channels, glaring at the nearby screens. Soon, the burnt image of Wasabi Manor came into view, filled with Naruto, Gaara and Jūgo.

This revelation created a deep smile across Kabuto's face, forcing him to tap each of his fingers together. At the same time, a fresh cup of tea was placed atop Kabuto's stone chair, resting beside his arm.

"It's time for the next stage of my plan..." While speaking, Kabuto leisurely glanced at Jirōbō.

This declaration earned a harsh collection of grunts from Jirōbō, groaning in response before walking away. While this occurred, Aoi was standing in the background, twirling several strands of his green hair.

"So, what am I stealing this time?" Aoi spoke out, earning a mischievous laugh from Kabuto.

"I don't need a thief anymore... I need a distraction." Kabuto remarked, licking his lips with anticipation.

While this conversation progressed, Kabuto was completely muffled by the sound of a mechanic piston. Aoi and Kabuto then disappeared from sight, concealed by a rusty spire of metal and iron.

* * *

 _Wednesday 12:32pm, October 10th_ _48_ SSP.

The armored silhouette of a 17 year old Ibiki Morino came into view, illuminated by nearby blazers, piercing the early night sky. This elite Jounin was standing in the populated Konoha Graveyard, an endless collection of memories.

As Ibiki stood, a deep and solemn expression was spread across his face, staring at the graves of his mother and father. These Konoha ninja sacrificed their lives over two years ago, murdered by the Nine Tailed Fox.

Every year since that tragic event, Ibiki continuously visited the graves of his parents, thinking back to his childhood. While this occurred, a pair of footsteps could be heard, followed by the 6 year old voice of Idate.

"Big bro! Big bro!" Idate spoke out, smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Look at this! I'm finally a ninja! Just like you!" As Idate spoke, he stood beside Ibiki, raising a Konoha Headband into the air.

This statement forced Ibiki to casually glance over his left shoulder, exposing the solemn expression across his face. However, Idate didn't even notice this expression, continuing to smile at his brother.

"I see..." Ibiki mumbled with a dry tone.

While this conversation unfolded, Idate gleefully tied the Konoha Headband around his forehead, radiating with pure joy. Afterwards, Idate's eyes briefly sparkled, flickering off the nearby fire.

"Starting now! I'm going to train a lot! And I'll complete tons of missions!" Idate declared.

"I'll become a Chunin with super speed! Then I'll aim for Jounin! Just like you!" While Idate spoke, Ibiki turned around before staring at the nearby graves.

Suddenly, Ibiki narrowed both eyes while Idate continued to talk, daydreaming about a grand future. At the same time, the demonic howl of Kurama briefly echoed through Ibiki's mind, a haunting memory from his parents death.

At this moment, Ibiki quickly turned around before kneeling in front of his younger brother, gently grabbing Idate's hair. Because of this, Idate glanced up at his brother with admiration, exposing his innocent eyes.

"In the shinobi world, there is something more important than promotions, or fancy titles..." Ibiki exclaimed.

"More important?" Idate cut in.

"Until you understand what that is, it's too early for you. You're not ready." Ibiki explained.

"Remember this moment, Idate. Remember the sacrifices that brought you here." As Ibiki spoke, his face was reflecting off Idate's eyes.

After several seconds, each of these shinobi were concealed by a harsh collection of flames, consuming everything in view. During this, panicked screams and cries for help could be heard, quickly muffled by the fire.

* * *

 _Five years later._

"You have the eyes of a coward, Idate." Ibiki Morino spat out, standing in front of a wooden desk.

This 21 year old instructor was the 2nd proctor for the Chunin Exams, a special test that was held twice a year. Because of his special talent for interrogation, Ibiki was the ideal proctor for a written test.

As Ibiki spoke, his 10 year old brother was sitting in a nearby chair, staring at the ground for several minutes. While this occurred, Ibiki had both arms crossed in front of his chest, holding a handful of papers.

"You aren't ready to be a shinobi! By taking the final question, you put your entire squad in danger!" While speaking, Ibiki's tone was extremely harsh.

"Get out of here! Get out and never come back!" After Ibiki spoke, he threw a bundle of papers into the air, obscuring everything from view.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

The depressed silhouette of Idate Morino was seated in a dirt-filled alleyway, resting his back against a wooden wall. This 10 year old shinobi had both knees pressed against his chest, staring at the ground for several minutes.

The 21 year old silhouette of Aoi Rokushō stood in front of Idate, confronting his young student with a teacher's resolve. Aoi's most prominent feature was the Konoha Bandana he wore, draped across his green hair.

"That was a close one, Idate. You almost made it." Aoi complimented his student.

"Almost doesn't count... I'll never be like him, I'll never be like you..." Idate muttered with a downcast face.

"Now, now... Don't be so negative, there's more than one way to become a Chunin." Aoi exclaimed, capturing Idate's attention.

"Wh-... What?! Really?!" Idate replied, displaying a burst of energy.

A brief period of silence the filled the air, pierced only by the bright smile across Aoi's face. At the same time, a 6 year old Naruto walked through the background, holding his stomach while looking for food.

"Of course." Aoi explained, encouraging his student to stand up.

Soon, Aoi and Idate slowly walked down the street together, discussing a unique part of the Chunin Exam, a special test. However, Idate failed to notice the dark expression across Aoi's face, corrupting his purple eyes.

"Just do everything I say... And you'll be a Chunin." After speaking, Aoi and Idate both disappeared from view.

* * *

 _Three hours later._

The distinct sound of croaking frogs could be heard, polluting the early night sky, a beautiful depiction of Konoha. These frogs were sprawled across Konoha's forest, encircled by a distant wall on all sides.

Soon, nearby frogs were partially muffled by a pair of footsteps, drawing attention to a 10 year old Idate. This young shinobi was sneaking through the dark forest, returning from a successful mission.

"Sensei...? Sensei?" Idate spoke out, glancing from side-to-side.

After searching for several moments, Idate accidently bumped against Aoi, falling to the ground before rubbing his head. Because of this, an innocent smile was plastered across Aoi's face, helping Idate stand up.

"It's good to see you... Did you pass the test?" Aoi remarked, glaring at his student.

"I sure did!" Idate chuckled, reaching into his shuriken satchel.

At this moment, Idate pulled an ancient hilt from his bag, a unique hilt that was constructed with black kunai steel. Also, Idate held a matching scroll in the other hand, personally sealed by the 2nd Hokage himself.

"I got both of them, just like you said!" After Idate spoke, Aoi quickly snagged the sacred items from his hands.

"Well, well... You really are a Morino… That scroll was an A-rank priority." Aoi exclaimed, concealing the ancient weapon.

"It was easy, I watch Ibiki practice all the time. Those Jounin are nothing compared to him." Idate replied, idolizing his big brother.

As Idate spoke, a harsh gust of wind blew in from the south, forcing the entire forest to rustle. After this occurred, Aoi turned around before taking several steps into the forest.

"So I get to become a Chunin now, right?!" While speaking, Idate jumped up-and-down with excitement.

"Yes... Yes you can." Aoi proclaimed, crossing both arms behind his back.

An extensive period of silence then filled the air, pierced only by the sound of distant frogs. During this, a flock of crows flew overhead, shedding a bundle of black feathers through the air.

"You can become a Chunin at Ame, the Hidden Rain Village." After speaking, Aoi casually walked away.

"You will escape from Konoha with me, and this sword will earn both of us a promotion... From Ame." As Aoi spoke, his words forced Idate to gasp.

"Bu-... But that sounds like a traitor..." Idate muttered, earning a mischievous laugh in response.

"It's obvious, Konoha won't take you back now... You've already stolen their scroll." Aoi giggled.

This declaration caused Idate to tightly clench both hands, briefly staring at a nearby crow. After hesitating for several moments, Idate took an aggressive stance, glaring at Aoi's back.

"Did you trick me?!" Idate questioned, pulling a kunai from his pouch.

"In the shinobi world, it's important that you never trust anyone... Remember that." Aoi remarked, walking away without looking back.

"You can stay if you want, but I'm going to Ame… Either way, you're a rogue ninja now." These words carried a great effect on the young Idate.

Suddenly, the stern and disappointed face of Ibiki floated into view, filling Idate with shame and regret. Idate constantly failed his brother, and now, he failed the village of Konoha.

This realization was a heavy burden on Idate, forcing each of his young shoulders to twitch. Afterwards, Idate repetitively glanced between Aoi and Konoha, struggling with his brothers memory.

Either way, you're a rogue ninja now. Aoi's voice began to echo, radiating through Idate's mind.

Overwhelmed by his young emotions, Idate quickly broke under Aoi's words, chasing after the traitorous Chunin. However, Idate continued to think about Ibiki, he didn't want to disappoint his brother, not again.

* * *

 _Six hours later._

Aoi and Idate both dashed across a rocky terrain, devoid of all grass and trees, but drenched in rain. This environment was extremely common inside the Land of Rain, a minor nation that bordered Konoha.

"We're almost there, I can see the great lake." Aoi exclaimed, staring at a massive body of water.

This lake encompassed the entire village of Ame, encircling the shinobi village from all sides, creating a man-made island. This secluded village was only accessible through four bridges, sprawled across the great lake.

Despite it's status as a minor nation, the village of Ame was highly industrialized, similar to Dega and Yuki. Infact, Ame's most prominent feature was a collection of metal skyscrapers, reaching towards the cloudy sky.

In the village of Ame, it rained six days a week, establishing a harsh lifestyle inside the Land of Rain. Because of this, the skyscrapers of Ame were each adorned with a lightning rod, soaking up the common electric storms.

At this moment, Aoi narrowed both eyes before jumping out of view, briefly confusing the young Idate. After several seconds, a barrage of chains shot out from a nearby bush, wrapping around Idate.

These chains easily overwhelmed the 10 year old shinobi, pulling him to the ground before two Anbu came into view. At the same time, the enraged face of Ibiki towered over Idate, staring down as his younger brother.

"Idate! You idiot!" Ibiki barked out.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" After Ibiki spoke, Idate gasped in response.

Suddenly, each of the nearby Anbu were struck by a barrage of Kunai, knocking both of them to the ground. Because of this, Ibiki dramatically gasped, glancing from side-to-side.

"As always... You're very strict, even with your own brother." Aoi proclaimed, standing on an up-side-down tree branch.

"But I'm glad that you tagged along." While speaking, Aoi was completely surrounded by dozens of shinobi, scouts from Ame.

Soon, Aoi pulled an ancient scroll from his outfit, a sacred item that was sealed by Tobirama himself. During this, Ibiki grinded his teeth together, exposing several scars across his face.

"This forbidden scroll can only be unlocked by a Jounin from Konoha... So Ame will get two traitors." As Aoi spoke, Ibiki snarled.

Despite his special status as a Tokubetsu Jounin, Ibiki was alone and out-numbered, swarmed by hostile ninja.

* * *

 _Forty minutes later._

The pain-filled screams of Ibiki could be heard, radiating from a wooden shack on the outskirts of Ame, outside the great lake. The interior of this shack was illuminated by strikes of lightning, arcing across Ibiki's scarred body.

This elite Jounin was tied to a chair, covered with a fresh collection of bruises and cuts, staining his face. Also, Idate was timidly standing in the background, struggling with his emotions.

"If you don't open this scroll, you won't have any value to me." Aoi exclaimed, twirling several strands of green hair.

As Aoi spoke, he held the ancient hilt of Tobirama's sword, the Blade of the Thunder God, an A-rank priority in Konoha. This weapon pulsated with chakra-infused lightning, forged by a renowned Senju blacksmith.

The Blade of the Thunder God was an extremely versatile weapon, originally constructed during the Warring States. Because of this, the Blade of the Thunder God was a famous weapon, known through out the five great nations.

"Sen-... Sensei... He's my brother..." Idate muttered, earning a cold glare in response.

"You're a rogue ninja now! Act like it!" Aoi barked out, shoving his student to the ground.

"A Morino doesn't fear death." Ibiki spat out, spewing blood across Aoi's face.

This declaration forced Aoi to narrow both eyes, tightening the grip on his sacred blade, the weapon of Tobirama Senju. At the same time, a heavy down-pour of rain could be heard, bombarding the wooden roof.

"Just stop it! I quit being a ninja! I'm not a shinobi anymore! Stop!" Idate pleaded, jumping onto both feet.

Instead of responding with words, Aoi briefly grinned before raising his ancient blade into the air. This revelation forced each of Idate's eyes to bulge, staring at his older brother.

"Sacrifice, Idate. Remember the sacrifices that brought you here." Ibiki proclaimed, dripping blood from his mouth.

At this moment, Aoi swung his sacred blade through the air, forcing the young Idate to quickly panic. Afterwards, Idate lunged forward, rushing towards Aoi with surprising speed.

"No!" Idate screamed.

After shouting, Idate shoved Aoi to the ground, knocking the Chunin against a nearby jar, shattering on impact. This collision created a deep cut across Aoi's face, forcing him to scream with agony.

Soon, Aoi began to roll on the floor, exposing a large amount of fresh oil, leaking from the broken jar. While this occurred, blood was pouring from Aoi's face, concealed by both hands.

"Big bro!" While speaking, Idate rushed towards Ibiki before cutting him loose.

"Get down!" Ibiki shouted, shoving his brother to the floor.

Suddenly, a barrage of senbon surged through the air, deflected against Ibiki's metal gauntlet. This created a brief display of sparks, polluting the air before disappearing from sight.

A squad of Ame shinobi then rushed into the room, blocking the nearby door and windows. This forced Ibiki to grunt, surrounded on all sides in a hostile nation.

After several seconds, Ibiki glanced at Idate, allowing both of their eyes to reflect off each other. This created a dramatic moment for Idate, staring at Ibiki with innocent eyes, the eyes of a child.

Ibiki then pulled an explosive-tagged kunai from his pouch, throwing the object at a pool of oil. This collision created a chakra-filled eruption of flames, spreading across the wooden shack with harsh embers.

"Brother!" Idate panicked, separated from Ibiki by a wall of fire.

"Run! Get out of here!" Ibiki's voice could be heard, muffled by flickering flames.

A barrage of shuriken then soared into view, scraping across Idate's headband before piercing a nearby wall. Because of this, Idate's headband was knocked loose, falling into the fire.

While hesitating, Idate didn't even notice the large Ame Chunin that stood behind him, obscured by a rebreather. However, this Chunin was quickly killed by a pair of kunai, thrown by Ibiki.

"Just keep moving, Idate! Keep moving!" These words carried a deep effect on Idate, causing his legs to twitch.

Soon, the heat from nearby flames became too much to endure, forcing Idate to turn around before running away. This allowed Idate to quickly leapt through a broken window, running across the rocky terrain.

As Idate ran, Ibiki's words continued to drift through his mind, inspiring his young brother to run even faster. Idate ran for what felt like days, he ran all the way to the Land of Tea, and he never looked back.


	99. Chapter 99

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Anoymouse47 - I'll be honest, every single time I write a chapter, I hold your previous review close to memory. Just because someone else says something stupid, that doesn't mean you shouldn't speak your opinion.**

 **As an author, I have to respond to criticism, but just because someone criticizes my story, that doesn't make them right. I have to discern what criticism is valid and what isn't, that's my responsibility as a writer.**

 **I can't just bow down and accept all criticism as valid, because most of the time, it isn't. However, at the same time, I have to recognize that some criticism is valid, and use that knowledge to grow.**

 **I've confessed my mistakes time and time again, and I've openly acknowledged the valid criticism I've received. But, DarksiderForever didn't provide valid criticism, he provided a petty pile of horse shit - it wasn't valid.**

 **In regards to Hiruzen, in my opinion, Naruto has surpassed him but Sasuke hasn't. It's important to understand that (canon) Orochimaru never beat Hiruzen, the 3rd Hokage had a handicap during the entire fight.**

 **In canon, the moment Hiruzen got serious, and he finally decided to kill Orochimaru, he curb stomped him. For most of the fight, Hiruzen was constantly held back by distant memories, so he didn't go full power until the end.**

 **Overall, according to Part 1 lore, Naruto and Sasuke should've molested Madara with both hands behind their backs. Madara is Hashirama level, so in terms of power scaling, he's basically irrelevant to Orochimaru, Kabuto or Hiruzen, especially Pain.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 99: Dude, Where's My Nerd? Come Back, Naruto.**

 _Sunday 4:31pm, July 18th 58SSP._

Idate sprang up from his bed, a bundle of dense fabric that was sprawled across the cold and wooden floor. Soon, the sound of construction could be heard, radiating out from the roof.

As Idate glanced from side-to-side, he quickly noticed a sleeping cat in his lap, adorned with white and gray fur. Also, the shadowy silhouette of Shisui could be seen, nestled in a nearby porthole.

"No, you have to go higher, nerd." Tayuya's voice could be heard, filling the room.

"Just take it off and I'll do it." As Tayuya spoke, Idate peaked over his bed.

Tayuya was sitting in Naruto's lap, playing a video game on Koyuki's TV, struggling to beat the last boss. During this, Tayuya flicked several strands of hair across her left shoulder, brushing against Naruto's face.

"Now check me out, I'll demolish this level." While speaking, Tayuya rolled in Naruto's lap.

After briefly hesitating, Idate leapt out from his bed, landing on both feet before taking an aggressive stance. This easily garnished Naruto's attention, but Tayuya continued to play her game.

"What's the meaning of this!? Who are yo-?!" Idate's voice froze midsentence, glaring at Naruto.

"Yo-... You're _that_ kid!" After stuttering these words, Idate fell onto his back.

This forced Idate to hit his head against a nearby wall, briefly groaning before rubbing his skull. While this occurred, Naruto glared at Idate with a solemn expression, staring at his bruised body.

"I'm not the same kid anymore... Neither are you." Naruto exclaimed.

"That's none of your business..." Idate remarked with a low tone.

While this conversation progressed, Tayuya was playing a video game in Naruto's lap, ignoring Idate. After several awkward moments, the nearby door was abruptly opened, revealing the calm face of Gaara.

"Hey, the captain said were running low on food, wanna go find some?" Gaara spoke out, earning a grunt from Tayuya.

"Gimme five minutes and we'll leave, I need to finish this level first." Tayuya explained, mashing the buttons on her controller.

As Tayuya spoke, the bundle of nearby covers began to rustle, drawing attention to a purple-eyed cat. This feline was kept alive by a collection of chakra rods, piercing her fluffy body in several angles.

"No! Get down, Snowball!" Tayuya's voice erupted into panic, attacked by the loving nuzzles of her cat.

Suddenly, the distinct sound of a gunshot could be heard, forcing Shisui to rustle both wings. Afterwards, this purple-eyed bird soared into the air, forcing Naruto, Gaara and Idate to rush out the door, slowly followed by Tayuya.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Where is he?! I know you're hiding him!" Aiden declared, pointing directly at Jūgo.

These figures were both assembled outside Koyuki's crashed ship, surrounded by various crates and construction crews. This exposed Jūgo's left arm, distorted and deformed in a hideous manner, shaped like an axe.

"This is your final warning... Leave, or die." Jūgo proclaimed, undaunted by Aiden's small army.

As Jūgo spoke, a fresh pillar of smoke steadily leaked from a nearby musket, rising into the afternoon sky. Also, several other muskets were aimed at Jūgo, ready to fire at any moment.

"You've probably heard the rumors... Haven't you? You've heard that the Land of Tea has no shinobi..." Aiden spoke out with a hushed tone.

"And because of that, the other nations look down on us. They think we're weak. They think we're broken." While speaking, Aiden tightly gripped his musket.

Suddenly, Aiden's soldiers quickly entered a battle-ready-stance, causing some to kneel while others took aim. At the same time, several crew members cowered behind Jūgo, seeking protection.

"But I've never thought of my men as soldiers... They're volunteers, citizens, craftsmen, shoemakers..." As Aiden spoke, his voice with filled with pride.

"We're patriots! And we will save our people!" After Aiden spoke, he waved his left arm through the air.

This signaled for several patriots to release an organized volley from their muskets, polluting the air with smoke. While this occurred, Jūgo raised his deformed arm into the air, using it like a shield.

At the last moment, various streams of sand quickly merged into existence, capturing each of the approaching bullets. Afterwards, these bullets were harmlessly dropped to the ground, creating a minor thud on impact.

"Aiden!? What are you doing?!" Idate shouted.

As Idate came into view, he was quickly followed by Naruto and Gaara, but Tayuya moved at a much slower pace. However, Karin was also standing in the background, sprawled across Koyuki's ship.

"My prince!" Aiden stuttered, dropping his musket to the ground.

Aiden then surged past Jūgo, running up to Idate before gripping both of his hands, kneeling down in the process. During this, Tayuya pulled her iconic otter hat loose, sliding it over her red hair.

"Prince Idate! We've been tracking you all morning! I feared for the worst!" While speaking, Aiden rested on one knee.

"Wh-... Where's lord Jirōchō?" Idate muttered.

This question caused Aiden to lower his face, staring at the ground for several minutes, ignoring Jūgo's shadow. Also, this brought attention to the furred outline of Snowball, running across the ground while chasing a cricket.

"He's become deathly ill, my prince... Something's wrong, you must see him." Aiden pleaded, pressing his face against the ground.

Idate's life inside the Land of Tea was a unique event, adopted by lord Jirōchō Wasabi himself, almost six years ago. Idate owed everything to Jirōchō, the first man that he ever saw as a father.

During his youth, Idate was too young to remember his real parents, murdered by the Nine Tailed Fox over 12 years ago. Because of this, Idate never met his parents, Ibiki raised him on his own.

Suddenly, Idate's mind was consumed by a flickering fire, magnified by the pain-filled screams of Ibiki. These memories forced Idate to stagger backwards, accidently bumping against Naruto.

"He's waiting for you." Naruto exclaimed, grabbing Idate's shoulder.

After hearing these words, Idate brushed Naruto's hand away before staring into his purple eyes, quickly hypnotized. The image of these pulsating Rinnegan completely overwhelmed Idate's mind, knocking him on both knees.

"Times change, Idate. You need to change with them." As Naruto spoke, he helped Idate stand up.

"Whatever... But you're helping me! And my people!" Idate retorted, glaring at Naruto with distrust.

At this moment, nearby patriots rushed into an organized line, establishing an impressive formation behind Aiden. Afterwards, Idate was escorted into the distant forest, followed by Naruto and his group of friends.

* * *

 _Four hours later._

"We're almost there, keep quiet." Aiden remarked, walking through a dark forest.

Soon, the dramatic silhouette of Karin and Tayuya came into view, sighing and grumbling with several complaints. Also, Idate was walking in the background, occasionally glancing at Naruto.

"So... I have to ask... Where's all the tea?" Gaara remarked, scratching his nose.

"Our tea farms were attacked over two weeks ago. The White Sage snuck in before poisoning our crops." Aiden explained.

While this conversation unfolded, faint rays of fresh moonlight could be seen, sparkling down between various tree branches. This light partially illuminated the large outline of Jūgo, towering over nearby adults.

"So... You have guns, cannons and fucking airships, but you can't beat some douche with pale skin?" Tayuya scoffed.

This declaration forced Aiden to glance up at the hovering moon, distracted by distant thoughts and memories. After several moments of this, the distinct squawking of Shisui could be heard, landing atop a tree branch.

"When he first came to these lands, the White Sage was kind, he was loving..." Aiden proclaimed.

"He showered our nation with gifts and technology, and he even helped us develop new weapons, like our muskets." While speaking, Aiden's voice was filled with regret.

The hooded silhouette of Kabuto then abruptly pierced Aiden's mind, an outline that was defined by two snake-like eyes. This image deeply disturbed Aiden, causing him to tightly clench both hands.

"But his tongue is wicked and forked, he talked himself into the Daimyo's court. Becoming lord Kuni's personal advisor." As Aiden spoke, Idate downcast his face.

"Loyal ambassadors, council members and nobles were corrupted over night, switching their allegiance." These words carried a deep effect on the nearby patriots.

Suddenly, this group of travelers entered a large clearing in the woods, revealing a two-story wooden shack. This hidden location was surrounded on all sides by a dense forest, nestled past the northern foothills of Dega.

Despite the low profile of this settlement, the building was surrounded by dozens of patriots, marching with their muskets. Also, a ornate pond was sprawled across the nearby ground, sparkling under the starlight.

"Prince Idate, lord Jirōchō is calling for you." An unnamed man spoke out, defined by his grey cloak and scarred face.

"Great, let's get this over with." Tayuya exclaimed, casually walking forward.

As Tayuya approached, a pair of muskets were quickly crossed in front of her, blocking the doorway. This action earned a hostile snort from Tayuya, crossing both arms in front of her flat chest.

"Only the prince may enter." Both patriots spoke in unison.

After hearing this statement, Idate grabbed Naruto's shoulder before coughing, garnishing everyone's attention. Afterwards, Idate took several steps forwards, encouraging Naruto to follow.

"This one can come in, the rest stay outside." Idate declared, earning a hostile snarl from Tayuya.

Soon, a pair of guards quickly escorted Idate and Naruto past the door, filling Tayuya with envy and rage. Because of this, Tayuya dramatically threw her hat against the ground, scoffing in protest.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A bundle of faint candle light flickered into view, illuminating the aged and sickly silhouette of lord Jirōchō. This elderly man was the younger brother of lord Kuni, the current Daimyo for the Land of Tea.

After several moments, a sliding door was abruptly opened, revealing the shoeless outline of Idate and Naruto. This revelation created a brief smirk across Jirōchō's face, disrupted by a harsh cough.

"Idate… It's good to see you." Jirōchō remarked, struggling to breath.

Jirōchō was a 65 year old man was fair-skin and sky blue eyes, matching the ankle-length kimono that he wore. Also, Jirōchō had ear-length grey hair that was extremely shaggy, jutting out in various directions.

This noble man was seated atop an expensive cushion, resting in the center of a small room. This brought attention to a large TV screen on the wall, irradiated by nearby candle light.

"D-... Dad!" Idate stuttered, rushing across the room.

"Shouldn't you be resting? What about your sickness?" As Idate spoke, Jirōchō held his hand up in protest.

"Our family has endured worse than this. We'll overcome these dark times." Jirōchō proclaimed, coughing in one hand.

After coughing for an extensive time, Jirōchō briefly glanced at Naruto, struggling to stare at his Rinnegan eyes. This interaction was then quickly interrupted, disturbed by fuzzy static from the nearby TV.

This strange disruption continued for several moments, forcing Idate to stand up before approaching the TV. At the last moment, this screen was polluted a shadowy outline, defined by yellow eyes with a snake-like appearance.

"Good afternoon, lord Jirōchō." Kabuto's voice could be heard, causing Idate to stagger backwards before hitting the floor.

"Why are you still alive?" Naruto interrupted, narrowing each of his purple eyes.

"Why the hostility? We haven't seen each other in ages... I've almost felt lost without you." Kabuto exclaimed, rolling his eyes.

"I was beginning to think you forgot about me... All the cryptic clues I left for you, all the noisy little guests I sent your way." As Kabuto spoke, Idate gasped on the floor.

Despite his introverted nature, Kabuto was a master at manipulation, constantly tricking or seducing others into his service. Kabuto was directly responsible for several key events in the recent past, like the eruption of Mount Makapu and Dōtō's advanced armor.

"If you want to meet so badly, tell me where you are." Naruto remarked, grabbing each side of the TV screen.

"In due time, but I want you to see something first." Kabuto explained, shifting the camera angle.

Suddenly, an impressive device of metal and wires came into view, neatly stacked inside a dark and rusty warehouse. This weapon of war was a lethal bomb, freshly produced inside the Land of Tea, designed by Kabuto.

"Recently, lord Jirōchō stole some important research from me... If I don't get that back, the innocent citizens of Dega will suffer." While speaking, Kabuto shrugged both shoulders.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto dragged various nails across the TV screen, enraged by Kabuto's persistence. As this occurred, Jirōchō was coughing in the background, struggling with his sickness.

"Tell me where!" Naruto snarled, grinding his teeth together.

"You're a clever boy, you can figure it out." Kabuto chuckled.

After speaking, the entire screen was engulfed by static, creating a harsh noise that polluted the room for several minutes. Soon, this silence brought attention to Naruto's Rinnegan, narrowed with rage.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"I'm bored." Tayuya muttered, sprawled across a field of grass.

This red-haired kunoichi was resting next to a sparkling pond, occasionally glancing at the beautiful water. While this occurred, Gaara, Jūgo and Karin were positioned in the background, surrounded by various patriots.

"You know... For once, I actually agree with you." Karin huffed in response.

This small group of friends were illuminated by bright rays of moonlight, irradiating the Land of Tea with bright light. Because of this, nearby frogs and crickets could be seen, hopping across the distant grass.

"Once we get done with this bullshit... My nerd will buy us some food." Tayuya exclaimed, glancing at the moon.

Suddenly, Tayuya rolled on her side before grabbing a handful of grass, staining her red hair with dirt. Also, Tayuya's outfit was completely covered in dirt, too lazy to change after her last nap.

This stained attire consisted of a pale purple shirt and fluffy black pajamas, covered with glittering skulls. However, Tayuya wasn't even wearing shoes, still daydreaming about her video game.

While this conversation progressed, Jūgo was seated on a distant rock, holding both arms towards the sky. This brought attention to several birds, squirrels and rabbits, resting atop Jūgo's arms and the nearby ground.

The pale green eyes of Gaara then erupted into view, obscuring everything else from sight. After several moments, Gaara's entire face was revealed, staring at the moon with a hypnotic focus.

At this moment, the distinct sound of footsteps could be heard, creating a wide smile across Tayuya's face. Afterwards, this fierce kunoichi jumped to her feet before running towards the nearby door.

The 16 year old face of Idate then walked into view, earning a dramatic scoff from Tayuya before falling to the ground. At the same time, Shisui was perched atop a distant tree branch, allowing his Rinnegan eye to pierce the background.

"You shouldn't do this... Dega has been lost for over a month." Idate exclaimed, turning around.

As Idate spoke, the whiskered silhouette of Naruto appeared in front of him, defined by a pair of violet eyes. Also, the hooded outline of Aiden was standing in the background, crossing both arms in front of his chest.

"I don't care, it's the only clue we have." Naruto argued.

After speaking, the sound of Naruto's voice quickly filled Tayuya with strength, allowing her to stand up. This dirt-stained kunoichi then casually brushed up against Naruto, asking for food.

"We'll eat when we finish, I promise." After speaking, a deep frown quickly sprawled across Tayuya's face.

Soon, the cloaked silhouette of Aiden quietly approached Naruto before removing his hood, exposing his face. This revealed Aiden's fair-skinned face and his brown eyes, matching his ear-length brown hair.

"Here, these might help." Aiden proclaimed, holding an ornate box, filled with mechanical devices.

"You'll realize these communicators are similar to shinobi earplugs, but much more advanced." While speaking, a brief gust of wind blew in from the east.

These unique pieces of technology were personally designed by Kabuto himself, a generous gift to Dega, before he betrayed them. Because of this, these communicators were covered with purple paint, the iconic color of Oto.

Suddenly, Aiden quickly walked through the group of friends, handing a communicator to each of them. At the last moment, Aiden accidently scared dozens of animals, disrupting the small herd next to Jūgo.

"Whatever... Let's move out! I'm ready to eat!" Tayuya yawned, grabbing Naruto's hand before disappearing into the forest.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

Eerie gusts of wind bombarded the metal houses of Dega, creating a twisted howl that permeated the air. Afterwards, various skyscrapers came into view, jutting out towards the darkened skyline.

Similar to Ame, Dega was defined by it's industrial complex, an extremely advanced nation with vast arrays of technology. However, Dega had no shinobi or a Kage, so they relied primarily on armed militias.

Despite their good fortune, the nobles of Dega were easily enticed and twisted by Kabuto, kneeling to his influence. Because of this, Kabuto easily took control of several key factories and trading hubs, promising power for loyalty.

Suddenly, an armed patrol of musket-bearing soldiers came into view, marching through the streets of Dega. Each of these men were adorned with a full-set of green-tinted body armor.

Unlike Aiden or his loyal patriots, these soldiers were rabid fanatics who followed Kabuto, confident in his power. Also, a pair of demonic hounds were walking through the background, drooling across the street.

After several seconds, the pale face of Tayuya erupted into view, poking her head out from a trash can. The outline of Naruto, Gaara, and Jūgo quickly followed, hiding behind a bundle of trash.

"Do we have to do this?" Karin sniffled, pushing her glasses up with one hand.

Instead of answering Karin's question, Naruto quietly held one finger over his mouth, encouraging her to be quiet. At the same time, Tayuya pulled her otter hat loose before sneezing into it.

"So, what's the plan?" Gaara exclaimed, poking his face over Naruto's shoulder.

"We're looking for a warehouse, or a shack... Some place that's big enough to hide a bomb." Naruto remarked, glancing from side-to-side.

As this group of friends remained hidden, they were positioned in a narrow alleyway, filled with trash cans. While this occurred, the shadowy outline of Shisui briefly flickered into view, flying across the night sky.

At this moment, the panicked screams of a young girl could be heard, wrestling with an armed guard in the street. This girl was standing in front of her elderly grandma, acting like a shield.

"But you can't! It's all we have left!" The young girl proclaimed, drawing attention to her dirty hair and tattered outfit.

"Lord Kuni has ordered an increase in taxes." The armored guard replied, concealed by the mask on his face.

After speaking, this guard casually kicked the young girl, knocking her to the ground before stealing her grandma's purse. Afterwards, the little girl began to cry, earning a hostile snort from the guard.

"Stop crying!" While shouting these words, the guard raised his left foot into the air.

The sound of cracking bones then abruptly filled the air, exposing the enraged face of Tayuya, grinding her teeth together. This kunoichi was digging her right fist against the nearby guard, denting his metal face-mask.

This collision quickly flung the guard backwards, dropping his musket and the purse he stole, spreading Ryo across the street. After this happened, Tayuya muttered various insults under her breath, garnishing the attention of the elderly grandma.

"Tha-... Thank you." As this grandma spoke, Tayuya snorted in response.

"You raised a weak little girl who can't defend herself." Tayuya scoffed, brushing her hair with one hand.

While this conversation progressed, a smoke-filled volley pierced the background, forcing Tayuya to turn around. This allowed Tayuya to briefly glance at an organized formation of musket-bearing soldiers.

Suddenly, Tayuya's eye-sight was completely concealed by shifting sand, protruding out from the ground. This wall of sand absorbed each of the approaching bullets, swallowed by the shifting surface.

"Stop! You're under arrest!" Several guards spoke out in unison.

Before Tayuya could reply, Naruto grabbed her hand before running towards a nearby alleyway, jumping over various trash cans. As this occurred, Gaara, Jūgo and Karin came into view, crawling down an opened sewer drain.

A barrage of bullets then ricocheted off the surrounding walls, scraping across the ground and through the air. Because of these lethal projectiles, Naruto picked Tayuya up with both hands before disappearing into the narrow sewer.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Do you think Haku even remembers us?" Kahyō asked, leaning across a wooden crate.

This Yuki clan member was resting atop Koyuki's damaged ship, having a friendly conversation with Paku. However, like usual, Paku was completely distracted by her carefree attitude, struggling to focus.

"I hope he wants some candy." Paku exclaimed, swirling two fingers through the air.

Displaying her expertise, Paku created a hardened crystal of chakra infused candy, leisurely held with a lazy grip. Afterwards, Paku dramatically sucked on this sugary snack, filling Kahyō with embarrassment.

"I wish you could act normal, for one minute." Kahyō mumbled, rolling over before closing both eyes.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"This is disgusting! Even for me!" Tayuya spat out, walking through a wet sewer.

Despite it's volatile nature, this sewer system was in remarkable condition, constructed with stainless stone walls. This brought attention to Naruto, Gaara, Jūgo and Karin, traveling through the hidden network.

"I helped design these sewers, so it's quicker to travel down here." Naruto exclaimed, repressing distant memories.

"It's a terrible design." Karin cut in, holding her nose shut.

This group of friends were positioned on a narrow walkway of stone, surrounding a dense stream of sewage water. This canal of waste and filth stretched far out of sight, reaching an unknown end.

"I still don't know what to look for." Tayuya exclaimed.

After speaking, Tayuya walked past a stone corner before glancing to the side, noticing a large boat in the water. This revelation quickly captured Naruto's attention, directing his friends to follow.

"That's what we're looking for!" Naruto remarked, pointing at the boat.

These voices were soon heard by the mindless outline of Genma Shiranui and Raidō Namisashi, escorting a large bomb. After revealing themselves, Genma turned their boat on, speeding across the dirty sewage water.

Fueled by Naruto's voice, Tayuya abruptly charged after the moving boat, ignoring the harsh smell that surrounded her. This encouraged Jūgo, Gaara and Karin, causing all of them to rush forward.

"Don't let them get away!" Naruto ordered, taking several steps forwards.

At this moment, a pair of pale-hands ruptured out from the stone wall, wrapping around Naruto before pulling him from view. This sudden disappearance created a massive hole in the wall.

"Nerd!" Tayuya shrieked, poking her head into view.

The enormous silhouette of Jirōbō then erupted into eyesight, adorned with an ankle-length white kimono, contrasting his curse mark. This realization created a deep gasp across Tayuya's face, staring at her former teammate.

Soon, the cursed outline of Jirōbō raised both arms into the air, tightly clenching his fists before growling with rage. Afterwards, Naruto rolled across the dirty floor, dodging a lethal punch from Jirōbō.

"I'm fine! Stop the bomb!" Naruto exclaimed.

This declaration earned a quick nod from Gaara and Jūgo, instinctively chasing the distant boat, running from sight. After several moments, Karin followed behind them, but Tayuya continued to stare at Naruto.

"Hurry up, loser!" Karin spoke out, forcing Tayuya to run after her.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

The sound of water crashing against stone could be heard, pierced by the large silhouette of a moving boat. This aquatic vehicle was piloted by Genma while Raidō was tampering with the bomb.

As this vehicle soared down a narrow sewer tunnel, Jūgo, Gaara, Karin and Tayuya all chased after it. Despite the harsh smell in the air, this group of friends continued to run.

Soon, Gemna pulled a handful of kunai loose before throwing them through the air, hurled towards Tayuya. However, this red-haired kunoichi quickly scoffed in response, side-stepping each of the sharp projectiles.

After these kunai soared into view, they was completely engulfed by a stream of sand, pouring out from Gaara's gourd. During this, Jūgo's right arm began to bubble and contort, transforming into a fleshy shield.

"Tayuya squad! Go!" Tayuya's voice permeated the air, running ahead of her friends.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The cursed and mindless outline of Jirōbō came into view, towering over Naruto and various pillars of stone. Jirōbō's white kimono was partially stained with dirt, deeply contrasting Naruto's black robe, the attire of a Konoha Anbu.

Suddenly, Jirōbō growled like a rabid zombie, foaming at the mouth before charging forward. Because of his size, Jirōbō shook the ground with each step, forcing Naruto's loose hair to rustle.

After screaming for several moments, Jirōbō raised both of his clenched fists into the air, rushing towards Naruto. However, Jirōbō was abruptly frozen by an unseen force, holding the massive giant in place.

As Jirōbō struggled with this intense force, the surrounding stone was cracked and splintered, spreading dust in all directions. At the same time, Naruto's Rinnegan began to bulge, forcing his pupils to shrink.

Soon, Jirōbō gnawed his teeth together before being shoved backwards with the speed of a falling star. This flung Jirōbō through multiple pillars, spreading dust, debris and stone across the floor.

After cracking several bones, Jirōbō collided against the distant wall, creating a heavy thud before slumping down. Afterwards, Naruto quickly gripped the collar of Jirōbō's outfit, lifting his large torso with one hand.

"Where is _he_!? Where are you hiding _him_?!" Naruto shrieked, towering over Jirōbō.

These words were soon interrupted by an electronic beeping, drawing attention to the communicator on Jirōbō's belt. This advanced device was pointing towards a large 'K' symbol on the map, creating a brief grin across Naruto's face.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of metal striking stone could be heard, reflecting a barrage of kunai into sewerage water. Afterwards, Genma and Raidō came into view, piloting an advanced boat through the sewers of Dega.

This boat was being chased by Gaara, Jūgo, Tayuya and Karin, sprinting atop the filthy water. While running, Gaara's gourd was swiftly crushed into a vortex of sand, spreading through out the dirty sewer.

Soon, an enormous tsunami of sand and sewerage was surging towards the distant boat, forcing Genma turn around a corner. As this occurred, Karin pinched her nose while running, disturbed by the smell.

Suddenly, Jūgo surged past each of his friends before jumping onto the moving boat, shaking it under his weight. During this, sections of the nearby wall were abruptly crushed into sand, polluting the air.

This sudden appearance forced Raidō to leap forward, attacking Jūgo with chakra-infused fists. However, because of his large statue, Jūgo easily overwhelmed the attacking Jounin, tossing him into the nearby water.

After a brief silence, Gaara, Tayuya and Karin all skipped over Raidō's head, submerged in knee-deep sewerage. At the same time, Genma quickly typed several numbers into the control panel, locking his boat into auto pilot.

After several seconds, Jūgo bashed Genma to the floor with one hand, knocking him off the side of his own boat. This brought attention to Gaara, Tayuya and Karin, landing atop the speeding boat.

As this group of friends gathered together, Jūgo reached out before grabbing the steering wheel. But instead of fixing it, Jūgo accidently ripped the steering wheel off, under-estimating his own strength.

Scoffing at Jūgo's mistake, Karin brushed him to the side before poking the control panel, typing up random numbers. This disorganized entry quickly earned an error-message in response, forcing Karin to sweat.

Genma's boat continued to speed for several minutes, knocking Tayuya to the floor while Karin became staggered. Also, Gaara could barely stand on both feet, becoming sea sick from the rocking surface, combined with the smell of sewerage.

"Make it stop! Please! Make it stop!" Gaara pleaded, leaning against the boat.

As Gaara spoke, Jūgo casually ripped the control panel out of it's socket, crushing it with one hand. Because of this, Genma's boat came to an abrupt stop, drifting into a large reservoir of sewerage.

"Is that how you're going to stop the bomb?" Tayuya remarked, earning a brief gasp from Jūgo.

Suddenly, Jūgo tossed the destroyed control panel over his left shoulder, throwing it into the deep sewerage. While this occurred, Karin was standing in the background, poking and pointing at the lethal bomb.

"Uh... Nah, we'll be fine." Karin exclaimed, pushing her glasses up.

"You do know how to stop it, right?" Jūgo asked, earning a dramatic snort in response.

"Of course! I mean... How hard could it be?" Karin mumbled,

At this moment, Karin reached out with both hands, forcing the nearby bomb to briefly vibrate. Afterwards, this advanced bomb was illuminated by red lights, muffled by a loud warning sound.

These loud noises knocked Karin onto her butt, shocked by the strange and unique device in front of her. This technology was personally designed by Kabuto himself, an odd fusion of metal, wires and chakra.

"Oh... That's fancy." While Karin spoke, she rubbed her spiky red hair.

"Just turn it off already... Before Kabuto decides to activate it." Tayuya proclaimed, brushing her hair with one hand.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of metal pistons and rotating steel could be heard, drawing attention to the hooded outline of Kabuto. This mischievous shinobi was seated in a stone chair, surrounded by pillars of rust and iron.

"It's almost too easy." Kabuto muttered, holding his chin with one hand.

Kabuto was glaring at a collection of TV screens on the nearby wall, depicting the sewers of Dega, photos from a hidden camera. Because of this, Kabuto stared at Gaara, Jūgo, Tayuya and Karin from a safe distance, watching them.

Suddenly, a pair of rust-covered doors were flung open in the background, falling to the ground with a metallic thud. This exposed the whiskered silhouette of Naruto, irradiated by a pair of violet eyes.

"Ah, Naruto. Come in." As Kabuto spoke, his tone was extremely casual.

"I've been expecting you." While speaking, Kabuto waved his right hand through the air.

This declaration was quickly met by a barrage of rust-covered steel, flung into the air by an unseen force. However, Kabuto was completely protected by his chair, allowing metal and iron to soar past him.

Without a moment of rest, Naruto reached out before pulling Kabuto from his chair, picking him up by the collar of his outfit. But instead of begging for mercy, Kabuto laughed with a twisted tone, revealing his snake-like eyes.

"Where is the detonator!? How can I stop the bomb!?" Naruto asked.

These questions forced each of Kabuto's eyes to bulge, fueling his horrific laughter for several minutes. While this occurred, a chakra-rod slowly phased out from Naruto's spare hand, raising it to Kabuto's throat.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A handful of loose screws were dropped to the floor, drawing attention to Karin, surrounded by Gaara, Jūgo and Tayuya. These friends were assembled in front of Kabuto's bomb, struggling to deactivate it.

"Okay... So, I just have to cut the right wire." Karin explained, drawing a kunai from her pouch.

While speaking, Karin glared at a collection of black wires, sprawled underneath an iron control panel. After several seconds, Karin stuck her tongue out before leaning forward, trying to focus.

"Don't fuck up." Tayuya muttered, crossing both arms in front of her chest.

This statement created various beads of sweat across Karin's face, forcing her to accidently bite her tongue. At the same time, Gaara was stumbling in the background, dazed and sea sick.

"It's fine... All I have to do is decuple the compressor..." Karin proclaimed, cutting a nearby wire.

At this moment, Kabuto's bomb began to erratically beep, flashing various red lights in unison. These flashing lights forced Tayuya and each of her friends to stagger backwards, startled by the loud noise.

"Oh no! I blew it! We're all going to die!" While screaming these words, Karin dropped onto both knees.

As Karin flew into a panic, Gaara held both hands over his mouth, trying to settle the disturbance in his stomach. This brought attention to Jūgo, towering over each of his friends with a gasped mouth.

Despite his dizzy perspective, Gaara directed multiple streams of sand around the lethal bomb, engulfing it. Afterwards, this sand was partially disarmed by an electric shock. followed by pillars of steam.

Kabuto's bomb then fell apart into several pieces, scattered across the deck of Genma's boat. This action shocked each of the nearby friends, creating an awkward silence before Gaara threw up.

"N-... Nevermind! I saved us!" After speaking, Karin jumped for joy.

"No way... Something else happened." Tayuya cut in, rubbing her head.

Suddenly, the nearby floor was abruptly spilt open, exposing a mechanically pedestal, protruding into the air. This revealed an ornate device, lined with flashing red lights and various wires, jutting into view.

After a brief silence, this device erupted into a senbon-filled explosion, spewing a lethal barrage of needles in all directions. This allowed dozens of projectiles to pierce each of the nearby friends, rushing past Gaara's sand.

The force of this explosion shook the entire boat, knocking Jūgo, Tayuya, Karin and Gaara into a lake of sewerage. Also, each of these friends were impaled by multiple senbon, spread across their bodies in various angles.

"I'm going to kill my nerd." As Tayuya spat these words out, her hair was soaking wet, stained with sewer water.

"I think I'm going to die." Karin stuttered. disgusted by her surroundings.

"Whatever that bomb was supposed to do, it didn't do it." Jūgo spoke out.

This proclamation earned an approving nod from Gaara, wiping the filth from his hair with a muffled gag. After this occurred, a cloud of sand slowly merged into existence, lifting Gaara and his friends to safety.

"So, that means we win?" Gaara mumbled, pulling several senbon from his arm.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of grinding metal could be heard, pierced by the chaotic laughter of Kabuto, polluting the air. After several moments, Naruto's blood-stain fist came into view, held over Kabuto's wide smile.

"Where is the trigger?! Where is the detonator?!" Naruto shrieked, throwing Kabuto to the ground.

"There is no trigger, because there is no detonator." Kabuto laughed, crawled across the floor.

This declaration caused each of Naruto's Rinnegan to widen, clenching the chakra-rod in his left hand. At the same time, Naruto's mouth feel open, briefly frozen by Kabuto's words.

At this moment, four TV screens abruptly flickered to life, capturing Naruto's attention while Kabuto continued to laugh. These screens depicted a collection of heart rates and vitals, an important bundle of information.

Soon, the image of Jūgo, Gaara, Tayuya and Karin erupted into view, displayed across the massive TV screens. This revelation forced Naruto to grind his teeth together, jutting his whiskers out.

"What's happening?! What did you do?!" Naruto questioned.

"You have the eyes of a god, but you're still blind." Kabuto chuckled, smiling from ear-to-ear.

After speaking, Kabuto's entire body was gripped by an unseen force, pulling him towards Naruto's right hand. However, Kabuto continued to laugh, ignoring the hostile expression across Naruto's face.

"Don't you understand? For all your power, for all your glory, you have nothing to threaten me with." As Kabuto spoke, he couldn't stop laughing.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto raised his chakra-rod into the air, preparing to kill Kabuto. But this threat was answered by a mischievous grin, drawing attention to Kabuto's snake-like eyes.

"The bomb was just a decoy, a trap that your friends walked right into." While speaking, Kabuto licked his lips.

"It's a prototype of my own design, microscopic chakra-transmitters." After Kabuto spoke, he was dropped to the ground.

An awkward period of silence then filled the air, pierced only by the harsh staring contest between Naruto and Kabuto. While this occurred, the sound of grinding metal could be heard, rotating in the background.

"With just the wave of my hand, I can make your friends do anything I want." After speaking, Kabuto pulled his hood down.

This revealed the pale-skinned face of Kabuto, contrasting his shoulder-length black hair, and his yellow eyes. Also, Kabuto's retracted teeth came into view, jagging out as he smiled.

"It doesn't matter, they'll never obey you. You're nothing to them." Naruto spat out, narrowing each of his eyes.

"This isn't about your friends, Naruto. This is about you, it's always been about you." Kabuto laughed, covered with dirt and rust.

Enraged by these words, Naruto plunged his chakra-rod into the floor, a failed attack against Kabuto. This was a result of Kabuto's advanced reflexes, imbued with Snake Sage Mode, a unique type of Senjutsu.

"You should be more careful, if my heart rate stops, your friends will die." These words forced Naruto to stagger backwards.

After briefly hesitating, Naruto punched Kabuto in his jawline, spewing blood across the nearby ground. Afterwards, Kabuto replied with a deep laugh, muffled by the sound of grinding metal.

"Stop playing around, this isn't a game!" Naruto stammered, dripping blood from his knuckles.

"Life is nothing but a game. And this is the best way to past time." Kabuto chuckled, ignoring the blood on his mouth.

After hearing these words, Naruto grinded his teeth together in response, forcing his Rinnegan eyes to narrow. At the same time, Kabuto slowly stood up, wiping the blood from his pale face.

"You see, for sometime now, I'm been looking for someone to walk in my footsteps... An Apprentice. And I've chosen you." After speaking, Kabuto took several steps forward.

"What a pathetic joke." Naruto snarled.

"This is no joke, Naruto. Sending various clues your way, orchestrating tragic events from the shadows... I've been testing you." Kabuto exclaimed, leaning his face in front of Naruto.

"If you kill me, your friends die. If you leave, your friends die. If you disobey me, your friends die." As Kabuto spoke, he licked his lips with a snake-like tongue.

"But... If you serve me, if you never speak to your friends again, if you bow before me... I'll allow them to live." While speaking, Kabuto stared directly into Naruto's violet eyes.

After several seconds, Kabuto reached out before grabbing Naruto's head, casually rubbing his blond hair. During this, Kabuto smiled from ear-to-ear. displaying the same eyes and tone as Orochimaru.

Soon, Naruto downcast his face, dropping his chakra-rod to the floor with a metallic thud. A tense period of silence then filled the air, muffled by the sound of rotating pistons and grinding steel.

"So... Let the game begin." These words were quickly overwhelmed by grinding metal, obscuring everything from view.


	100. Chapter 100

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: TheOldNick - I appreciate you, I fixed all the examples I could find of that mistake. Thank you for pointing that out.**

 **Coronaprimo - If I'm being honest, I'm very disappointed with my grammar in chapters 9-60. But I do frequently edit and rewrite old chapters, it just takes along time.**

 **If I focused all my time on just rewriting every single chapter, I could easily finish it in a few weeks. But then I'd get bored with writing, and I wouldn't have a new chapter to upload in time.**

 **My main goal is to finish this story before I become distracted by rewriting it. However, I do go back and edit past chapters every couple of days, but I only edit like a paragraph or two at a time.**

 **GunBlade2019 - Every Arc needs an important side character, a character that receives the largest amount of development. Like Shibuki, Raiga, Idate, Kazan and etc.**

 **These side characters serve as a plot device to advance their specific Arc, but they will all be seen again. It's important to write a character that readers can identify with, because it makes them feel more involved in the story.**

 **brutusjr - I know I reuse a lot of words and phrases, but I really don't have a choice. Since this story is so long, and each chapter is 6,000+ words, I'm forced to occasionally reuse a certain phrase.**

 **Like, After several seconds/moments, Afterwards, Suddenly, At this moment, and etc. Personally, it annoys me too, because if this story was animated, I wouldn't have to write down something as minor as a gust of wind.**

 **If you think I dehumanized Naruto, that's because you never finished reading his arc. You'll never understand why he left the village, because you never bothered to read that far.**

 **You'll never understand Naruto's motivates because you quit reading halfway through the story. You'll never see him quietly sob over Sasuke, you'll never see him being honest to Tayuya and you'll never see him save Konohamaru.**

 **You won't even see this response.**

 **So now, every time you think about this story, every time you talk about it, you'll have a warped perspective. Instead of the perspective that I've wrote and condensed onto 100+ chapters.**

 **Overall, when Naruto left Konoha and abandoned his friends, I saw that as the most human aspect of his character. Because, over time, everyone has to grow up and leave their childhood home, they have to leave friends behind.**

 **Even if they don't want too, especially if they don't want too.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 100: Stop: In The Name Of Ibiki! The Apprentice: Part 1.**

 _Monday 1:32am, July 19th 58SSP._

"Nerd! Nerd! Pick up! I'm hungry!" Tayuya's static-filled voice could be heard.

These words brought attention to Tayuya's soaking-wet hair, stained with sewage and filth. This young kunoichi was sitting on a stone embankment, nestled inside the sewers of Dega.

"Can you stop? You've been calling him for over 30 minutes..." Karin pleaded, speaking over her radio.

"Fuck you! I need food!" Tayuya snapped out in protest.

After shouting, a brief silence filled the radio, polluted by occasional static. During this, Tayuya wiped clumps of sewage from her outfit, ignoring the disgusting smell on her cloths.

"He should've picked up by now." Jūgo spoke across the radio.

"But why doesn't he respond? Where's my nerd?" Tayuya panicked, jumping to her feet.

As this conversation progressed, the spiky silhouette of Gaara walked into view, partially stained with sewage. This red-head was surrounded by broken stone and rubble, spread throughout a large tunnel.

"Naruto and Jirōbō definitely fought... But I can't tell who won, or where they are." Gaara exclaimed, glancing from side-to-side.

After speaking, Gaara stared at a massive crater in the distant wall, drawing attention to a small pile of stone. While this occurred, a stream of sand gently combed Gaara's hair, wiping the sewage away.

At this moment, the petite outline of Karin concealed everything from view, exposing her dirty hair and outfit. Karin was sitting in front of a dusty computer. hidden in an abandoned house of Dega.

"I can't find him on the map either, his communicator is offline." Karin explained.

After several moments, Karin pulled her glasses loose before soaking them in a bucket of water. At the same time, the feathered silhouette of Shisui poked into view, standing in a broken window.

"This is bullshit! My nerd is too sensitive for this, I should've helped him..." Tayuya stuttered, walking through the sewer.

"Especially since Kabuto's big bad bomb was just a dud." While speaking, Tayuya ran several fingers through her dirty hair.

Soon, the hulking outline of Jūgo came into view, walking down a narrow tunnel in the sewer. This behemoth was partially covered with dirt and sewage, staining his spiky orange hair.

"It wasn't a dud, it was a decoy." Karin proclaimed, speaking across the radio.

"A decoy that lured us away from Naruto. And we fell for it." As Karin spoke, her words filled Jūgo with rage.

"I should've been there!" Jūgo howled with a demonic tone.

After screaming, Jūgo hurled his right fist against a nearby stone wall, shattering the dense surface with ease. While this occurred, Jūgo's stained hair violently rustled in the dust-filled breeze.

"But why? Why did Kabuto want to separate us?" Tayuya mumbled with a depressed tone.

Instead of responding, Karin dipped her entire head in a bucket of water, washing the filth from her face. Afterwards, Karin pulled a tattered rag from the wall, drying her face and hair.

"You're missing the point." Karin muttered, slowly putting her glasses on.

"If Kabuto's big doodad was a dud... What's his real target?" After speaking, Karin leaned back in her chair.

* * *

 _Four hours later._

"I'm going to have surgery on my legs, because I can't stand all you hoes." Tayuya spat out.

Tayuya was bathing in the small pond outside of Jirōchō's wooden manor, concealed by a dense forest. Despite her open surroundings, Tayuya only wore her poorly washed shirt, having a casual conversation with Karin.

"I didn't want to stay in that town any longer... Those dogs creep me out." Karin mumbled, sitting by the pond.

After hearing these words, Tayuya sank face-deep into the pond, causing several strands of red hair to float. At the same time, Tayuya briefly daydreamed about Naruto, focused on his whiskered face.

"Besides, Naruto is strong... He'll be fine." While speaking, Karin kicked her shoes off before rubbing both feet.

"That's not the point... I need to look at him, his face keeps me calm." Tayuya complained.

"I'm not even hungry now. I just want to hear his stupid voice." After speaking, Tayuya completely sank below the water's surface.

As these kunoichi continued to talk, the outline of Gaara and Jūgo came into view, standing inside Jirōchō's manor. These friend's were assembled around a short wooden table, sitting on the floor.

"I don't even know where to look... If we stay in those sewers for too long, we'll get lost without Naruto." Gaara proclaimed.

Before Jūgo could respond, Jirōchō's entire house was polluted by flashing red lights, magnified by a loud horn. Afterwards, the musket-bearing silhouette of Aiden rushed into view, accompanied by several guards.

"We got trouble!" Idate shouted, running around a nearby corner.

This declaration forced Jūgo and Gaara onto their feet, glaring at Idate with shock and interest. During this, Tayuya scrambled to find some pants in the background, earning a laugh from Karin.

"One of my father's labs has been infiltrated! Kabuto can't his hands on the information there!" After shouting, Idate grabbed a musket from Aiden.

"I don't know where Naruto is... But my nation comes first, follow me!" As Idate spoke, he rushed out the door, ordering Aiden to stay behind.

"Tayuya squad! Assemble!" The voice of Tayuya could be heard, encouraging Gaara and Jūgo to follow.

Soon, Tayuya, Karin, Jūgo and Gaara all chased after Idate, following him into the dark forest. As this occurred, Aiden stared at his prince, watching him disappear into the tree-line.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

"You see anything?" An armored-guard spoke out, covered with a dense facemask.

This elite solider held an advanced musket with both hands, waving this unique weapon through the air. This revealed an advanced cargo bay, illuminated by several control panels, flashing lights, and colorful wires.

"No... Maybe the system blew a circuit?" A second guard cut-in, walking into view.

As these guards continued to patrol, they walked past various desks, cabinets and stacks of paper. After several moments, the floating outline of a red disc was exposed, contained in a chakra-locked tube.

This red disc was personally created by Kabuto, containing months of detailed schematics and plans for greater technology. However, this disc was apart of a collection, recently stolen by Idate before Jirōchō spread them across his nation.

"Everything checks out." While speaking, the unnamed guard shrugged both shoulders before turning around.

After glancing from side-to-side, both guards slowly left the room, locking the door behind them. Afterwards, a nearby vent was kicked open before a distorted shadow crawled out.

This shadow quickly tossed an ornate kunai through the air, piercing an electric control panel. This exposed the bright outline of an explosive tag, erupting into a chakra-filled explosion of fire and smoke.

A cloud of debris then briefly concealed everything from view, dissipating when the nearby door was opened. This brought attention to the dark outline of an unknown criminal, holding Kabuto's disc.

"He's got the schematics! Fire!" A commanding officer shouted out.

At this moment, a barrage of gun-fire rippled through the air, accompanied by several pillars of smoke. However, the dense smoke also blinded each of the guards, creating an awkward silence.

After several seconds, the cargo bay was cleared of all smoke, revealing dozens of bullet holes, scattered across the wall. But, the shadowy criminal was no where to be seen, confusing each of the guards.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

An air vent was violently kicked open before a dark shadow jumped into view, landing atop the roof of Jirōchō's lab. This darkened outline was defined by spiky hair and tinted goggles, concealing his eyes from view.

As this shadowy figure continued to run, Kabuto's disc was strapped against his belt, contrasting the night sky. After running for several moments, this thief abruptly tripped over a wave of sand, falling to the floor.

However, at the last moment, this thief caught himself before jumping to safety, avoiding the sand. Afterwards, Gaara, Jūgo and Tayuya rushed into view, slowly followed by Karin and Idate.

"Stop right there, loser!" Tayuya shrieked.

Instead of responding with words, the shadowy thief quickly turned around before running away. Despite Tayuya's skill and determination, this thief outran her and all of her friends, reaching a small balcony with extreme speed.

"You're trapped now!" As Tayuya spoke, brief rays of sunlight came into view.

The morning sun then rose over the distant horizon, sprawling across the entire Land of Tea. Soon, this light illuminated the nearby thief, exposing the whiskered face of Naruto.

This rising sun brought attention to Naruto's outfit, an ankle-length white kimono, held in place by a rope-like purple belt. Also, Naruto wore a pair of black shinobi shoes and gloves, matching his tinted goggles.

"Wait a second... That's not Kabuto, that's-..." Karin muttered with shock.

"Nerd!" Tayuya screamed with pure joy.

"Okay so... I'm super hungry, feed me." While speaking, Tayuya took several steps forward.

After Tayuya spoke, Naruto tossed a smoke bomb into the air, forcing the red-haired kunoichi to harshly gag. While this occurred, Karin pulled her glasses off before cleaning them, confused by her surroundings.

"What the fuck... Bitch." While Tayuya gagged on these words, she occasionally spat on the floor.

As Tayuya continued to spit, the balcony in front of her was concealed by smoke, inspiring Jūgo and Gaara to investigate. At the same time, Idate rushed past a nervous Karin, exposing the ornate katana around his waist.

Despite the speed of Idate's advance, the cloud of smoke completely vanished within seconds, revealing nothing but air. This also revealed the confused expression across Jūgo's and Gaara's face.

"Something's are a little new to me, but... That was, strange. Right?" Jūgo mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

This declaration forced Gaara and Jūgo to both glance at each other, muffled by the sound of a gagging Tayuya. During this, the violet-eyed silhouette of Shisui was perched in the background, twisting his beak in several angles.

"Yea, I don't know what his problem is." Karin scoffed, brushing her hair with one hand.

While this conversation progressed, these traveling friends were positioned atop the balcony of a large skyscraper. This advanced lab was located in a remote village inside the Land of Tea, nestled in the northwestern mountains.

Suddenly, Shisui squawked multiple times before flying into view, dropping various feathers in the process. Because of this, the Tayuya Squad was obscured from sight, muffled by the sound of Shisui.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes_ later.

The sound of grinding metal and shifting pistons could be heard, polluting the darkened interior of a warehouse. This isolated facility was irradiated by a single spot light, shining down upon Naruto.

After several moments, Naruto pulled the red disc from his belt before sliding it across the ground, disappearing into the darkness. Soon, the deep hiss of a venomous snake polluted the air, diluted by grinding metal.

"Excellent, Naruto. You've proven yourself to be a worthy apprentice." Kabuto groaned with delight, shifting through the shadows.

"This deal can't last forever." Naruto growled, grinding his teeth together.

These words earned a seductive chuckle from Kabuto, poking his pale-skinned face through the shadows. Afterwards, Kabuto's forked tongue protruded into view, sliding across his mouth.

"It can, and it will." Kabuto whispered, leaning against Naruto.

"Your friends still have no idea that my decoy, was more than a decoy." While speaking, Kabuto played with Naruto's hair.

"With my chakra-transmitters inside their bodies. They could remain undetected for years, decades." As Kabuto spoke, he grinned from ear-to-ear.

"In the mean time... Those goggles you're wearing will record anything you see, say or do. Just a safety precaution." After speaking, Kabuto licked Naruto's ear.

At this moment, Naruto brushed Kabuto's hand away before grabbing the collar of his outfit, lifting him into the air. But instead of begging for his life, Kabuto laughed with a sadistic tone, bouncing off the nearby machinery.

"Or, I can kill you right now." Naruto muttered.

This declaration created an abrupt shift in Kabuto's personality, changing his innocent smile into a lifeless stare. Kabuto's snake-like eyes began to twitch, focused on the whiskered face of Naruto.

"I want you to do it. I want you to kill me... So your friends die in agony." Kabuto mumbled with a hushed tone.

"I want them to die in front of you, screaming..." This statement earned a harsh scoff in response.

After hearing these words, Naruto quickly dropped Kabuto to the floor before clenching both fists. Because of this, a jarring shift once again spread across Kabuto's face, creating a genuine smile.

"Sooner or later, you're going to let your ground down. And the moment they're out of danger... You're going to die." Naruto spat out.

"That sounds like a threat, young man... A very good threat." Kabuto exclaimed, standing up on both feet.

"But, one day... You'll thank me for this." After Kabuto spoke, he turned around before disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Okay, so... I have three theories." Karin proclaimed, walking in a circle.

Tayuya, Jūgo, Gaara and Idate were all seated inside Jirōchō's manor, surrounding a short wooden table. However, Karin had a fancy detective hat on, drawing attention to the wooden pipe she held.

After walking for several moments, Karin took a dramatic and fake puff from her pipe, pretending to smoke. While this occurred, Idate was fumbling with his musket, trying to clean the barrel.

"One - Naruto's been replaced by an evil robot clone..." As Karin spoke, she pulled her hat to the side.

"Two - Naruto is an evil clone, who kidnapped and replaced the original." While speaking, Karin pulled a notebook loose before drawing pictures.

"And, my personal favorite... Naruto is being mind controlled, like a radioactive zombie." These words quickly earned an exhausted snort from Tayuya.

Suddenly, Tayuya grabbed a nearby loaf of bread before throwing it through the air, knocking Karin against her head. At the same time, Aiden walked through the background, patrolling Jirōchō's manor.

After Aiden walked by, he was followed by the fluffy silhouette of snowball, prancing across the manor. This violet-eyed cat was searching for a soft bed to nap on, a worthy goal for any cat.

"As cool as that sounds... Genjutsu doesn't work on my nerd, so no mind control." Tayuya muttered.

"And I could sense the nine-tails inside of him. That was the real Naruto. Our Naruto." Gaara spoke out, sipping on some water.

As this conversation developed, Jūgo was partially enveloped by a flock of squirrels, birds and rabbits. Soon, Jirōchō's manor was abruptly filled with dozens of forest critters, throwing Aiden into a panic.

"I never trusted him... He's just a monster." Idate spat out, slamming his musket against the table.

After hearing these words, Tayuya tackled Idate before repetitively punching him, yelling various insults in the process. However, Jūgo continued to meditate with a blank expression, ignoring Tayuya's harsh grunts.

"No one asked you! He's my perfect little nerd, he'd never betray me!" Tayuya mumbled, quickly pushed away by Idate.

"But he did." Jūgo interrupted with a calm tone, keeping both eyes closed.

This tranquil response created an aura of depression around Tayuya, magnified by a dramatic sigh. As this occurred, Idate pulled himself from the floor, muttering a handful of words under his breath.

After several moments, Karin poked her face into view, pushing her glasses up with one hand. This brought attention to Karin's crimson eyes, glancing from side-to-side with a mischievous expression.

"Three words... Mind controlled zombie..." Karin proclaimed.

This declaration created a deep scowl across Tayuya's face, knocking Karin's pipe to the floor before stepping on it. Tayuya then pulled Karin's hat off, throwing in to the ground before scoffing.

Before this conversation could progress, Karin unleashed a loud yawn before rubbing both eyes. Also, Idate ran upstairs before closing his bed room door, trying to take a short nap.

"Well... Have fun. Ms, Fuzzy pants." After speaking these words, Karin turned around before walking into the guest room.

This statement forced Tayuya to grind her teeth together, searing with rage and hostility. Afterwards, Tayuya unleashed several huffs of air from her nose, drawing attention to the snarl on her face.

"I'm going to hang out with the only cool person here." Tayuya remarked, walking towards the door.

"Who's that?" Gaara cut in, holding his cup with both hands.

"Myself!" Tayuya shrieked, running from view.

This hostile scream abruptly startled the flock of animals next to Jūgo, creating a minor stampede through Jirōchō's manor. Aiden then ran into view, screaming and struggling with the forest critters.

* * *

 _Five hours later._

"I'm going to find that piece of shit, and tie him to my leg." Tayuya proclaimed, daydreaming about Naruto.

Tayuya was walking through a sparsely-populated village, filled with struggling families and workers. Despite Kabuto's vast influence, this village was still loyal to Jirōchō, filled with industry and commerce.

"Leaving me with his ragtag group of losers... I don't even like them... I don't like anyone." After Tayuya spoke, she glanced up at the bright sun.

This afternoon sun quickly illuminated Tayuya's outfit, a short-sleeved white shirt and knee-length black shorts. These shorts perfectly matched Tayuya's shinobi shoes, and the fluffy panda hat that she wore.

"I'll never let him out of my sight, never again." While speaking, Tayuya walked around a street corner.

As Tayuya continued to daydream about Naruto, she completely ignored the ornate buildings that surrounded her. This exposed a large skyscraper, piercing the horizon like a pillar of silver and pearls.

Soon, this skyscraper was irradiated by a pair of flashing red lights, followed by several shouts and screams. Afterwards, the distinct sound of gunfire could be heard, inspiring Tayuya to run down the street.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

A pair of mechanical doors were abruptly torn down by an unseen force, crashing against a steel floor. The whiskered-outline of Naruto then walked into view, dragging an unconscious guard across the floor.

Naruto then glanced at a collection of glass and chakra, containing a unique green disc, floating in the air. After observing this device for several moments, Naruto dropped the unconscious guard before walking forward.

Suddenly, Naruto shattered the nearby glass before grabbing Kabuto's green disc, utilizing an unseen shockwave. While holding this small disc, Naruto ignored the limp guards behind him, sprawled across the floor.

After several seconds, Naruto concealed this green disc inside his belt before turning around. The exhausted silhouette of Tayuya then ran into view, panting and gasping for air.

"You're not walking out of here, nerd... Not without a fight." Tayuya stuttered, gasping for breath.

After hearing these words, a static shock rippled across Naruto's face, drawing attention to the small ear-piece he wore. This device was personally designed by Kabuto, allowing for easy communication with his apprentice.

"Don't say a word, apprentice. She isn't your friend anymore." Kabuto whispered through his radio.

This declaration created a deep scowl across Naruto's face, twitching after Tayuya hurled a barrage of kunai at him. However, these projectiles were easily deflected by an unseen force, falling to the floor.

Without a moment of delay, Naruto slammed an explosive tag against a nearby control panel, illuminated by bright lights. This explosive tag then erupted into a blinding aura of smoke and fire, causing Tayuya to stagger.

After regaining her senses, Tayuya glanced from side-to-side, examining an empty and burnt lab. Afterwards, Tayuya noticed a strange hole in one of the ceiling vents, capturing her attention.

"You're not getting away this time, nerd!" Tayuya shrieked, chasing after her favorite boy.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The dark outline of Naruto leapt into view, dashing out from a broken air vent, exposing the roof of Jirōchō's lab. This wealthy skyscraper towered over its surroundings, casting a vast shadow across the land.

As Naruto continued to run, his blond hair began to sparkle under the sunlight, spreading to his iconic whiskers. Soon, the dense sound of static could be heard, radiating through Naruto's ear-piece.

"What are you doing, apprentice?" Kabuto asked with a dry tone.

"I already have the disc. There's no reason to fight." Naruto exclaimed, holding one hand against his ear-piece.

"I'll return to base... Then we can get the final disc." While speaking, Naruto continued to run.

This statement was quickly answered by a static shock, arching across Naruto's hand, ear and face. Because of this, Naruto came to an abrupt stop, causing his feet to briefly slide across the floor.

"NO!" Kabuto shrieked at the top of his lungs, polluting the radio with static.

"Go back..." As Kabuto whispered these words, his tone became quiet and soft.

"Unless you want me to kill her, go back... Go back and win." These words were followed by a muffled hiss.

While this conversation progressed, the feathered silhouette of Shisui was flying through the background. Because of his black feathers, and the unique Rinnegan in his right eye, Shisui deeply contrasted the afternoon sky.

"What the fuck, bitch." Tayuya gasped for air, crawling out from the nearby vent.

After mumbling these words, Tayuya accidently fell to the floor, creating a hollow thud on impact. Tayuya then spat several insults from under her breath, brushing the dirt from her outfit.

"Look, I don't know what you're problem is. But I just want some food." While speaking, Tayuya jumped to her feet, glaring at Naruto with dramatic eyes.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto quickly hurled a barrage of shuriken through the air, rotating like a pinwheel. These projectiles cut several holes across Tayuya's fluffy hat, barely dodging Naruto's attack.

This surprise caused Tayuya to trip over her own feet, falling to the ground before pulling her hat off. A sour expression then abruptly spread across Tayuya's face, enraged by the loss of her hat.

"You just bought that for me! That was mine!" After Tayuya complained, she pulled her silver flute into view.

Tayuya's instrument was then quickly grabbed by an unseen force, pulling the object towards Naruto. Afterwards, Naruto tossed Tayuya's flute over his shoulder, throwing it over a balcony.

"Okay... Now I'm pissed." After she spoke, Tayuya leapt onto her feet before charging forward.

Suddenly, a barrage of gunfire echoed out from the background, drawing attention to a squad of guards. Each of these soldiers were carrying an advanced musket, allowing them to reload much faster than the standard musket.

"They have the disc! Fire at will!" An armored guard shouted.

As this guard spoke, he waved his musket into position before firing, barely missing Tayuya's leg. This gunfire inspired Tayuya to turn around before running away, dropping her fluffy hat to the ground.

"Bail! Bail!" Tayuya panicked, running towards her nerd.

As Tayuya approached, Naruto rushed past her before surging towards the guards, dispatching them with an unseen shockwave. This strange force flung each of the guards back, crashing against nearby rails and walls.

"I could've done that." While mumbling these words, Tayuya crossed both arms in front of her chest.

After speaking, Tayuya casually walked towards her nerd, daydreaming about free food and a new hat. However, these thoughts completely distracted the red-haired kunoichi, allowing Naruto to shove her against the ground.

Naruto then tossed a handful of smoke bombs into the air, erupting into a thick cloud of soot and ash. This dense smoke forced Tayuya to gag, rolling across the floor while spitting with disgust, again.

This cloud of smoke gave Naruto just enough time to jump off the balcony. disappearing into the streets below. But Tayuya continued to cough, staining her outfit with dirt while gasping for air.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The violet-eyed silhouette of Snowball came into view, dashing across Jirōchō's manor like a rabid fox. This fluffy cat was playing with a ball of yawn, occasionally rolling across the wooden floor.

Soon, the yawning silhouette of Karin came into view, wearing a pair of black shorts and a white shirt, stolen from Tayuya. Also, Karin wore a fluffy red hat, adorned with a pair of tiny horns.

Similar to her outfit, this hat was freshly stolen from Tayuya, creating a mischievous grin across Karin's face. As she continued to smile, Karin knelt down before playing with Snowball, tossing the yawn against a wall.

"Where did everyone go?" Idate spoke out, walking around a nearby corner.

"One of those alarms went off, really loud too... Woke me up from my nap, but you slept through it." Karin mouthed.

"But don't worry. You're butler is still here, he's just walking around, outside." After speaking, Karin pulled her glasses off.

Instead of responding, Idate quickly turned around before running down the hallway. After running for several moments, Idate ran past a corner before dashing outside, quickly illuminated by the setting sun.

This brought attention to Jirōchō's pond, partially stained from Tayuya's morning bath. This shallow body of water was surrounded by well-trimmed bamboo and ornate Bonsai trees.

"Afternoon, my prince." Aiden cut in, escorted by several guards.

Each of these patriots were adorned with their iconic muskets, strapped against their backs in a slanted angle. Also, Aiden's hood was pulled down, exposing his ear-length brown hair.

As Aiden spoke, he stood in the center of a vast field, engulfed by a dense forest on all sides, and Jirōchō's manor. Aiden also held both arms in front of his chest, obscured by his grey cloak.

"Two of those foreigners ran off a few hours ago. Hopefully, they'll return with the disc." While talking, Aiden scratched the back of his head.

"And food." Karin interrupted, poking her head into view.

After speaking, Karin violently shivered as a gust of wind blew in from the south, crashing against her hair. Afterwards, a dark collection of clouds began to swirl through the air, blocking out the sun.

"A storm is blowing in. You should head inside, prince." Aiden remarked, glancing up at the sky.

Suddenly, a harsh downpour of rain erupted into existence, washing across the nearby forest like dense hail. However, as this rain approached, it quickly morphed into hardened senbon, impaling a pair of guards.

This revelation quickly shocked Idate, allowing Aiden to dash in front of him, pushing the young Morino backwards. At the same time, Karin was pulled to safety by Snowball, rushing to her aid.

Aiden was then bombarded by a barrage of senbon, piercing his torso and various limbs. These injuries forced Aiden onto the ground, knocking the musket from his back.

"Well, well... Look who it is, a traitor from Konoha." The voice of Aoi could be heard, muffled by rain.

After several moments, Aoi appeared atop a freshly made puddle, creating a distinct ripple across the water's surface. This brought attention to Aoi's wooden umbrella, and the sacred hilt of Tobirama's ancient sword.

Aoi held his open-umbrella with one hand, shielding himself from the light drizzle of rain and senbon. But, Aoi also held the Sword of the Thunder God with his other hand, igniting the sacred blade.

This created a brief spark of blue chakra and yellow lightning, arching across Tobirama's forbidden blade with a heavy hum. This electric spark irradiated the nearby ground, creating a vast shadow that violently flickered.

After recognizing his former sensei, a deep gasp spread across Idate's face, forcing him to repetitively stutter. During this, Aiden was sprawled across the ground, digging his nails into a patch of grass.

"I can't believe Ibiki risked everything for you... His good for nothing brother." These words carried a great affect on Idate.

"I mean... You could've ran back to the village and called for help, but you just ran and ran." After hearing these words, Idate tightly clenched both fists.

After hesitating for several moments, Idate crawled onto one knee before gripping the hilt of his katana. This weapon was personally used by Jirōchō himself, a tool for his nation during the 3rd Shinobi War.

"Don't talk about my brother! Don't even say his name!" Idate ordered, drawing attention to several guards.

This declaration earned a deep chuckle from Aoi, easily dodging a barrage of gunfire from behind. Afterwards, Aoi appeared in midair, raising the Sword of the Thunder God towards the sky.

Within moments, this sacred blade was struck by several bolts of lightning, soaring down from the cloudy sky. This lightning unleashed a blinding aura of light, forcing Karin, Idate and Aiden to all squint.

This electric attack then arched across various guards, shocking them before they all fell to the ground. While this occurred, Karin was partially hidden inside Jirōchō's manor, studying Aoi's chakra network from a distance.

"This is why you couldn't make it as a shinobi." Aoi spoke with a grin.

While speaking, Aoi slowly drifted through the air on a rainy breeze, using his umbrella to float. Overtime, Idate stood up on both feet, unsheathing the sword that Jirōchō gave him.

"Because no one believes in you. Not even yourself." After speaking, Aoi unleashed a horizontal slash with his electric blade.

This created an electric shockwave of yellow lightning, surging through the air before overwhelming Idate. Because of this, various sparks of lightning could be seen, arching across Idate's body.

Despite the brutality of this attack, Idate continued to stand on both feet, fueled by the memory of his brother. Also, the face of Jirōchō slowly drifted through his mind, the only father that Idate ever knew.

He's right... All I did was drag you down. You would've been better off without me. Idate thought, daydreaming about his brother.

You gave up everything for me... But I just ran. As these thoughts progressed, Idate tightened the grip on his sword.

After six long years, Idate was still plagued with regret, disappointed from his cowardly decisions. Instead of telling Ibiki the truth and accepting his punishment, Idate left the village, losing his big brother.

These thoughts completely distracted Idate, allowing Aoi to once again strike him with a shockwave of lighting. This forced Idate to gasp with pain, knocking him onto both knees while Aiden was crawling through the background.

As this lightning continued to ripple across Idate's body, he dropped his katana to the ground, groaning with pain. But, this pain was significantly dampened by Idate's thoughts, deep memories from his childhood.

Aoi's lightning then abruptly surged through Idate's body, forcing him to faceplant the muddy ground with a heavy thud. However, Karin continued to hide inside Jirōchō's manor, unable to help.

Is-... Is this the best I can do? Is this the furthest I can go? While asking these questions, Idate closed both eyes.

Soon, Idate drifted into the unconscious world, distracted by old thoughts, memories from his past. But Idate was completely oblivious to his future, a future that would decide the fate of his nation.


	101. Chapter 101

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Biginferno - I appreciate you.**

 **Thor94 - Chapter 102 will be the last chapter of this arc, and season two as a whole. I don't want to rush this arc because all of season two has led to this moment, Kabuto's climax.**

 **Ever since Orochimaru's soul was absorbed, I thrust Kabuto into the spot light to take his place. So now, I have to write a satisfying end to Kabuto's tale, while explaining his backstory.**

 **In Naruto Part 1, Kabuto was my favorite antagonist, so I really want to respect him in this story. I understand he's just some introvert that manipulates people, but that's exactly why I love him.**

 **If Kabuto fought the main character, Naruto would easily annihilate him, and he knows that. So, instead of losing to Naruto in a fight, Kabuto just manipulates him, and I love that.**

 **kobakohl - I plan to rewrite and incorporate each of the Naruto movies into this story. The only one I don't like is The Lost Tower, because it involves time traveling ninja.**

 **I also want to incorporate a majority of the filler and side nations, because Kishimoto completely forgot about them. I never understood why only the Five Great Nations had a "Kage".**

 **The Land of Waterfalls had a Shinobi Village, but for some strange reason, they didn't have a Kage. Outside of Shibuki's filler, the Land of Waterfalls got zero development, so Kakuzu's backstory suffered as a result.**

 **In regards to Oto, Dosu is the 4th Dokage and he's the strongest member of Oto as a whole. That's why Naruto brought him from Konoha, to leave him in Oto as their new leader.**

 **As I've said before, the main purpose of season two is to add more Kage for the Kage-summit. Dosu is one of those Kage and he represents the Land of Sound.**

 **The Pantheon of Nine will eventually have a home, but that won't happen until they ascend to Godhood. So far, three** **jinchūriki are traveling together, but I need all nine.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 101: Stronger, Better, Faster! The Apprentice: Part 2.**

 _Monday 8:11am, February 2nd 53SSP._

In the shinobi world, there is something more important than promotions, or fancy titles... The voice of Ibiki could be heard.

Until you understand what that is... You're not ready. As Ibiki spoke, a cloudless sky came into view, exposing the blue horizon.

This voice was a deep memory that continued to echo through Idate's mind, drawing attention to his dirty outfit. This fabric was completely stained with mud, dirt and poorly dried blood.

Idate was 11 years old, a homeless orphan without any friends, family or a home, a heavy realization for the young boy. However, Idate still clung to the memory of his brother, focused on his scarred face.

After walking for several moments, Idate's stomach began to rumble, begging for food and water. But Idate had no money, he had no one, so he was forced to fend for himself.

Suddenly, the repetitive sound of foot steps pierced the morning air, causing Idate to hide under a nearby bridge. Idate then crouched down, obscuring his spiky hair and his dirty outfit from view.

Idate didn't know it, but he just entered the Land of Tea, an isolated and neutral nation that bordered the Land of Fire. This country was positioned on a narrow peninsula, dependent on the Land of Fire but surrounded by the Land of Water.

Despite this precarious situation, the Land of Tea was extremely rich from trade and exports, a credit to their tea farms. Because of this, the Land of Tea could essentially buy peace, paying off both the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.

The silhouette of Aiden and Lord Jirōchō then walked into view, strolling across the wooden bridge at a leisure pace. Each of these men were adorned with an ankle-length brown Kimono, matching the color and tone of tea leaves.

Aiden's most prominent feature was the wakizashi strapped to his waist, an iconic weapon for all samurai. Also, Aiden's hair was longer than usual, tied into a short ponytail in the back.

As these adults walked overhead, Idate pulled a small kunai from his pocket, raising it to his chest. Afterwards, Idate rushed up the embankment, blockading the narrow bridge.

"Give me all of your food and money! Now!" Idate shouted out.

This declaration earned a quick response from Aiden, tightly gripping the hilt of his wakizashi, and his sheath. But Jirōchō didn't even move, instead, he crossed both arms in front of his elderly chest.

"How dare you! You're speaking to Lord Jirōchō Wasabi, brother to Lord Kuni himself!" Aiden remarked.

After speaking, Aiden unsheathed his short blade, but Jirōchō stopped him at the last moment, releasing a stern glare. As this occurred, Idate spread his dirty feet across the bridge.

"I don't have time for this! Give me your food!" Idate proclaimed, charging across the wooden surface.

As Idate approached, Aiden abruptly twitched before Jirōchō waved his right hand through the air. After seeing this hand, Aiden knelt down on one knee, displaying great respect for his lord.

Jirōchō then casually deflected Idate's attack with one hand, knocking the young boy to the ground. Because of this, Idate accidently dropped his kunai, causing the blade to slide off the bridge.

Undaunted by this counterattack, Idate quickly stood up before hurling his left fist through the air, easily caught by Jirōchō. The elderly man then twisted Idate's arm behind his back, once again shoving him to the ground.

"Such an ungrateful child... Did you think I was weak? Old? Defenseless?" Jirōchō spoke out.

"I fought in the last shinobi war, I've seen more jutsu than you even know." As Jirōchō spoke, he concealed both arms within the sleeves of his Kimono.

Instead of responding with words, Idate's stomach began to rumble, forcing Jirōchō to narrow his eyes. Afterwards, Idate grabbed his stomach with both hands before groaning, starving to death.

At this moment, Jirōchō pulled an apple from his Kimono before tossing it in front of Idate, rolling across the bridge. This ripe fruit was quickly noticed by the starving Morino, crawling forward before snagging it.

Idate then torn into this fresh apple like a savage animal, eating the stem, seeds and the core. During this, Aiden's mouth fell open with shock, he never saw a child this hungry before.

"Go home, boy." While speaking, Jirōchō glared down at Idate.

After hearing this statement, Idate's stomach grumbled in response, begging for more food. At the same time, Idate slowly glanced up, exposing his young and innocent eyes.

An extended period of silence then filled the air, pierced only by the sound of Idate's roaring stomach. After several seconds, Jirōchō crossed both of his arms together, using his sleeves to conceal them.

"I see... You don't have a home." After Jirōchō spoke, he took several steps forward.

Jirōchō then crouched down before grabbing Idate's left shoulder, allowing each of their eyes to meet. While this occurred, Aiden was standing in the background, a loyal bodyguard for Lord Jirōchō.

"I used too..." Idate mumbled with a downcast face.

"Life can be a difficult place without a home... Without a family." Jirōchō replied, glancing up at the blue sky.

"But, together... A family can do amazing things." After speaking, Jirōchō slowly stood up.

Jirōchō then leisurely grasped the top of Idate's head, combing through his spiky hair with one hand. This brought attention to a distant tea farm in the background, filled with hard working farmers.

"Remember this, boy... Family, nothing is more important." These words inspired the young Idate.

During his childhood, Idate never knew his mom or dad, Ibiki was the only type of family that he had. But soon, Idate would finally understand the true meaning of family, the bond that Ibiki always talked about.

* * *

 _Five years later._

"Pathetic, just like I thought." Aoi spat out, muffled by the electric sound of his sword.

As Aoi spoke, he stood over the unconscious body of Idate, illuminated by the Sword of the Thunder God. This sacred weapon occasionally arched with lightning, deeply contrasting the cloudy skyline.

Aoi's electric blade was then struck by various rain drops, creating a distinct hiss that permeated the air. This harsh sound of static could be heard for several minutes, polluting the afternoon sky.

"Such a disappointment... I guess you aren't a Morino." After speaking, Aoi turned around, glaring at Jirōchō's manor.

The elite Jounin then slowly walked forward, strolling past Jirōchō's pond before walking up his steps. At the same time, Aiden was sprawled across the nearby grass, pulling various senbon from his body with a painful groan.

"Prince! My prince! Are you okay!?" Aiden panicked, crawling across the ground.

Ignoring these words, Aoi casually walked into Jirōchō's manor before closing his umbrella, stained with rain. However, Aiden continued to crawl towards his prince, using a damaged arm to pull himself forward.

In the shinobi world, there is something more important than promotions, or fancy titles. Ibiki's voice could be heard, piercing Idate's dreams.

After hearing these thoughts, Idate's right hand abruptly twitched, dragging across several blades of grass. Afterwards, the stern face of Ibiki could be seen, drifting through Idate's mind.

Until you understand what that is... You're not ready. As Ibiki spoke, Idate's hand continued to twitch.

Yea, that's right. I was trying to understand. I was trying to learn. Idate answered.

As these thoughts progressed, Idate's closed eyes began to tremble, straining to open them. While this occurred, Aiden continued to crawl through the background, dripping with blood.

I wanted to be like you. I wanted everyone to look up too me, to respect me. While thinking these thoughts, Idate slowly opened both eyes.

Suddenly, Idate dug his nails into a patch of grass, struggling to push himself up off the ground. Because of this, Aoi froze mid-step, glancing over his shoulder before focusing on Idate.

W-... What?! Impossible! Aoi declared, dramatically turning around.

He was unconscious! He was out! I felt it! As these thoughts raced, Aoi clenched his teeth.

Soon, Idate pushed himself onto both knees, shocking the bloodied silhouette of Aiden in the background. This exposed Idate's face, partially stained with rain and mud, obscuring his brown eyes.

At this moment, Idate's eyes violently bulged, fueled by the iconic voice of Jirōchō Wasabi and Ibiki Morino. These voices allowed Idate to finally understand the most important thing for any shinobi, family.

This realization forced each of Idate's wet hands to tremble, stuck in the past and filled with regret. But after hesitating for several moments, Idate clenched both of his fists before punching the earth.

That's why you did it. That's why you told me to run. Idate recognized.

Because you were trying to save me. Because you wanted to give me a second chance. These thoughts revolved around the memory of Ibiki.

Suddenly, Idate raised his left foot before stomping it against the muddy ground, straining to stand up. At the same time, Idate reached out with his right hand, grabbing Jirōchō's katana before lifting it into the air.

While staring at his former student, Aoi's mouth fell open with shock, drawing attention to his saucer-like eyes. Also, Aoi accidently dropped his umbrella to the floor, overwhelmed by Idate's facial expression.

Despite his young age, Idate was adorned with the expression of a veteran warrior, magnified by his dirty face. Idate resembled a virtuous samurai with vengeful rage, irradiated by the sparkling edge of his sword.

"But I'm not going to run. Not anymore." Idate spoke out, engulfing his blade with an aura of green chakra.

This chakra quickly radiated through the air, causing Idate's spiky hair to violently rustle in the breeze. While this occurred, Aiden was left completely speechless, staring at his prince with wide eyes.

What's going on?! This isn't the Idate I know! This isn't the Idate I trained! Aoi panicked.

As Idate stood before his former sensei, he radiated pure confidence through the air, muffled by rainfall. However, this abrupt change in Idate was fueled by a specific phrase, echoing through his mind.

Sacrifice, Idate. Remember the sacrifices that brought you here. Ibiki's memory spoke out.

After losing his home, his childhood, his village and his former nation, Idate still clung to his big brother. Now, after years of resentment, Idate finally found his chance to redeem himself, and his family name.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A pair of rotten barrels came into view, poorly stacked in a narrow alleyway, polluted by trash and rats. After several moments, these rats scurried from view, startled by the hollow foot steps of Tayuya.

This red-haired kunoichi occasionally poked and examined various barrels, searching for her flute. Ignoring her dirt-filled surroundings, Tayuya was distracted by Naruto's memory, enraged by his disappearance.

"Whatever, It's not like I care. He isn't even that cute." Tayuya mumbled aloud, making sure no one heard her.

Suddenly, a distinct twinkle erupted into view, forcing Tayuya to charge towards a nearby pile of trash. Afterwards, Tayuya casually dug through this filth before locating her flute, partially stained with food and dirt.

"That little bitch. If he broke this, he owes me a new one." While speaking, Tayuya raised her flute into the air.

Soon, the faint silhouette of the setting sun came into view, sprawled across the distant horizon. This outline was a divine mixture of red, orange and purple, pressed against the clouds like a painting.

After briefly glancing at this sunset, Tayuya's stomach erupted into a rumble of hunger. This call for food caused Tayuya tor downcast her face, disappointed that Naruto didn't feed her.

The distinct sound of foot steps then echoed through the alleyway, forcing Tayuya's eyes to narrow. At the same time, Tayuya quickly grabbed a clump of garbage, squeezing it with one hand.

"Nice try, moron!" As Tayuya spat these words, she hurled a ball of garbage through the air.

This projectile of trash then collided against Jūgo's pale-skinned face, creating an awkward silence. The red-hair of Gaara then came into view, walking into the narrow alley before glancing at the sunset.

"Are you alright? There was an alarm." Gaara exclaimed.

After recognizing her friends, Tayuya quickly scoffed before crossing both arms in front of her chest. While this occurred, Jūgo wiped the filth from his face, flinging it against a nearby wall.

"I'm alive." Tayuya grumbled.

"What's the deal? I don't need some rescue!" While shouting these words, Tayuya took several steps forward.

Tayuya then tried to poke Gaara's chest multiple times, but instead, she repetitively poked a wall of sand. During this, the violet-eyed silhouette of Shisui came into view, perched atop a distant building.

"We tracked Naruto here.. But I guess we're late." Jūgo cut in.

"No more playing around! We're going to find my nerd, and bring him back!" Tayuya declared, raising her right hand towards the sky.

"Well, there's only one disc left. So we know where he'll strike next." Gaara explained, creating a wide smile across Tayuya's face.

Without saying another word, Tayuya surged passed her friends before rushing down the street. Afterwards, Jūgo and Gaara quickly rushed after her, running back to Jirōchō's manor.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The iconic hum of static lightning could be heard, fueled by the heavy downpour of rain. This brought attention to Aoi, gripping the Sword of the Thunder God with both hands.

Despite the dark skyline and his shadowy surroundings, Aoi was completely illuminated by his sacred blade. However, this blade also irradiated the outline of Idate, holding Jirōchō's katana.

"I don't know what's happened to you... But nothing has changed, you're still a traitor." Aoi spoke with a laugh.

After hearing these words, Idate grinded his teeth together, muffled by the heavy sound of rain. Also, Idate's feet slowly spread across a puddle of mud, sinking into the wet earth.

Just keep moving, Idate. Ibiki's memory could be heard, inspiring his young brother.

Idate's mud-stained feet then quickly charged across the earth, surging towards Aoi with Chunin-level speed. This earned an abrupt laugh from Aoi, mocking his former student with a deep chuckle.

Suddenly, Aoi gripped the hilt of his ancient blade, slashing it against the wind like a crashing anvil. This created an eruption of lightning that arched across Aoi's blade, soaring through the air like a bolt of electricity.

As this chakra-filled projectile rushed into view, the harsh sound of sizzling static could be heard, fueled by the rain. While this occurred, Idate continued to charge forward, illuminated by the green chakra from his weapon.

At the last moment, Idate kicked a wave of mud into the air, overwhelming the bolt of lightning. Afterwards, Idate leapt forward before rolling across the ground, staining his hair with mud.

Idate's infused katana then briefly scrapped against Aoi's legendary blade, the weapon of Tobirama Senju himself. These war-torn blades then repetitively bombarded the other, spraying a collection of electric sparks.

After battling for several moments, Aoi reached out before grabbing Idate's wrist, stopping him mid-swing. At the same time, the panicked silhouette of Aiden was sprawled across the distant ground, gasping with shock.

"Stop acting all tough, I was your sensei. Without me, you're just some kid." While mocking his former student, Aoi smiled.

After speaking, Aoi quickly disarmed Idate before kicking him to the ground, staining him with mud. This earned a dramatic scream from Aiden, still impaled with senbon.

Aoi then towered over his former student, pressing his electric blade against Idate's pale throat. During this, an intense downpour of rain completely drenched Idate's hair, washing the filth from his face.

"And that's why Ibiki just couldn't do it. He couldn't let his little brother die." As Aoi spoke, his bandana was soaked with rain.

"Anyone else-... Except you." After hearing these words, Idate flew into a rage.

At this moment, Idate flung a handful of mud through the air, striking Aoi and blinding both of his eyes. Because of this, Aoi dropped his ancient blade before screaming, struggling to see.

"Arggh-... You idiot!" While screaming, Aoi dropped to his knees.

A barrage of laced senbon then flung into view, piercing the back of Aoi's neck, cutting through the fabric of his outfit. This elite Jounin then staggered with annoyance, crippled by mud and a deep sensation of pain.

Aoi's vision then became blurred before falling to the ground, face planting against the wet mud. As this occurred, Idate continued to sit in front of him, panting for breath before rubbing his eyes.

The ecstatic outline of Karin then skipped into view, grabbing Idate by his collar before dancing with him. This forced a distant Aiden to once again gasp, left speechless by Karin's strange personality.

"Do you know what this means!?" Karin shrieked, earning an awkward nod of disapproval from Idate.

"I developed the plot! I did it!" After screaming these words, Karin dropped Idate to the ground before cheering.

While Karin jumped for joy, the fluffy silhouette of Snowball came into view, poking her head out a nearby window. However, Karin's outfit soon became stained with mud and rain, a side-effect from Aoi's storm.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

"This is bullshit!" Tayuya spat out, partially stuck in a pond of mud.

This red-haired kunoichi was standing outside of Jirōchō's manor, surrounded by Gaara and Jūgo on both sides. Also, the bloody outline of Aiden was seated nearby, resting on a flight of wooden stairs.

"It's not that bad, I kinda like it." Karin exclaimed, hovering over Aiden.

Despite her young age, Karin was well-trained with Medical Ninjutsu, a brief reminder of her tragic childhood. But, that time of her life was finally gone now, and Karin didn't want to think about it.

Soon, Karin grabbed a handful of senbon before pulling them Aiden, exposing his damaged and bloody outfit. At the same time, Idate was standing in the background, leaning against a wooden wall.

"I'm just trying to keep my sand dry." Gaara cut in, sitting on the dry floor.

As this conversation progressed, Jūgo was meditating outside, sitting by Jirōchō's pond with both legs crossed. Ignoring the harsh downpour of rain, Jūgo's orange hair was completely soaked, drenching his face and outfit.

Suddenly, Karin accidently cut her finger on one of Aoi's senbon, creating a fresh stream of blood. Because of this, Karin instinctively sucked on her finger, trying to make it feel better.

After several moments, Karin abruptly gagged, spitting blood on the floor before wiping her mouth. While this occurred, Tayuya finally entered Jirōchō's manor, kicking her muddy shoes off at the door.

"This is so disgusting! My blood shouldn't taste like this!" Karin gasped, pushing her glasses up.

"How do you know what blood tastes like?" Tayuya muttered, sitting on the floor.

After speaking, Tayuya pulled a blanket from the nearby counter before using it as a towel, drying her hair. Afterwards, Tayuya wiped the mud from her feet before stretching, popping several muscles.

"It's a delicacy of mine..." Karin giggled with a mischievous tone.

"But, that's not the point." While speaking, Karin's tone became rigid and stern.

Karin's right hand then gripped her pale chin with an inquisitive posture, releasing a deep hum while thinking. Instead of listening to her friend, Tayuya was distracted by her toe-nails, picking the dirt out.

"My blood is way too... Metallic." After Karin spoke, she licked her finger for a second time.

Karin then turned around before rushing upstairs, consumed by the thoughts of a detective, looking for glues. However, Tayuya didn't even notice, and Gaara was too distracted by Snowball.

"Ar-... Are you feeling better?" Idate spoke out, sitting down beside Aiden.

"Yes, my prince. Thanks to you, and your friends." Aiden replied, nodding with approval.

Aiden then glanced across the wide grove of mud and grass, briefly glancing at Jūgo and the animals around him. Tayuya then tossed her dirty blanket to the floor, jumping up onto both feet.

"Switching to important news. Where is the final disc?" Tayuya remarked, brushing her hair with one hand.

"Well, actually..." Aiden mumbled with a downcast face.

"The disc is upstairs, I kept it. For safety." Idate interrupted.

"That's good. That means Naruto will come to us." Gaara proclaimed.

After hearing these words, Tayuya scoffed before crossing both arms in front of her flat chest. Tayuya then hesitated for several seconds, daydreaming about Naruto's whiskered-face.

While dreaming, Tayuya completely ignored the unconscious body of Aoi, tied up against a wooden pillar. Also, the deactivated hilt of Tobirama's blade was resting on the nearby table, the Sword of the Thunder God.

"Well... Until then, I'm going to find some food." Tayuya muttered, turning around before walking into the kitchen.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"It's over here, down the hall." The sickly voice of Jirōchō spoke out, standing beside Karin.

Each of these figures were walking down a narrow hallway, lined with thin paper walls and sliding doors. This hall was lit only by a faint collection of candles, spread across the floor.

"I used to be quite the-... Nerd." While speaking, Jirōchō erupted into a harsh cough.

The distinct sound of electronic beeping then polluted the air, causing Karin to glance down the hall. Afterwards, the metallic outline of several computers and various control panels came into view.

This revelation created pure joy across Karin's face, quickly rushing past Jirōchō before entering the room. Karin then clapped both hands together, squealing like a kid in a candy store.

"Is that a thermal compressor!? I've never seen one in person before!" Karin exclaimed, walking forward.

Instead of waiting for a response, Karin poked, touched and flipped multiple switches, turning on a large computer. Because of this, Karin jumped up-and-down with excitement.

"You even have a self-coolant system!?" After Karin spoke, Jirōchō chuckled with a sick cough.

Suddenly, Jirōchō reached out before flipping a hidden switch, turning the ceiling lights on. These lights illuminated Jirōchō's entire lab, an isolated workshop from his youth.

"Everything you could need. Anything you can think of." Jirōchō remarked, struggling to breath.

After hearing these words, Karin jumped for joy, skipping across the electronic lab, glancing from side-to-side. This created a wide smile across Jirōchō's face, entertained by Karin's innocence.

After walking for several moments, Karin picked up a nearby microscope, holding the advanced object with both hands. While this occurred, Snowball walked into the room, chasing after a ball of yawn.

"Could I use this? Just for a little bit." Karin mumbled, raising the microscope into view.

"Of course! Of course!" Jirōchō replied, waving his hand through the air.

"Any friend of Idate, is a friend of mine." After speaking, Jirōchō turned around before walking away, leaving Karin in his lab.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"I'm bored..." Tayuya complained.

This red-haired kunoichi was sitting outside Jirōchō's manor, holding both knees against her flat chest. Also, Tayuya completely ignored a large flock of nearby animals, surrounding Jūgo.

"I wonder what Naruto is doing." Gaara cut in, glancing up at the setting sun.

This question earned a quick scoff from Tayuya, standing up before brushing the dirt from her shorts. Afterwards, Tayuya walked inside before grabbing a blue marker, allowing her to draw on Aoi's unconscious face.

As the afternoon sun continued to set, various rays of sunlight sparkled down on Jūgo, illuminating several animals. These forest critters were crawling, sleeping and nuzzling against Jūgo, a common occurrence.

Soon, the stern face of Idate Morino strolled into view, walking outside before staring at the sun. This brought attention to Idate's face and hair, poorly washed and partially stained with mud.

Suddenly, the radiant sun abruptly morphed into the transparent image of Ibiki's face, shining down upon his younger brother. Because of this, Idate tightly clenched both of his fists, hypnotized by Ibiki.

I wish you could see me now, bro. A single thought rippled through Idate's mind.

Idate then downcast his face, staring at the poorly dried ground, polluted with mud and wet grass. During this, the purple-eyed silhouette of Shisui flew into view, perching atop Jūgo's left shoulder.

At this moment, the distant sound of gunfire could be heard, dispersing the animals next to Jūgo. Because of this, Tayuya quickly stood up, brushing her messy hair with one hand.

After a brief silence, several of these distant trees were uprooted from the ground, flung back by an unseen force. This created a dense cloud of dust and splinters, forcing Tayuya to cough while Jūgo finally stood up.

"That doesn't sound good." Jūgo exclaimed.

While Jūgo spoke, a pair of squirrels ran across the ground, retreating under his black robe. At the same time, Idate was standing in the background, holding both arms in front of his eyes, struggling to see.

"2nd squad! 4th squad! There's a perimeter breech!" An unnamed guard spoke out, rushing from Jirōchō's manor.

After this guard ran into view, he was quickly followed by a small group of soldiers, rushing into the thick smoke. As this occurred, Tayuya continued to cough, waiting for the dense cloud to finally dissipate.

Unhindered by this cloud, Gaara crossed both arms in front of his chest, draining the dust and sand from the air. This collection of fresh earth then funneled into Gaara's gourd, contained by a cork.

"What the fuck was that?" Tayuya muttered.

Before earning a response, the sound of gunfire once again polluted the air, concealed in the nearby forest. However, this distinct sound was quickly muffed by painful screams, forcing Idate to stagger backwards.

A horde of demonic hounds then surged out from the forest, dripping blood and foam from their mouths. These fierce creations were a living testament to Arashi, a mound of bubbling flesh and blood.

"Not again!" Idate panicked, tripping over his own feet.

After speaking, Idate crawled across the ground as a large hound surged towards him, growling with rage. But this lethal behemoth was blocked by Jūgo, restraining the beast with one arm.

Jūgo then tossed this rabid beast against a distant tree, shattering the dense wood on impact. Also, several other hounds were consumed by a wall of sand, dragging them below ground.

While these hounds rushed out from the forest, Aiden was expelled from Jirōchō's manor, thrown from the window. This revelation forced Idate to quickly glance up, focused on the spiky outline of Naruto.

"You!" Idate spat out, charging into Jirōchō's manor.

Even though Idate didn't notice, he was soon followed by Tayuya, hypnotized by Naruto's whiskers. This left Gaara and Jūgo outside, surrounded by demonic hounds from all angles.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"That doesn't make any sense..." Karin muttered, pressing her eyes against a microscope.

Karin was deep in study, ignoring the loud sounds from outside, and the quaking earth from below. Instead, Karin was focused on a tab of her own blood, freshly cut from her finger.

"What is that? That shouldn't be there." While speaking, Karin fumbled with her microscope.

Before Karin could continue, Naruto walked into the room, startling the red-haired kunoichi. Because of this, Karin accidently fell backwards, falling off her stool before landing with a minor thud.

This briefly captured Naruto's attention before he completely ignored Karin, passing her without a word. This allowed Karin to stand up before grabbing her microscope, retreating down the nearby hallway.

Naruto then reached out before grabbing an ornate control panel, ripping the door off with one hand. This revealed a hidden safe, containing secret papers, plans and a red-colored disc.

Without hesitating, Naruto grasped the unique disc with both hands, raising it in front of his face. After several moments, the sound of static could be heard, radiating out from Naruto's earpiece.

"Good work, apprentice." Kabuto's faint voice could be heard.

After speaking, Kabuto was interrupted by a barrage of shuriken, thrown from the panting outline of Idate. This young Morino was standing in front of the only exit, blocking the narrow hallway.

"Aoi was right about you. The entire village was right about you!" Idate spat out.

"The 3rd Hokage always made excuses! But everyone knows! The 4th Hokage is dead because of you!" While screaming, Idate gripped the hilt of his katana.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto casually strolled pass Idate, ignoring the enraged teenager. This realization caused both of Idate's eyes to twitch, raising his heir-loomed katana into the air.

As Idate advanced, he was bombarded by an unseen shockwave, flinging him through a paper-thin wall. At the same time, Naruto continued to walk, refusing to acknowledge the young Morino.

Suddenly, the red-hair of Tayuya erupted into view, charging at Naruto before tackling him into the floor. Afterwards, Tayuya quickly climbed on top of Naruto, trying to pin him against the floor.

"No more games, nerd! What the fuck is your problem!?" Tayuya muttered.

"You haven't fed me in over a day!" While complaining, Tayuya leaned her face against Naruto.

After talking, Tayuya quickly tore Naruto's goggles off, breathing a sigh of relief as she focused on his violet eyes. Tayuya then reached out before playing with Naruto's whiskers, a small habit that she developed.

However, as soon as Tayuya calmed down, Naruto shoved her away, pushing her against the wooden floor. This allowed Naruto to stand up before running down the hallway, disappearing from view.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The distinct smell of gunpowder permeated the air, drawing attention to a large crowd of soldiers. These loyal patriots were commanded by the injured silhouette of Aiden, struggling to move but unwilling to quit.

Soon, a wall of demonic corpses came into view, sprawled across the nearby ground. Each of these bodies were littered with bullet holes, resting next to several soldiers.

"Get inside! We'll hold them off!" Aiden exclaimed, earning a quick nod from Jūgo and Gaara.

As these friends ran inside, they noticed a large amount of dead soldiers, spread across the floor. Because of this, Jūgo and Gaara abruptly charged upstairs, rushing towards lord Jirōchō.

After arriving upstairs, the nearby wall was blown open by an unseen force, creating a hole outside. Afterwards, Naruto quickly surged by before rushing out of sight, jumping onto the roof.

"Don't let him get away!" Gaara spoke out.

After speaking, Jūgo and Gaara leapt through the wall, chasing Naruto onto the roof. They didn't notice yet, but these friends were soon followed by Tayuya and Idate, climbing the roof.

Ignoring their protests, Naruto easily outran his friends, reaching the edge of Jirōchō's manor with ease. However, a barrage of gunfire soon blocked Naruto's path, causing him to freeze mid-step.

"Slow down! We don't want to fight! We just want to talk." while speaking, Gaara took several steps forward.

Instead of responding with words, Naruto unleashed an unseen shockwave from his eyes, surging across the roof. This force completely overwhelmed Gaara and Jūgo, knocking both of them off the roof.

"Looks like there's nothing to talk about." Idate cut in, pulling his musket loose.

Idate then raised his musket against his chest, but he was quickly disarmed by an unseen force. This force pulled Idate's musket towards Naruto, allowing him to grab it with one hand.

"Don't move!" Tayuya proclaimed, pulling Kabuto's red disc into view.

This revelation shocked Naruto, shuffling through his outfit before realizing that Tayuya stole the disc. Tayuya then held this disc with both hands, bending the electronic device.

These words and actions forced Naruto to freeze, squinting both of his violet eyes, earning a scoff from Tayuya. After several seconds, the sound of static rippled out from Naruto's earpiece.

"Shoot her." Kabuto ordered, muffled by static.

This declaration forced Naruto to gasp while staggering backwards, clenching both fist. Idate then charged forward, but he was casually knocked back by Naruto, falling off the roof.

"I'll break it!" As she spoke, a snarl was spread across Tayuya's face.

"I thought I told you. Shoot her. Or I will." Kabuto exclaimed, hissing across the radio.

These words caused Naruto to bite his lower lip, raising Idate's musket into the air with both hands. But Tayuya continued to bend Kabuto's disc, threatening to shatter it.

As Naruto and Tayuya became embroiled in a fierce staring contesting, the distant sun finally set. Because of this, faint rays of moonlight could be seen, sparkling down from an early night sky.

Soon, Tayuya twitched as Naruto aimed his musket at her, fueled by the static orders of Kabuto. Afterwards, Tayuya's hands began to tremble, causing the elite kunoichi to downcast her face.

"Come on, nerd... You're the only person I don't hate, don't do this to me." Tayuya stuttered.

"You said home is where the heart is, and I wanna go home... Take me home..." While mumbling these words, Tayuya fell to her knees.

This rare display of emotion forced Naruto's mouth to fall open, dropping Idate's musket before rushing forward. Naruto then knelt down before grabbing each of Tayuya's shoulders, glancing at her.

"No, everything is fin-...?!" Naruto remarked, interrupted by an electric shock from his earpiece.

"Naruto!" Kabuto's static shriek could be heard, polluting the air.

This statement was followed by dozens of electric shocks, arching and zapping across Naruto's body. These shocks soon overwhelmed Naruto, falling to the ground while holding his earpiece.

"I gave you an order! If you don't attack, I will!" After speaking, Kabuto pressed both hands into the Snake Seal.

Suddenly, Tayuya was consumed by a thick aura of purple chakra, causing her to choke and gag. After several moments, this chakra was magnified by an intense surge of agony, rushing through Tayuya's body.

This pain forced Tayuya to scream with agony, falling to her stomach before rolling across the roof. As Tayuya screamed, Naruto crawled next to her, wrapping both arms around her.

"Stop! Please, stop!" Naruto pleaded through his earpiece, begging Kabuto for mercy.

"Attack, my apprentice. Don't hold anything back." Kabuto replied with a thick hiss.

"Annihilate her, or I'll do it myself." These words caused Naruto to stagger backwards, dropping Tayuya to the ground.

Naruto's feet then stumbled across Idate's musket, inspiring him to pick it up with hesitation. As this occurred, Kabuto continued to shout through Naruto's earpiece, encouraging his apprentice to stand up.

Because of this, Naruto once again raised Idate's musket into the air, aiming for Tayuya. At the same time, Shisui flew through the background, landing atop a distant tree branch.

"Do it..." After speaking, Kabuto licked his lips.

These words were soon followed by awkward silence, abruptly muffled by the distinct sound of gunfire. This brought attention to a narrow pillar of smoke, leaking from Idate's musket.

This cloud of smoke lingered through the air for several moments, obscuring Naruto's eyes from sight. Afterwards, Naruto knelt down before grabbing Kabuto's disc, pulling it from Tayuya's hand.

Without saying a word, Naruto stood up before running away, jumping off Jirōchō's manor and disappearing from view. However, Shisui quickly took his place, landing atop Tayuya's bloody stomach with a squawk.


	102. Chapter 102

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Tenellis - I'm sorry.**

 **biginferno - I actually have a joke about that, but I don't want to spoil it.**

 **Narudevilfan - I think Kishimoto's greatest aspect is his ability to write a villain, he's really good at humanizing them. Madara, Obito, Nagato, Orochimaru and Kabuto were all twisted, but they were still pure in their childhood.**

 **I value Kabuto (in Part 1) because he's very unique to the overall story, he's a threat because of his intellect. Orochimaru is smart, but that's overshadowed by his snake-like demeanor and his insane power level.**

 **This complaint also applies to the Akatsuki, they never outsmart the enemy, or use strategy to win. Instead, the new villain is just automatically given a bigger dick than the previous villain.**

 **Every plot-driven battle in canon Naruto always devolved into a battle of power levels, never a battle of wits. (Insert meme about Dosu VS Shikamaru.)**

 **Akaliwolf - The main problem with Hinata is the same problem with every single female in Naruto. They're all females, so they all have vagina's, and Kishimoto is just really terrible with strong female characters.**

 **The strongest female we get is Tsunade, a supped up granny with back-problems and a blood phobia. A phobia that makes no sense, because Tsunade bleeds once a month.**

 **I can understand why Gaara is afraid of blood, but, as a woman, Tsunade should honestly be used to it. Even if I ignore my meme-like sense of humor, that doesn't excuse the poor cast of female characters we get in Naruto.**

 **Almost every single girl in the entire series depends on a boy to save them, including Hinata.** **Canon Hinata is just a cock-sleeve to motivate Naruto, her biggest contribution was getting stabbed in front of him.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO**

* * *

 **Chapter 102: What Happened To You, Kabuto? The Apprentice: Part 3.**

 _Thursday 8:58am, October 12th 43SSP._

The smell of burnt flesh and charred wood permeated the air, drawing attention to the fiery ruins of a small village. This depiction was a harsh consequence from the 3rd Shinobi War, a war between nations.

This village was surrounded by scorched trees and dry sand, nestled between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers. The Land of Rivers was once a peaceful and neutral nation, trading with their neighbors.

However, the recent outbreak of war brought a chaotic reality to the Land of Rivers, scarring their nation. Because of this, the Land of Rivers was a war-torn country, a battlefield for the great nations.

Suddenly, the bloody silhouette of a 4 year old Kabuto came into view, panting against a burnt tree. Despite his young age, Kabuto was covered with cuts and bruises, staining his face and outfit with blood.

Kabuto had shoulder-length grey hair, hanging across both ears and the bruises on his face. Also, Kabuto wore a tattered black shirt, matching his black shorts but contrasting his ragged sandals.

"I bet he's from that village over there." A 7 year old boy spoke out, known as Urushi.

Similar to Kabuto, Urushi was covered with a dense layer of mud and dirt, but his bruises were completely healed. This brought attention to Urushi's outfit, a torn blue shirt and black shorts, matching his shoes.

"I heard Konoha and Suna fought over that town, I'm surprised he's still alive." After speaking, Urushi scratched the bridge of his nose.

As Urushi spoke, he stood up, revealing the hooded outline of a petite woman. Also, a small crowd of children came into view, hiding behind the hooded lady.

"His injuries aren't that bad... He'll survive." A 20 year old voice could be heard.

This voice belonged to Nonō Yakushi, a fabled nun that traveled across the war-torn nations, healing the injured. True to her name, Nonō's outfit consisted of an ankle-length black gown, topped with a white apron across her flat chest.

Underneath her attire, Nonō had pale skin and shoulder-length blond hair, partially dry and devoid of color. This brought attention to the white coif around her head, contrasting the mud-stained sandals that she wore.

Nonō's most prominent feature were her emerald green eyes, unleashing a faint aura of green light. However, these eyes were partially obscured by a pair of circular glasses, draped across Nonō's face.

After speaking, Nonō reached out with both hands, gently grabbing Kabuto's bloody skull. Creating a bright aura of green chakra that erupted into existence, spread across Nonō's hands.

Suddenly, Kabuto began to grumble and moan, drawing attention to his twitching eyes, struggling to open them. After several seconds, Kabuto was finally able to open his eyes, staring at the blurry silhouette of Nonō.

"Don't worry, I may not look the part... But I know quite a lot about Medical Ninjutsu." As Nonō spoke, she smiled down upon Kabuto.

Despite her innocent appearance, Nonō was actually a secret member for the Root Foundation. Infact, Nonō was personally praised and hand-picked by Danzo himself, displaying great faith in her abilities.

Even in a war-torn nation, Nonō was confident enough to travel by herself, adopting any orphan that she found. This rampant display of empathy earned a nickname for Nonō, The Wandering Nun.

"Where are your parents? What's your name?" While speaking, Nonō had a wide smile across her face.

Instead of responding with words, Kabuto downcast his face, starring at the dirt-covered ground with blurry vision. This created an awkward silence before Nonō lowered both arms, releasing a slight giggle.

"Man... Don't you understand anything?" Urushi cut in, crouching beside Kabuto.

After Urushi spoke, he wrapped one arm around Kabuto before helping him standing up. Kabuto and Urushi then glanced at Nonō in unison, the only light in a land of darkness.

"You sure are lucky, kid." As Urushi spoke, he had no idea that Kabuto would soon change his entire life, forever.

This moment was Kabuto's oldest memory, a collection of ancient and suppressed thoughts from his childhood. Kabuto was a nobody, he had nothing from the very start, nothing at all.

Kabuto didn't know his parents, he didn't even know his true name, it was all a blur to him, too obscured to see. This was the beginning of Kabuto's life, polluted by the sad reality of war.

* * *

 _One week later._

Rays of sparkling sunlight could be seen, radiating through the air before shining down upon Konoha. Soon, the cheerful sound of chirping birds could be heard, perched atop a nearby tree branch.

Despite the peaceful appearance, Konoha was embroiled in the 3rd Shinobi War, at the height of its zenith. This was a global conflict between the Five Great Nations, throwing barely grown children into the flames of war.

Suddenly, the bandaged face of Kabuto came into view, seated inside the wooden lodge of Konoha's orphanage. At the same time, Nonō was crouched beside him, tending to his wounds with motherly affection.

"You're healing quite nicely... You'll make a full recovery." Nonō exclaimed, earning a blank glance from Kabuto.

"Hey! You could at least say thank you! Don't you have any manners?" Urushi cut in, walking into view.

As he approached, Urushi held an ornate samurai helmet with both hands, a souvenir from the 3rd Shinobi War. This helmet once belonged to a samurai from the Land of Tea, but he fell in combat.

"We don't want anything else to happen too you, so put this on!" As he spoke, Urushi placed the samurai helmet atop Kabuto's skull.

"Man... You don't know your manners, your parents or your name! That's a first, even for me." While speaking, Urushi leaned against Kabuto's shoulder.

After hearing these words, Nonō reached out with her left hand, brushing against Kabuto's pale face. This display of kindness struck a deep cord inside Kabuto, forcing his mouth to fall open.

"Starting now, you'll be living here... With us." Nonō proclaimed, drawing attention to her radiant smile.

"So... I'll be your mother from now on. I'll help you with anything you need." As Nonō spoke, Kabuto rubbed his blurry eyes.

After speaking, Nonō was interrupted by a innocent cough from Urushi, grabbing Kabuto's shoulder. While this occurred, rays of sunlight pierced the nearby window, illuminating the entire room.

"But... It's totally weird that he doesn't have a name." Urushi muttered, wrinkling his nose.

This statement earned a cheerful hum from Nonō, pressing several fingers against her slim face. After briefly hesitating, Nonō glanced at Kabuto and the samurai helmet he wore.

"You're right... We have to call him something." Nonō remarked.

As she spoke, a wide smile was stretched across Nonō's face, raising her left hand into the air. During this, a small crowd of orphans came into view, poking their heads through a distant door.

"We'll just call _him_ Kabuto. Like the Kanji for helmet." As Nonō spoke, her words forced a dozen orphans to faceplant the ground.

"Tha-... That's so simple." A 7 year old girl spoke out.

"At least I can remember it." A 9 year old boy could be heard.

Ignoring the conversation around him, Kabuto sunk deep into thought after hearing Nonō's words. As this occurred, Urushi casually lowered his face, glancing into Kabuto's blank eyes.

An awkward staring contest then erupted between Urushi and Kabuto, but the latter didn't even notice. Instead, a tiny smile abruptly spread across Kabuto's face, allowing his eyes to sparkle with hope.

"Hey! Check it out! He just smiled!" Urushi cut in, earning a divine giggle from Nonō.

Despite the unknown circumstances of his birth, Kabuto soon found a home inside Konoha, nurtured by Nonō. However, in war, even the young innocence of children was thrown aside.

* * *

 _Seven hours later._

The distinct sound of croaking frogs and screeching owls could be heard, radiating through the night sky. Afterwards, the rustic outline of Konoha's orphanage came into view.

Soon, dozens of sleeping children could be seen, spread across an assortment of beds and blankets on the floor. This brought attention to Kabuto, the only child who was still awake.

Ignoring his hazy vision, Kabuto was seated atop a soft blanket, glancing around the dark room. Kabuto then focused on a nearby samurai helmet, resting against the end of his bed.

You could at least say thank you! Don't you have any manners? The memory of Urushi could be heard, polluting Kabuto's mind.

These words inspired Kabuto to stand up before walking towards the distant door, tripping over several blankets. However, Kabuto quickly pushed himself up, beginning his long journey through the orphanage.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"We can't just take in every single child, Nonō." The elderly voice of a man could be heard.

This voice belonged to Kanpu, a 48 year old caretaker and the financial advisor of the orphanage. Because of his extreme age, Kanpu was old enough to remember the 1st and 2nd Hokage.

Kanpu had sunbaked skin and well-combed grey hair, matching his bushy moustache and spiky beard. Also, Kanpu wore a pair of rectangular glasses, obscuring his narrow black eyes.

Similar to Nonō, Kanpu's attire consisted of an ankle-length black kimono, topped with a white apron. This brought attention to his white-trimmed sandals, contrasting the wooden floor.

"He's right..." The timid voice of Keiri spoke out.

Keiri was a 36 year old obese woman with pale skin and spiky black hair, partially hidden behind her white coif. This coif perfectly matched Keiri's apron, draped across her ankle-length black gown.

As this conversation progressed, Kabuto was hiding behind the nearby door, bowing his head with shame. Before long, Nonō lowered her own face, pushing her glasses up with one hand.

"I understand... Leave it to me, I'll talk too the 3rd Hokage." Nonō exclaimed.

After hearing these words, Kabuto tried to sneak away, but he quickly tripped over his own feet. This created a heavy thud that echoed through the hallway, followed by the discrete mumbles of Kabuto.

This abrupt noise quickly captured the attention of Keiri, rushing out the door before glaring at Kabuto. After several moments, Nonō and Kanpu walked up behind her, allowing all three of them to focus on Kabuto.

"What are you doing out of bed?! Don't you know what time is it!" Keiri shrieked, pointing at a nearby clock.

Filled with embarrassment, Kabuto glanced at the clock, completely distorted by his hazy and blurred vision. Because of this, an awkward silence filled the hallway as Kabuto struggled to see.

"This boy is just too young. We can't expect him to learn this stuff in one week." Kanpu remarked.

While these caretakers continued their discussion, Nonō downcast her face before glancing at Kabuto's eyes. Kabuto was squinting his entire face as he glared at the clock, unable to see.

"It's 10 o'clock." Kabuto muttered, shocking Keiri and Kanpu.

This statement inspired Kanpu and Keiri to glance down in unison, revealing a pair of circular glasses across Kabuto's face. These glasses personally belonged to Nonō, but she gave them to Kabuto as a gift.

"Yes, that's correct." Nonō beamed with joy, smiling from ear-to-ear.

This declaration earned a hearty laugh from Kanpu, causing his elderly voice to bounce off the nearby walls. At the same time, a sheepish grin slowly infected Keiri's face.

"I guess I was wrong! He just needed some glasses." Kanpu chuckled.

Suddenly, Kabuto turned around before glaring at Nonō with improved vision, finally able to discern her pale face. For the first time in his life, Kabuto found someone that genuinely loved him, he found a home.

* * *

 _Four months later._

A sand-filled breeze blew in from the west, surging across a barren plain, littered with rocks and corpses. Soon, a large medical tent came into view, polluted with dozens of wounded shinobi.

Kabuto just passed his 5th birthday, and now, he was studying Medical Ninjutsu under Nonō, healing the injured. Despite his young age, the 3rd Shinobi War was a global conflict, no one was safe.

Determined to impress his mother, Kabuto was crouched in front of a white-skinned shinobi, healing his arm. While this occurred, Urushi walked through the foreground, carrying a stack of bandages.

As Kabuto worked, the pale face of Nonō came into view, healing a blood-covered shinobi in the background. Nonō then briefly glanced over her left shoulder, staring at the back of Kabuto's head.

Similar to Kanpu, Kabuto wore an ankle-length black kimono with white trimmings, matching his apron. Also, Kabuto now wore a pair of blue shinobi shoes, a true ninja of Konoha.

"Whew..." Kabuto panted, brushing a hand across his sweaty face.

"I should be done. How does it feel?" After Kabuto spoke, he glanced at the yellow eyes of Orochimaru.

Hearing these words, Orochimaru raised his right arm into the air, occasionally clenching his fist. At the same time, Orochimaru narrowed each of his snake-like eyes, intently focused on Kabuto.

"You have a lot of talent for your age, boy." Orochimaru muttered.

"Thanks! Mother taught me everything I know!" Kabuto exclaimed.

Ignoring this cheerful voice, a hazy expression quickly polluted Orochimaru's eyes, sinking deep into thought. Afterwards, Orochimaru casually stood up, towering over the young silhouette of Kabuto.

"Kabuto... That's your name, isn't it?" Orochimaru whispered with a downcast face.

"You want to be a shinobi? You'll become very powerful, I'm sure of it." As Orochimaru spoke, his hair partially obscured both eyes.

"No... I'd be terrible, but thanks for the confidence." Kabuto chuckled.

"I'm just trying to make some money, for the orphanage... Mother has done so much for me." While speaking, Kabuto briefly glanced at Nonō.

"I wonder, are you happy?" Orochimaru spoke out, completely changing the conversation.

This question created an awkward silence between both shinobi, inspiring Kabuto to gasp with confusion. Through his short life, Kabuto never even thought about happiness, it was a strange concept to him.

Instead of waiting for a response, Orochimaru turned around before walking away, hypnotizing the young Kabuto. Because of this, Kabuto soon became mesmerized by deep thoughts, thinking about happiness.

* * *

 _One month later._

"So, The Wondering Nun has devolved into a babysitter?" The 49 year old voice of Danzo Shimura could be heard.

Danzo wore an ankle-length black overcoat, held in place by several buttons across his chest and waist. This brought attention to Danzo's right arm, completely wrapped in linen bandages.

Danzo also had various bandages wrapped against the right side of his face, concealing his right eye. However, these bandages were partially obscured by Danzo's spiky black hair, jutting out in all directions.

"Hiruzen and I have already reached an agreement... We can't continue to fund this orphanage." As Danzo spoke, he held his chin with one hand.

"The war is draining our treasury, we simply don't have the funds." While speaking, Danzo was seated in front of a wooden table.

Suddenly, the hooded outline of Orochimaru and Tatsuma Aburame came into view, standing behind Danzo. These shinobi were the elite bodyguards of Danzo, following him everywhere.

"But Lord Danzo, we need that funding! We can't feed the children without it!" Nonō protested, sitting across the table from Danzo.

As Nonō spoke, she was flanked by Keiri and Kanpu, illuminated by a faint light from the ceiling. This crowd of adults were gathered in a small wooden room, nestled inside the Konoha Orphanage.

"That's not all." Orochimaru chuckled, licking his lips.

"I need one of your orphans, as a gift to the Foundation." Danzo declared, holding his chin.

"Nonsense! This is extortion!" Kanpu cut in, slamming his fists against the table.

"Enough! Leave at once! Or I'll inform the 3rd Hokage!" Keiri shrieked.

Instead of responding with words, Danzo leisurely glanced at Kanpu, allowing their elderly eyes to meet. Also, Orochimaru was giggling in the background, drawing attention to his Konoha Headband.

"We're at war." Danzo spat out.

"We need all the shinobi we can get. Either give us a child, or we'll take one." These words created a tense silence.

At this moment, the nearby door was abruptly opened before a 5 year old Kabuto rushed into the room. This young boy rushing forward before crouching down beside Danzo, bowing his head with respect.

"I volunteer! Just leave mother alone." Kabuto exclaimed.

This declaration forced Keiri, Kanpu and Nonō to all gasp with shock, left utterly speechless by Kabuto. While this occurred, Danzo narrowed his visible eye, focused on Kabuto.

Before Danzo could reply, Orochimaru quickly walked up to Kabuto, staring down at the young boy. Orochimaru then reached out before gently grabbing Kabuto's hair, combing it with one hand.

"Congratulations, boy. You just found your destiny." Orochimaru mumbled.

"But, Kabuto! Why?!" Nonō interrupted.

This question earned a genuine smile from Kabuto, the same smile that Nonō always expressed. Because of this, Nonō's mouth fell open, paralyzed by Kabuto's rare display of emotion.

"Don't worry, mother! Next time you see me, I'll be a great ninja. Just like you!" Kabuto remarked.

Through his short life inside Konoha, Kabuto developed a deep bond with the village and several friends. Infact, Kabuto spent every single day with Urushi, talking about their dreams, and sharing them.

But now, Kabuto's devotion would soon be pushed to its limit, overwhelmed by the reality of war.

* * *

 _Five years later._

Even during an era of peace, the life of shinobi was still a brutal and agonizing existence. Kabuto focused on this realization as he ran, dashing across a rock-covered plain.

Over four years ago, the 3rd Shinobi War finally ended, but Kabuto's life as a shinobi had only just begun. For over half a decade, Kabuto traveled the shinobi world as a spy, gaining secret knowledge for Danzo.

However, Kabuto was now fleeing for his life, chased by a lethal collection of Jounin from Iwa. As these shinobi advanced, various rays of moonlight pierced the night sky, illuminating Kabuto's outfit.

Kabuto wore a full-bodied crimson outfit with sleeves that were too long, the iconic attire for all Iwa shinobi. Over this, Kabuto wore a tan flak jacket, matching the dirt-brown sandals that he wore.

Kabuto's most prominent feature was the Iwa Headband around his forehead, held in place by crimson fabric. This fabric deeply contrasted Kabuto's circular glasses, the same glasses that Nonō gave him.

Suddenly, a strike of thunder ruptured across the night sky, revealing several bruises on Kabuto. At the same time, a bolt of lightning struck a nearby cliffside, creating a massive avalanche of boulders.

This gave Kabuto the perfect diversion, allowing him to slip into a narrow crevasse, hiding from sight. Afterwards, a group of shadowy figures rushed pass him, disappearing under the night sky.

This revelation filled Kabuto with a brief sense of relief, quickly polluted by a dark shadow from above. This shadow originated from a large rock, left over from the previous avalanche.

As this boulder approached, Kabuto was abruptly pushed out of the way, knocked to the ground. The sound of shattered glass then echoed through the air, crushed by stone.

Ignoring this sound, Kabuto's vision was hazy and distorted, struggling to find his glass. Soon, a light drizzle of rain brushed through the air, staining Kabuto's hair.

"My glasses... I can't see anything without my glasses." Kabuto muttered, reaching across the ground.

Instead of touching his glasses, Kabuto brushed against a cold hand, causing him to stagger backwards. After briefly hesitating, Kabuto stumbled upon his glasses before throwing them on.

An expression of anxious horror and trepidation instantly polluted Kabuto's face, fueled by the silhouette of Nonō, crushed under a boulder. Similar to Kabuto, this kunoichi was dispatched on an undercover mission to Iwa.

However, in secret, Nonō arranged this assignment from the shadows, watching over Kabuto for five solid years. Nonō had finally reached her breaking point, brought down by her motherly love for Kabuto.

"Mother!" Kabuto shrieked, echoing across the distant plain.

"Don't worry, I can fix this!" As Kabuto spoke, he charged forward, trying to move the boulder.

Despite his best efforts, Kabuto wasn't strong enough, he was still just a child and he didn't have the strength. Instead, Kabuto crouched down before pressing both hands against Nonō's chest, engulfed with green chakra.

"Over here! I heard something!" A Jounin from Iwa spoke out.

"Those glasses look so nice on you." Nonō coughed out, partially obscured by a large boulder.

After she spoke, Nonō reached out before grazing Kabuto's cheek, staining it with blood. This cold touch forced Kabuto to trip over his own feet, falling to the ground.

"I see someone!" An Iwa kunoichi could be heard.

Filled with panic, and overwhelmed by dread, Kabuto took off into the darkness, running as fast as he could. As he ran, Kabuto started to cry for the first time in his life, and the last time.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

Kabuto's blood-stained sandals accidently tripped over a puddle of mud, knocking him to the ground. Unable to motivate himself, Kabuto fell completely still for several moments, lacking any purpose in life.

While laying on the ground, Kabuto stared into a shallow puddle, focused on his own reflection. This reflection was partially stained with dirt and Nonō's blood, a blemish on Kabuto's pale skin.

Without mother... What am I? Kabuto asked himself.

As these thoughts raced, a pair of feet stomped into view, disturbing the puddle in front of Kabuto. This forced the young shinobi to grind his teeth, waiting for his final moment.

"You don't seem very happy, boy." Orochimaru groaned, capturing Kabuto's attention.

Much had changed in the past five years, following the 4th Hokage's coronation and his early death. Including the recent betrayal of Orochimaru, abandoning the village of Konoha, and his friends.

This declaration earned a dramatic gasp from Kabuto, causing both of his eyes to twitch and tremble. At the same time, Kabuto dragged his nails across the muddy ground, distracted by Orochimaru's words.

"You know, I used to be just like you. Before I finally understood what true happiness was." As Orochimaru spoke, he glanced up at the bright moon.

For his entire life, Kabuto always felt lost in the void, he was unable to find his true identity. The reflections in his eyes had no meaning, without mother, Kabuto's life had no meaning.

When Kabuto arrived at that thought, he found something extraordinary, a revolutionary idea. Creating a genuine smile across Kabuto's face, the same smile that Nonō always gave him.

"Actually. I'm really happy." Kabuto chuckled, pushing his glasses up with one hand.

"Because now, I don't have anything to lose - so I'm finally happy." As he spoke, Kabuto's eyes sparkled with fanatic vigor.

These words earned a maniacal laugh from Orochimaru, taking several steps in front of Kabuto. As this occurred, rumbling thunder could be heard in the distant, muffled by rain.

"You're starting to understand, boy." Orochimaru groaned.

In his youth, Kabuto always searched for his purpose in life, a greater meaning that would complete his existence. But now, Kabuto finally understood the harsh reality of life, he was nothing, just like Nonō.

* * *

 _Ten years later._

The hostile groan of Tayuya could be heard, rolling across a soft blanket on the wooden floor. This brought attention to Tayuya's red hair, spread across the floor in all directions.

"That was a good nap." Tayuya exclaimed, rubbing both eyes.

After she spoke, Tayuya scratched her stomach, brushing against a harden piece of coral. This realization caused Tayuya to sit up, throwing the covers off her body, enshrouding Karin with fabric.

Ignoring Karin, Tayuya stood up before glancing at her own stomach, partially covered with red coral, as hard as stone. Even though she wasn't wearing a shirt, Tayuya didn't even notice, she was too distracted.

"You could at least say thank you." Karin muttered, poking out from the covers.

Karin was surrounded by various notebooks, pens and microscopes, staring at multiple tablets of blood. But instead of responding with words, Tayuya simply scoffed, poking the coral on her stomach.

"What is this? What did you do?" Tayuya question, picking at the coral.

"I didn't do anything. That's all you." Karin remarked, rolling her eyes.

As Karin spoke, Tayuya casually ripped off a small piece of coral, revealing her freshly healed stomach. Tayuya then squealed like a school girl while jumping for joy, a rare display of emotion.

"This is so cool! When I was a kid, I used to pick my scabs all the time!" Tayuya proclaimed.

"That's disgusting." Karin replied, visibly gagging.

Before she could respond, Tayuya noticed several wires and a blood-bag, protruding out from her right arm. These wires led to Karin's work-station, completely surrounded by strange machines.

Instead of asking for an explanation, Tayuya ripped each of these wires loose, tossing them to the ground. Tayuya's pillow was then abruptly thrown through the air, hitting Karin and knocking her glasses off.

"I got some of my blood." Jūgo declared, walking into the room.

After hearing these words, Karin quickly sat up before putting her glasses on, grabbing the blood from Jūgo. This blood was then poured onto a glass tab, placed inside of Karin's microscope.

Filled with curiosity, Tayuya rushed forward before shoving Karin to the floor, inspecting her microscope. This gave Tayuya a microscopic view of Jūgo's blood, polluted with thousands of mechanical parasites.

"What the fuck?! That weird stuff is inside you?" Tayuya stuttered, glaring at Jūgo.

"They're inside all of us, millions of them." Karin explained, creating an awkward silence.

"Ew!" Tayuya shrieked at the top of her lungs, shaking with disgust.

"I don't understand, where did they come from?" Jūgo asked.

This question was answered by an inquisitive hum from Karin, grabbing her chin with one hand. At the same time, Tayuya was gagging in the background, disturbed by Karin's revelation.

"Well... I tried to get some blood from Gaara, but his sand is a nightmare." Karin hummed.

"If all four of us has them... What about Naruto?" With each word, Karin scratched her chin.

This realization forced Karin to dramatically gasp, causing both eyes to bulge and widen. Before long, Karin was inspired to jump up, grabbing each of Tayuya's shoulders.

"Let go of me!" Tayuya spat out, struggling to break free.

"Don't you understand what this means!?" Karin exclaimed, shoving her face against Tayuya's.

This close display of affection forced Tayuya to stagger backwards, falling to the ground with a faint thud. Twisting his beak in multiple angles, the feathered-outline of Shisui came into view, perched atop a nearby window.

"If Kabuto put these things inside of us, he can make us do whatever he wants!" While speaking, Karin raised one finger into the air.

"Unless Naruto does what he says." Jūgo cut in.

These words were quickly met by a scoff of disbelief from Tayuya, crossing both arms in front of her flat chest. Before she could respond, Gaara rushed into the room, chased by the fierce silhouette of Snowball.

"Make her stop! Make her stop!" Gaara begged, terrified of cats.

Snorting in response, Tayuya picked Snowball up with one arm before petting her, flinging fur into the air. This fur partially obscured Karin's face before grabbing her microscope, getting back to work.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of grinding metal and rotating pistons could be heard, spewing steam throughout a narrow warehouse. This corrosive sound was soon followed by a muffled hiss, drawing attention to Kabuto's snake-like face.

"Separating Naruto from his friends has almost made this... Too easy." Kabuto complained.

While he spoke, Kabuto held his slanted face with one hand, staring at a static-filled TV screen. After several moments, Kabuto sighed with boredom, pinching the bridge of his snow white nose.

Suddenly, Kabuto gasped before a gust of gravity crashed against him, tearing his stone chair from the ground. This force completely overwhelmed Kabuto, knocking him through various pillars before disappearing from view.

The pale feet of Naruto then came into view, kicking his sandals off against a clump of machinery. Without hesitation, Naruto grabbed the rope-like purple belt around his waist, pulling it loose.

"I've been waiting for this." Naruto spoke out, dropping his belt to the floor.

Naruto was soon met by a raspy chuckle before Kabuto stood up, raising a large pillar above his head with one hand. After licking his lips, Kabuto dropped this large pillar to the ground, creating a faint cloud of dust.

"Apprentice... That was deceptive, ruthless and ambitious... I'm so proud of you." Kabuto laughed.

"Stop calling me that. Without me, you'd be nothing." Naruto remarked, allowing the sleeves on his kimono to slide loose.

As this fabric draped across Naruto's pale shoulders, a devilish grin infected Kabuto's face. Also, the previous clump of machinery became clogged by a rusty pillar, polluting the air with sparks.

"Yes... I used to be curious about Orochimaru's fate, but I'm beyond that now." Kabuto replied.

"My curiosity has shifted, I've become more interested in those eyes you have. Just like the Akatsuki." After speaking, Kabuto pulled his hood down, revealing his scale-covered ears and neck.

Before Naruto could respond, a faint explosion of dust and debris filtered through the background. This eruption was followed by a pillar of smoke, pouring out from a broken control panel.

This revelation created a twisted smile across Kabuto's face, contrasting his snake-like yellow eyes. Because of this, Kabuto clapped both hands into the snake seal. partially obscured by smoke.

"But, don't forget, I can kill your friends with the flick of by hand." As Kabuto spoke, the smell of burnt iron permeated the air.

Instead of responding, an unseen force quickly tore a gigantic pillar from the ground, hurling it at Kabuto. As this beam of steel approached, Kabuto's entire body began to bubble and dissolve.

Kabuto then morphed into hundreds of white snakes, slithering across the ground in all directions. This allowed Kabuto to effortlessly dodge the rusty pillar, soaring past him before crashing against a wall.

Glancing from side-to-side, Naruto's left ankle was constricted by a hissing snake, pulling him to the ground. Several other snakes also came into view, wrapping around Naruto's hands and torso.

Coiling like rope, these snakes sank their teeth into Naruto, causing his body to bubble into mud. This mud trapped the attacking snakes, withering and hissing in the dense puddle.

Spreading across the floor, this puddle of mud abruptly hardened, ensnaring each of the snakes in a layer of mud. The distorted outline of Kabuto then boiled into sight, a clump of white snakes that merged together.

As Kabuto's arms grew into place, Naruto was crouched atop a distant piece of machinery. Engulfed by a wave of fire and smoke from all sides, polluting the entire warehouse.

"That almost had me... Heh." While mumbling these words, Kabuto licked his own lips.

These words were answered by slates of collapsing metal, falling from the roof overhead. Sections of steel occasionally grinded together before hitting the ground, releasing a spray of sparks.

While the rust-covered roof continued to tumble, Naruto and Kabuto were forced to evade a handful of steal beams. Before long, Kabuto's right arm morphed into a snake, soaring through the air like a lasso.

Unhinging its jawline, this venomous snake launched forward, accidently biting down on a chakra rod. Sinking its teeth around this rod, Naruto was pulled through the air, overwhelmed by Kabuto's snake.

Losing his grip, Naruto was flung through several pillars of metal, covered in rust. Naruto then collided against a static-filled TV screen in the background, shattering on impact.

"All my power, all my trust, I gave too you... But all you care about is your worthless little friends." Before speaking, Kabuto strolled in front of Naruto.

After a brief laugh, Kabuto pressed both hands together, enshrouded with an aura of purple chakra. The gust from this chakra forced Kabuto's shoulder-length hair to rustle, diluted by harsh smoke.

Stained with a dense coating of rust and dirt, Naruto was concealed under a thin layer of shattered glass. But Kabuto's footsteps quickly garnished Naruto's attention, glancing up at the pale skinned shinobi.

"If they mean that much to you, maybe I should just kill them." These words forced Naruto to downcast his face.

"No... Don't, I'll do anything you ask." Naruto muttered.

"Good... Starting now, you can call me master." Kabuto chuckled in response.

At this moment, a wave of sand eroded out from the nearby floor, colliding against Kabuto. This revelation completely shocked the snake-like shinobi, buried in a cocoon of sand.

The orange hair of Jūgo then came into view, surrounded by Gaara, Karin and Tayuya, illuminated by distant flames. Recognizing his friends, Naruto dragged both hands across the floor.

"What are you doing!? Get out of here! You have no idea what he's capable of!" Naruto panicked.

"Shut up, nerd." Tayuya spat out, pulling a fluffy panda hat over her head.

"I'm smarter than I look, his little doodads are done!" Karin cut in, pointing with a dramatic finger.

"We don't have to run, not anymore." Jūgo interrupted, towering over his friends.

As these words progressed, Naruto's group of friends were surrounded by fiery waves of heat and flames. The smoke from this fire earned a chorus of harsh and rapid coughs from Naruto.

Multiple pillars of rust-covered steel then tumbled from the roof, crushed by poorly-aged rot. However, these collapsing beams were met by a stream of sand, surging out from Gaara's gourd.

"We can't stay here!" Gaara exclaimed, raising both arms towards the ceiling.

Suddenly, several snakes erupted from Kabuto's cocoon of sand, slithering across the shifting surface. But these snakes were smothered by falling metal, disappearing from sight.

Without hesitation, Jūgo picked Naruto up with one hand before rushing for the nearby door, engulfed with smoke. This massive shinobi was soon followed by Tayuya, Gaara and Karin, coughing in unison.

As these friends ran for safety, flicking embers and collapsing steel obscured everything from sight. The entire warehouse then abruptly caved in on itself, creating a geyser of flames over Dega.


	103. Chapter 103

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: kidexx - Can you provide me with any evidence why you think Hashirama or Madara is stronger than Hiruzen? Because, if you're going to quote some retconned piece of shit from Naruto Shippuden, please don't even bother.**

 **According to your logic, "Hiruzen mastering all jutsu in Konoha is bullshit said by kids who don't know any better." To which I must ask, did you watch Naruto part 1? Or read the manga/databooks?**

 **It was confirmed by Kabuto (in Naruto part 1) that Hiruzen mastered every single technique in Konoha. I'm being literal, if a technique existed in Konoha, Hiruzen learned it.**

 **Even if we ignore Kabuto, the fourth databook (which was never retconned) also confirms he mastered all jutsu in Konoha. This includes Fuinjutsu (The Reaper of Death) Forbidden Jutsu (the Flying Thunder God) and Hiden Jutsu (Expansion Jutsu, Shadow Imitation and etc).**

 **I'm not making this up, I'm just respecting the lore that Kishimoto established in part 1. Politically, Hiruzen was a dogshit Hokage, but in terms of strength, he's the 2nd strongest, behind Minato.**

 **Your argument is dependent on several retcons from Naruto Shippuden, so, in my opinion, it isn't valid. Hiruzen doesn't need a Kekkai Genkai, and respectfully, you're wrong, Hiruzen's chakra pool is Kage-level, even at his old age.**

 **Hiruzen is the _only_ shinobi in the entire series to display mastery over all 7 chakra natures (including Yin and Yang). Hiruzen could use every single existing technique in Konoha (including Ino's mind swap).**

 **Hiden techniques don't require any Kekkai Genkai to learn them, they're just kept secret by their clan. However, Hiruzen was the Hokage, so he had access to all of them.**

 **Also, Hiruzen is the _only_ shinobi in the entire series that had maxed scores in all four shinobi schools. Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Hand Seals, no one else had that - _in the entire series._**

 **You're severely downplaying the significance of Hiruzen vs Orochimaru, from a narrative perspective and lore perspective. There's a reason he couldn't kill Orochimaru, it's called love.**

 **To make a comparison, Hiruzen killing Orochimaru would be the same as Kakashi killing Naruto. Orochimaru was Hiruzen's favorite student, and he groomed him to be Hokage for decades.**

 **I understand you hate Hirzuen, and he's you're least favorite Hokage, but that isn't the point. You're hatred of Hiruzen doesn't excuse the false rhetoric in your argument.**

 **For example, Tobirama is my favorite Hokage, but I'm still able to admit he's the weakest. Just because you hate Hiruzen, that doesn't mean he's weak, in part 1, he was the strongest living Kage.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 103: The Flame Of Youth! Grow, Choji, Grow.**

 _Tuesday 7:38am, January 21st 38SSP._

"Dad... What's that?" The voice of a 6 year old Might Guy could be heard.

Guy wore a full-bodied green outfit with both sleeves were torn off, revealing his fair skin. Also, Guy's most prominent feature was the red scarf around his neck, jutting towards the sky.

"That's the sun." The stern voice of Might Duy spoke out.

Similar to his son, Duy wore a full-bodied green outfit, contrasting the orange leg warmers and scarf he wore. This brought attention to his bushy eye brows, matching his thick moustache and goatee.

"It feels warm." Guy muttered, reaching towards the sky.

As he spoke, Guy tried to grab the sun, but it was too far away to reach, creating a smile across Duy's face. This father and son were standing atop the Hokage Monument, glancing out across Konoha.

Soon, various rays of sunlight pierced the morning sky, shining down upon Guy and his father. Without warning, Duy reached out before wrapping one arm around his son, pulling him close.

"That's the flame of youth. Burning and bursting, before the final climax." Duy explained.

Despite Duy's veteran age, he was still just a Genin, forever known as the Eternal Genin. Infact, Duy regularly failed the most basic of D-rank missions, stuck as a Genin for almost twenty years.

"But.. What's the final climax?" Guy questioned, staring at his own hand.

Instead of responding with words, Duy grabbed his chin before releasing a deep hum. While this occurred, a fire hawk was soaring through the background, delivering a message to the 3rd Hokage.

"It's something very special, a moment that you'll cherish and protect." Duy replied, pulling on his goatee.

Guy then became hypnotized by Duy's bushy moustache, staring at him with admiration. Guy never knew his mother, the only parent he ever had was Duy, a devoted father.

"Some day, you'll understand." After Duy spoke, rays of sunlight concealed everything from view.

This moment was the very first memory that Guy could remember, an adolescent conversation with his father. However, this moment would continuously echo through Guy's mind, shaping his destiny.

* * *

 _Twenty years later._

The distinct sound of a screeching hawk could be heard, drawing attention to the vibrant outline of Konoha. This village was partially covered with fresh wood and construction platforms, still recovering from Orochimaru's attack.

The Hokage's Office then came into view, filled with the stern yet youthful silhouette of Might Guy. This 26 year old shinobi was dressed in the iconic Hokage robes, adorned with the kanji for 'five' sewn across the back.

Guy was standing in front of his desk, glancing out the nearby window, gazing upon the sunbaked village of Konoha. Much had changed over the past twenty years, but Guy never lost his youth.

Suddenly, a distant door was opened but Kakashi strolled into view, shuffling through a stack of papers. But Guy didn't even react, he was too distracted by his own thoughts.

"Let's see... You have a meeting with the elders this afternoon." Kakashi exclaimed, pulling a single page loose.

"Did you read it, Kakashi?" Guy muttered, earning a quick sigh in response.

"Of course, I read everything that touches your desk." Kakashi declared.

After speaking, Kakashi took several steps forward, approaching Guy's desk before picking up a piece of paper. This page was personally written by Neji himself, authorized by Sasuke's unique signature.

"I never imagined that another Uchiha could've survived." As Kakashi spoke, he held Sasuke's report with one hand.

This report contained a detailed description of Tobi, and the unique Sharingan eye that he possessed. However, this realization was too strange to believe, the entire Uchiha clan was almost wiped out over five years ago.

"How could the Akatsuki get their hands on such a valuable asset?" Guy cut in, glancing at his advisor.

"I can't say. But we've received reports of strange activity from the Land of Rivers." Kakashi remarked.

"We have some intel on the Akatsuki... But all our information comes from Lord Jiraiya." While speaking, Kakashi held a handful of papers.

After hearing these words, Guy sat down in front of his desk, clasping both hands together. This was followed by a deep and dramatic hum, creating a brief silence.

"The Land of Rivers is a neutral country... If Tani finds out, our trust would be shattered." Guy proclaimed.

Before this conversation could progress, a fire hawk soared into view, landing outside the nearby window. This hawk then leapt atop Guy's desk, presenting a freshly written note.

Without hesitating, Guy quickly grabbed this note before reading it, causing his eyes to race from side-to-side. Guy then handed this note to Kakashi before glancing outside.

"A call for aid... From the 5th Taikage? When did Tani get a new Kage?" Kakashi stuttered.

"The flames of youth burn in our favor." Guy interrupted, grinning from ear-to-side.

This declaration was followed by various rays of light, radiating out from Guy's pearl white teeth. Because of this, Kakashi lowered his head with embarrassment, sulking behind Guy's desk.

"Find Sasuke and deploy his team. With our students working together, nothing can stop them." As Guy spoke, he crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"Heh... Actually, I gave Sasuke the day off... It's a special occasion." Kakashi explained.

"Special occasion?" Guy repeated, quickly obscured by a flying hawk.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The market of Konoha was bustling with life and commerce, filled with ecstatic children and smiling adults. However, the solemn expression of Sasuke could be seen in the background, casually walking.

Because of his snow white skin, Sasuke deeply contrasted his surrounding, earning several glares from nearby children. But instead of reacting, Sasuke held the back of his head with both hands, glancing up at the sky.

"The entire day off... What am I gonna do?" Sasuke asked himself.

Over the past two months, Sasuke's entire life had changed, robbed of his childhood friend and teammate. Even Sakura was gone, and Kakashi was too busy with paperwork.

Even on such a special day, Sasuke couldn't decide what to do, he usually just followed Naruto. While pondering these thoughts, Sasuke strolled through the village of Konoha, walking down various streets.

Soon, Sasuke stumbled upon the rustic entrance to the Uchiha Compound, freshly cleaned and polished. This revelation created an expression of disbelief across Sasuke's face, wrinkling his nose.

After mumbling under his breath, Sasuke scratched the bridge of his nose before walking forward. This brought attention to the nearby street, freshly swept and sparkling with perfection.

"Did someone sweep? I was supposed to do that?" As he spoke, Sasuke crossed both arms in front of his chest.

Ever since the massacre of his clan, Sasuke lived in the massive Uchiha Compound by himself. The entire district was his own private manor, a reminder of everything he lost.

As Sasuke briefly thought about his childhood, he noticed a pair of shadows inside his manor. This realization sent Sasuke into a moment of panic, rushing towards his house with Sage-level speed.

"Mother? Mother!?" While stuttering these words, Sasuke focused on the silhouette of a woman inside his kitchen.

Utilizing his insane speed, Sasuke charged inside his home, throwing the sliding door open with one hand. Afterwards, Sasuke rushed into his kitchen, confronting the mischievous outline of Neji, Tenten and Lee.

"Oh no! We've been spotted!" Lee shrieked, falling off a stool.

As Lee fell, he accidently pulled a bag of flour from the fridge, polluting the air with a white cloud. This flour stained the entire kitchen with a chalky mixture, obscuring Neji, Tenten and Lee under a white layer.

This created an awkward silence as Sasuke scratched the side of his head with confusion, glaring at his students. Each of these Genin were completely covered in flour, identified only by the color in their eyes.

"Great, just great." Neji spat out, wiping the filth from his face.

"What are you three doing in my house?" Sasuke spoke out.

Before Sasuke could receive a response, he glanced around the room, staring at a handful decorations and colorful signs. A massive cake then came into view, covered with crimson frosting and lined with black tomoe.

"Happy birthday! Sensei!" Tenten and Lee shouted in unison, followed by a scoff from Neji.

This declaration caused each of Sasuke's blue eyes to twitch, shocked that anyone even knew about his birthday. At the same time, Tenten shook her head from side-to-side, knocking the flour from her hair.

Without warning, Tenten reached out before grabbing Sasuke, pulling him in front of his cake. This icy combination of yeast and frosty was a ornate spectacle for Sasuke, a faint reminder of his mother.

This fancy cake was covered with crimson words on top, congratulating Sasuke on his 13th birthday. Also, a poorly-drawn Sharingan was painted beside his name, half complete and scribbled with haste.

"You came a little early, I thought we had more time." Tenten exclaimed.

"We swept the entire compound! And took out your trash!" Lee cut in, holding one finger in the air.

"I still think we should be training." Neji interrupted.

As this conversation developed, Lee jumped into the air while sweeping his legs to the side, creating a gust of wind. This gust blew away the remaining flour, allowing Neji and Tenten to finally breath.

Instead of responding with words, Sasuke grabbed his own face before sighing, pinching the bridge of his nose. While this occurred, a crow was resting atop an opened window.

"I got a better idea." Sasuke proclaimed, brushing his hair with one hand.

"Clean up this mess, and I'll take us all out for lunch." This statement earned a dramatic squeal from Lee, raising both fists in front of his face.

"Yes, alright! I'm ready to burst!" Lee declared.

For the first time since his promotion to a Chunin, a genuine smile was spread across Sasuke's face. Inspired by the antics of Lee, Tenten and Neji, a small bond that had only just begun.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

The aroma of sautéed pork and chicken broth polluted the air, magnified by various pillars of steam. This food was freshly prepared inside Ichiraku's ramen shop, a delicacy from the village of Konoha.

"I haven't had ramen in months!" Tenten spoke out, seated on a wooden stool.

As Tenten spoke, Neji was sitting beside her, holding both hands in front of his face. Also, Sasuke and Lee were seated in the background, gathered in front of Ichiraku's stand.

"Nice of you to stop by! Dig in!" Teuchi proclaimed, revealing four bowls of steaming ramen.

After speaking, Teuchi was quickly answered by an ecstatic squeal from Lee, raising his chopsticks into the air. After licking his lips, Lee dived into his food with fanatic devotion, slurping the noodles.

As Lee devoured his food, Teuchi chuckled with joy while Tenten downcast her face, filled with embarrassment. At the same time, Neji pinched the bridge of his nose, releasing a faint sigh.

"I hate it when he acts like this." Tenten muttered.

"Lee's just expressing himself, nothing wrong with that." Sasuke replied with a slight grin.

"I'm just happy you all stopped by... Feels like forever since-..." Teuchi stuttered these words, scratching his head with hesitation

After Orochimaru's failed invasion, everyone noticed the abrupt change in the air, the sudden loss of Naruto. It was a realization that continued to weigh on Teuchi, filled with disbelief.

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke whispered, resting his face on one hand.

Before this conversation could progress, the sadistic laughter of Anko could be heard, permeating the air. Afterwards, Anko quickly strolled into view, holding her slim stomach with both hands.

"Instead of ramen, let's get Dango! Get me some Dango, Songo!" Anko chuckled. wrapping one arm around her childhood teammate.

Songo was once the loyal teacher of Kabuto, still depressed from his student's recent betrayal. Similar to Anko, Songo was 24 years old with fair skin, contrasting the Konoha Headband around his forehead.

Songo had ear-length brown hair and black eyes, partially concealed by the square glasses he wore. Also, Songo wore a long-sleeved blue sweater, held in place by his green flak jacket.

"You've been saying that for over ten years... It's still annoying." Songo protested.

As Songo spoke, Anko completely ignored him, focused on the white outline of Sasuke, eating his ramen. Inspired by her mischievous nature, Anko took several steps forward, wrapping one arm around Sasuke.

"Well, well... Looking a little pasty, kid." Anko giggled, rustling Sasuke's hair.

At this moment, the arguing voices of Sakon and Kidōmaru could be heard, walking into the ramen shop. These shinobi were each adorned with an ankle-length blue body suit, covered by a green flak jacket.

"You just don't know what you're talking about." Kidōmaru spat out, crossing all six of his arms together.

"Other than Kabuto, or Kimimaro... I was the highest ranking member of the Sound Four." Sakon protested.

While these brotherly teammates continued to argued, their Konoha Headbands came into view. These headbands denoted their status as Chunin of Konoha, freshly promoted with Anko's help.

"What are you two arguing about?" Neji grunted.

"Six arms doesn't know about the six forms of Sage Mode." Sakon scoffed.

"Idiot! There hasn't been a Butterfly Sage in over thirty years! There's only five Sage Modes!" Kidōmaru cut in.

These declaration's earned a hearty chuckle from Teuchi, walking into the back room before disappearing. This was followed by an exhaustive sigh from Songo, rubbing his eyes with both hands.

"What's Sage Mode?" Tenten asked.

This question was met by an abrupt gasp from Kidōmaru and Sakon, dropping their mouths with shock. Ignoring this, Lee was in his own world, slurping a mouthful of warm noodles.

"It's a special type of jutsu, used by the Sage of Six Paths." Sasuke muttered.

After hearing these words, Anko snorted in response, using both hands to mess with Sasuke's hair. This allowed Songo, Kidōmaru and Sakon to all find a stool, sitting beside Sasuke and his team.

"That's why pasty face is so white." Anko explained, poking Sasuke's cheek.

"Does that mean... Our sensei is a sage?" Tenten mumbled with a sheepish tone.

Suddenly, the youthful laugh of Sakon could be heard, followed by the reappearance of Teuchi. This elderly man walked forward before feeding Songo, Kidōmaru and Sakon, but Anko was still daydreaming about Dango.

"Yea, he's got Snake Senjutsu in his blood, that'll never go away." Kidōmaru exclaimed.

"That's why I have six arms, because my mother was a Spider Sage." As he spoke, Kidōmaru scratched the bridge of his nose.

Soon, Sakon briefly coughed before raising his right hand into the air, capturing everyone's attention. Except Lee who was eating, slurping his mouthful of food with each bite.

"Once your chakra network is exposed to Senjutsu, it changes everything." Sakon proclaimed, combing his blue hair with one hand.

"Kidōmaru isn't a real sage, but he inherited some Senjutsu from his mom. Kinda like a bloodline." After speaking, Sakon took several bites of food.

This revelation caused Neji to narrow both eyes, glancing at the white-skinned face of Sasuke. As this occurred, Lee finished his food before casually stealing Neji's bowl, devouring his ramen.

"So when pasty face pumps out a kid, they'll have white skin and snake eyes, just like him." Anko proclaimed, resting one arm atop Sasuke's head.

While Anko spoke, Sakon shrugged both shoulders with an innocent expression, releasing a slight grin. However, Sakon's face was partially obscured by his chin-length blue hair.

"But the point is, There's six Sage Modes, and Kidōmaru can't accept that." Sakon remarked.

"I've never met a Butterfly Sage that could actually survive." Kidōmaru protested.

"What about Kagerō? Her dad was a Butterfly Sage, that's why she looks so weird." Sakon argued.

This statement was answered by an exhaustive groan from Kidōmaru, rubbing his eyes with three hands. Also, Sasuke's blue eyes were hazy and blurred, as if he was a thousand miles away.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about." Kidōmaru spat out.

"Once you enter Butterfly Sage Mode, that's it. There's no coming back from that." While speaking, Kidōmaru crossed five arms in front of his chest.

"It's a Sage Mode unlike anything else, no one survives." After Kidōmaru spoke, the distinct crunch of potato chips could be heard.

At this moment, the smiling face of Choji came into view, strolling through the crowded streets of Konoha. With each step, Choji tossed a handful of potato chips into his mouth, walking towards the Hokage's office.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"Oh man, what a drag." Shikamaru muttered, holding the back of his head with both hands.

Shikamaru was standing in the Hokage's office, adorned with the iconic attire of a Chunin from Konoha. This outfit consisted of an ankle-length blue body suit, held in place by a green flak jacket.

"At least you got promoted..." Ino mumbled, standing in the background.

"It's such a drag though." Shikamaru spoke out, grabbing the Konoha Headband around his forehead.

As this conversation developed, the repetitive crunch of potato chips could be heard, drawing attention to Choji. Also, the bearded silhouette of Asuma was standing in the foreground.

"It's been decided, Kurenai is returning from a mission... Your team is going to rendezvous with her, and investigate Tani." Guy proclaimed.

This declaration was met by a quick nod from Asuma, grabbing several papers from Kakashi. At the same time, Shikamaru yawned with an exhausted tone, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"You're sending two squads for a simply investigation?" Asuma stuttered, scratching his beard.

After Asuma spoke, Guy clasped both hands in front of his face, leaning against his wooden desk. Soon, Guy was glaring at Asuma with a stern face, creating an awkward silence.

"Make no mistake, this is an A-rank mission." Guy explained.

"You're primary goal is to meet the 5th Taikage… And offer him assistance." Kakashi cut in, shuffling a handful of papers.

"But... Secretly, we need you to investigate reports about the Akatsuki." As Kakashi spoke, the crunch of potato chips could be heard.

"You're not to confront the Akatsuki, under any circumstance. But you need to locate their hideout... And report back to us." These words were met by a quick nod from Asuma.

Instead of responding with words, Shikamaru released a dramatic sigh, muffled by Choji's loud eating. After several seconds, Ino poked her head into view, leaning over Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Akatsuki? What's that?" Ino questioned.

"You're squad leader has all the information you'll need." Kakashi groaned in response.

"Just go pack up some supplies, and meet at the western gate in thirty minutes." While speaking, Kakashi held a stack of papers.

After hearing these words, Shikamaru, Ino and Choji all dispersed, rushing home at a different pace. Because of this, Asuma, Kakashi and Guy were all left alone, sinking deep into conversation.

* * *

 _Six hours later._

The 27 year old silhouette of Kurenai came into view, standing in the center of a large grove. This brought attention to her shoulder-length black hair, rustling in a gentle breeze.

Suddenly, Kurenai narrowed each of her crimson red eyes before crouching down, entering a Taijutsu stance. Afterwards, Kiba and Hinata both charged out from the nearby forest, encircling Kurenai.

Utilizing her Jounin-level reflexes, Kurenai deflected each of the attacking Genin, knocking Kiba to the ground. But Hinata continued to advance, forcing her lavender eyes to bulge and widen, morphing into the Byakugan.

After missing several attacks, Hinata's hands became engulfed with an aura of blue chakra, causing her short hair to waver. At the same time, Akamaru rushed out from a bush, barking multiple times.

Surrounded, Kurenai rolled across the ground before jumping atop a distant tree branch, revealing the grin on her face. A swarm of buzzing beetles then erupted into view, rushing towards her.

This realization was met by a wide smile from Kurenai, clapping her bandaged hands together. This elite kunoichi then weaved through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger seals with Jounin-level speed.

These hand seals were quickly followed by a gust of chakra-filled flames, spewing out from Kurenai's mouth. This fiery cloud easily dispersed the approaching swarm, scorching thousands of beetles.

The cloaked silhouette of Shino then jumped into sight, partially obscured by the chin-length collar on his jacket. Also, Shino's pale face was illuminated by sunlight, forcing his black glasses to sparkle.

Before Shino could react, Kurenai appeared in front of him with a blur of speed, stunning her student. Without hesitation, Kurenai swept Shino off his feet, knocking him to the forest floor.

As Shino fell, Hinata slid forward before catching him at the last moment, releasing an exhaustive sigh. This sound was muffled by Akamaru's barking, drawing attention to the deep scowl across Kiba's face.

"Not bad, not bad... You three are really starting to improve." Kurenai proclaimed.

After speaking, Kurenai was interrupted by the iconic screech of a fire hawk, soaring through the tree line. Recognizing this sound, Kurenai focused on the graceful eagle, landing on her bandaged wrist.

Reaching out, Kurenai pulled an ornate letter from the hawk's back, held in place by a tiny satchel. Reading this letter, Kurenai narrowed both of her crimson eyes, humming with a faint groan.

"What is it, Sensei?" Hinata mumbled.

"Yea, is something wrong?" Kiba cut in, picking Akamaru up with both hands.

These questions were met by a brief grin from Kurenai, grabbing her petite waist with one hand. As this occurred, Hinata helped Shino stand up, allowing all three Genin to glance at their teacher.

"Good news, you're all getting an early class reunion." Kurenai explained.

At this moment, team 8 was completely eclipsed by dense clouds overhead, shrouding the entire forest with shadows. But Kurenai continued to smile, daydreaming about the bearded face of Asuma.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The heavy scuff of foot steps could be heard, dragging across a narrow dirt road, surrounded by rivers. These feet were attached to a limp corpse, carried by the grumbling outline of Kakuzu.

This corpse was a high-ranking Jounin from the village of Tani, kidnapped and murdered by Kakuzu. Because of their small size, Tani wasn't strong enough to confront the Akatsuki, forced to hide behind the walls of their village.

"Senpai... You can be really scary sometimes." Tobi mumbled, walking through the background.

"Stop calling me that." Kakuzu spat out.

Soon, a two-story building came into view, constructed with stone and rich timber, illuminated by nearby street lights. Despite their isolated surroundings, this building was a remote bounty-collector, Kakuzu's favorite store.

"This corpse should fetch a couple hundred Ryo." As Kakuzu spoke, he carried the dead Jounin with one hand.

This statement was met by a dramatic groan from Tobi, hanging his head with depression. After walking for several moments, Kakuzu led his partner inside, eager to collect some money.

"Senpai, don't you have enough money?" Tobi muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

After he spoke, Tobi was interrupted by an elderly man, standing behind a rustic and wooden counter. He had fair skin and ear-length black hair, contrasting his teal blue shirt and the brown pants he wore.

"Welcome back! It's my favorite customer!" The elderly man spoke out, 56 years old and known as Kukich.

Hearing these words, Kakuzu slammed the limp corpse atop Kukich's counter, knocking a vase over. Instead of reacting with rage, Kukich smiled from ear-to-ear, inspecting the cold shinobi.

"His condition is rather poor... I'd like his face to be recognizable." After speaking, Kukich earned a hostile grunt from Kakuzu.

"Just have my Ryo on the counter, before I leave." Kakuzu exclaimed.

Suddenly, Kakuzu and Tobi both turned around before walking towards the nearby wall, defined by an ornate closet. As they approached, the hinges on this closet fell loose, opening the door with a slight creak.

Ignoring Kukich's protests, Kakuzu and Tobi disappeared into the darkened closet, consumed by shadows. Before long, an unknown force abruptly closed the door, leaving Kukich alone with his thoughts.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

A dense collection of shadows swirled into view, concealing everything with a blanket of darkness. Soon, the stone face of a massive statue protruded out from this abyss, obscured by a tattered blindfold.

"Oh no... Senpai! We're early!" Tobi squealed like a girl.

"Stop calling me that." Kakuzu grumbled.

This pair of rogue ninja were each seated atop a stone finger, jutting out from the dormant Gedo Mazo. Because of its size, the Gedo Mazo easily dwarfed Kakuzu and Tobi, barely contained in a small cave.

"Pfft… I won't make money if I just sit around." While complaining, Kakuzu crossed both arms in front of his chest.

Before speaking, Tobi shrugged both shoulders, raising his innocent hands into the air with a faint groan. During this moment of hesistation, Kakuzu closed his discolored eyes, enjoying the silence.

"The world doesn't revolve around money... Senpai." Tobi muttered with a hushed tone.

"What's the point of living if you don't have fun?!" As Tobi spoke, he stretched both arms through the air, creating a colorful rainbow.

"That's a luxury I can't afford." Kakuzu spat out.

"Unlike you, I don't hide behind a mask. I'm a wanted criminal, no one wants you." These words forced Tobi to faceplant the ground, crying like a school girl.

Suddenly, the entire cave was illuminated by a radiant silhouette, erupting into a purple haze. This distorted outline was standing atop a stone finger, overshadowed by the Gedo Mazo.

"Good, you're both here." A divine voice spoke out.

These words were quickly followed by several other shadows, surrounding the Gedo Mazo from all angles. Each of these silhouette's were defined by the crimson cloud on their attire.

"Tch! I'm getting restless! Give me something to do!" Deidara protested, raising his transparent hand into view.

The mischievous laughter of Kisame then echoed through the cave, drawing attention to his hazy face. Also, Itachi's projection was standing in the background, staring at the wall with a far-off expression.

"I haven't found any decent material in weeks." Sasori exclaimed, twirling his translucent hair with one finger.

"If you want something to do, listen up." A feminine voice could be heard, radiating out from Konan.

Konan was a 32 year old woman with pale skin and chin-length lavender hair, held in place by a blue flower. Despite her age, Konan was the shortest and smallest member of the Akatsuki.

Because of her petite figure, Konan was obscured by her knee-length Akatsuki cloak, swallowing both arms. This brought attention to her ocean blue pants, contrasting the white high heels that she wore.

"In the Land of Wind, far to the south, there's a certain rock I'm interested in." As Konan spoke, her labret piercing was revealed.

"By rock, you mean the Stone of Gelel… Right?" Sasori chuckled.

This statement forced each of Kakuzu's discolored eyes to bulge, followed by a groan of disbelief. At the same time, Tobi dramatically squealed like a child, waving both arms through the air.

"The Stone of Gelel!? You could buy an entire nation with just one peddle of that!" Kakuzu stuttered.

"I don't want to sell it, my reasons are my own." Konan proclaimed with a hushed tone.

"Since you're from the Land of Wind, and you spent years searching for immortality, you know best." These words earned a genuine smile from Sasori.

"Thanks... I appreciate the confidence." Sasori spoke with sincerity.

"We didn't come here for rocks." The distinct voice of Pain could be heard, protesting.

Pain's transparent face was illuminated by his violet Rinnegan eyes, the same eyes as Naruto. Also, Pain's distorted face was covered with various piercings and rods.

"Well... My interest has already peaked... I wanna see what this stone is made of." Deidara mumbled.

"What about the six tails?" Itachi cut in, capturing everyone's attention.

After hearing these words, Pain narrowed each of his violet eyes, drawing attention to his spiky hair. As this occurred, Tobi was causally scratching his stomach in the background.

"You will break him." Pain declared, drifting from view.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Oh man... This is the worst thing that could possibly happen!" Choji shrieked, crouched atop a dirt road.

This young Genin was nestled in front of a small pile of potato chips, the victim of a busted bag. This display of wasted food was a heart breaking image for Choji, forcing tears to swell under both eyes.

Suddenly, the bandaged legs of Ino came into view, matching the white arm-warmers that she wore. However, these pieces of fabric deeply contrasted Ino's teal blue eyes, drawing attention to her pale skin.

"Such a drag..." Shikamaru interrupted, holding his head with both hands.

As his students were gathered together, Asuma was standing in the foreground, exhaling smoke into the air. This smoke partially obscured the wide grin across Asuma's face, covered with a dense beard.

"Don't worry, Kurenai is just up the road." Asuma explained.

These words earned a chorus of giggles from Ino, turning around before running down the road. At the same time, Choji was picking up his trash, still devastated from his wasted food.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" Ino cheered, waving her right hand through the air.

This statement was met by an exhausted sigh from Shikamaru, pinching the bridge of his nose. Because of this, the grin across Asuma's face abruptly bloomed into a deep laugh.

"You two can go on ahead, we'll catch up." Asuma proclaimed, helping Choji with his trash.

After nodding with agreement, Shikamaru leisurely strolled down the road, glancing at the blue sky overhead. During this, Asuma took a final drag from his cigarette before rubbing it against the ground.

Scooping up a handful of dirty potato chips, Choji dumped them into his broken bag, spilling them for a second time. This allowed Asuma to notice several beads of sweat across Choji's face, and his bandaged hands.

"Sorry, I'm just a little nervous." Choji mumbled with a downcast face.

"This is my first mission since-..." While stuttering, Choji clenched both fists.

Over the past several weeks, Choji could feel the sudden shift in the air, the end of an era, and his childhood. With Shikamaru's promotion and Naruto's defection, Choji felt nostalgic for his youth.

Choji was always self-conscious about his skill as a shinobi, he always felt stuck in the shadows of Naruto and Shikamaru. Shadows that grew bolder with each day, eclipsing the young Akimichi clan member.

At this moment, Choji was pulled from these thoughts after Asuma reached out and grabbed his left shoulder. This completely garnished Choji's attention, glancing over his shoulder, directly into Asuma's brown eyes.

"Everyone can see the shinobi inside of you." Asuma declared.

"I can see it, Shikamaru can see it, even Ino see's it... But, you need to see it for yourself." As he spoke, Asuma narrowed both eyes.

Without saying a word, Asuma stood up before walking away, carrying a handful of trash in both arms. While this occurred, Choji glared at his teacher with a far-off expression, causing his mouth to fall open.

The transparent outline of a blue butterfly then floated into view, drifting through the air for several moments. Exposing a radiant aura of blue, this butterfly eventually landed atop Choji's nose, emboldened by rays of sunlight.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of rain striking metal could be heard, polluting the air before lightning surged across the sky. This downfall of rain created a steady drizzle, bombarding the crowded streets below.

This depiction of commerce was a common sight inside the village of Ame, a highly industrialized settlement. Nestled inside the Land of Rain, Ame was constantly soaked, dripping water from every house, tower and sidewalk.

Timber would easily rot under the constant rain, forcing citizens of Ame to live inside metal houses. Because of this harsh rain, Ame was a man-made island of steel and iron, built in the center of a vast lake.

"Aoi should've returned by now." Konan mumbled, holding one hand in front of her bulging chest.

Konan's fingernails were each painted with a bright shade of orange, contrasting her pale hands. Konan's most prominent feature was the white Akatsuki ring on her right middle finger, adorned with the Kanji for 'white'.

As Konan spoke, she stood underneath a steel awning, shielding her from the rain and cold weather. Her words then brought attention to the soaked outline of Pain, casually seated in the rain.

Undaunted by the dripping water from his hair, Pain was hypnotized by the village of Ame, focused on the lake-filled horizon. After several moments, various arcs of lightning rushed through the cloudy sky.

These flashing lights illuminated Pain's entire face, covered with chakra rods and piercings, jutting out in all directions. Also, Pain had ear-length spiky orange hair, contrasting his discolored and pale skin, the skin of a dead man.

Soon, Pain's red nails came into view, matching the crimson clouds on his Akatsuki cloak, soaked with rain. Pain's most prominent feature was the purple Akatsuki ring around his right thumb, adorned with the Kanji for 'zero'.

"It doesn't matter... I don't need him." Pain remarked.

While speaking, rain continued to drip from Pain's hair, staining the Ame Headband around his forehead. However, the iconic symbol of Ame was damaged by a horizontal slash, carved into the metal surface.

Despite his elderly appearance, Pain was barely 15 years old, but his body was as cold as death. Infact, Pain didn't even breath, he was just a walking corpse, empowered by his Rinnegan eyes.

Suddenly, the distinct sound of foot steps could be heard, forcing Konan to glance over her petite shoulder. This revealed the masked shadow of Tobi, defined by his three tomoe Sharigan.

"Soon, very soon... Our dream will be achieved." Tobi exclaimed with a deep voice, a voice that wasn't his own.

"Yes, with the capture of the six tails... Only five tailed beasts will remain." Pain replied.

"Kakuzu and I will handle the eight tails, if I find enough money to inspire the brute." Tobi hummed.

"But, you'll have to deal with the remaining jinchūriki by yourself... The final stage is almost here." As Tobi spoke, he walked into the rain, towering over Pain.

"I understand." Pain muttered in response, distracted by intense drizzle.

These words were swiftly followed by an erupting chorus of thunder, sprawled across the cloudy sky. After years of planning, the Akatsuki finally found their moment, the time to strike.


	104. Chapter 104

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: kidexx - Just because Hashirama and Tobirama are barely mentioned in part 1, that doesn't make Naruto Shippuden valid. My primary source for Hashirama and Tobirama comes from their canon battle with Hiruzen.**

 **In the original Orochimaru VS Hiruzen battle, Orochimaru didn't have his Shippuden handicap. In Shippuden, Kishimoto retconned the Edo Tensei, claiming Orochimaru didn't master it.**

 **Tobirama invented the Edo Tensei, but he could never utilize in combat, Orochimaru was the first one. Before the whole *one thousand Edo Tensei gag* in Shippuden, Orochimaru's Edo Tensei already had infinite chakra, he didn't have that handicap in part 1.**

 **While some people may claim Naruto Shippuden is a continuation of Naruto part 1, I'm not one of those people. When Kishimoto inserts a piece of lore (Shippuden) that conflicts with pre-existing canon (part 1) then part 1 takes priority.**

 **Hiruzen Sarutobi isn't a normal Shinobi, in part 1, he was hyped up as a literal god, vs EMS or not. Then Naruto Shippuden happened, and no one even talked about him or mentioned his name until the 4th Shinobi world war.**

 **In regards to Hashirama using Sage Mode, in part 1, he never displays Sage Mode. Most of the points you're making are pulled cutscenes/abilities/dialogue from Naruto Shippuden.**

 **Kishimoto never explains why Hashirama had Sage Mode (like Minato), there is no reason why. Kishimoto just pulled this stuff out of his ass, cheapening the story that part 1 established.**

 **Hashirama isn't using Toad Sage Mode or Snake Sage Mode (the only two canon Sage Modes) - so what kind of a Sage is he? I've searched reddit, the forums and google, I can't confirm what Sage Mode Hashirama was using, no one can.**

 **Overall, this argument comes down to one defining point, does Part 1 take priority or Shippuden. If you value Shippuden, that's perfectly fine, I respect your opinion, but I value Part 1.**

 **In regards to this chapter - Sakaku is an OC. Nothing about him is canon or confirmed by Kishimoto, he only exists in my head. I generally hate OC, but, Sakaku is a necessary character to improve the backstory.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 104: One Hundred Years Of War! The Birth Of A Legend.**

 _Wednesday 8:49pm, August 22nd 167WSP._

The distinct sound of crackling fire could be heard, fueled by a bundle of wooden twigs and sticks. This fire was positioned in the center of a small grove, surrounded by trees on all sides.

Soon, this fire was completely muffled by the hungry groans of a starving child, curled up next to the heat. This boy was 6 years old with tan skin and emerald green eyes, contrasting the tattered shirt and pants he wore.

The cheerful laugh of an 8 year old boy then rippled through the air, dashing out from a nearby bush. Holding a coin-filled linen bag, this boy casually ran in front of the fire before sitting down.

"Look what I found, Kakuzu!" The 8 year old boy spoke out, reaching into his bag.

Pulling dozens of copper Ryo into view, the sight of sparkling metal easily captured Kakuzu's attention, sitting up. An orphan from war, Kakuzu traveled the country-side with his older brother, Sakaku.

"Money? That won't help..." Kakuzu mumbled, scratching his ear-length brown hair.

Hearing these words, Sakaku dramatically gasped, grabbing each of Kakuzu's shoulder before shaking him. Because of this, a handful of Ryo fell to the ground, stained with dirt.

"What are you saying?!" Sakaku protested, drawing attention to his chin-length brown hair.

Similar to Kakuzu, Sakaku wore a torn brown shirt and tattered pants, matching his dirt-stained skin. Also, Sakaku had a handful of dirty bandages around both wrists, contrasting his black eyes.

"With this money, we can buy food! Clothes! Even a house!" While speaking, Sakaku's eyes morphed into golden Ryo.

"But why is money so important? Where does it come from?" Kakuzu mumbled.

This question earned a vicious head rub in response, followed by the booming laughter of Sakaku. At the same time, a shooting star discretely surged across the night sky, illuminating the entire forest.

"Money grows on trees! Don't cha know?!" Sakaku chuckled.

Taking several moments to respond, Kakuzu released a deep hum, distracted by the sparkling stars overhead. Also, the faint sound of a screeching owl could be heard, polluting the background.

"But I don't understand... Why is money so important? Who decided that?" Kakuzu stuttered.

"You're over thinking it." Sakaku sighed, shrugging both shoulders.

Ignoring these words, Kakuzu narrowed each of his emerald eyes, glaring up at the twinkling night sky. This revelation created a genuine smile across Sakaku's face, empowered by his younger brother.

* * *

 _Two years later._

"Kakuzu, hurry up! You're falling behind!" Sakaku shouted out.

This pair of young brothers were climbing a steep cliffside, running from a cloud of smoke on the horizon. Despite their young age, these brothers were born in the age of war, they didn't have the luxury of a childhood.

"I know! I'm trying!" Kakuzu protested, gripping a nearby rock.

Suddenly, the entire cliff began to quake, knocking Kakuzu loose before Sakaku grabbed him at the last moment. This intense quaking was soon magnified by a geyser of chakra-filled flames, spewing into existence.

Pulling his brother to safety, Kakuzu and Sakaku both crouched down, crawling behind a bush before hiding. These brothers then poked their eyes into view, glancing from side-to-side.

"What's happening?!" Kakuzu whispered, quietly nudged by his brother.

Without warning, a harsh display of sparks could been seen, muffled by the sound of metal striking metal. Also, a blurred mixture of crimson red and navy blue was surging across the ground.

A pair of shinobi sandals then landed atop the earth, creating a faint cloud of dust and dirt. These feet belonged to Butsuma Senju, a 31 year old man, the head of the Senju Clan.

Butsuma was a tall man with sunbaked skin and black eyes, matching his shoulder-length black hair. Because of its length, Butsuma's hair was held in place by a leaf-green sash, wrapped around his forehead.

Butsuma's most prominent feature was the crimson red samurai armor that he wore, covering his chest and shoulders. Also, the iconic Senju symbol was carved across this armor, engraved into both shoulder-plates.

Underneath this armor, Butsuma wore a full-bodied black suit, covering the endless collection of scars across his body. Finally, he held a crimson-red hilt in both hands, attached to an ancient and worn blade.

Stained with chips, jagged marks and dull edges, this sword was an heirloom of the Senju Clan, past down from father to son. This brought attention to the red sheath against Butsuma's back, strapped in a slanted angle.

"Are they shinobi!? They're moving so fast, I can't even follow them!" Sakaku muttered to himself.

After hearing these words, Kakuzu glanced to the side, focusing on the blue outline of a veteran shinobi. This silhouette belonged to a 31 year old Taijima Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha Clan.

Defining his status as an elite Uchiha, Taijima possessed a pair of three tomoe Sharingan. The crimson red from these eyes deeply contrasted Taijima's sunbaked skin, and the stern expression on his face.

Taijima had chin-length black hair that partially concealed both eyes from view, but the back was completely shaved. This hair matched Taijima's ankle-length tunic in tone and color.

Taijima's tunic had a raised collar, hiding a deep scar across his chin and neck, the result of endless war. Because of this constant battle, Taijima wore a blue-armored breastplate across his chest.

Also, several scraps of armor plating were wrapped around Taijima's ankles, matching the blue sheath on his back. However, this sheath was empty, illuminating the blue-hilt in Taijima's hand.

"Who are they...?" Kakuzu asked, earning an innocent shrug in response.

Instead of speaking, Taijima and Butsuma both narrowed their eyes, raising their weapons towards each other. Without hesitation, Butsuma and Taijima each preformed the Seal of Confrontation, an honorary sign of combat.

At this moment, the entire mountain side began to shake, forcing small pebbles to vibrate and roll. A screaming chorus then echoed through the air, muffled by the collective sound of charging feet.

Dozens of Senju and Uchiha clan members then ruptured into view, surging across the dirt-filled ground. Several of these shinobi were holding swords, while others weaved through hand seals.

A chakra-filled collision of flames and water abruptly clashed, spewing embers and rain in all directions. The shockwave from this collision forced Kakuzu to stagger backwards, tripping over a twig.

"Look out!" Sakaku panicked, pushing his brother to the ground.

Taking his brothers place, the ground below Sakaku was crushed under the weight of a fireball, dislodged from the nearby battle. This triggered a steep avalanche, pulling Sakaku to the cliffside.

"Brother!" Kakuzu shrieked, standing up and charging after Sakaku.

Running beside the rushing avalanche, Kakuzu leapt forward while reaching out with his left hand. Grabbing his brother at the last moment, Kakuzu struggled to pull him to safety.

"I got you!" As Kakuzu spoke, his brother was hanging off the edge of a cliff.

Glancing from side-to-side, Sakaku searched for a way up, but Kakuzu was slowly losing his grip. At the same time, the sounds of battle grew more fierce and violent, cracking the distant earth.

Ignoring the stark revelation in his mind, a genuine smile quickly spread across Sakaku's face, glancing up at his brother. Sakaku then reached into his tattered pants, pulling a bag of Ryo loose.

"Take this, it's all the money we've collected." Sakaku spoke out, shoving the Ryo into Kakuzu's hand.

Shaking his head in protest, Kakuzu tried to pull his brother up, but the cliffside began to collapse. Forcing Kakuzu to sniffle and cry, while Sakaku continued to smile at his brother.

"Money, Kakuzu… Money is the most important thing, remember that." While speaking, Sakaku barely clung to his brother.

"With money, you can buy a peaceful life, the life we never had." These words were muffled by a crying Kakuzu.

"Some day... You might even become a hero." Losing his grip, Sakaku fell from his brother's grace.

With tears streaming from his eyes, Kakuzu dropped his bag of Ryo before leaning over the cliffside. Gazing down below, Kakuzu watched as his older brother plummeted into the shadows, falling to his death.

"BROTHER!" Kakuzu's 8 year old voice could be heard, shrieking with panic before he finally woke up.

* * *

 _Eighty years later._

Sitting up with hasty breath, Kakuzu was resting against an elderly oak tree, shrouded by dense branches. After panting for several moments, Kakuzu rubbed the side of his head, shaking the thoughts from his mind.

Suddenly, Tobi's butt came into view, shaking and waving through the background, singing under his breath. Hearing these words, Kakuzu mumbled in response before throwing a peddle at Tobi.

As this rock approached, it casually phased through Tobi's skull, striking a hollow tree in front of him. Smacking his butt, Tobi jumped around before extending both arms into the air, cheering for his teammate.

"Senpai!" Tobi jumped for joy.

Earning a harsh groan from Kakuzu, Tobi repetitively clapped both hands together, acting like a cheerleader. Ignoring this, Kakuzu eventually stood up before brushing the dirt from his outfit.

The distinct sound of chirping birds then polluted the air, magnified by rays of sunlight, piercing the branches overhead. The sun was just beginning to rise, signaling a new day for Kakuzu, and the Akatsuki as a whole.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"I don't think that's safe to eat." Shikamaru exclaimed, hold his head with both hands.

The Genin for team Asuma and Kurenai were both assembled along a narrow road way, paved with aged stone. Choji, Ino and Kiba were all inspecting a nearby bush, filled with dozens of colorful berries.

While these Genin stood together, Asuma and Kurenai were standing in the background, talking to a farmer. Because of this, Asuma and Kurenai didn't even notice when Kiba and Ino reached out, grabbing a handful of berries.

"Um... Kiba... Was that really a good idea?" Hinata mumbled, twirling her fingers together.

"No, no it wasn't." Shino cut in, concealed by the raised collar on his jacket.

Grabbing her bandaged waist with both hands, Ino scoffed in response, wrinkling her pale nose. Also, Akamaru leisurely barked in response, forcing Kiba to pick him up with both hands.

"You're just overreacting, they taste really good." Ino remarked, grabbing another handful.

"Did you want some?" Kiba interrupted, offering several berries to Choji.

"Nah, I'll stick with my chips... But thank you." Choji replied, opening his bag of potato chips.

Before this conversation could progress, Kurenai and Asuma both approached their students, standing between them. This forced Kiba and Ino to hastily devour their food, concealing it from view.

"Let's quit wasting daylight... We're closer than you think." Asuma proclaimed, lighting a fresh cigarette.

The smoke from this cigarette created a dense pillar that concealed everything from view, dissolved under a gust of wind.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Sparkling water was cascading down a narrow river, occasionally disrupted by a jumping fish. Soon, dozens of pristine rivers came into view, sprinkled across a lush plain of grass.

Enshrouded by a bundle of trees, Asuma and Kurenai led their teams along the river, twinkling like a star under sunlight. During this journey, the only sound that could be heard was Choji, munching on potato chips.

"So where's Tani at? I don't see anything." Kiba questioned, crossing both arms in front of his chest.

As Kiba spoke, Hinata was walking behind him, tapping her fingers together with a nervous manner. After briefly hesitating, Hinata's white eyes instantly morphed into lavender, empowered by her bugling veins.

This swell of chakra allowed Hinata's Byakugan eyes to rupture into view, matching her pale-skinned face. Because of these eyes, Hinata could effortlessly glare through solid stone, or even the ground itself.

This improved eyesight forced Hinata to quietly gasp, holding one hand over her small mouth. Also, Hinata froze mid step, inspiring Shino and Kiba to glance over their shoulders,

"I don't see anything." Ino complained, stomping her right foot with rage.

Obliviously to her surroundings, Ino accidently sunk into a waist-deep puddle, screaming like a school girl. These screams were met by an exhaustive sigh from Shikamaru, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Licking the crumbs from his fingers, Choji reached out, offering a helpful hand to Ino, struggling in the water. However, instead of taking Choji's hand, Ino gagged with disgust.

"She's a handful, isn't she?" Kurenai scoffed, bumping against Asuma.

Smirking from ear-to-ear, Asuma took a drag from his cigarette before exhaling smoke into the air. Afterwards, Kurenai and Asuma abruptly entered a Taijutsu stance, confusing each of their students.

Suddenly, a beetle casually landed atop Shino's collar while Kiba's nose began to twitch, sniffing the air. The sound of rumbling thunder then echoed across the skyline, eventually polluted with dark clouds.

"This level of chakra..." Mouthing these words, Kurenai and Asuma stood back to back.

"I know... It's Kage-level." Asuma muttered in response, spiting his cigarette out.

At this moment, a barrage of lightning erupted from the clouds overhead, scorching a crater into the ground. Arcing across the forest in all directions, this impact was magnified by an electric shockwave.

As this surge of chakra rippled through the trees, Kurenai's loose hair began to violently rustle. Also, Ino finally managed to free herself from the pond, kicking her wet sandals off.

After several moments, the previous barrage of lightning fully dissipated, revealing a cloaked silhouette. This shadow belonged to a middle-aged man with sunbaked skin, hidden behind his teal blue robes.

Coming into view, various arcs of lightning occasionally surged across this unknown man, illuminating his attire. He wore the iconic teal blue outfit of the 5th Taikage, embellished with the kanji for 'five' across his back.

"You've entered the village of Tani. My village." The harsh voice of Raiga Kurosuki could be heard.

Despite his previous status as a rogue ninja, Raiga now wore the garb of a fabled shinobi, protecting the Land of Rivers. Raiga's most prominent feature were the twin blades of Kiba, held in both hands.

Prepared for battle, Asuma gasped after recognizing Raiga's outfit, filling him with ease. At the same time, Ino was seated in the background, struggling to dry her sandals.

"Oh? Shinobi from Konoha?" As Raiga spoke, he sheathed both of his sacred blades.

Pulling an envelop loose, Asuma walked forward before handing it to Raiga, earning a quick nod in response. While this occurred, Akamaru slowly walked into view, sniffing Raiga's feet.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to the 4th Taikage?" Asuma asked.

Instead of responding, Raiga turned around before walking through dense foliage, encouraging Asuma to follow. Leading his students, Asuma disappeared from sight, trailing after the 5th Taikage.

* * *

 _five minutes later._

Asuma and Kurenai both trailed behind Raiga, walking down a narrow dirt road, encompassed by rivers. Also, each of their Genin were walking through the background, illuminated by sunlight.

As this group continued to walk in silence, Kurenai briefly glanced at Asuma, allowing their eyes to meet. During this, the iconic crunch of potato chips could be heard, drawing attention to Choji.

"So... What type of assistance did you need?" Kurenai spoke out.

This question created an awkward silence as Raiga continued to escort his visitors, approaching a narrow gorge. Approaching this weathered rock, Raiga encouraged everyone to follow, squeezing through the crevasse.

After struggling for several minutes, team Asuma and Kurenai finally managed to enter the gorge. This realization caused each of the Genin to gasp, gazing down upon the sparkling village of Tani.

Tani was nestled in the center of a large gorge, encircled by dense rock and natural walls on all sides. Because of its natural position, several dozen rivers all ran into Tani's gorge, creating an endless stream of water from above.

This water was used to power dozens of mills and warehouses, the life-blood for Tani and their economy. Fueled by this constant surge of running water, Tani was built atop a massive revoir, a man-made lake.

Despite their isolated society, Tani used this massive lake to travel and trade across their village. Tani was extremely dependent on their river-side lifestyle, sustained by the endless water.

"The 4th Taikage was a coward, and a traitor." Raiga spat out.

"I killed him." After hearing these words, Asuma and Kurenai both glanced at each other.

Suddenly, a group of children ran into sight, led by the crimson-eyed silhouette of Ranmaru, defined by his Ketsuryūgan. These eyes irradiated a crimson red aura, polluting the air around Ranmaru's face.

"Uh...?!" Hinata mumbled to herself, accidently glancing at Ranmaru's Ketsuryūgan.

As Ranmaru approached, he was surrounded by a small horde of orphans, a brutal reality for all shinobi. However, these children were smiling with genuine joy, undaunted by their circumstances in life.

"I got the whole class together! I'm gonna teach them some hand seals!" Ranmaru cheered.

These words forced Raiga's personality to abruptly shift, instantly becoming kind and nurturing. This dramatic shift created a sincere smile across Raiga's face, crouching down beside Ranmaru.

"That's an excellent idea, Ranmaru! You're such a good boy!" Raiga chuckled, patting Ranmaru on his head.

After hearing this compliment, Ranmaru giggle before glancing between Ino and Hinata, focused on their Konoha Headbands. Ranmaru then tilted his head to the side, hiding behind Raiga.

Without saying a word, Ranmaru quietly stared at Hinata and Ino, forcing the latter to snarl in protest. After wrinkling his nose, Ranmaru hummed with confusing, earning a hostile snort from Ino.

"What are you looking at!?" Ino threatened, flexing her right arm.

"You're from Konoha, just like the last girl... But compared to her, you're both really ugly." As Ranmaru spoke, his words forced Hinata and Ino to faceplant the ground.

This statement caused Raiga's smile to evolve into an ear-booming laugh, stretching across the lake of Tani. As this occurred, Shikamaru yawned into both hands before grabbing his head.

"Wait a second, compared to who?" Kiba asked, magnified by a single bark from Akamaru.

"Compared to Sakura!" Ranmaru stuck his tongue out, capturing everyone's attention.

"Wait... What?!" Ino stuttered, jumping to her feet.

"Pinky came through here?!" As she spoke, Ino held both hands in front of her flat chest.

"She traveled west a couple weeks ago. She's probably in the Land of Wind by now." Raiga cut in.

After speaking, Raiga pulled his Kage hat loose, exposing his waist-length dark green hair, framing each side of his face. This iconic hat was then draped across Raiga's back, hanging from his shoulders.

Gasping, Ino rushed forward before poking Raiga's stomach, forcing Shikamaru to faceplant his own hand. Also, Choji was eating a bag of potato chips in the background, undisturbed by his surroundings.

"How is she? Is she eating well? Did she get a hair cut?" Repeating these words, Ino continued to poke Raiga.

Humming in response, Raiga used one hand to grab his rigid jawline, glancing at a pair of fishermen. At the same time, Hinata slowly climbed to her feet, still embarrassed from Ranmaru's words.

"She's become a fine Kunoichi." Raiga declared.

"Hah! Fat chance!" Ino snorted.

"No one is ever going to take her seriously! Pinky just needs to come home already." After speaking, Ino abruptly sneezed.

Leaning forward, Raiga allowed his stern face to bare down upon Ino, forcing her to sweat while twitching. Before long, this nervous Kunoichi was partially concealed by a puff of smoke, exhaled by Asuma.

"She was able to defeat me in battle, can you say the same?" Raiga muttered, pushing Ino to the ground.

Stuttering in protest, Ino was briefly stunned by Raiga's revelation, inspiring her to downcast her face. However, Ino was quickly pulled from her thoughts by Asuma, gently patting her head.

"Looks like your friend is growing up, Ino... Maybe you should too." Asuma chuckled.

Instead of responding, Ino sunk even lower to the ground, focused on the transparent image of Sakura. So much had changed over the past few weeks, without Sakura, Ino felt lost.

Has she really grown that much? Ino asked herself.

Utilizing this moment of silence, Ranmaru waved goodbye to Raiga before escorting his students down the street. Even though he was just 6 years old, Ranmaru was already teaching the next generation of shinobi.

Under the 4th Taikage, Tani endured a brutal period of mismanagement for over two decades, draining their treasury. Infact, the 4th Taikage personally welcomed the Akatsuki with open arms, allowing them to hide in his nation.

This dependence on the Akatsuki created a divisive gap between the 4th Taikage and his Shinobi. Instead of banding together and saving his people, disloyal Shinobi were sacrificed to the Akatsuki.

Because of his extensive reign, the 4th Taikage effectively crippled Tani's military, unable to defend their own borders. But Raiga changed everything after his exodus from Katabami Gold Mine.

Modeling himself after Zabuza, Raiga found a new home, protecting the same nation that he used to terrorize and mock. He challenged the 4th Taikage and struck him down in honorable combat, earning the Kage title.

"Let's get down to business." Raiga scoffed, crossing both arms in front of his chest.

"The Akatsuki are a blight on my land, but I don't have enough shinobi to remove them." As Raiga spoke, several boats were drifting through the background.

"You're going to help me. In exchange, Tani with officially end its neutrality, and pledge our support to Konoha." Hearing these words, Asuma and Kurenai briefly glanced at each other.

"We're supposed to assist you, but... We can't confront the Akatsuki." Asuma exclaimed.

"Good, I need assistance with the Akatsuki." Raiga spat out.

Suddenly, Kiba and Ino both erupted into a harsh fit of coughs, falling to the ground with a heavy thud. This realization sent Asuma and Kurenai into a wave of panic, rushing towards their students.

"What's wrong? What's happening?" Kurenai questioned, pressing her hand against Kiba's warm face.

"Oh no... Do you think it's the berries?" Hinata mumbled, muffled by a barking Akamaru.

Inspired by these words, Raiga's pale blue eyes began to bulge and widen, magnified by his gasping mouth. Also, a speechless Choji dropped his potato chips to the ground, glaring at Ino's fevered face.

"You fools! Did you eat the wild berries?! They're poisonous!" Raiga shrieked.

Without hesitation, Raiga reached out before grabbing the collar of Choji's shirt, pulling him close. This confrontation was partially muffled by the rapid coughs of Kiba and Ino, panting for air.

"Go get Ranmaru, quickly!" Shouting these words, Choji ran through the foreground, obscuring everything from view.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

The distinct sound of a rotating clock could be heard, dampened by the harsh breathing of Ino and Kiba. These Genin was resting atop a wooden floor, individually wrapped under a layer of blankets.

"I can't believe they ate so many berries... That was a bad idea." Ranmaru exclaimed, squeezing a wet rag with both hands.

As Ranmaru spoke, Choji was sitting behind him, holding his last unopened bag of potato chips. Choji and Ranmaru were completely isolated in the large room, accompanied only by Kiba, Ino and Akamaru.

This room was attached to an ornate Buddhist shrine, erected in the center of Tani and encompassed by sparkling rivers. Unwilling to wait, Raiga personally left Tani to confront the Akatsuki, inspiring Asuma and Kurenai to follow.

Hoping to gain the upper hand, Shikamaru, Hinata and Shino all traveled with their teachers, leaving Choji behind. Usually, Choji would eat his problems away, but he couldn't eat away his anxiety.

Despite all his effort, Choji had nothing to show for it, he was just dead weight, constantly dragging his friends down. Choji dreamed of being a great shinobi, like his father, but he wasn't skilled enough.

Torn from these thoughts, Ranmaru casually nudged Choji on his shoulder, capturing his attention. Displaying a genuine smile, Ranmaru encouraged Choji to take a nap, earning a nod of approval.

Without saying a word, Choji crawled towards a wooden wall before laying down, curled up in a dense ball. Glancing between Kiba and Ino with hesitation, Choji eventually closed both eyes, drifting into sleep.

 _-Dreamworld-_

Rays of sunlight sparkled down between an array of tree branches, magnified by the chirping of birds. The bulking silhouette of a 32 year old Choza Akimichi then came into view.

Choza wore a knee-length blue Kimono, held in place by a green sash around his waist, contrasting his blue pants. This brought attention to the white headband across Choza's face, matching his pale skin.

Choza's most prominent feature were the purple markings across his pale-skinned face, jutting out from his nose. These markings were partially concealed by Choza's chin-length spiky red hair.

"Uh-... Um..." A 6 year old Choji mumbled to himself.

"The Akimichi symbol... It's on the far right...?" As Choji spoke, he was sitting atop Choza's shoulders

Choji wore a similar outfit to his father, blue shirts with a pair of black shorts, contrasting his fair skin. Also, Choji's ear-length spiky brown hair was exposed, revealing the distinct red swirls across his face.

"That's right... Next to the Yamanaka and Nara symbols." Choza replied.

This father and son were standing in front of the iconic Ino-Shika-Cho monument, nestled in the forest of Konoha. This monument was adorned with all three clan symbols, and the names of their fallen shinobi.

"Our clans have bled together for over fifteen generations... Since the foundation of Konoha." While speaking, Choza's face was briefly shrouded by clouds.

"The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance is well known, we have a special bond." These words earned an inquisitive hum from Choji.

Suddenly, Choji reached out before grabbing Choza's right ear, tugging on the metal ear-ring that he wore. These rings were a sacred heirloom among the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance, created by the 1st Hokage himself.

Forging three pairs of ancient rings, Hashirama gifted these objects to the 1st generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho. Since then, these rings were continuously handed down to the next generation, an unbroken line of succession.

"You mean this thing right here? The other clan heads wear them too." Choji muttered, poking his father's ear.

"Mhm... The ear is pierced to symbolize a deep bond between our clans." Choza remarked.

"Once the next generation attains the rank of Genin, the rings are handed down. A symbolic passing of the torch." This statement forced Choji to stare at the ground.

"I don't like pain..." Choji whispered with a faint tone.

Choji wasn't a violent child, he was innocent, quiet and he usually just kept to himself. Choji didn't want to fight or to risk his life in the line of battle, but more than that, Choji didn't want to disappoint his father.

* * *

 _Six years later._

Faint rays of the setting sun quickly blistered into view, illuminating the entire village of Konoha. Before long, the pale hand of a 38 year old Choza came into view, grabbing a freshly made rice ball.

Unwrapping this food, Choza took several bites while grumbling under his breath, drawing attention to Asuma. This elite Jounin was sitting on the wooden deck of Choza's house, smoking a cigarette with one hand.

As these Shinobi sat beside each other, Choji was crouched over a distant caterpillar in the background. This insect was devouring a lush green leaf, earning a genuine smile from Choji.

"Since the nine tails left... He hasn't been the same." Choza proclaimed, stuffing his face with food.

"Yea... I can feel it too." Asuma murmured, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Soon, he'll been sent out on life-or-death missions. But if he fights like this... I don't think-..." Choza's words became cut off, biting his food.

"Just let him be kind... It's his strength." Asuma interrupted.

This declaration earned a stern glare from Choza, finishing his meal before grabbing another ball. As this occurred, a screeching fire hawk flew through the skyline, soaring towards the 5th Hokage.

"Be kind?! In the era of shinobi?" Choza stuttered.

Smiling in response, Asuma's bearded face was partially concealed by a pillar of smoke, rising from his cigarette. Ignoring this smoke, Choza bit into a mouthful of food, chewing it with a groan.

"Some day, his kindness will grow into a great weapon." Asuma declared.

"A day when Konoha will depend on his innocent nature..." As he spoke, smoke was dripping from Asuma's nose.

As this conversation progressed, Choji was watching over the distant caterpillar, wrapping itself in a cocoon. Because of this, Choji didn't even notice the stern expression across Choza's face.

* * *

 _Two weeks later._

The iconic sound of rain striking wood could be heard, polluting the cloud-covered outline of Konoha. Before long, Choji's wet hair was exposed, standing in front of a rain-soaked bush.

This bush was the home of a well-nested cocoon, cracked open before a butterfly wiggled into view. Struggling under the rain, this butterfly crawled from its cocoon, guided by a pair of antenna.

Freeing itself, this butterfly stretched all four of its blue wings, contrasting the soaking wet leaf it clung too. However, the heavy rain eventually overwhelmed this young butterfly, knocking it loose.

Filled with panic, Choji abruptly blew several currents of wind against the falling butterfly, saving it. While this occurred, the stern silhouette of Choza was standing in the background, obscured by his umbrella.

"You are a kind child, my son." Choza exclaimed.

"But this butterfly must learn how to fly by itself..." After hearing these words, Choji quickly froze.

Briefly falling towards the ground, this blue butterfly fluttered all four wings before soaring across the rain-filled skyline. Using his umbrella as a shield, Choza approached his son before standing behind him.

"You and that butterfly are one in the same... You need to learn how to fly." As Choza spoke, his words inspired Choji to downcast his face.

Choji was always seen as the weakest in his class, no one ever took him seriously or valued him as a Shinobi. Even though Naruto was the deadlast in class, Choji was constantly mocked for his shy nature.

Because of this, throughout Choji's childhood he regularly depended on Naruto and Shikamaru, his first pair of friends. But now, those friends were slowly leaving Choji behind, growing up without him.

* * *

One _week later._

A dense collection of shadows dashed across an endless array of tree branches, illuminated by sunlight. Soon, Raiga, Asuma and Kurenai came into view, escorting Shino, Hinata and Shikamaru through the forest.

"Um... Sensei... What didn't we bring Choji along?" Hinata mumbled.

"Isn't it obvious? He'll just slow us down." Shino cut in.

This statement earned an ear-booming laugh from Shikamaru, an extremely rare display of emotion. Because of this, Asuma narrowed both eyes as he continued to jump, trailing behind Raiga.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Shikamaru smirked.

"Choji wouldn't slow us down... We'd slow him down." While speaking, Shikamaru displayed a wide smile.

"He's stronger than any of us, even Asuma sensei." After Shikamaru spoke, Raiga hummed with a faint tone.

Raiga had seen decades of war and violence, he bore witness to dozens of chaotic battles and bloody outcomes. Despite his brutish nature, even Raiga could see the Shinobi inside of Choji, waiting to emerge.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

A heavy thud abruptly crashed against the wooden floor, stirring Choji from his sleep, sitting up with haste. This revealed a pair of Tani shinobi in front of the doorway, sprawled across the floor.

Without warning, Kakuzu's feet stomped into sight, forcing Ranmaru to jump up, grinding his teeth together. Also, Choji's mouth fell open, dropping his bag of potato chips to the ground.

"I'm looking for a Jounin, I could use some money." Kakuzu grumbled, dampened by the rapid barks of Akamaru.

After he spoke, Kakuzu leisurely tossed an unconscious Chunin against Akamaru, silencing the small puppy. Grumbling under his breath, Kakuzu snapped his neck at an unhuman level, popping several joints

Undaunted by Kakuzu's display, Ranmaru's Ketsuryūgan began to bulge and twitch, magnified by a crimson aura. Catching a glimpse of these eyes, Kakuzu fell onto both knees before grabbing his skull.

Kakuzu's perception of reality than began to bubble and melt, forcing nearby walls to boil into water. This harsh realization was followed by several beads of sweat, dripping from Kakuzu's concealed face.

Struggling to breath, Kakuzu thrust his right hand into his own chest, pulling a blood-covered heart into view. Resting in his hand, Kakuzu's heart was rapidly beating, pumping blood through a handful of veins.

Crushing this heart into a bloody pulp, Kakuzu's tossed his limp organ to the floor, stomping on his veins. This elite shinobi then reached out before back handing Ranmaru, flinging him against a nearby wall.

Observing this display of might, Choji crawled backwards across the floor, bumping against a hollow wall. Because of this, Kakuzu grumbled with disappointment, glancing throughout the room.

"Hmmm two clan heirs and an heiress? From the top clans of Konoha... I'd get good money for you." While speaking, Kakuzu's right hand was being clenched at an unhuman angle.

Enthralled by this statement, Choji snarled with disgust before jumping on his feet. Ignoring the anxiety in his chest, Choji clapped both hands into the Ox seal, breathing through his nose.

Without Raiga or Ranmaru, the village of Tani had no one, no one except for Choji. This realization was a heavy burden on the young Shinobi, forcing his teeth to grind together.

Before Choji could react, Kakuzu's left arm promptly launched across the room, slamming Choji through a thin wall. This detachable hand then grabbed Choji's throat, pulling him towards the rogue Shinobi.

"Don't squirm, I'll get more money if you're alive." After Kakuzu spoke, Choji kicked him in the stomach.

Enraged by this display, Kakuzu casually dropped Choji to the floor, kicking him across the room. Falling against Ranmaru, Choji released a muffled groan before struggling to stand up.

Annoyed by Choji's persistence, Kakuzu turned his attention towards a sleeping Ino and Kiba. Approaching these Genin, Kakuzu completely ignored Choji, he lost all interest in him.

Even now, at the most important moment in his life, Choji couldn't find the strength that he needed. No matter what he did, Choji could never catch up to Naruto or Shikamaru, he was still a child.

Everyone can see the Shinobi inside of you. I can see, Shikamaru can see it... Even Ino see's it. The iconic memory of Asuma could be heard.

But, you need to see it for yourself. Dwelling on these words, Choji clenched both of his bandaged fists.

You and this butterfly are one in the same... You need to learn how to fly. Choza's memory spoke out.

Crushed by Kakuzu's display of power, Choji didn't have the motivation to stand, he was too distracted by his own failures. Choji had such a low opinion of himself, he constantly underestimated his own abilities.

I'm sorry, dad... I can't fly... I can't even save my friends. Choji was lost in a sea of regret.

Suddenly, the vibrant and transparent silhouette of a blue butterfly erupted into view, landing atop Choji's nose. This abrupt appearance earned a startled gasp from Choji, causing his mouth to fall open.

It requires a certain action, Choji, an act of absolute clarity and resolve. The sacred voice of the Blue Butterfly Sage could be heard.

Only an act of love, greater than an act of hatred, can save your friends. As this sage spoke, Choji basked in his presence.

Pondering these thoughts, each of Choji's eyes began to widen and bulge, magnified by his twitching pupils. Gasping with shock, the butterfly across Choji's nose soon dissolved into a blue cloud of mist, fading from view.

That's why I couldn't do it... Dad, because I didn't have your faith. Choji proclaimed.

Inspired by these thoughts, Choji staggered onto both feet, earning a hostile grunt from Kakuzu. Panting with each breath, Choji reached into his satchel before pulling a kunai loose.

"You were always putting my needs above your own... You were always thinking of me." As Choji spoke, his words filled Kakuzu with confusion.

Everything in Choji's entire life had led to this moment, to stand beside his friends and protect them. This was Choji's goal, a moment that he always dreamed of, he wanted to be a hero.

Fueled by this goal, Choji's anxiety was completely dissolved, ending his nervous twitch. Before long, Ranmaru woke up, opening both eyes before glancing at the blurred outline of Choji.

"I wanted to be like you, I wanted to stand like you, I wanted to fight like you." While speaking, Choji gripped his kunai with both hands.

"I love you... Father." With these final words, Choji plunged his kunai into his own heart.

Before Kakuzu could react, the entire building was engulfed with a blinding aura of blue light, obscuring everything. Also, several planks of wood were shattered into clouds of dust and debris.

"What?!" Kakuzu panicked, holding both arms in front of his eyes.

As Kakuzu spoke, his Akatsuki outfit violently rustled in a chakra-filled breeze, causing his sleeves to waver. This breeze eventually reached Kiba and Ino, blowing their blankets off as they continued to sleep.

Soon, portions of Choji's pale skin could be seen, erupting from a sparkling aura of blue chakra. As this wave of chakra began to dissipate, Choji's snow-white face could be seen, matching his recolored skin.

A radiant pair of four blue wings then jutted into sight, protruding out from Choji's back, fueled by pure chakra. Ignoring his closed eyes, Choji's most prominent feature was his hair, a bright shade of blue.

"Oh? So you've finally decided to fight me." After speaking, Kakuzu lowered both arms.

"Fight you? I'm not going to fight you..." Choji exclaimed, allowing his aura of chakra to fade.

"I'm going to killing you." As Choji spoke, he opened his sparkling blue eyes, the eyes of a Butterfly Sage.


	105. Chapter 105

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: biginferno - I'm glad.**

 **Genesis09 - That was my mistake, they were talking about the 8 tails in that conversation, so I accidently grouped him with Saiken. By the time you read this, that mistake will be fixed.**

 **I appreciate you catching that, thank you. I'm glad you put so much thought into your review.**

 **Guest - I know canon Ino and Sakura are just a bundle of walking memes, but that's because Kishimoto can't write female characters. This aspect of his writing is so bad, that a main character like Sakura is completely useless.**

 **Because of this, Sakura has to be compared to Sasuke/Naruto, instead of Ino, Tenten or Hinata. Canon Sakura has no arc, unlike Naruto or Sasuke, Sakura doesn't even get her own screen time.**

 **This is where I'm different from Kishimoto, because I actually value strong female characters. Devoting an entire chapter to Ino vs Sakura might seem like a meme-fest, but deep down, it establishs a baseline for character progression.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 105: Choji: You're A Sage!? Butterfly Vs Beast.**

 _Saturday 3:32pm, July 24th 58SSP._

"What can you see?" Raiga spoke out, illuminated by sunlight.

After Raiga spoke, the white outline of Hinata's Byakugan came into view, empowered by bulging veins. This Genin was crouched behind a dense bush, accompanied by team Asuma and team Kurenai.

These traveling shinobi were huddled in a forest, glancing out across a dirt-filled road, encompassed by rivers. This narrow road paved the way towards an isolated bounty house, devoid of customers.

"There's an entire cave below ground..." Hinata mumbled, squinting both eyes.

"But I don't see anyone..." As Hinata spoke, she held one hand in front of her mouth.

Hearing this statement, Raiga replied with a stern groan, rubbing his chin with one hand. After several moments, a flying beetle soared through the tree-line, landing atop Shino's collar.

"My insects found the secret entrance... But something feels odd." Shino cut in.

"I can see it too, there's a strange chakra in the air." Hinata remarked.

Suddenly, the orange mask of Tobi phased out from the ground, giggling like a school girl. However, this laugh was quickly dampened by Raiga's lightning fast reflexes, unsheathing his twin blades of Kiba.

Surging forward like a bolt of electricity, Raiga swung each of his sacred blades through the air. Accidently phasing through Tobi before running into a tree, Raiga was briefly humiliated.

"Hiii!" Tobi cheered like an autistic child, waving both hands.

This strange appearance caused each of the nearby shinobi to gasp, leaping back onto a distant tree branch. Losing his new friends, Tobi downcast his face with a depressed groan.

Before long, Tobi's hair began to rustle under a chakra-filled breeze of blue lightning, radiating out from Raiga. This elite shinobi was engulfed by various arcs of electric chakra, rippling across his body.

As Raiga's chakra continued to swell, a barrage of lightning erupted from his ancient blades, striking the ground. This static shock created a rock-filled crater around the 5th Taikage, shrouded by dense pillars of chakra.

"Oh no... You look mad, I hope I didn't do that..." Tobi muttered, holding both hands in front of his mask.

Tobi was met by a stern glare from Raiga, allowing his shoulder-length hair to waver in the breeze. For the first time in his life, Raiga was fighting for someone other than himself, he was fighting for his home.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The sound of splintered wood could be heard, crushed under the weight of Choji's blue chakra. Soon, this chakra completely overwhelmed Choji's headband, blowing it loose.

What's going on? Where did he get all this power? Kakuzu grumbled internally.

After groaning, Kakuzu was muffled by the sound of Choji's ear rings, cracking under his chakra. Despite his low rank as a Genin, Choji was displaying chakra far beyond Kage-level.

"What's wrong? You were so confident before." Choji interjected, allowing his wings to rustle.

"If you're not going to attack... I will." As Choji spoke, his ear rings abruptly shattered.

Choji's words were soon magnified by a gust of chakra, radiating out from his transparent butterfly wings. This wind battered against the sleeping outline of Ino and Kiba, inspiring Akamaru to growl.

Before long, the youthful face of Ranmaru could be seen, staring at Choji with pure shock and awe. Throughout his short life, Ranmaru had never seen such a vast display of chakra, even from Raiga.

Without warning, Choji surged forward with the speed of a collapsing star, shoving Kakuzu through a wooden wall. Utilizing his Sage-level strength, Choji overpowered Kakuzu with one hand, dragging his mask-covered face.

Tightening his grip, Choji casually flew into the air, empowered by his chakra-filled blue wings. This brought attention to Choji's bandage-wrapped hands, partially unraveled under the weight of his chakra.

Soaring above Tani, Choji hurled Kakuzu through an endless stream of water, dripping from the natural gorge around Tani. The weight of this rushing water completely concealed Kakuzu from view.

As Choji hovered in place, the sound of rapid water polluted the air, drowning everything with noise. Because of his wings, Choji was finally able to fly, allowing his silhouette to reflect off the water's surface.

For the first time in Choji's life, he was on the offensive, instead of running away or hiding. Choji finally found the courage he needed, fortifying his Sage-like resolve.

Suddenly, Choji narrowed each of his sparkling eyes before Kakuzu's hand launched out from the water. However, Choji grabbed this approaching hand without flinching, demonstrating his insane reflexes.

Yanking on this detached hand, Choji's right arm was quickly engulfed by swirls of blue chakra. Afterwards, Choji effortlessly sliced the threads on Kakuzu's hand, cutting the stone-like substance with ease.

Dropping Kakuzu's hand to the water's surface, it was quickly followed by an array of loose threads. While this occurred, Ranmaru could be seen in the background, standing on the distant shoreline.

"What's going on over there?! Who could possibly be battling the Akatsuki?" A bandage-covered Chunin spoke out.

These words created an expression of disbelief across Ranmaru's face, gazing up at the floating outline of Choji. After all his failures, Choji finally found his moment, a chance to prove his value.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Oh no!" Tobi squealed, leaping over Raiga's attack.

Dodging the sacred blades of Kiba, Tobi flipped through the air like a cheerleader, landing upside down on a tree branch. Ignoring his surroundings, Tobi raised one hand in front of his mask, saluting Raiga.

"That was a close one... Senpai." While mumbling these words, Tobi wiggled his butt.

After speaking, a swarm of beetles quickly engulfed Tobi's entire body, earning a dramatic scream in response. However, this scream was followed by a childish giggle before Tobi fell to the forest floor.

Devoid of any scratch or wound, Tobi was sprawled across the ground like a dying solider, gasping for air. Before long, a barrage of Kunai soared into view, accidently phasing through Tobi's body.

Unharmed from this recent attack, Tobi grabbed his stomach before rolling across the ground, groaning with fake pain. After several moments, Tobi's personality took an abrupt shift, jumping onto both feet before laughing.

"This really isn't fair at all, I'm harmless." As Tobi spoke, he held one finger in the air.

"You wouldn't hurt an innocent baby, would you?" While speaking, Tobi shook his butt from side-to-side.

"I thought the Akatsuki would be more... Intimidating." Kurenai spoke out, standing atop a nearby tree branch.

These words brought attention to Asuma, holding a pair of uniquely-designed trench knives, worn like brass knuckles. These weapons were known as Chakra Blades, a special type of Bukijutsu that Asuma regularly deployed.

"Don't let your guard down... Black robe with a red cloud, he's definitely Akatsuki." Asuma remarked.

"But more than that, this masked shinobi is special. Sasuke mentioned him in his report." This statement inspired Kurenai to gasp, glancing at Tobi's orange mask.

Despite his childish demeanor, Tobi was a member of the Akatsuki, evidence to his skill and prestige. Infact, throughout his Akatsuki career, Tobi never suffered a single injury, no one could even touch him.

Catching herself at the last moment, Kurenai narrowly avoided Tobi's crimson red right eye, a Mangekyō Sharingan. This level of Doijutsu was extremely rare, even among the Uchiha Clan.

"You're right... Where did he get that eye?" Kurenai muttered.

"I don't know, but don't underestimate him." Asuma replied.

As this conversation progressed, Raiga charged through the background, hacking and slashing towards Tobi. But the ancient blades of Kiba couldn't cut Tobi, they kept phasing through him on accident.

Missing each of his attacks, Raiga accidently cut a large tree in half, forcing him to jump backwards. At the same time, Tobi casually phased through the falling tree, poking his head out like a mole.

"Why aren't you listening to me!? I'm super cereal!" Tobi complained with a childish tone.

Scoffing in protest, Shino rushed across the forest floor, partially engulfed by a swarm of beetles. This approaching Genin was met with a dramatic groan from Tobi, jumping atop the fallen tree.

"Forbidden Art: Monkey Grabs Peach!" As Tobi spoke, he weaved through the Monkey, Horse and Tiger Seals.

After speaking, Tobi rushed forward, reaching out with his right hand before grabbing Shino's groan. Squeezing down, Shino squealed like a pre-pubescent girl before Tobi hurled him against a distant tree.

"Come on, let's test your style against mine!" These words were magnified by Tobi's wide butt, erupting into a dance of ballet.

This declaration filled each of the nearby shinobi with an expression of disbelief, glancing at one another. Growling with rage, arcs of lightning quickly sprawled across Raiga's body, rushing forward.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Waves of water were crashing against a grass-covered shoreline, soaking the ground and a wooden dockyard. Also, a handful of boats were violently rocked under these intense waves.

This crashing water was empowered by gusts of chakra, radiating out from the hovering outline of Choji. As his transparent wings continued to flap, Choji's blue hair was rustling in the breeze.

Drifting in place, Choji was glaring at the endless stream of Tani, plummeting into a wide lake below. Before long, an enraged Kakuzu slowly emerged from this rushing water.

"That actually hurt." Kakuzu mumbled, rubbing the severed wrist on his right arm.

After speaking, Kakuzu's arm began to bulge and throb, causing a bundle of wet thread to rupture into view. Protruding into the water below, this thread quickly reattached Kakuzu's severed hand.

"Some colored skin and a new hair cut, nothing changes this outcome." While grumbling these words, Kakuzu's hand was casually sewn into place.

"This is the end for you." As Kakuzu spoke, he narrowed each of his discolored eyes.

Undaunted by these words, Choji continued to hover in the air, propelled by his transparent blue wings. Without fear, Choji tightly clenched his bandage-covered hands, causing the fabric to unravel.

"You're right..." Choji admitted, earning a gasp in response.

"This is the end!" Screaming these words, Choji abruptly surged through the air, soaring towards Kakuzu.

As Choji approached, the water below was disturbed by his flapping wings, turning the tranquil lake into a roaring ocean. These hostile waves effortlessly swallowed distant houses, capsizing several boats.

Soon, these waves became so hostile that Kakuzu struggled to stand, floating atop the water's surface. Hardening his left arm, Kakuzu raised his hand at the last moment, catching a powerful punch from Choji.

This impact created a fierce explosion of water and chakra, leaving a brief crater across the thrashing lake. But this cloud of water was soon dispersed by Kakuzu, hurled through the air like a ragdoll.

Flipping and skidding across several waves, Kakuzu slammed against the water's surface before sinking from sight. Without hesitation, Choji clapped both hands into the Tiger Seal, creating a visible aura of blue chakra.

Suddenly, dozens of transparent blue butterflies fluttered into view, flapping and drifting around Choji. Grouping into a swarm, these butterflies surged into the lake below, sparkling like jewels under the water.

These gems illuminated the sunken outline of Kakuzu, weaving through a collection of Hand Seals on the lake floor. Afterwards, Kakuzu exhaled a torrent of chakra-filled water, the result of Water Style: Liquid Bullets.

As these projectiles rushed towards Choji, they were all blockaded by a swarm of blue butterflies. Colliding with Choji's technique, Kakuzu was met with an eruption of Senjutsu-filled chakra, draining the chakra from his own attack.

Left speechless from this revelation, Kakuzu's failed technique dissolved into a cloud of rain. Grumbling under his breath, Kakuzu swam to the water's surface, exposing his soaked mask and outfit.

At this moment, Kakuzu gasped as dozens of butterflies erupted from the water, swarming mere inches from his face. Before Kakuzu could react, these transparent butterflies ruptured into a chakra-filled explosion.

Polluted by the blue aura of Choji's chakra, Kakuzu's entire body was scorched by bright light, obscuring him from view.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Grunting with exhaustion, Hinata's chakra-covered palms came into view, thrust towards Tobi. Guided by her bulging Byakugan, Hinata missed each of her attacks, unable to hit or harm Tobi.

"Why is everyone picking on me?" Tobi mumbled, phasing through Hinata's body.

After Tobi spoke, Asuma quickly appeared in front of him, slicing his unique trench knives through Tobi's mask. Phasing from existence, Tobi leapt over Asuma's shoulder, drifting towards a nearby tree branch.

As Tobi approached, he abruptly squealed as Kurenai blocked his path, clapping her bandaged hands together. Moving with Jounin-level speed, Kurenai weaved through the Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger Seals.

Kurenai then exhaled a torrent of chakra-filled flames, spewing out from her mouth like a geyser. Engulfed by these flames, Tobi shrieked with panic, phasing through Kurenai's technique.

Protruding into view, Kurenai staggered backwards, allowing Tobi to trip her at the last moment. Pushing Kurenai to the forest floor, Tobi landed on a tree branch before stretching.

"Whew... That was close." While stuttering these words, Tobi scratched the back of his head.

Soon, various arcs of lightning quickly sprawled across Tobi's tree branch, continuously zapping his feet. Erupting into a panic-filled dance, Tobi struggled to save himself, jumping, wiggling and hopping onto another tree.

Barely able to rest, Tobi's tree branch was cut in half by Raiga, demolished by his twin blades of Kiba. Swinging these ancient weapons through the air, Raiga unleashed a chakra-filled shockwave of lightning.

Undaunted by this approaching attack, Tobi phased through this lethal technique, giggling like a school girl. Rushing forward, Tobi unleashed a crushing bear hug on Raiga, knocking the wind from his lungs.

Hugging the life out of Raiga, Tobi chuckled with an innocent tone, acting like nothing was wrong. However, Tobi was soon disturbed by a barrage of Shuriken, dropping Raiga to the forest floor.

"Oh!? Nice try!" Releasing a deep laugh, Tobi raised his butt into view, phasing through several Shuriken.

As the sound of metal piercing wood could be heard, Tobi busted into a dramatic dance, humming with joy. This carefree expression instilled great confusion in the nearby shinobi.

"He can't be serious... He's just playing with us." Kurenai complained.

Grinding his teeth together, Raiga rose to his feet, gripping the sacred blades of Kiba with both hands. This exposed a splat of mud across Raiga's outfit, staining the 5th Taikage's attire.

"Are you done?" Raiga spat out.

After speaking, Raiga's outfit was engulfed by an aura of electric chakra, frying the mud on his attire. Before long, this mud began to crack and flake, crumbling to the ground.

"Mmm... I don't know." Tobi mumbled, beating his stomach like a drum.

Interrupting this conversation, a buzzing cloud of beetles surged through the tree line, concealing everything from view.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Rippling water and crashing waves partially obscured the silhouette of Choji and Kakuzu. As these battling shinobi stood atop violent water, Kakuzu's burnt outfit could be seen.

Faint pillars of steam radiated from Kakuzu's hardened arms, revealing the scorched fabric of his Akatsuki robe. This exposed a vast array of stitches across Kakuzu's arms, drawing attention to his steam-covered face.

Pulling his mask loose, Kakuzu's chest-length brown hair fell into view, draped across both shoulders. Also, Kakuzu's mouth was stitched together at both ends, giving him a glasgow smile.

"Good thing I hardened my body..." Kakuzu muttered, dropping his mask to the water's surface.

Suddenly, Kakuzu's back began to bulge and throb, allowing four distinct masks to rupture from his back. These masks tore the fabric from Kakuzu's Akatsuki robe, tearing the iconic red clouds from his body.

Protruding into view, these masks were each covered with a unique color and facial expression. However, one of these masks was shattered and hollow, painted with a pale coat of brown.

While his natural affinity was water, Kakuzu's collection of hearts allowed him to preform all five chakra natures. Using the hearts of fallen shinobi to enhance his own power and prestige.

Other than Ryo, a healthy heart was the most valuable commodity for Kakuzu, storing four extra hearts inside his body. Storied inside his strange masks, Kakuzu used these hearts as a limited version of immortality.

Without warning, these masks violently spewed from Kakuzu's back, expelling hundreds of grey tendrils and threads. As these masks fell to the water's surface, Kakuzu's back was sewn up by several dozen threads.

Twitching atop the water, Kakuzu was soon surrounded by three masks, held together by hundreds of grey tendrils. These detached masks were the product of Earth Grudge, a Forbidden jutsu from the village of Taki.

Utilizing this technique, chakra-filled thread was weaved throughout Kakuzu's flesh, held in place by countless stitches. Because of this, Kakuzu was capable of sewing up any injury he suffered, even fatal.

"Consider yourself lucky... I'll add your heart to my collect, before I sell your corpse." Groaning under his breath, Kakuzu struggled onto both feet.

As Kakuzu spoke, harsh waves thrashed underneath him, soaking his feet and ankles with water. These waves also crashed against Kakuzu's detached masks, resembling a gelatinous blob of ooze.

Kakuzu's words brought attention to Choji's spiky blue hair, contrasting his snow-white skin. Also, Choji's transparent wings were pulsating with dense chakra, engulfed by a blue aura.

Hovering above the thrashing waves, Choji was propelled by his radiant wings, flapping in unison. After several moments, Choji's sparkling blue eyes could be seen, the legendary eyes of a Butterfly Sage.

"I hope you're done talking." Choji spoke out, clenching his bandaged fists.

"Because I'm going to finish this." Hearing this statement, Kakuzu grumbled in protest.

Fueled by angry thoughts, Kakuzu clapped both hands into the Tiger Seal, causing his severed masks to bulge. Briefly cracking, these masks unhinged their jawline, exposing thousands of grey tendrils inside.

"Forbidden Art: Mask Blast Flames." Spitting these words out, Kakuzu grinded his teeth together.

This declaration was followed by flickering embers and a swirling vortex, rippling out from Kakuzu's fire and wind masks. Before long, these lethal techniques were merged together, erupting into a flame-filled vortex.

Surging across the water's surface, this vortex effortlessly cut through several waves, spraying steam in all directions. As this fiery tornado approached, Choji didn't even react, casually hovering above the water.

At this moment, Choji's silhouette was completely swallowed by the fiery vortex, concealing his entire body from view. At the same time, Kakuzu scoffed with triumphant, walking in front of his masks.

"I left Taki almost sixty years ago... No one has ever survived this technique." As Kakuzu spoke, the water became calm and tranquil, disturbed only by his foot steps.

"I just hope your body is still in one piece... I need a new heart." While speaking, Kakuzu approached a scorched cloud of steam and smoke.

This lingering cloud polluted the water's surface for several minutes, covering Choji's previous location. Enthralled by his lack of patience, Kakuzu reached out with one hand, piercing the steam-filled cloud.

Before Kakuzu could react, a pair of transparent wings extended out from the dense cloud, dispersing it with ease. Also, these wings overwhelmed the veteran Kakuzu, knocking him backwards across the lake.

Catching himself with one hand, Kakuzu maneuvered onto both feet, creating various ripples across the water's surface. Without a moment of rest, Kakuzu's fire, wind and lightning masks all charged forward, bubbling mounds of grey tendrils.

"I already told you..." Choji spoke out, forcing the nearby water to boil.

"I'm going to finish this." After speaking, Choji instantly disappeared from view.

Choji's speed instilled a vast level of disbelief upon Kakuzu, stunned that someone so young could move so fast. This shock quickly morphed into panic as Choji appeared mere inches behind Kakuzu.

Wh-... What!? Kakuzu stuttered internally, glancing over his left shoulder.

He slipped past all three of my masks!? Stunned by Choji's display, Kakuzu was almost speechless.

That wasn't a Body Flicker... Who is this runt!? As these thoughts raced, Choji's right arm was engulfed by an aura of blue chakra.

Moving with speed far beyond Kage-level, Choji punched a hole through Kakuzu's chest, impaling his heart. Spewing a mouthful of blood, Kakuzu was hurled against a distant dock, cracking the wood.

Standing atop the water's surface, Kakuzu's blood was dripping from Choji's bandaged hand. However, this brought attention to Choji's chest, leaking blood his own heart, staining his outfit.

Suddenly, Choji erupted into a harsh fit of bloody coughs, falling to both knees on the water's surface. As this occurred, Kakuzu was approached by his wind mask, merging with his dead body.

Sprawled across a floating array of wooden planks, Kakuzu's body began to twitch, partially enveloped by grey tendrils. These threads soon revived Kakuzu, pumping a new heart into his chest before sewing up the wound.

"That hurt." Kakuzu spat out, grabbing his chest.

Reinvigorated by these words, Choji crawled onto both feet, wiping the blood from his mouth. Ignoring the pain in his heart, Choji surged forward, allowing his transparent wings to pulsate with chakra.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Crumbling rocks fell from a narrow tunnel, hidden inside an underground cave and lined with faint lights on the wall. Soon, Shikamaru, Hinata and Shino came into view, running through the tunnel.

"We're almost there." Hinata proclaimed, guided by her Byakugan eyes.

"Good, this is gonna be a drag." Shikamaru cut in, traveling with his group of friends.

"I left a swarm by the entrance... No one will follow us." Shino spoke out.

Running for several minutes, this group of shinobi entered a small cavern, defined by a large statue in the center. This massive silhouette belonged to the Gedo Mazo, possessing nine eyes but only three were opened.

"Nice... Let's set the tags." Shikamaru sighed, cleaning his ear with one finger.

Nodding with agreement, Hinata and Shino pulled a handful of explosive tags into sight, yanked from their satchels. These Genin were quickly followed by Shikamaru, revealing another handful of tags.

"We're not supposed to confront the Akatsuki... But that ship already sailed." As he spoke, Shikamaru continued to clean his ear.

"So after we blow this, we'll just bail." Speaking with an exhausted tone, Shikamaru leapt atop a stone finger.

"But... What about Kurenai sensei, and Asuma?" Hinata interjected, spreading an explosive tag across the Gedo Mazo.

"They'll be fine... The 5th Taikage is with them." Shikamaru mumbled in response.

"I just hope Kiba is feeling better." Shino muttered, reaching towards the Gedo Mazo.

Suddenly, the bombastic squeal of Tobi could be heard, phasing through the ceiling before falling to the ground. Landing on his butt, Tobi leapt up before rubbing it with both hands, groaning under his breath.

"My butt is gonna be sore after that..." Tobi chuckled, kicking Hinata to the ground.

Scoffing in response, Shino unleashed a swarm of beetles from his sleeves, jumping next to Shikamaru. However, these beetles accidently phased through Tobi's body, unable to hit him.

Releasing a muffled giggle from behind his mask, Tobi promptly gasped after Hinata appeared behind him. Defined by her prominent Byakugan, Hinata thrust her chakra-covered palms forward.

Instead of hitting Tobi, Hinata fell through him, hitting the Gedo Mazo's stone finger before falling to the ground. Comforted by her teammate, Shino inspired Hinata to stand up, glaring at Tobi's orange mask.

"Where did he come from? I thought the entrance was sealed?" Shikamaru complained.

"Silly boy, nothing keeps me out." Tobi protested, shaking his butt.

Tch… I just have to play for time. Shikamaru calmed himself, reaching into his satchel.

Whoever this guy is... He's a terrible shinobi, he doesn't understand the element of surprise. As these thoughts raced, Shikamaru revealed a silver lighter.

This lighter was a gift from Asuma, handed down from the 3rd Hokage himself, covered in dents and rusty stains. But more than that, this lighter allowed Shikamaru to create shadows where none existed.

Flicking this metallic object, Shikamaru was engulfed by a shadowy aura, standing like a giant. Reaching out, Shikamaru's shadow extended beyond its natural boundary, surging towards Tobi.

Phasing through the Gedo Mazo's stone hand, Tobi fell to the ground before Shikamaru, Hinata and Shino all ran away. This revelation earned a brief hum of confusion from Tobi, before erupting into a loud cheer.

Cheering for several minutes, Tobi fell silent after hundreds of explosive tags were exposed. These pieces of chakra-filled paper were sprawled across the nearby wall and ceiling.

"Wai-... Wait!?" Tobi stuttered, unleashing a fierce vortex from his Sharingan eye.

Growing in strength, this vortex managed to swallow the Gedo Mazo, pulling the massive statue into Tobi's Sharingan. At the same time, the entire cavern was illuminated by the fiery light of explosions.

Obscured by the outline of falling boulders, Shikamaru, Hinata and Shino all escaped at the last moment. These shinobi eventually reached the narrow entrance of a tunnel, saved from the collapsing ceiling.

"Quickly! We need to get out of here!" Asuma spoke out, followed by Kurenai and Raiga.

Rushing through the quaking tunnel, this group of traveling shinobi disappeared from sight.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Craters of crumbled earth were sprawled across the shoreline of Tani, littered with debris. This brought attention to a trembling pebble, crushed under the weight of dense chakra.

Without warning, Choji and Kakuzu leapt into view, embroiled in fierce display of hand-to-hand combat. Despite his rotund size, Choji moved with the grace of a butterfly, evading multiple attacks.

Catching Kakuzu's hardened fist with one hand, the nearby ground shattered on impact, spewing dust in all directions. Also, Choji's feet eventually sank under this heavy collision, cracking the earth.

"Where did you get all this power?! Just a few minutes ago, you were a coward!" Kakuzu argued.

After Kakuzu spoke, his fire and lightning masks could be seen, standing behind Choji in the background. Sewing their thread-covered hands together, these bulging humanoids weaved through several hand seals.

"Lightning Style: False Darkness." As Kakuzu spoke, Choji held him in place.

This declaration was magnified by an electric beam of pure chakra, protruding out from Kakuzu's lightning mask. Shocking the earth as it approached, this lethal technique was partially enveloped by crumbled dirt.

Undaunted by this elite technique, Choji didn't even turn around, he was too focused on Kakuzu. Instead, Choji's transparent wings began to flap, engulfed by a sparkling aura of blue chakra.

Dispersed on impact, Kakuzu's jutsu was completely drained of chakra, allowing Choji's wings to double in size. Staining a large portion of the earth, Choji was impervious to this blast, saving Kakuzu from his own attack.

Raising his right hand into the air, Choji thrust his fist towards Kakuzu, parried by dozens of grey tendrils. These chakra-filled threads protruded out from Kakuzu's fire mask, towering over both shinobi.

"Fire Style: Searing Migraine..." Whispering these words under his breath, Kakuzu was illuminated by fiery light.

Erupting from Kakuzu's fire mask, this geyser of spewing flames created a gigantic fire-storm. Scorching the earth, this technique forced Kakuzu and Choji to jump backwards, separated by a wall of flames.

"That's the difference between us..." Choji interrupted, earning a gasp in response.

"You fight only for yourself. But I fight for my friends." While speaking, Choji was surrounded by dozens of butterflies.

Before long, rabbits, squirrels and birds all flocked to Choji, hiding under the fabric of his outfit. Also, orbs of chakra were soon drained from nearby trees and blades of grass, funneling towards Choji's wings.

Absorbing this radiant chakra, Choji's wings grew more prominent with each second, draining all the chakra he could find. After several moments, distant trees began to crack before dying, falling to the ground.

Wh-... What kind of technique is this!? Kakuzu stuttered internally.

Left utterly speechless, Kakuzu stared at Choji's pale-skinned face, partially obscured by hundreds of chakra orbs. This display of chakra forced the air to become heavy and dense, shattering the earth around Choji.

Suddenly, the transparent silhouette of the Blue Butterfly Sage came into view, resting atop Choji's nose. This youthful Sage perfectly matched the color and tone of Choji's eyes.

"You're running out of time. You need to finish this." Speaking with a tranquil voice, the Butterfly Sage earned a quick nod of agreement.

Pressing both hands together, Choji weaved through the Dog, Ram, Monkey and Ox seals, engulfed by blue chakra. At the same time, surrounding orbs instantly shattered into blue dust.

"Sage Art: Sparkling Shockwave." Choji spoke out, magnified by a wave of dust.

Propelled through the air like a spewing geyser, this twinkling wave of Senjutsu-filled chakra rushed towards Kakuzu. Pulling chakra from the air itself, Choji's technique continued to swell and grow.

Stunned by the power of Choji's display, Kakuzu staggered backwards, barely able to move. After briefly hesitating, Kakuzu was blockaded by his fire and lightning masks, irradiated by Choji's sparkling chakra.

At this moment, Choji's technique erupted into an bright explosion of blinding light, obscuring Kakuzu from view. While this occurred, Ranmaru ran through the background, evacuating civilians with the help of several Chunin.

Without rest, Choji walked forward, revealing a severe limp with each step, struggling to stand. This brought attention to the Blue Butterfly Sage, clinging against the bridge of Choji's nose.

"I don't know your name. I don't know your family and I don't know anything about your home..." Straining to speak, a stream of blood was pouring from Choji's heart.

As Choji spoke, his transparent wings began to shrink and wither, losing chakra with each second. But Choji continued to advance, enthralled by the sacred oath his once took.

"But I do know my vow as a shinobi... A ninja of Konoha." As Choji spoke, Kakuzu's limp silhouette came into sight.

Soon, the cracked outline of Kakuzu's fire and lightning masks were exposed, sprawled across the ground. Stomping atop these porcelain objects, Choji eventually towered over Kakuzu, glaring down at the elderly Shinobi.

Struggling to open his discolored eyes, Kakuzu and Choji became embroiled in a brief staring contest. Unable to move, Kakuzu's body was polluted by staggering levels of Senjutsu-filled chakra.

I barely remember my own name. I barely remember my family. I barely remember my childhood home... Kakuzu panted with each thought.

But I can remember the importance of money. We collected it every day, and I never lost. As these thoughts raced, Choji placed his right foot atop Kakuzu's chest.

Money... It's the only thing I can remember about the life I had before Sakaku's death. Thinking these thoughts, Kakuzu's face was illuminated by Choji's wings.

Since then, I have experienced a lifetime of combat. Throughout eighty years of war, I've always known my fate... Crushed by his own hubris, Kakuzu finally reached his limit.

Not since his battle with the 1st Hokage has Kakuzu been pushed this far, brought to his breaking point. Shrouded by Choji's shadow, Kakuzu was stunned by his young age, defeated by a mere child.

As Choji erupted into a blood-filled fit of coughs, the Blue Butterfly Sage abruptly dissolved into blue dust. Ignoring the pain in his chest, Choji tightly clenched his teeth, barely able to breath.

"I'm going to finish this with one attack..." Choji panted with a dramatic gasp, raising his right hand into the air.

"With all my chakra... Into one hand!" Shouting these words, Choji's wings promptly dissolved into dust.

Swirling around Choji's right arm, this dust accidently scorched his bandage-covered hand. This chaotic display of chakra forced Choji's knee-length scarf to violently rustle in the breeze.

I've always known that someday, I would die in battle... But now that my time is here, now that death stands before me... I find I am not ready. Kakuzu's thoughts were magnified by the memory of Sakaku.

Clinging onto life, Kakuzu didn't even notice the hazy silhouette of Tobi, hiding among the distant tree-line. This elite Akatsuki member was studying Choji with his Sharingan eye, humming with interest.

"So... They do exist." Tobi mumbled, speaking with a voice that wasn't his own.

"This changes things... If I get involved now, even I would die." Talking to himself, Tobi was soon engulfed by a vortex from his Sharingan, disappearing from sight.

Some day... You might even become a hero. The faint memory of Sakaku could be heard, resonating through Kakuzu's mind.

Inspired by this memory, Kakuzu snarled his teeth as Choji thrust his chakra-covered fist through the air. Shrieking with a victorious war cry, Choji's punch hovered mere inches away from Kakuzu.

"In a world without gold! I would've been a hero!" Kakuzu screamed with vigor, dissolved by a blinding light.

Colliding his fist with Kakuzu, the impact from Choji's attack forced the nearby earth to rupture. Spewing chunks of debris and dust into the air, these battling shinobi were concealed from view, hidden by an array of rocks.


	106. Chapter 106

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 106: The Last Potato Chip! Surrounded By Crows.**

 _Saturday 5:56pm, July 24th 58SSP._

A blinding aura of white light polluted everything from sight, obscured by pillars of boiling steam. Also, the rapid sound of panting could be heard, drawing attention to Choji's burnt hand.

Standing in a large crater of crumbled earth, Choji's pale-skinned body was stained with scoffs of dirt. Contrasting his white scarf, Choji's Sage-like eyes were narrowed and discolored, struggling to stay open.

Glaring off towards the distant horizon, Choji grunted and groaned under his breath, leaking blood from his chest. With strands of dirty blue hair framing his face, Choji soon recognized the silhouette of Shikamaru.

Undaunted by Choji's wounds, Shikamaru crossed both arms in front of his chest, displaying a wide smile. Focused on his friend, a twinkling light erupted from Choji's eyes, straining to speak.

Shik-... Shikamaru? Choji stuttered internally

"Choji! Sorry I'm late!" Shikamaru chuckled.

La-... Late? Choji repeated, barely able to breath.

Oh, yea... I withstood the attacks from that strange man, back then... Dwelling on these thoughts, Choji didn't even know Kakuzu's name.

Afterwards... I used Sage Art: Sparkling Shockwave, shattering his remaining masks... Propelled by scorched feet, Choji's legs twitched with each thought.

"That's right... And after that, you defeated him with one punch!" Shikamaru cut in.

Stunned by these words, Choji was left utterly speechless for several moments. Before long, Choji's stained face was covered with a genuine smile, magnified by his sparkling blue eyes.

"Yea-... Yeah! I won! I won!" Choji erupted with delight.

"It's just like you said... I really am a shinobi!" Speaking these words, tears of joy began to pour from Choji's eyes.

Soon, Shikamaru was accompanied by the transparent outline Ino and Asuma, chuckling in response. Inspired by his laughing friends, Choji's mouth fell open with awe, marveling his own fortune.

"Everyone already knew that, Choji." Asuma spoke out, smoking a cigarette with one hand.

This statement was magnified by the sudden appearance of Choza, holding both arms in front of his wide stomach. Also, Team Kurenai, Team Guy and even Team Kakashi could be seen, depicted as young Genin.

"Way too go! Choji!" Kiba shouted, followed by a bark from Akamaru.

Quietly clapping, Hinata and Shino both applauded the young Akimichi clan member. sparkling like the sun. Even Sasuke and Naruto were smiling, gazing upon their childhood friend and classmate.

"That's my son." Choza exclaimed, nodding his head in approval.

Throughout his early childhood, Choji was constantly mocked and belittled, always questioning his place in life. But now, in his last moments, Choji finally found his place, he was a true shinobi of Konoha.

"We'll handle everything from here, just lay down and rest." Naruto beamed with joy, holding one thumb in the air.

Yea... Rest. Choji repeated the same word, closing his Sage-like eyes.

Falling to the ground, Choji's most prominent feature was the prestigious smile across his stained face. Colliding with a mound of dirt, Choji's smile grew in size, defined by fresh rays of moonlight.

O-... Oh! That's right! I-... I still had some potato chips left... Drifting through Choji's mind, this was his final thought before slipping away.

Choji never desired power, fame or money, he wanted only to protect his friends, that his was ninja way. And despite the odds, Choji stood his ground against the Akatsuki, at the cost of his own life.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Something's wrong... I can feel it." Raiga spat out, leaping across several tree branches.

As Raiga advanced, pillars of smoke poured from the village of Tani, obscuring their narrow cavern from sight. Surging through the background, Asuma, Kurenai, Shino, Hinata and Shikmaru all trailed behind Raiga.

"Don't worry... Choji can handle anything." Shikamaru scoffed, illuminated by rays of moonlight.

Charging across the terrain like a distorted blur, this group of shinobi eventually entered the village of Tani. Rushing through a narrow corridor of stone walls and wooden houses, Tani's iconic lake came into view.

"What happened here?" Kurenai stuttered, glancing at a bundle of floating debris in the lake.

Exposing a partially collapsed Buddhist shrine, Hinata rushed forward after hearing various barks from Akamaru. This realization inspired Shino and Kurenai to charge after her, leaving Team Asuma behind.

"Where's Choji?!" Shikamaru gasped, glancing from side-to-side.

Instead of responding with words, Raiga pointed across the lake, drawing attention to a small crowd of Tani shinobi. Without thinking, Shikamaru quickly ran across this lake, creating a distinct ripple with each step.

"Choji! Choji!" Shrieking these words, Shikamaru approached the crowd of ninja, pushing them aside.

Nudging through a handful of shinobi, Shikamaru recognized the crouched silhouette of Ranmaru, defined by his Ketsuryūgan eyes. However, this young boy was huddled over Choji's discolored face.

Despite Choji's new hair color and pale skin, Shikamaru instantly identified the iconic swirls across his cheeks. Enthralled by Choji's face, Shikamaru fell onto both knees, pushing Ranmaru to the side.

"What happened to him?! What did you do!" Speaking with panic, Shikamaru gripped Choji's chest before shaking him.

"I was just trying to help..." Ranmaru mumbled, twirling his fingers together.

Ignoring these words, Shikaumaru hastily reached into his own satchel, pulling a bag of potato chips into view. Tearing this bag open, Asuma was standing in the background, pulling a fresh cigarette from his pouch.

"Choji! Choji! Eat up! I have you're favorite!" Shikamaru pleaded, grabbing a handful of chips and eating them.

Standing behind Shikamaru, Asuma raised a cigarette to his mouth before lighting it, inhaling a fresh puff of smoke. As a veteran of war, Asuma had seen this outcome before, on the fields of battle.

Swallowing handful after handful, Shikmaru eventually dumped the remaining chips atop Choji's stomach. Spewing crumbs and potato flakes across his outfit, a single chip remained intact.

"Choji! Come on! I saved it for you!" Stuttering these words, Shikamaru clenched both fists.

Before Shikamaru could continue, Asuma abruptly gripped his head, exhaling a puff of smoke into the air. During a moment like this, Asuma needed a cigarette now more than ever.

"That's enough..." Asuma murmured, allowing smoke to pour from his nose.

Confused by the strange appearance of food, Ranmaru scratched the back of his head. But Asuma and Shikamaru knew exactly what this was, it was the last potato chip.

* * *

 _One day later._

Pillars of boiling steam and dense mist obscured everything from view, eventually pierced by a wooden building. Soon, the iconic gate of Yu could be seen, protruding out from a cloud of steam.

"I can't believe you're leaving already." The middle aged voice of Kazan spoke out, standing in front of his village.

Kazan's most prominent feature was his sparkling bald head, and the collection of scars across his nose. Also, since his last appearance, Kazan had grown into the 5th Jokage, the most powerful shinobi inside Yu.

Despite his elite status, Kazan barely stood taller than a child, contrasting his stern and rigid face. Before long, Kazan's black eyes blockaded everything from view, drawing attention to his spiky brown goatee.

Denoting his veteran rank, Kazan was adorned in the iconic angle-length attire of a Kage. Colored grey, Kazan's Kage hat was draped across one shoulder, hanging against his back.

"Yea... I've been floating around here for long enough." Utakata mumbled in response.

Scratching his exposed chest, Utakata yawned into one hand before Hotaru poked his nose. This youthful kunoichi was defined by dark-green eyes and shoulder-length blond hair.

"We have a long journey ahead of us! Naruto is weeks away." Hotaru exclaimed, holding one finger in the air.

"I'm not looking forward to it..." Utakata remarked, rubbing the side of his head.

"But still, I feel like I'm forgetting something." As he spoke, Utakata patted the loose fabric of his kimono.

Ignoring these words, Hotaru reached out before grabbing Utakata's hand, dragging him down the road. Earning a wide smile from Kazan, the 5th Jokage waved goodbye to his new allies, consumed by steam.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

Engulfed by drifting clouds of steam, Hotaru and Utakata both traveled down a narrow dirt road. Humming a quaint tone, Hotaru didn't even notice the distilled expression across Utakata's face.

"I know I forgot something..." Utakata muttered, holding his chin with one hand.

"Master, I have a question." Hotaru spoke out, glancing up at the afternoon sun.

Holding both hands against her back, Hotaru struggled to contain the deep blush across her face. Caught with hesitation, Hotaru froze in the road, accidently bumping against Utakata.

Saving Hotaru from embarrassment, a squawking crow soared through the air, dropping several feathers. Flapping both wings in unison, this crow landed in the middle of the road, hopping forward.

"Wai-... A crow?! We don't have any crows in this land?" Hotaru murmured, scratching her head.

Enthralled by this realization, Utakata briefly gasped before clapping both hands into the Ram Seal. Spewing chakra-filled bubbles from his mouth, Hotaru was encased by a hardened layer of bubbles.

Without warning, the nearby crow erupted into a fiery explosion, surging across the ground like a wave of flames. Floating into the sky, Hotaru was safe from this harsh flames, but Utakata had no bubble.

Just my luck... Of all things to forget... Utakata stuttered internally.

Jumping atop a distant tree branch, Utakata's kimono rustled in the breeze, polluted by pillars of smoke. Scoffing with annoyance, Utakata left his wooden pipe at Yu, an iconic tool for his Soap Bubble Ninjutsu.

Obscured by pillars of dust and debris, Itachi was leisurely standing in the road, enveloped by the sleeves of his outfit. Muffled by the sound of a jingling bell, Itachi wore a bamboo hat with linen wrappings.

Partially unzipping his outfit, Itachi's crimson red Akatsuki ring was exposed, adorned with the Kanji for 'Scarlet'. Pulling his hat loose, Utakata noticed the scarred headband across Itachi's forehead.

Denoting his status as a rogue shinobi of Konoha, Itachi's headband briefly glimmered in the sunlight. Glaring at the red cloud on Itachi's outfit, Utakata grumbled under his breath.

Experiencing a quick flashback of Deidara, Utakata leapt to the forest floor, combing his hair with one hand. Walking onto the road, Utakata narrowed his visible right eye, defining his pale-skinned face.

He isn't alone... There's another one. Glancing with side-to-side, Utakata's sensory abilities were on full display.

Restrained by a chakra-filled bubble, Hotaru was floating through the air, soaring above the tree-line. Unable to free herself, Hotaru was stuck in this mobile prison, held in place by dense chakra.

"Don't worry, no one will interfere… I don't require any assistance." Itachi mumbled, dropping his hat to the ground.

He wears the same outfit... And yet, something is different about this guy. Utakata told himself, comparing Deidara to Itachi.

His chakra feels twisted and tainted... But deep down, I sense regret. Pulled from these thoughts by a gust of wind, Utakata's kimono rustled in the breeze.

"There's no need for conflict, if you come with me, the girl is free to leave." Speaking with a low voice, Itachi briefly glanced at Hotaru.

Instead of waiting for a reply, Itachi raised his right hand into sight, pointing at Utakata. Before the veteran shinobi could react, Utakata's eyes began to convulse, knocking him onto one knee.

Coughing into one hand, Utakata was soon overwhelmed by a crippling wave of Kage-level Genjutsu. Slipping into the unconscious world, Utakata faceplanted the ground, creating a small cloud of dust on impact.

"The capture of the six tails is complete." Murmuring under his breath, Itachi tilted his head to the side.

Exposing a blank expression in his eyes, Itachi abruptly gagged on a mouthful of blood. Falling onto both knees, Itachi's vision became distorted and blurred, continuously coughing into both hands.

Not now... It's too soon... Itachi panicked, pouring blood from his mouth.

During this chaotic eruption of blood, Utakata's limbs began to twitch and snap at an impossible angle. At the same time, Utakata's skin became covered in a thick layer of slime, rupturing into an acidic bubble.

Revealing his chakra-filled blue eyes, Utakata's face was covered by an infectious array of boiling blisters. Groaning with agony, Utakata dragged both hands across the ground.

Polluting the air, Utakata's bubbles were defined by an ocean blue tint, cracking the nearby earth. Unable to move, Hotaru drifted through the skyline before disappearing from sight, trapped in a bubble.

Suddenly, three slime-covered tails ruptured out from Utakata's lower back, piercing the fabric of his kimono. Howling with a demonic shriek, Utakata's jawline was casually torn from it's socket, screaming in protest.

Leaping back at the last moment, Itachi narrowly avoided a barrage of blue bubbles, spewing from Utakata's mouth. Colliding with the earth, these bubbles erupted into chakra-filled shockwave.

Spreading across the earth in all directions, this shockwave effortlessly uprooted an entire section of the forest. Launching chunks of debris towards Itachi, this veteran Uchiha soon landed atop a distant tree branch.

Swishing his chakra-filled tails through the air, a growling Saiken came into view, partially obscured by debris. Screaming without end, Saiken's most prominent feature was his pulsating blue skin, held together by chakra.

"So... I guess Genjutsu won't work on you." Mumbling these words, Itachi wiped the blood from his mouth.

Growling in response, a stream of bubbles protruded out from Saiken's mouth, drenched with slime. Unlike Shukaku or Kurama, Saiken was extremely protective of his jinchūriki, defending Utakata on his own accord.

Crawling onto his hind legs, Saiken's slime-covered arms came into view, throbbing with blue chakra. Baring his jagged teeth, Saiken's mouth was corroded with thick saliva, a pus-filled maw of slime and ooze.

Carving a massive crater into the earth, Saiken charged forward, swishing his slug-like tails in unison. With each step, the ground below abruptly swelled under Saiken's touch, boiling into bubbles.

Scowling in response, Itachi revealed a handful of shuriken, hurling these metal objects through the air. Moving at Kage-level speed, Itachi clapped both hands together, creating a sudden spark of embers.

Weaving through the Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit and Tiger seals, Itachi permeated the air with dense chakra. Exhaling a fiery gust from his mouth, Itachi's shuriken were empowered by flames.

This display of Ninjutsu was a C-rank technique, known as Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu. Combining this technique with his Shurikenjutsu, Itachi was partially obscured by a wall of embers.

Soaring through the air, these fiery projectiles were knocked aside by a bombardment of bubbles. Gasping with shock, Itachi was ripped apart by hundreds of bubbles, demolishing the tree-branch he stood on.

Replaced by a flock of crows, a handful of black feathers briefly polluted the tree-line. Muffled by the repetitive sound of squawking, Saiken howled with pain as a fourth tail boiled into place.

Flapping through the air, these crows soon merged together in the center of the road. Creating a distorted blob, the silhouette of Itachi eventually came into view, engulfed by a tornado of black feathers.

As both of his eyes twitched uncontrollably, hundreds of blue and red orbs were expelled from Saiken's body. Cracking his jawline, these orbs began to swirl and merge together in front of Saiken's mouth.

Awed by this display of chakra, Itachi turned around before running away, sprinting down the narrow road. Rupturing the nearby ground, a tailed beast bomb was suspended in front of Saiken.

Swelling with chakra, a pair of optical tentacles ruptured out from Saiken's skull, displacing his eyes. Engulfed with acidic slime, Utkata's hair was boiled into vapor, removing the last shred of his humanity.

Spewing like a geyser, a tailed beast bomb was launched from Saiken's mouth, accompanied by droplets of slime. Dispersing a clump of heavy rocks, this lethal attack carved a massive ravine across the earth.

Muffled by the harsh rustle of his outfit, Itachi glanced over his shoulder while running away. Overshadowed by Saiken's approaching bomb, Itachi's black pupils began to swirl and spin.

Morphing into the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi's face was irradiated by a crimson red aura. Flickering under the sunlight, Itachi turned around, confronting Saiken's chaotic sphere of chakra.

Exposing his Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi's most prominent feature was his blood-filled veins, contrasting his white sclera. Throbbing with chakra, a spark of black embers was ignited by Itachi's ocular prowess.

Obscured by crackling embers and specks of debris, Itachi's right eye violently convulsed before leaking blood. Erupting into a funnel of black flames, the nearby road was completely enveloped by a fiery wall.

Before long, Saiken's bomb surged through these shifting flames, emitting a radiant aura of blue light. Colliding with the earth, Saiken's bomb ejected a crippling shockwave in all directions.

Polluted by a mountainous cloud of dust and debris, a vast section of the forest was casually uprooted. The impact from this explosion rang out for several miles, shaking the distant village of Yu.

Emerging from pillars of dust, a flock of crows flew across the sky line, squawking in unison. Reaching the tip of a lush tree, these crows merged into a gelatinous blob, defined by Itachi's Sharingan.

"Such a waste... He's faster than I thought." Talking to himself, Itachi was surrounded by black feathers.

Wiping the blood from his eyes, Itachi gasped as Saiken leapt through the tree-line, soaring into view. Swinging his slime-covered arms in a horizontal slash, the air was polluted by a barrage of bubbles.

Displaying Kage-level prowess, Itachi managed to evade each of these approaching bubbles. Flipping and twisting through the air, this elite Uchiha was eventually confronted by a leaping Saiken.

Spitting a barrage of bubbles from his mouth, Saiken was briefly obscured by an endless array of bubbles. Scoffing in response, Itachi's right eye was flooded with blood for the second time, leaking a steady stream across his nose.

Scorching a clear path towards Saiken, this partially transformed jinchūriki was engulfed by black flames. Howling with agony, Saiken fell to the earth before rolling across the ground.

Muffled by clumps of falling debris, Itachi landed in front of a squealing Saiken, burnt and charred by crackling embers. Wiping the blood from his face, Itachi combed one hand through his hair.

Allowing his Mangekyō Sharingan to recede, Itachi's eyes retained their crimson red color. Ignoring the pain-filled screams of Saiken, Itachi displayed a blank and solemn expression across his face.

Burning through Saiken's slime-covered chakra, the scorched silhouette of Utakata came into view. Twitching and writhing for several moments, Itachi casually towered over this grumbling jinchūriki.

"This could've been avoided." Mumbling under his breath, Itachi glanced up at the rising moon.

Without warning, Itachi fell to the earth while spewing blood from his mouth, staining his hands and outfit. Draining the chakra from his black flames, the Amaterasu abruptly dissolved, freeing Utakata.

Caught in a moment of weakness, Itachi continued to cough, barely able to keep his eyes open. Using his last shred of strength, Utakata blew a tinkling pair of bubbles from his mouth, rising into the skyline.

Easily recognizing these floating orbs of chakra, Itachi was to distracted by pain too react. Before long, these bubble drifted from sight, soaring through the night sky.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The bustling sound of commerce and trade could be heard, magnified by crowded streets and laughing adults. These vibrant roads were illuminated by an array of street lights.

As the Hokage Monument came into view, Guy's stone face could be seen, smiling over the village of Konoha. Despite Orochimaru's recent invasion, the people of Konoha were filled with joy and laughter.

Everyone except Sasuke, an isolated face that casually walked through the populated streets. Focused on the ground, Sasuke didn't even react as a lost civilian asked for directions.

Walking without pause, Sasuke's blue eyes were blank and solemn, giving him a far off expression. Eventually, Sasuke strolled up a narrow staircase, walking in front of a rust-covered playground.

Freezing mid step, Sasuke became distracted by a glimmering piecing of metal, a nearby seesaw. Painted in contrasting colors, one seat was crimson red while the other was a radiant violet.

Years ago, Sasuke and Naruto personally painted this seesaw, playing on the wooden contraption for hours without end. But now, this playground was completely empty, filled only by a gust of wind.

How long has it been? Sasuke asked himself,

Propelled by these thoughts, Sasuke took several steps forward, basking under the moonlight. Held in place by childhood memories, Sasuke fell into a brief moment of silence.

Glancing up, Sasuke was distracted by an endless array of twinkling stars, contrasting the night sky. Reflecting against his snake-like blue eyes, Sasuke was briefly hypnotized by countless stars.

Are you looking up at the stars... Right now? Pondering these thoughts, a single crow flew into view.

Perched atop a set of monkey bars, the night sky was pierced by a loud squawk, pulling Sasuke from his thoughts. Tilting his head to the side, Sasuke scoffed with annoyance, staring at the crimson eyed crow.

Flocking to the ground, this nameless crow turned around before hopping towards a nearby forest. Filled with interest, Sasuke trailed after the skipping crow, beginning a short journey through Konoha.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Pushing a pair of bushes to the side, Sasuke's pale-skinned face could be seen, surrounded by trees. Walking forward, Sasuke was escorted by a crimson eyed crow, squawking with encouragement.

"Where are you taking me?" Sasuke muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Following the nameless crow, Sasuke leapt over an ornate wall, landing on a stone sidewalk. Observing his surroundings, Sasuke just entered the Uchiha District, standing outside the Naka Shrine.

"Oh? I haven't been here in ages..." Talking to himself, Sasuke crossed both arms in front of his chest.

Weeks after the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke visited the Naka Shrine with Naruto, exploring the secrets inside. The Naka Shrine was the first Uchiha settlement inside of Konoha, a sacred spot for their clan.

Hidden below a leaf-green tatmi mat, the Naka Shrine was the entrance to a stone monument. Engraved by the Sage of Six Paths himself, this sacred rock was handed down from generation to generation, eventually held by the Uchiha.

But Sasuke didn't care about such trivial things, he was more interested in the stray crow. Escorted inside, Sasuke pulled the hidden mat from it's place before walking underground.

Skipping down a narrow staircase, Sasuke soon entered an isolated cavern, lined with decorative markings on the wall. Admiring these impressive pieces of art, the ground morphed from stone to wood.

Approaching the stone monument, Sasuke was met be an approving squawk from the unnamed crow. Hopping on top of the ancient monument, this twitching crow became intently focused on Sasuke.

"I've already read that... I can't get past the first paragraph." Complaining under his breath, Sasuke rolled both eyes.

Flocking to the floor, this unnamed crow abruptly pecked the stone monument, chipping at the words. This continued for several minutes before Sasuke reached out, trying to grab the crow.

Squawking in response, Sasuke's hand was pecked before the hostile crow flew outside. Obscured by a brief cloud of black feathers, Sasuke shook his head from side-to-side.

"What's so important about this rock?" Mumbling these words, Sasuke crouched down on one knee, studying the stone monument.

Humming with a solemn tone, Sasuke's blues eyes morphed into a Mangekyō Sharingan. Basking in ancient knowledge, Sasuke became lost in thought, studying the sacred rock, finally able to read.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Yes! Another successful day of youth!" Guy cheered, locking the front door of the Hokage Office.

"I'm so excited." Kakashi chuckled with a sarcastic tone, winking his visible eye.

The 5th Hokage just finished an extensive day of paperwork, standing in the middle of an isolated street. Accompanied only by his advisor, and a handful of hidden Anbu, Guy dramatically stretched both legs.

"I need to get home to Anko... She's been real affectionate lately." Mumbling these words, Kakashi rubbed his chin.

"Have fun! I'm going to run a few thousands laps around the village." Guy remarked, unleashing a pearl white smile.

Waving goodbye, these childhood friends turned around before walking their own path. Muffled by the sound of a barking dog, Kakashi strolled around a narrow corner, entering an empty road.

Releasing a sigh of relief, Kakashi reached into his satchel before revealing his iconic orange book. Giggling like a school girl, Kakashi held one hand over his mouth before reading.

"Oh no... She didn't..." Muttering under his breath, Kakashi's face turned bright red.

After several moments, Kakashi was pulled from these thoughts by a squawking crow, soaring into the night sky. Briefly confused by this revelation, Kakashi gasped after recognizing the crow.

Surging forward, Kakashi leapt across various roof tops, chasing the black bird with vigor. Charging across the roof of Ichiraku's ramen shop, Kakashi concealed his orange book, taking on a stern persona.

For him to come back now... Of all times. Kakashi panicked, running out of sight.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

The iconic hoot of a distant owl could be heard, illuminated by faint rays of moonlight. Blending in with the full moon, Kakashi's silver hair was jutting out from a dense bush, partially hidden.

Utilizing decades of experience, Kakashi crouched against the grassy earth, studying a pair of nearby feet. Shielded by a pair of wooden sandals, these feet belonged to an elderly Biwako.

Standing in the center of a dense forest, in the middle of the night, the widow of Hiruzen held both arms against her back. Adorned with a leaf-green kimono and a white haori, this village elder was completely alone.

What is she doing out here... At a time like this... Pondering these questions, Kakashi narrowed his visible eye.

"You're late." Biwako muttered with a commanding tone.

After speaking, Biwako was met by the crimson eyed silhouette of Itachi, sulking out from the shadows. This revelation forced Kakashi to dramatically gasp, causing his visible eye to convulse.

"Forgive me. I was distracted." Mumbling in response, Itachi bowed his head..

Scoffing with annoyance, Biwako took several steps forward, standing mere inches away from Itachi. Despite his status as a rogue shinobi, Biwako glared directly at Itachi's face, allowing their eyes to reflect off each other.

"I've already told you... Sasuke is safe, just as my husband promised." Biwako proclaimed.

"My husbands passing changes nothing. Every strong man relies on a stronger woman... If my husband made a promise, I shall honor it." Speaking these words, Biwako was undaunted by Itachi's presence.

Closing his crimson eyes, the air was filled with a brief silence, pierced by the sound of a flapping crow. Soaring into view, this crow became perched on Itachi's shoulder, shedding a handful of feathers.

"Very well... If the 3rd Hokage trusted you with this secret, then I shall too." Murmuring this reply, Itachi opened both eyes.

Shocking the veteran shinobi, Kakashi became frozen with fear as Itachi casually glanced at him. But instead of reacting, Itachi displayed a far off expression in both eyes.

"I expect you to maintain your side of the deal." Biwako cut in.

"The Akatsuki must be eliminated, at any cost.' As she spoke, Biwako was shrouded by Itachi's shadow.

Devoid of words, Itachi nodded with agreement before turning around and walking away. Met with a deep hum from Biwako, the village elder crossed both arms in front of her aged chest.

"One more thing..." Speaking up, Itachi froze after hearing these words.

"Twelve years ago... When the Nine tails fox attacked, Kushina was in childbirth." Speaking with an elderly tone, Biwako strolled behind Itachi.

"But, a masked individual managed to slip past Kushina's Anbu, and the 4th Hokage himself." As Biwako spoke, a distant owl could be heard.

Exposing her wrinkle-covered face, Biwako was abruptly illuminated by an array of moonlight. Piercing the tree branches overhead, this bright light also brought attention to Itachi's pale skin.

"I can't remember, I was just a child at the time." Itachi murmured a reply.

Scoffing with hostility, Biwako leaned forward, revealing a minor hunch in her elderly back. Irradiated by the crimson aura from Itachi's eyes, Biwako cleared her throat before speaking.

"Oh? Then how about five years ago, during the Uchiha Massacre?" Mumbling these words, Biwako earned a stark glare from Itachi.

"You did unspeakable things that night... Traitorous things..." As Biwako spoke, Itachi's eyes briefly twitched.

"But you weren't alone, you had help from a mysterious shinobi, the same masked individual that freed the nine tails." This revelation forced Kakashi's jawline to fall open.

Left completely speechless from these secret words, Kakashi quietly gasped for several moments. Pretending not to notice, Itachi released a scoff of disbelief, combing his hair with one hand.

"You're mistaken... I have no idea what you're talking about." Muttering a response, Itachi was distracted by moonlight.

Stomping her foot in protest, Biwako reached out before slapping Itachi across his pale face. Watching from a concealed bush, Kakashi's visible eye widened with shock, stuttering under his breath

"Don't you dare lie to me, young man. While you're off playing rogue shinobi, I've been watching over Sasuke." Biwako spat out.

"I don't care what rank you have, I brought you into this world. I helped your mother deliver you." Engulfed by Itachi's shadow, Biwako acted like she was talking to a child.

"Sasuke, Naruto even Sakura... I delivered all of them, I'm not just the widow of Hiruzen, I'm the senior medical ninja of Konoha." Speaking with a motherly tone, Biwako was lecturing an S-rank criminal.

"The night of Naruto's birth, I was there, I saw the masked man with my own eyes." Poking Itachi's chest, Biwako narrowed her black eyes.

Distilled by an awkward silence, Biwako breathed a sigh of relief before pinching the bridge of her nose. For over fifty years, Biwako had silently kept watch over Konoha, the rock that Hiruzen constantly leaned on.

"But more than that, did you think my husband wouldn't tell me? Did you think that Hiruzen just kept these secrets to himself?" Speaking with a rhetorical tone, Biwako didn't even wait for an answer.

"I was married to Hiruzen for over forty years, he told me everything, we had no secrets between us." Hearing these words, Itachi glanced up at the moon.

"A wife's duty is to stand by her husband, that's my job." Met by an awkward silence, Itachi eventually nodded with agreement.

Disturbed by the harsh flapping of a black crow, a bundle of feathers polluted the tree-line. Drifting through the air, these feathers partially obscured Itachi and Biwako from view.

"You're a good woman, Biwako... You're kind, loyal and loving." Itachi wheezed with a faint voice.

Suddenly, Itachi's pale face was stained by a barrage of rain drops, streaming across the bridge of his nose. Dripping from strands of wet hair, this downfall of rain discretely concealed the tears on Itachi's face.

"I hope Sasuke can find a girl like you." Muffled by falling rain, Itachi dispersed into a flock of crows, flying from view.


	107. Chapter 107

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: biginferno - I'm glad.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 107: Adrift In The Land Of Sea! The Southern Hideout.**

 _Sunday 9:36am, July 25th 58SSP._

Shuffling through a handful of wrinkled papers, Tayuya blew a harsh gust of wind from her mouth. Blowing her red bangs to the side, Tayuya was scribbling on a piece of paper.

"Okay, okay... My list is almost done." Mumbling these words, Tayuya was propped against Naruto's back.

This pair of traveling friends were sprawled in front of a wooden desk, littered with books and scrolls. This wooden bench was positioned inside an ornate cabin, the personal quarters for Princess Koyuki herself.

Gifting her iron vessel to Naruto, Koyuki's ship was being escorted by Paku and Kahyō, sailing towards the Land of Waves. Covered with a fresh array of wooden planks, Koyuki's ship was once again sea worthy.

"So far... You owe me thirty-two hats, twenty-four socks, nineteen shirts and twelve shorts." Checking her list, Tayuya beamed with joy.

"I mean, I didn't really do anything that bad..." Naruto stuttered in response, rubbing the back of his head.

Hearing these words, Tayuya instantly jumped up from her seat, throwing her list against a distant wall. Afterwards, Tayuya grabbed Naruto's bench before flipping it over, knocking him to the ground.

"You fucking shot me!" Tayuya snarled with rage.

"You're lucky I like your face! Anyone else would be dead!" Clenching both fists, Tayuya hurled a handful of paper into the air.

Pierced by the distinct squawking of Shisui, this violet-eyed raven was perched atop a nearby porthole. Also, Snowball was curled up atop a nearby pillow, snoring like a muffled cat.

"But, you're completely fine... The wound healed itself." Muttering his reply, Naruto leaned up off the floor.

Grabbing her panda hat off a poorly-made bed, Tayuya tossed this bundle of fabric against Naruto's face. Tayuya then charged forward before piling on top of Naruto, pinning her hat across his face.

"Kiss my fucking ass!" Spitting these words out, Tayuya held both hands over Naruto's mouth.

Suddenly, Koyuki's ship was violently rocked by an unknown collision, forcing Naruto and Tayuya to roll across the floor. Before long, Tayuya was held in place by Naruto, accidently brushing their noses together.

Matching her bright red hair, Tayuya's face was abruptly swollen with a deep blush, biting her lower lip. But instead of pushing Naruto away, Tayuya became frozen with hesitation, stuttering under her breath.

Hypnotized by Naruto's violet eyes, Tayuya reached out before playing with his whiskers, pulling his face closer. Interrupting these close friends, the nearby door was kicked open by Karin, charging into few.

"Didn't you guys hear that? What are you do-..." Karin spoke out, freezing midsentence.

Illuminated by rays of light from the hallway, Tayuya's blushing face was fully exposed to view. Also, Karin noticed how close Tayuya was to Naruto, inspiring a gasp in protest.

Before Karin could speak, Koyuki's ship was once again struck by an unknown force, shaking the entire vessel. Falling to the floor, Karin was quickly overshadowed by Naruto and Tayuya, running down the hallway.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"What did you do now?!" Kahyō shrieked, holding both arms in front of her chest.

"Me? Why do you always blame me?" Paku mumbled, lowering her pale-skinned face.

This pair of Yuki kunoichi were assembled atop Koyuki's ship, standing between a displaced pile of cracked barrels. Shrouded by the shadows of overcast sails, Gaara and Jūgo ran into view.

Standing over an iron railing, Gaara and Jūgo became blinded by a sparkling aura of sunlight. Reflecting against the ocean's surface, these rays of light eventually dissipated, revealing the pristine Land of Sea.

Consisting of four islands, the isle of Hahajima was the capital of this isolated nation. Surrounded by three smaller islands, Jiro, Taro and the Demonic Isle, Orochimaru's southern hideout was hidden on these distant shores.

"Help! Help!" An elderly fisherman could be heard, garnishing everyone's attention.

Defined by his sunbaked skin and the glimmering bald spot on his head, this elderly man was trapped on a sinking boat. Oddly enough, this water-filled vessel was adrift on a cloud of seaweed.

These clumps of wet weeds polluted the entire shoreline, clogging the propeller of Koyuki's ship. Eventually, this iron vessel was brought to a dramatic still, plugged by dense seaweed.

Gripped by a stream of shifting sand, the elderly fisherman was pulled onto Koyuki's ship, panting with relief. Struggling for air, this elderly man was known as Suekoku, a veteran sailor.

Crawling to his feet, Suekoku charged towards Jūgo, grabbing the loose fabric of his Anbu robe. This brought attention to Suekoku's outfit, a tattered collection of tan shorts and a sleeveless black shirt.

"A demon! A demon of the ocean!" Choking on these words, Suekoku could barely stand.

Reaching out, Jūgo propped Suekoku up with one hand, easily handling the elderly fisherman. However, before Jūgo could speak, he was interrupted by a flock of chirping birds, landing atop his head and shoulders.

"A demon?!" Tayuya muttered, rushing into view.

"Nonsense! There hasn't been a demon in these lands for a thousand years!" Karin cut in, shoving Tayuya to the side.

"The Sage of Six Paths killed them all! Everybody knows that!" Holding both arms in front of her flat chest, Karin scoffed with annoyance.

Before this conversation could progress, Karin was tackled by Tayuya, viciously rolling across the wooden floor. Pinching the bridge of his nose in response, Naruto tried to ignore these wrestling kunoichi.

"Just calm down and breathe... I don't see any demon." Gaara exclaimed, crouched beside the elderly fisherman.

Caught by a brief moment of hesitation, Suekoku reluctantly apologized, blaming his crash on the abundance of seaweed. In the past, Suekoku's shoreline was crystal clear and pristine, but now, seaweed cluttered the entire mass.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

The sound of frothing foam and steaming liquid could be heard, exposing an array of colorful and chemical tubes. This concoction of boiling oils was positioned beside an ornate pile of books.

Littered with various markings and circles, these books were shrouded by the scrawny shadow of Amachi. Irradiated by brief flickers of candlelight, Amachi's most prominent feature was his pale skin.

Amachi was a 35 year old rogue shinobi from Konoha, a medical ninja and a scientist who once served Orochimaru. But now, Amachi was his own boss, taking over the southern hideout.

Defined by his shoulder-length pale blonde hair, several strands were tied into a short ponytail in the back. Also, Amachi's outfit consisted of a black kimono shirt and matching pants, contrasting his ankle-length white lab coat.

"So... You've finally finished my cure?!" The ecstatic yet timid voice of a purple haired girl spoke out.

This 13 year old teenager was just an average girl, characterized by extremely pale skin, rarely exposed to direct sunlight. This skin partially matched the linen bandages across her body, wrapped in odd spots and angles.

Adorned with an ocean-blue sleeveless blouse, this loose fabric was held in place by a white sash around her waist. This bright attire deeply contrasted her brown shorts and wooden sandals.

"Yes, Isaribi... If you do everything I say, I'll cure you." Amachi declared, hunched over a batch of boiling chemicals.

After speaking, Amachi was interrupted by the distinct echo of foot steps, rippling across his lab. But instead of responding, Amachi continued to experiment with his chemicals, mixing them together.

"Cure, cure, cure. That's all you talk about." Suigetsu complained, sighing with boredom.

Suigetsu was a 14 year old shinobi from Kiri, a descendant of the infamous Hōzuki clan, renown for water manipulation. Previously imprisoned by Orochimaru, this young shinobi was freed by Amachi.

Similar to Isaribi, Suigetsu's skin was extremely pale, matching his ear-length and moon white hair. Jutting out in all directions, this hair was unkempt and messy, but Suigetsu was too lazy to comb it.

Soon, Suigetu's violet eyes could be seen, radiating a mesmeric aura of purple light. However, these eyes were overshadowed by Suigetsu's shark-like teeth, denoting his status as a swordsmen of the mist.

Lavished with the same color as Isaribi's hair, Suigetsu wore a sleeveless purple shirt. Contrasting this bright fabric, Suigetsu had ankle-length grey pants with a leather belt around his waist, holding two water bottles in place.

Wel-... Well, I just wanna be a normal girl again." Twirling her fingers together, Isaribi downcast her timid face.

Scoffing in response, Suigetsu walked forward before wrapping one arm around Isaribi, pulling her close. Resting his pale chin atop her violet hair, Suigetsu sighed with a dramatic tone, exposing his sharpened row of teeth.

"You look pretty normal to me." Suigetsu mumbled, cleaning his ear with one finger.

"I'm glad you two get along so well, but stay focused." Amachi cut in, stirring a jar of chemicals.

"I can't finish my work unless I get more experiments." Muttering under his breath, Amachi soon hovered over a microscope.

Rubbing her bandaged arms with a nervous tick, Isaribi bit her lower lip while twitching. Combing one hand through his messy hair, Suigetsu continued to lean against Isaribi, briefly yawning.

"Fine... We'll go grab some experiments." Speaking with a lazy tone, Suigetsu turned around before hobbling away.

Frozen with anxious fear, Isaribi stood completely still for several minutes, twirling her fingers together. Soon, Isaribi's nervous hand was yanked by Suigetsu, pulling her out of view.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

The iconic sound of foot steps could be heard, stomping across a partially rotten dockyard, littered with old barrels. These foot steps belonged to a crowd of crew members, pulling the seaweed from Koyuki's propeller.

"I'm so excited! I've read about this nation over a hundred times!" Karin beamed, repetitively clapping both hands together.

Hearing these words, a deep scowl abruptly spread across Tayuya's face, glancing from side-to-side. This allowed Tayuya to observe a distant village of wooden shacks, stacking piles of trash in the street.

"This island looks like a shithole." Tayuya snarled her words, wrinkling her nose.

Interrupted by a booming laugh, Tayuya and Karin became distracted by Suekoku, stumbling into sight. Using one arm to wipe the sweat from his face, Suekoku soon stood between each of these kunoichi.

"Yea... Lately, our nation hasn't been doing well." Suekoku admitted.

"Is it because of the demon?" Naruto cut in, poking his head over Tayuya's shoulder.

Shocked by this sudden appearance, Tayuya abruptly blushed before tripping over her own feet. Falling to the ground, Tayuya accidently pushed Karin off the dock, knocking her into the frigid water below.

"Yes, young man... A demon of the ocean has plagued my village for several weeks now." Suekoku replied.

"It attacks all ships coming in and out of our nation... We can't even trade anymore." As Suekoku spoke, he rubbed his chin.

"Worse than that, it's forced tourism to collapse, so no one visits our island anymore." Pinching the bridge of his nose, Suekoku downcast his face.

Ignoring these words, Tayuya was sprawled across her backside on the wooden floor, mumbling under her breath. As this occurred, Karin ruptured out from the water below, climbing up a wooden pillar.

"Why would anyone pay to come here?" Tayuya spat out, rolling her eyes with annoyance.

Pulling both knees against her flat chest, Tayuya was defined by her ankle-length Anbu robe, worn by each of her friends. However, Tayuya's most prominent feature was her fluffy panda hat, adorned with fuzzy ears.

Framing a distinct layer of bangs across her pale nose, Tayuya's red hair jutted out from her beanie. Sparkling like a jewel of garnet, Tayuya's waist-length hair was polluted with static, clinging to her outfit.

"Now, now, young girl. This island is a sacred place." Suekoku chuckled.

Growling in response, Tayuya pulled her shoe off before throwing it to the side, soaring through the air. Eventually, Karin's face came into view, promptly smacked by this shoe before falling into the water, again.

"What could possibly be sacred about this lame island, in the middle of no where?" Scowling as she spoke, Tayuya jumped to her feet.

Instead of reacting with anger, Suekoku displayed a genuine smile before reaching out, pointing with one finger. This elderly fisherman was pointing towards the Demonic Isle, a grey-colored island devoid of trees and grass.

Because of its empty plain, Naruto and his friends quickly noticed an ornate shrine on this distant isle. Painted with a radiant tone of crimson red, this shrine was surrounded by hundreds of gravestones.

"According to legend, a thousand years ago, the Land of Sea was connected to the mainland..." Suekoku spoke with a humble tone.

"After purging the mainland of demons, the Sage of Six Paths cornered their remaining armies here, blocking their escape." Raising one finger into the air, Suekoku resembled an elderly scholar.

"For seven days and seven nights, he fought the demonic hordes, destroying mountains and carving oceans." Crossing both arms behind his back, Suekoku breathed through his nose.

"This battle became so chaotic, the Land of Sea was completely separated from the mainland, isolated from society." Suekoku recited the same legend from his childhood.

After speaking, Suekoku was briefly interrupted by a flock of seagulls, honking in perfect unison as they flew overhead. However, these seagulls were quickly muffled by the squawks of Shisui, polluting the air with black feathers.

"Striking down the last of these demons, the Sage of Six Paths fell ill with a tainted wound." As Suekoku spoke, Shisui was attacking a seagull in the background.

"The Sage eventually died on the Demonic Isle. So now, grass and trees refuse to grow there." After speaking, Suekoku coughed into one hand.

As this conversation progressed, dozens of crew members were swaying nets through nearby water. Pulling the seaweed from Koyuki's propeller, this iron vessel was finally able to move again.

"Usually, tourists flock to the Demonic Isle, the final resting place for the Sage of Six Paths." Rubbing his chin as he spoke, Suekoku narrowed both of his black eyes.

"But with the recent appearance of demons, people fear that our island is already lost." These words were followed by an awkward silence.

Crawling atop the wooden dock, Karin was partially obscured by thick layers of seaweed, clinging to her petite body. But before Karin could speak, she was startled by a pair of seagulls, falling into the water for a third time.

"So, where's the demon?" Tayuya questioned, wrinkling her pale nose.

Chuckling in response, Suekoku strolled towards the nearby village, encouraging Naruto and Tayuya to follow. Pulling Karin from the water, this group of friends all trailed behind Suekoku, concealed by rays of sunlight.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"Twenty Ryo?! You'll make me homeless with those prices!" Suekoku gasped, standing in front of a wooden stall.

Surrounded by Naruto, Tayuya and Karin, this elderly fisherman was delivering his daily catch to town. Defined by rotten wood, shattered windows and ripped signs, this town was basically abandoned.

Despite its eerie appearance, this village was the provincial capital that ruled the Land of Sea. Called Sui by the locals, this shack-filled town barely fit the description of a village, but it was the only thing Suekoku had.

"I'm sorry... It's the demon, I just can't pay anymore." A middle-aged shopkeeper spoke out, shaking his head from side-to-side.

"The market is bone dry, I barely have enough to feed my own family..." As this unnamed man spoke, a scowl soon spread across Tayuya's face.

Interrupting these grown adults, Tayuya kicked a full barrel of fresh fish to the ground. Shocking each of these elderly bystanders, Tayuya snarled before pointing at Suekoku.

"Demon this, demon that! Demon, demon, demon! There is no demon!' Tayuya complained.

After Tayuya spoke, nearby shacks were abruptly swallowed by waves of seaweed. Shaking the entire village, the air was muffled by distant screams as civilians ran for safety.

"Oh no! It's happening again!" Suekoku panicked, ducking for cover.

Undaunted by these thrashing waves, Tayuya and Naruto both rushed through the streets. But Karin followed Suekoku's lead, hiding behind a wooden barrel before biting her nails.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"What was that?" Gaara murmured, standing atop a cloud of sand.

Gaara, Kahyō, Paku and Jūgo were all assembled outside of Koyuki's ship, pulling seaweed from the water. However, this group of friends were distracted by a nearby explosion, rippling out from Sui.

"Hehah! Nothing!" Paku snorted, freezing a patch of water with one hand.

Skating across this uneven surface, Paku shot ice from her fingertips while giggling, acting like a child. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kahyō tried to remain calm, but she was constantly babysitting Paku.

Blending in with the purified water, Paku's ocean blue hair contrasted her freshly made ice. Giggling for several moments, Paku made a brief snow angel before Kahyō threw seaweed at her.

"They'll be fine, let's get rid of this seaweed, before they get back." Kahyō muttered under her breath, getting back to work.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Obscured by a geysers of green seaweed, the villagers of Sui were running for their lives. As planks of rotten wooden and rustic debris polluted the air, a jumbling behemoth of seaweed could be seen.

Woven together like a generic giant, this mound of wet weeds stood over 10ft tall, dwarfing the nearby shacks. Characterized by hollow eyes and a gapping mouth, this stumbling creature was littered with trash.

Cans, bottles and rusty knives all protruded out from this mass of seaweed, stained with piles of garbage. Swinging its lengthy arms in protest, this bulging giant unleashed a stream of seaweed, launched through the air.

Easily dodging these mossy-covered projectiles, Tayuya scoffed before blowing the bangs from her face. Without warning, a barrage of wooden barrels flew over Tayuya's head, shrouding her in shadows.

Propelled by an unseen force with the strength of gravity, these barrels collided against the unnamed giant. Erupting into a moss-filled explosion, seaweed was launched in all directions.

Running away, Tayuya was eventually hit by a glob of seaweed, concealing her red hair from view. Rupturing out from this bush of wet weeds, Tayuya gagged with disgust, pulling her panda hat off.

As Tayuya continued to gag, Naruto was hunched over a bundle of seaweed, grabbing a handful of the wet plant. Empowered by his Rinnegan, Naruto could see the dense chakra that pulsated through this seaweed.

Infact, Naruto had seen this seaweed once before, years ago during another life.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"Done!" Paku jumped for joy.

Technically, Paku was the oldest member of this traveling group, but she acted like the youngest. Constantly reminded of this fact, Kahyō downcast her face, rubbing her eyes with both hands.

Pulling the last shred of seaweed from Koyuki's ship, Kahyō noticed the distant outline of Tayuya, Karin and Naruto. These young friends were escorting Suekoku back to his boat, strolling across the dock.

"The island channels are too narrow for our ship... Could we borrow your boat?" Naruto mumbled.

Earning a quick nod in response, Suekoku soon reached the end of the dock, jumping atop his weathered boat. Barely big enough to fit four people, the paint on this boat was chipped and flaking.

"Where are we going now?" Jūgo cut in, dwarfing Naruto in size.

"Nope! Not me! I didn't sign up for this!" Karin interrupted, dramatically poking Jūgo's chest.

"Demons?! Demons?! Uh un! Nope!" Stuttering these words, Karin rushed onto Koyuki's ship.

Running downstairs, Karin quickly disappeared from view, finding the safest cabin to board up and hide in. Tilting his head with confusion, Jūgo rubbed one hand through his spiky orange hair.

"We're gonna go check out the Demonic Isle... Gaara, can you watch Karin until we get back?" Naruto exclaimed, answered by a stiff nod from Gaara.

"You're burning daylight! Let's get moving!" Suekoku shrieked, beating his oar against the water.

Inspired by these words, Naruto, Tayuya and Jūgo all boarded Suekoku's small boat, rippling the nearby water. Without a moment of hesitation, Suekoku pushed off from the dock, sailing towards the Demonic Isle.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Drifting through a narrow channel of polluted water, Suekoku maneuvered past various clumps of seaweed. Surrounded by Jiro and Taro island, Suekoku's boat was the perfect size for these narrow waters.

Despite the short distance between Jiro and Taro island, neither of these islands had a formal beach. Instead, a steep cliffside enveloped both of them, leading towards a dark abyss without end.

True to their name, the Land of Sea wasn't surrounded by a lake or river, they were adrift in the open ocean. Because of this, the channels between the Land of Sea were extremely deep, even the sun couldn't reach them.

"Suekoku… I've been meaning to ask you something." Naruto spoke out, sitting beside Tayuya.

"Yes? What is it, young man." Suekoku remarked, swishing his oar through the water.

"I thought the Land of Sea was protected by Kiri, where are they?" Hearing these words, Suekoku sighed in response.

Pierced by the distinct squawking of Shisui, this violet-eyed raven soared into view, landing atop Naruto's shoulder. At the same time, the iconic rumbling of clouds could be heard, swirling overhead.

"Because of our distance from the mainland... We pay our monthly tribute to Kiri by boat..." Suekoku muttered.

"And since the demon attacks all your ships, you can't pay Kiri for help." Tayuya cut in, earning a depressed nod from Suekoku.

Fueled by a splash of water, Suekoku's boat drifted into the open ocean, exposing the nearby Demonic Isle. Barely a stones throw from Jiro island, the Demonic Isle was the most remote island inside the Land of Sea.

Suddenly, Suekoku's boat was rocked by hostile waves, growing in size and volume with each second. Eventually, these waves forced Shisui to jump from Naruto's shoulder, soaring towards the sky.

Leaping atop this violent water, Naruto's vibrant hair was stained with strands of seaweed, drenching his outfit. Clapping both hands together, an unseen force rippled out from Naruto, disrupting the distant wave.

Protruding out from the ocean's surface, streams of seaweed quickly wrapped around Naruto's ankles. Yanked below the water, Naruto's Rinnegan were still recovering from previous usage.

Unable to free himself, Naruto was pulled into a deep abyss, sinking to depths beyond sunlight. Crushed under dense waves, Naruto gagged for air, spewing bubbles that ruptured the water's surface.

Without warning, Naruto's head was smashed against an underwater boulder, struck into a daze for several moments. Sinking between pillars of wet stone, Naruto was soon propped against a moss-covered rock.

Draining the air from his lungs, Naruto was barely conscious as a pale hand caressed his chin. Pulling Naruto's whiskered face, Isaribi leaned forward before blowing air into his lungs, pressing their lips together.

Choking on a breath of fresh air, Naruto caught a glimpse of Isaribi's black eyes, narrowed and timid. Unhindered by the deep water pressure, Isaribi wrapped both arms around Naruto before swimming to safety.

Erupting atop the ocean's surface, Naruto gasped for air while leaning against Isaribi. Followed by the emerged outline of Tayuya, this red-haired kunoichi had a sour expression across her face..

Instead of questioning the sudden appearance of a strange girl, Jūgo reached out before pulling Naruto onto the boat. Dripping water from her hair, Isaribi's linen bandages were soaking wet.

"Not so fast! That boat is for Tayuya-approved personnel! Back away!" Spitting these words out, Tayuya swam in front of Isaribi.

Bobbing atop the water without her hat, strands of Tayuya's bright hair were sprawled across the shifting waves. Before long, Tayuya grinded her teeth together while glaring at Isaribi.

"Um-... Uh... Okay?" As Isaribi mumbled these words, Tayuya snarled with hostility.

"Don't be so angry now, young lady! Let her climb aboard!" Suekoku cut in, helping Isaribi onto his boat.

Grumbling various insults under her breath, Tayuya crawled atop Suekoku's boat, shaking the water from her hair. Glaring at Isaribi with unblinking eyes, Tayuya sat in front of Naruto, pushing down on his stomach.

Squeezing the water from his lungs, Naruto choked on air as Tayuya continued to push on his stomach. But instead of recognizing this sound, Tayuya was too distracted by Isaribi, fuming with rage.

"So, what hole did you swim out of?!" Grinding these words between her teeth, Tayuya was still pushing down on Naruto's chest.

"Well... I live on the cape of Jiro island... And I saw your boat." Twirling her fingers together, Isaribi downcast her face.

Hiding from Tayuya's inquisitive glare, this red-hair kunoichi eventually pressed her face against Isaribi. Shoving their noses against each other, Tayuya hummed with hostility, growling like a rabid ferret.

"Jiro island? Not many people call that place home. The soil is too dry for farming and the beaches are too deep for fishing." Suekoku spoke out.

"But let's stay focused, young travelers... We're almost there." While speaking, Suekoku pointed at an ornate dock with one hand.

Fashioned together with fine wood, this dock jutted out from a grey-colored cliffside, devoid of grass. Leading to the mainland, the entrance of this dock was enshrined by a crimson waypoint.

Characterized by an overhanging arch, the paint on this waypoint was partially chipped and cracked. Constantly exposed to an ocean breeze, this waypoint was a rustic shadow of its former glory.

Drifting up against this ancient dock, Naruto groaned before throwing up a mouthful of water. Wrapping both arms across Naruto's stomach, Isaribi pumped the last ounce of water from his mouth.

Enraged by this display, Tayuya promptly shoved Isaribi off the boat, submerging her in the water. Holding Isaribi's head down for several minutes, Tayuya was trying to drown her new rival.

Shaking his head from side-to-side, Suekoku tied his boat to the dock before walking inland, followed by Jūgo. Ignoring these footsteps, Tayuya became shocked as Isaribi casually held her breath without end.

"What the fuck, are you a deep sea diver?" Tayuya questioned, freeing Isaribi from her grasp.

"U-...Um... Ye-Yea, I sure am." Isaribi muttered in response.

Bobbing her head above tranquil waves, the bandages across Isaribi's face were soaking wet, drenching her violet hair. This dripping hair was the first thing Naruto saw after opening his vibrant eyes.

Snagged by a glimpse of Naruto's Rinnegan, Isaribi accidently bit her own tongue before gasping with shock. Pushing himself up with one hand, Naruto leaned over the boat, hovering mere inches from Isaribi.

"I've seen you before... I know you." Slurring these words, Naruto scratched the side of his head while speaking.

"You're thinking of someone else, I've never met you before. Sorry." Apologizing with a timid voice, Isaribi crawled atop Suekoku's boat.

Enthralled with jealousy, Tayuya leapt in front of Naruto, foaming at the mouth like a wild wolf. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Naruto grabbed Tayuya's hand before pulling her onto the dock, trailing after Jūgo.

Briefly hesitating, Isaribi glanced over her shoulder, focused on a distinct ripple of water next to Suekoku's boat. Jumping atop the nearby dock, Isaribi chased after Naruto, causing her violet hair to rustle in the breeze.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Strolling down a dirt-filled road, Naruto, Tayuya and Isaribi were surrounded by countless gravestones. This group of friends were traveling behind Jūgo and Suekoku, standing in front of the Sage's Shrine.

Holding both hands against the back of her fluffy panda hat, Tayuya was wrinkling her nose with a sour face. Standing between Naruto and Isaribi, Tayuya was determined to keep them separated.

"So... Where do you two come from? You didn't grow up here." Isaribi exclaimed.

"I don't trust you." Blurting these words out, Tayuya narrowed her brown eyes.

"Something smells fishy here, and it's definitely you." Crossing both arms in front of her flat chest, Tayuya scowled.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Naruto eventually caught up with Jūgo and Suekoku, illuminated by sunlight. At the same time, the iconic squawking of seagulls could be heard, soaring through the background.

"It's good to be back... I used to be the groundskeeper here, before the demon came." Suekoku remarked, rubbing his belly.

Hearing these words, Isaribi downcast her face while twirling her fingers together, a nervous habit. This fidgeting movement was easily noticed by Tayuya, but Jūgo and Naruto were distracted by Suekoku.

Walking into the Sage's Shrine, Suekoku dramatically breathed through his nose, releasing a cheerful sigh. Despite his veteran age, Suekoku was reminded of his youth, filling him with vigor.

Strolling into the center of this shrine, a wooden casket was engraved in the floor, cracked and defiled. This casket was the final resting place for the Sage of Six Paths, housing his ancient corpse.

"The Sage! His casket has been opened!" Shrieking these words, Suekoku ran forward before crouching down.

Pushing the wooden lid off, an empty casket was put on full display, forcing Suekoku's mouth to fall open. This revelation created beads of sweat that partially drenched Suekoku's face, dripping from his chin.

"They've stolen him! They took his body! Someone's stolen the Sage of Six Paths!" Filled with panicked, Suekoku gripped his bald head with both hands.

"Stolen him? But he's been dead for almost a thousand years." Jūgo muttered.

Instead of waiting for a response, Isaribi turned around before running out the door. Earning an accusatory scoff from Tayuya, this red-haired kunoichi quickly chased after Isaribi.

Running towards the water, each of these girls were abruptly swallowed by waves of water. Washing across the Demonic Isle, these steep waves completely obscured Isaribi from view.

"Bitch! Where did you go!" Choking on these words, Tayuya paddled across the water's surface.

Crawling atop a wooden pillar, Suekoku's teeth chattered as the Sage's Shrine was flooded with water. Standing like a giant, Jūgo's ankles were barely soaked by these thrashing waves.

"Not again..." As Naruto mumbled these words, the rushing water grew in volume.

Suddenly, a pair of watery hands protruded out from these waves, shaped and molded by dense chakra. Quickly restrained by these chakra-filled hands, Jūgo picked Naruto up before throwing him to safety.

Landing against a rustic wall, Naruto hovered in place by funneling chakra towards his feet. Wiping the water from his whiskers, Naruto gasped as Jūgo was pulled underwater.

Reaching out, Naruto was interrupted by a barrage of chakra-filled liquid bullets, erupting from the water below. Blasting dozens of holes across the wooden wall, Naruto hastily outran these rapid projectiles.

"No! No, no, no! This shrine is sacred!" Suekoku flew into a frenzy, clinging to a wooden rafter.

Without warning, an entire section of the Sage's Shrine was torn from its foundation, overwhelmed by water. Startled by this abrupt jolt, Naruto lost his balance before tripping over a wooden window.

Falling through the air, Naruto was hit by a condensed stream of water, spewing out like a geyser. This violent impact forced Naruto to flip and skid across the water's surface, landing in a bundle of seaweed.

"Tch… That was easier than I thought." Suigetsu chuckled with triumphant, poking his head out of the water.

Defined by his shark-tooth smile, Suigetsu was just a floating head atop the water, devoid of any body or weapon. This was the result of the Water Transformation Technique, a hallmark of the Hōzuki clan.

"At this rate, Amachi will have his experiments in no time." As Suigetsu spoke, he slowly rose from the water.

Held together by a pulsating vortex of water, this liquid eventually solidified into a fleshy body. Revealing the slender outline of Suigetsu, this white-haired shinobi was drenched with water, dripping from every muscle.

In the past, Suigetsu was a loyal shinobi of Kiri, answerable only to the Misukage, and his older brother. But with the premature death of Mangetsu, Suigetsu briefly lost his purpose in life.

Captured and experimented on by Orochimaru, Suigetsu was nothing more than a rabid criminal now. Terrorizing the Land of Sea, this once great shinobi had lost all pride, gone with his brother.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Where did that loser go?" Tayuya talked to herself, crawling atop the water's surface.

Tayuya was standing in the middle of a deep channel, dripping water from her hair and robe. Pulling her hat loose, this fluffy garment was soaking wet, creating a sour expression across Tayuya's face.

"This better air dry..." Mumbling these words, Tayuya flinched as a green fin protruded out from the distant water.

Surging across the open ocean, this fin created a chaotic ripple of water, swelling into dense waves. Moving fasting than Tayuya's reflexes, this fin resembled a demonic shark with spiky protrusions.

Sinking beneath the waves, this fin abruptly disappeared for several moments, hidden below the water. Glancing from side-to-side, Tayuya scoffed before wrinkling her pale nose.

Piercing the water, a pair of scaled-covered green hands ruptured out from below, gripping each of Tayuya's ankles. Overwhelmed by these webbed fingers, Tayuya was yanked into the water.

Obscured by a thin layer of bubbles, Tayuya choked on water as her panda hat floated to the surface. Struggling to free herself, Tayuya kicked both legs through the dark water.

Striking out against a distorted face, Tayuya was battling a slim-covered outline of scales and spikes. Yanked towards an endless abyss, Tayuya was oddly comfortable at these extreme depths.

Distracted by her rage, Tayuya didn't even notice that she was breathing underwater, undaunted by the harsh pressure. Pushing off against this strange opponent, Tayuya's red hair was battered by salt-filled water.

As strands of red hair drifted in every direction, Tayuya swayed both arms and legs through the water. Barely able to distinguish the sun, Tayuya was almost completely enveloped by dark water.

Empowered by parting clouds, this vibrant sun depicted a pristine array of twinkling jewels across the ocean. Seeping below these waves, rays of sunlight eventually reached Tayuya, allowing her hair to sparkle.

This sunlight also irradiated the nearby water, revealing the scale-covered silhouette of Isaribi. Defined by webbed feet, hands and her fin, Isaribi resembled an odd mutation of human and fish.

Shocked by this revelation, Tayuya's jawline fell open, spewing a mouthful of bubbles to the water's surface. Because of Isaribi's strange appearance, Tayuya could barely recognize this young girl.

Covered by thick scales from head to toe, even Isaribi's hair had morphed into hardened skin, drenched with slim. Isaribi's last human trait were her black eyes, filled with a blank and shallow expression.

In the past, Isaribi would sit at home and fish all day, she wasn't a shinobi and she had no desire to be one. But one dream still burned inside of her, she wanted to be a normal girl.


	108. Chapter 108

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: Kamui5 - I really like Biwako and I feel like she's a solid replacement for Danzo. Taking his position as a village elder and the burden of Hiruzen's secret.**

 **biginferno - I feel like you'll personally really enjoy this arc, and the next arc, because of Tayuya. There's a lot of flamboyant Tayuya moments in this arc, and the next arc revolves around her.**

 **Tayuya is best girl, and, as the main ship of this story, she has to be the most developed. Tayuya's accepted Naruto, but now, Tayuya has to accept herself, and her own repressed emotions.**

 **Because, if you don't love yourself, then you can't love anyone else.**

 **Guest - I always love when someone reads chapter 1 and leaves a review for the entire story. This story has over 107 chapters and almost 800k words, but you're using one chapter to judge the entire thing.**

 **You rush to complain about Naruto, even though you're one fucking chapter into the story. I understand why you hate canon Naruto, because I do too, but that doesn't excuse your lack of patience.**

 **I want to make a joke about your review, but I won't even bother. Because, you're the best joke I could ever find.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 108: Awaken: Sage Of Six Paths! A Fight For Freedom.**

 _Sunday 2:27pm, July 25th 58SSP._

Swishing her arms through a dark abyss, Tayuya's pale face was partially obscured by strands of wet hair. Swimming at depths that would crush a normal girl, Tayuya was casually drifting in place.

Defined by the blank expression in her eyes, Isaribi's webbed feet came into view, tinted with a dark tone of green. Exposing Isaribi's blue blouse and brown shorts, these pieces of fabric were tattered.

Ripped during her strange transformation, Isaribi's wooden sandals were completely destroyed. Also, the previous bandages across her body were torn loose, exposing a vast amount of green scales.

Propelled forward by her webbed feet, Isaribi surged through the dark abyss, lunging for Tayuya. Instead of dodging this attack, Tayuya and Isaribi became embroiled in an underwater wrestling contest.

Kicking and punching, Isaribi's hardened scales saved her from Tayuya's assault, absorbing the damage. Pushing this red-haired kunoichi further into the abyss, these battling girls eventually reached the ocean floor.

Surrounded by pillars of wet stone and plains of cold sand, Tayuya and Isaribi pushed off against each other. Unaffected by the extreme water pressure, these girls both slid across a tundra of sand.

Breathing under water, Tayuya didn't even question her strange assortment of new abilities. The ocean had become a second home for Tayuya, the deeper she swam, the more invigorated she became.

Suddenly, clumps of seaweed were pulled across the ocean floor, swirling around Isaribi before merging together. Held in place by green chakra, this seaweed enveloped Isaribi's entire body, concealing her from view.

Exposing the power of her Kaima Form, as a fish, Isaribi could freely manipulate seaweed. A monster of the deep, Isaribi was the demon that terrorized the Land of Sea, assisted by Suigetsu's Water Style.

Taking on the appearance of a gigantic seaweed golem, Isaribi stumbled across the ocean floor. Crushing the occasional rock under her feet, Isaribi soon reached out before grabbing a massive boulder.

Wrapping several strands of dense seaweed around wet stone, Isaribi hurled this large rock through the water. Gasping a mouthful of bubbles in response, Tayuya promptly swam out of range.

Evading multiple streams of seaweed, Tayuya soared through the water with remarkable speed. But clumps of seaweed continued to chase after her, propelled through the abyss.

Swimming across the ocean floor, Tayuya soon found herself between a flapping herd of sea turtles. Briefly mesmerized by these aquatic reptiles, Tayuya felt a strange connection with these turtles.

Dispersed by a large boulder, these sea turtles quickly fled as Isaribi stomped across the ocean floor. Throwing wet stone with each step, Isaribi's behemoth of seaweed charged at Tayuya.

Enraged by her sudden loss of turtles, Tayuya snarled in protest, grinding her teeth together. Clenching both fists, Tayuya stomped her right foot against the ocean floor, cracking the earth.

"Go away!" Muffled a mouthful of bubbles, Tayuya's statement was magnified by pillars of coral.

Rupturing out from the ground, these chakra-filled pillars radiated out in all directions. Creating a vibrant forest of coral in mere seconds, Isaribi's golem was impaled by various pillars.

Bisected by a radiant spear of red coral, Isaribi's golem was dispersed into a cloudy mixture of seaweed. Erupting from this swirling cloud, Isaribi surged forward at full speed, propelled by her webbed feet.

As Isaribi approached, she dove under a freshly created mound of coral, sparkling at depths beyond sunlight. After swimming for several moments, Isaribi was stumbled by a overhanging wall of coral.

Squeezing through ornate coral, Tayuya promptly taunted Isaribi, sticking her tongue out with displeasure. Enthralled by this display, Isaribi swam forward while Tayuya leapt at her.

Obscured by bubbles, Tayuya slammed her forehead against Isaribi's, cracking nearby coral. Eventually, this coral was completely shattered by a chakra-filled shockwave, concealing everything from sight.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Eh, yo! Come out! I know you're not dead!" Suigetsu complained, raising his left fist into the air.

This white-haired shinobi was standing inside the Sage's Shrine, flooded to the brim with salt-water. Creating a distinct ripple across the water's surface, Suigetsu's shark-tooth smile could be seen.

"What have you done?! This shrine is sacred!" Suekoku panicked, clinging to an overhead rafter.

Rolling his eyes in response, Suigetsu used one finger to clean the water from his ears. Wiping this water against his outfit, Suigetsu released a dramatic sigh before scratching his nose.

"Relax, old man. The Sage of Six Paths is just a relic. No one cares about him, not anymore." Suigetsu muttered, swishing a dismissive hand through the air.

Releasing an abrupt gasp, Suigetsu was startled as Jūgo jolted out from the water behind him. Looming towards the ceiling like a giant, Jūgo towered over Suigetsu, dripping water from his orange hair.

"Oh, ya! A relic of the past! Baby!" Jūgo howled with a demonic tone.

Reaching out with both arms, Jūgo unleashed a crushing bear hug on Suigetsu, cracking his bones. Distracted by his own laughter, Jūgo didn't even notice as Suigetsu's body dissolved into a puddle of water.

Exposing his discolored skin, Jūgo raised his twisted face towards the sky before laughing without end. Soon, this laughter was muffled by a cracked ceiling from overhead, collapsing on top of Jūgo.

Struggling to cling too his own rafter, Suekoku was digging his nails against the sacred wood. Suekoku was just an average fisherman, he didn't have any talent for shinobi battles.

"That was weird...?" Suigetsu mumbled to himself, protruding out from the water.

Crouched outside the partially demolished Sage's Shrine, Suigetsu combed the water from his hair. Breathing a sigh of relief, Suigetsu's violet eyes bulged as a barrage of chakra-rods spewed out from the water.

Piercing Suigetu's torso, these rods pinned him against a collapsed wall, littered with debris and dust. Unable to liquify his body, Suigetsu became paralyzed as a pair of Rinnegan eyes pulsated through his mind.

Eventually, these eyes was emboldened by a hulking outline that towered over Suigetsu. Taking on the appearance of a distorted fox, this violet-eyed silhouette unleashed a hostile snort from its nose.

Battered against Suigetsu's twitching face, this rogue shinobi flew into a moment of panic. Not since the presence of Orochimaru had Suigetsu been so disturbed, sweating fresh water from his face.

"Terrorizing a small island nation... I thought you were supposed to be a great swordsmen." Naruto mocked, revealed by rays of sunlight.

Pulled from his daze, Suigetsu repetitively blinked each of his eyes, shrouded by Naruto's shadow. Instinctively trying to move, Suigetsu was still pinned in place, overwhelmed by an array of chakra-rods.

"Yea, well. I kinda lost my sword." Suigetsu muttered in response, rolling his violet eyes.

"Beside, I earn a cheap laugh every one in a while, so it's worth it." As Suigetsu spoke, he struggled to avoid Naruto's Rinnegan.

Interrupting this tranquil conversation, a howling Jūgo ruptured atop the water's surface, exposing his discolored skin. Charging across the water, Suigetsu was startled by Jūgo's rampant approach.

Undaunted by Jūgo's screams, Naruto didn't even turn around to confront his mindless friend. Instead, Naruto leisurely crouched in front of Suigetsu, allowing their violet eyes to meet.

"Jūgo, calm down please." Hearing these mumbled words, Jūgo abruptly froze mid-step, hovering mere inches away from Naruto.

Groaning with discontent, Jūgo dug several nails across his face, reverting back to his original skin color. Battling his own instincts, Jūgo soon became calm and tranquil, resembling the nearby water.

"Right, I'm sorry... Forgive me." Jūgo apologized, rubbing the side of his head.

Bursting out from distant water, Tayuya's soaked red hair was illuminated by glimmering sunlight. Partially muffled by her enraged face, Tayuya dragged Isaribi across the water's surface with one hand.

Defined by a strange assortment of green scales across her pale skin, Isaribi had reverted back to her human form. However, her previous bandages were completely ripped off, exposing her odd skin.

Isaribi's right leg was almost completely covered in green scales, similar to her neck and left arm. Also, a vast amount of Isaribi's face was stained with scales, giving the left side of her face a reptilian appearance.

Embarrassed by these horrific scales, Isaribi couldn't even look in the mirror anymore, she felt too hideous. Infact, that's the only reason why she followed Amachi, for a cure too her strange condition.

Throwing Isaribi on top of Suigetsu, Tayuya squeezed the water from her hair, drenching her outfit. Preparing a list of insults for Naruto, Tayuya snagged her panda hat out of the water.

"I'm soaking wet now! If you ruined my hat, you owe me another one!" Shrieking these words, Tayuya poked Naruto's chest.

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto displayed a half-hearted smile, quickly dispersed by Tayuya's growling face. Hurling her wet hat through the air, this drenched fabric collided against Naruto's face.

Grabbing his belly with both hands, Suekoku soon approached these young love birds, standing between them. Snorting in response, Tayuya crossed both arms in front of her flat chest.

"Come on now! Let's play nice!" Chuckling his words, Suekoku released a booming laugh.

After speaking, Suekoku raised his nose towards the sky, drawing in a dramatic breath of fresh air. Basking in the ocean breeze, Suekoku felt like a child again, he felt hope.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"So... This is the fabled demon?" Suekoku remarked, standing over Isaribi.

Hearing these words, Isaribi recoiled with embarrassment, pulling both knees against her small chest. Holding one hand over her face, Isaribi struggled to hide her scales, twitching with a nervous tick.

"Nah... She's just a little girl, I'm the real demon." Suigetsu cut in, sighing with boredom.

Speaking up, Suigetsu was pinned in place by several chakra-rods, impaled through his wrists and ankles. But instead of screaming with pain, Suigetsu had a casual expression across his face.

"She can't even preform jutsu, she's not a kunoichi. She's just a normal girl." As Suigetsu spoke, Isaribi was slouched beside him.

Inspired by these words, Isaribi downcast her face, gazing upon the green scales that stained her pale skin. The sight of these scales forced Isaribi's black eyes to narrow, filled with disgust.

Normal... A single word echoed through Isaribi's mind.

"A demon? You look like a little bitch to me." Tayuya blurted out, drying her crimson red hair.

Caught off guard by these abrupt words, Suigetsu briefly gasped before stuttering under his breath. Rushing to speak, Suigetsu accidently bit his own tongue, screaming like a little girl.

"Yep, just like I thought." Scoffing, Tayuya flung her vibrant hair over one shoulder.

Pulling her panda hat from a sunbaked roof tile, Tayuya squeezed the last ounce of water from this fabric. Sliding this fluffy hat over her head, Tayuya's face was framed by several bangs.

"Orochimaru abandoned this hideout months ago, why are you two still here?" Naruto questioned, standing in front of Tayuya.

Reaching out, Naruto yanked the chakra-rods from Suigetsu's body, freeing the white-haired shinobi. But instead of revealing blood, Suigetsu's impaled limbs were polluted by chakra-filled water.

Stretching in all directions, Suigetsu's wounds were leisurely filled by swirling water, soaking his pale skin. Standing up, Suigetsu combed one hand through his white hair, wrapping his other arm around Isaribi.

"This girl keeps griping about a cure... So I'm just keeping her company, until she gets it." Suigetsu remarked.

Mumbling a nervous response, Isaribi timidly twirled her fingers together, staring at the ground with blank eyes. Straining to speak, Isaribi was gripped by a harsh moment of hesitation.

"We-.. Well, Amachi said he could fix me. I could be a normal girl again." Isaribi mumbled.

Squinting his Rinnegan eyes, Naruto was sprayed by a fresh ocean breeze, forcing distant waves to swell. Wiping the water from his whiskers, Naruto took notice of Isaribi's depressed face.

"I don't know who this Amachi is... But please, young man, you must find the Sage of Six Paths." Suekoku proclaimed, pleading with Naruto.

"I already know where he is... There's only one place to hide him.' Naruto replied.

Releasing a gust of wind from her mouth, Tayuya blew strands of red hair away from her eyes, glaring at Isaribi. Trying to act casual, Tayuya yawned before leaning against a collapsed wall.

Scratching the side of his head with confusion, Suigetsu was startled by the repetitive squawks of Shisui. Soaring through the air, this violet-eyed raven unleashed a bundle of black feathers, obscuring everything.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Strolling across a rock-littered beach, Naruto, Tayuya and Jūgo were battered by an ocean-filled breeze. Trailed by Suigetsu and Isaribi, this traveling band of adventurers journeyed across the Demonic Isle.

"So... Do you know where you're going?" Suigetsu muttered, cleaning the water from his ears.

"If not, I'll gladly lead the way." Unleashing a shark-toothed smile, Suigetsu glared at Naruto's back.

Waiting for a response, Suigetsu was met by an awkward silence, sweating water from his face. At the same time, Tayuya rolled each of her brown eyes, pulling her panda hat further down.

"Hello?" As Suigetsu spoke, Isaribi struggled to hide her scales, filled with embarrassment.

"You talk too much." Tayuya spat out, crossing both arms in front of her chest.

Stuttering in protest, Suigetsu briefly spoke before Tayuya pushed him with both hands, baring her teeth like an animal. Losing his balance, Suigetsu tripped over a small pebble before face planting the ground.

Colliding with the earth, Suigetsu's skull erupted into a water-filled explosion, drenching nearby rocks. Twitching atop the ground, Suigetu's headless body struggled to stand up, grabbing Isaribi's hand.

Bubbling into place, streams of water merged into a new skull for Suigetsu, solidifying into flesh. Wiping the fresh water from his face, Suigetsu was defined by a single shark-tooth, jutting out from his mouth.

"We're here." Naruto cut in.

Standing in front of a massive iron door, this hidden entrance was carved into a cliffside of solid stone. Constructed by Orochimaru over ten years ago, this hideout was accessible only by a narrow ledge.

"It kinda reminds me of the northern hideout." Jūgo exclaimed, squeezing behind Naruto.

Quickly followed by Tayuya, Suigetsu and Isaribi, this traveling group assembled in front of the southern hideout. Shrouded by jagged rocks and partially eroded boulders, this hideout was barely noticeable.

"The northern hideout, eh... I guess Orochimaru kept you around too, huh?" Suigetsu questioned, scratching his nose.

"I actually didn't see him that much... Usually, he just asked for blood samples, or skin tissue." Jūgo remarked.

Interrupting this conversation with a hostile scoff, Tayuya stomped her tiny foot against the earth. Despite her small figure and size, Tayuya was determined to be heard.

"A glorified test tube and a dried up cum rag..." Tayuya mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Listen up, losers! I was an elite bodyguard for Orochimaru!' Shouting these words with pride, Tayuya raised one hand towards the sky.

"Some bodyguard... You let him die." Suigetsu blurted out, forcing Tayuya to fall face first against a rock.

"Infact, I heard a blond runt did him in... Real strange." Humming these words, Suigetsu glared at Naruto.

Disturbed by jolting stone and cracked rock, the earth in front of Naruto was sundered by an unseen force. Shattered by this overwhelming shockwave, the iron door was torn from its hinges, falling to the ground.

"No more wasting time... Let's finish this and get sailing already." Tayuya spat out, pulling her face up.

Charging head first into this mysterious hideout, Tayuya was promptly swallowed by dense shadows. Unleashing a muffled sigh, Naruto trailed after Tayuya, beginning their journey for the Sage of Six Paths.

"Wait a second!" Suigetsu panicked, dramatically grabbing Jūgo's collar.

"Which one of us is the cum rag?!" Screaming these words, Suigetsu was met by a confused expression from Jūgo.

Encouraged by the distant squawking of Shisui, these three teenagers all charged into the hideout. Basking in a tranquil moment of silence, the Demonic Isle was eventually tainted by an eerie breeze.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

Walking down a stone-paved hall, this isolated pathway was lined with faint lights on the wall, occasionally flickering. Devoid of windows or doors, this hallway appeared to stretch on without end.

Twirling her fingers together, Isaribi shuffled behind this traveling group, hiding her green scales from sight. Strolling beside her, Suigetsu was cleaning the water from his ears.

"If we're looking for that corpse... It's in Amachi's lab." Speaking with a lazy tone, Suigetsu flung the water from his finger.

"Ye-... Yea, sorry... Amachi said he could use it to cure me..." Stuttering each word, Isaribi stared at the floor.

Squinting his vibrant eyes, Naruto abruptly twitched after Tayuya stepped on a hidden trap, an obscured pressure plate. Jolted by an earth-shattering crack, the entire hallway began to collapse.

Caught by an awkward moment of hesitation, everyone glared at Tayuya, revealing the innocent expression on her face. Pulling her hat loose, Tayuya scowled before pointing down the hallway.

"What are you doing?! Run, losers!" After screaming, Tayuya dashed through the hall.

Chasing after her, Naruto, Jūgo, Suigetsu and Isaribi all surged down the hallway, evading a handful of falling rocks. Eventually, these fleeing teenagers approached a fork in the road, leading to three separate halls.

Confident in her own abilities, Tayuya charged into a dimly-lit hallway without warning, running down a stone staircase. Hastened by the sound of tumbling stone, Isaribi and Suigetsu were separated by a large boulder.

Unable to pause, Naruto, Jūgo, Suigetsu and Isaribi all charged out of sight, running into a distinct hallway. The entrances of these halls were then crushed by dense stone, blocking their escape.

* * *

 _Several seconds later._

"Great... I can't see anything." Tayuya talked to herself, glancing from side-to-side.

Tayuya stood at the entrance of a long and dark hallway, connected to the staircase she just ran down. Crossing both arms in front of her chest, Tayuya hummed under her breath.

Pulled from her thoughts, Tayuya was interrupted by the apparent footsteps of Isaribi, accidently bumping against her. Falling on her backside, Isaribi groaned before rubbing her butt.

"What the fuck are you doing here!" Spitting these words out, Tayuya pointed at Isaribi with an accusatory glare.

"O-... Oh, um... Sorry. I just kinda ran down here." Isaribi whispered in response, hiding her face with shame.

Disgusted by Isaribi's timid nature, Tayuya snarled before putting her panda hat back on. Blowing strands of red hair away from her eyes, Tayuya turned around before walking away.

"Bu-... But, um, shouldn't we wait for help?" Muttering these words, Isaribi slowly stood up.

Inspired by Isaribi's mumbled words, Tayuya flew in a frenzied rage, clenching both fists and her teeth. Turning around, Tayuya stomped in front of Isaribi, shoving their faces together.

"Help?! I don't need help! I can do everything all by myself!" Tayuya shrieked.

"I never rely on anybody! I can live all on my own! I always have!" Screaming without pause, Tayuya shoved Isaribi against a stone wall.

Whispering under her breath with a nervous tick, Isaribi cowered in front of Tayuya's presence. Staring at the floor with a downcast face, Isaribi didn't even notice the hateful expression in Tayuya's eyes.

"Wel-... Well, you're just..." Isaribi murmured, barely able to speak.

"Just what?!" Shouting at full volume, Tayuya grinded her teeth together.

"You're still just a child..." Hearing these timid words, Tayuya's eyes abruptly widened, exposing her black pupils.

Reaching out, Tayuya gripped the collar of Isaribi's blouse before slamming her against the wall. Pulling Isaribi close, Tayuya hovered mere inches away from her face, panting with rage.

"No I'm not! I'm not a child! I grew up faster then anyone else!" Tayuya boomed with anger.

"I didn't need a childhood! I didn't have a childhood! I'm more grown up than anybody! I'm an adult!" Repetitively slamming Isaribi against the wall, Tayuya lost all sense of self-control.

"O-... Okay... I'm sorry, sorry..." Isaribi pleaded with an apology.

Throwing Isaribi to the ground, Tayuya snorted a hostile gust of wind, panting rage with each breath. Turning around, Tayuya stomped out of sight, consumed by a shadowy hallway.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Geez, how annoying." Sugietsu mumbled, brushing the dirt from his outfit.

Suigetsu and Jūgo both stood at the entrance of a well-lit hallway, paved with radiant lights on the ceiling. Drawing attention to Jūgo's bright orange hair, this young shinobi casually towered over Suigetsu.

"You know the way through here, right?" Jūgo asked, earning an exhaustive sigh in response.

"Yea... But Amachi will be pissed without an experiment." Sugietsu replied, scratching the back of his head.

"We'll be fine. I'm not worried about some old scientist." Jūgo exclaimed.

Met by an approving nod from Suigetsu, these shinobi quickly walked down an illuminated hallway. Muffled by the repetitive echo of footsteps, Jūgo and Suigetsu soon disappeared from sight.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Wiping the dust from his whiskers, Naruto stood in the partially buried remnants of an underground hallway. The abandoned ruins of Orochimaru's southern hideout, this hallway was barely used.

"Great. I get stuck in the worst one." Naruto talked to himself.

Standing up and stretching, Naruto popped a handful of joints in his lower back, polluting the hallway. Without delay, Naruto crawled over a large boulder before squeezing through a narrow crevasse.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Escorted by a poorly-oiled lamp that she tore from the wall, Tayuya journeyed through a narrow hallway. Trailed by the timid outline of Isaribi, these girls both traveled through the southern hideout.

"Of course, I get paired with the quiet loser." Snarling as she spoke, Isaribi was depressed by Tayuya's words.

Raising her chin towards the ceiling, Tayuya soon entered a wide lab, littered with tubes and jars of liquid. Defined by a prominent table in the center of this room, this surface was covered with a white sheet.

"Th-... That's the Sage..." Isaribi mumbled.

Exposing the outline of a corpse, the Sage of Six Paths was concealed by a white sheet, resting on Amachi's table. Rushing forward without hesitation, Tayuya gripped this sheet before throwing it to the ground.

Thrust into a dilemma of shock, Tayuya gazed down on the tan-skinned face of this legendary Sage. Despite his death almost a thousands years ago, the Sage's skin and spiky brown hair were radiant and healthy.

Propped on the table with both hands crossed atop his stomach, the Sage resembled a sleeping warrior. But in truth, he died centuries ago, brought to ruin by an endless horde of ancient demons.

"Bullshit! This dude looks like he's still alive! And he's way too young!' Tayuya snapped out.

Interrupted by the sound of clapping, Tayuya leapt back across the floor, sliding against an iron cabinet. Obscured by a curtain of shadows, Amachi's feet stomped into view, revealing the white trim of his lab coat.

"Yes... He's been dead for hundreds of years... But his body hasn't even decomposed." Amachi cut in, revealing his pale face.

"It's truly fascinating. In all my years as a medical shinobi, I've never seen such a thing." Exposing his twisted smile, Amachi was partially concealed by shadows.

Clenching her teeth with rage, Tayuya didn't have anything to throw, she left her shinobi satchels on Koyuki's ship. Brushing this regret to the side, Tayuya grabbed a nearby jar of glass, chunking it at Amachi.

Swept aside by a distorted blur, this glass jar was instantly shattered into hundreds of shards, polluting the floor. However, these glass shards were quickly crushed by Amachi's foot.

"I asked for more experiments, not an intrusion." Grunting these words, Amachi glared at Isaribi.

"I know... But, maybe, with help... You won't need anymore experiments." Stuttering her response, Isaribi rubbed the back of her head.

Instead of responding with words, Amachi inhaled a dramatic breath of air, causing his chest to swell. Inspired by this deep gasp, Tayuya leapt across the room, pushing Isaribi behind a stone counter.

Unleashing a Senjutsu-filled barrage of silky bullets from his mouth, Amachi gagged on a mouthful of spiderwebs. Fueled by Senjutsu chakra, these projectiles effortlessly cut through solid stone.

Bombarding the floor and distant walls, these spider-like bullets tore through Amachi's work station. Dampened by sound of broken glass and sundered earth, Tayuya and Isaribi were cowering for safety.

Stuck behind an isolated counter, this small pillar of stone eventually crumbled under Amachi's barrage. But instead of continuing his assault, Amachi paused at the last moment, saving Tayuya and Isaribi.

"I thought you would betray me... So I found my own experiment..." Amachi declared, stepping out from the shadows.

Revealing a pair of six arms that jutted out from his torso, Amachi also had a monkey-like tail on his backside. Each of these odd protrusions created a distinct tear in Amachi's outfit, ripping the fabric.

Oozing fresh puddles of chakra-filled slime from his sweat glands, Amachi was defined by his toad-like eyes. Also, Amachi had a snake-like tongue, similar to Orochimaru or Sasuke.

"Myself." Speaking this single word with triumphant, Amachi grinned from ear-to-ear.

"By injecting myself with the blood of the Sage of Six Paths... I'll become to next sage!" Raising three arms towards the ceiling, Amachi basked in his own power.

Through his recent experiments, Amachi had transcended the boundary between shinobi and sage. Reaching a level of strength beyond Orochimaru, Amachi had obtained all six forms of Sage Mode.

A wicked, twisted and heinous off brand of their originally forms, this amalgamation of chakra was beyond Kage-level. Barely able to withstand such chaotic chakra, Amachi's skin bulged with each moment.

"That sounds nice, next time, ask me if I care." Tayuya spat out.

Crouched behind stone debris, Tayuya pulled her silver flute into view, pinning the metallic object against her lips. Straining to play her music, Tayuya was startled by several spiderwebs.

Clinging to the floor like a wet noodle, this array of thick webs completely enveloped each of Tayuya's shoes. Yanking her feet from these trapped sandals, Tayuya leapt over a silky strand.

Using one hand to flip over a pile of shattered glass, Tayuya narrowly dodged a handful of silky bullets. Twisting through the air, Tayuya gasped as Amachi appeared in front of her.

Swinging her flute out, Amachi quickly grabbed this silver weapon with three hands, throwing it against the wall. Breaking her metallic flute in half, Tayuya grunted as Amachi kicked her in the stomach.

Spewing droplets of spit against the floor, Tayuya was flung across the room, colliding with an iron cabinet. Denting the rusty door of this weathered cabinet, strands of loose hair were knocked in front of Tayuya's face.

Blowing the hair from her eyes, Tayuya hastily rolled across the ground, avoiding a harsh foot-stomp from Amachi. Gripping a handful of Tayuya's hair. Amachi pulled this young kunoichi closer.

"You're quite skilled... For a child." Amachi mocked his young opponent.

Forcing her chest to violently throb, Tayuya yanked her hair free, polluting the ground with strands of red hair. But instead of retreating, Tayuya swung her fist towards Amachi, easily caught by four hands.

Wrapping his monkey-like tail around Tayuya's ankle, Amachi slammed this kunoichi against a stone counter. Raising three hands into the air, Amachi was promptly interrupted by Isaribi, blocking his path.

"Ca-... Can we find my cure without experimenting on people?" Isaribi stuttered.

Met by a sinister grin from Amachi, this distorted shinobi reached out with two hands, grabbing Isaribi by her neck. Lifting Isaribi towards the ceiling, Amachi chuckled with delight, exposing his snake-like tongue.

"Cure? I never cared about your pathetic cure. I just needed more experiments." Amachi snarled.

"I only kept you around because you were useful, until now." Speaking with a demented tone, Amachi squeezed down on Isaribi's throat.

Grunting with passive interest, Amachi used two hands to catch an approaching chakra-rod. Utilizing his deformed senses of Senjutsu, Amachi dropped Isaribi before turning around.

Bombarded by an unseen force of gravity, Amachi dug all six arms into the earth, holding his ground. Carving a deep crevasse with the weight of his own body, Amachi refused to back down.

Ignoring the chunks of debris that flew past him, Amachi casually headbutted a piece of stone, shattering on impact. Brushing the dirt from his pale hair, Amachi soon stood up, standing in a rock-filled crater.

Squinting his toad-like eyes, Amachi became intently focused on the whiskered face of Naruto. Standing at the entrance of a distant stone door, Naruto's vibrant eyes deeply contrasted the dark room.

Releasing a sadistic smile, Amachi clapped both hands into the tiger seal, causing his cheeks to swell. Spewing a condensed stream of slime from his mouth, this green liquid was launched across the room.

Failing to hit his target, Amachi's skin began to convulse and writhe, magnified by pain-filled screams. Eventually, Amachi tore his shirt off, exposing an odd distortion of bubbling flesh.

Crushed under the weight of his own chakra, Amachi's entire body ruptured like a geyser of blood. Spraying crimson ooze across Isaribi and Tayuya, this bright liquid perfectly matched Tayuya's hair.

Shielded by an unseen wall, Naruto strolled in front of Amachi's bloated corpse, deformed and twisted. At the same time, Tayuya wiped the blood from her face before jumping to her feet.

Accidently landing on a pile of broken glass, Tayuya bit her own tongue instead of screaming. Clenching each of her fists, Tayuya internally shrieked in her mind, dramatically breathing through her nose.

"Do you need help?" Naruto cut in, offering a hand too Tayuya.

Scoffing in response, Tayuya brushed this hand away before walking towards the exit, ignoring the glass in her feet. Leaving a trail of bloody foot prints behind her, Tayuya acted like nothing was wrong.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

"Thank you, young man. Thank you so much." Suekoku cheered, standing in the Sage's Shrine.

Lowering the Sage of Six Paths back into his coffin, Naruto sealed this casket with an array of chakra-rods. Pinning this ancient wood in place, the Sage was finally put back to rest.

"With these rods, I'll notice if anyone tries to move him." Naruto explained.

Nodding in response, Suekoku displayed a wide smile, chuckling for almost a minute straight. However, this laughter was soon muffled by the sound of hammers striking wood.

Revealing a small construction crew, Suekoku was leading an effort to rebuild the Sage's Shrine. Laying ornate wood across the roof, the Sage's Shrine looked like a brand new building.

"With this, tourists will flock too our nation once again! You've saved us!" Suekoku beamed with joy.

"I didn't really do much... Tayuya and Isaribi deserve credit." Naruto remarked, rubbing the back of his head.

Glancing to the side, Naruto became focused on the distant silhouette of Tayuya, sitting on a wooden crate. Pulling a handful of bloody glass from her feet, Tayuya refused to accept any help.

"What about us?! It's not my fault we got lost!" Suigetsu cut in.

"Actually... It kinda is." Jūgo exclaimed, holding both arms in front of his chest.

Hiding the scales across her face and neck, Isaribi was standing behind Sugietsu, poking out over his left shoulder. Defined by her nervous tick, Isaribi twirled her fingers together.

"So... What happens now?" Isaribi mumbled.

"Well, you can always come with us. We're going to the Land of Waves." Hearing Naruto's words, Suigetsu wrinkled his pale nose.

"The Land of Waves? What's so special about that island?" Suigetsu murmured.

"Just a village... Some friends... A legendary Swordsmen of the Mist. That type of stuff." Naruto spoke out, forcing Suigetsu to hum with interest.

"A Swordsmen of the Mist, eh? That sounds pretty sweet." Speaking these words, Suigetsu wrapped one arm around Isaribi.

Ignoring this large group of friends, Tayuya pulled the last shards of glass from her feet. Promptly covered by a layer of hardened coral, Tayuya leapt up before putting her panda hat on.

"Bu-... But, are you sure? Most people don't like us." Isaribi muttered.

Enraged by these words, Tayuya stomped past Isaribi, shoving her to the ground with one hand. Also, Tayuya stepped on Suigetsu's foot, crushing it into a puddle of water.

"I can see why..." Spitting these words out, Tayuya ran outside, eager to leave.

Holding his damaged foot with both hands, Suigetsu's wound was quickly healed by rushing water. Helping Isaribi stand up, Suigetsu used one hand to brush the dirt from her outfit.

"Geez, what's her problem?" Suigetsu questioned.

Quietly clasping both hands in front of her small chest, Isaribi downcast her nervous face, staring at the floor. While this occurred, Suekoku was directing piles of lumber through the background.

"She hate's me, I know it... I said something that bothered her..." Isaribi whispered with a timid voice.

Shrugging his shoulders in response, Suigetso shook the water from his shoe before leaning against Naruto. Dramatically poking Naruto's face, Suigetsu was defined by his shark-tooth grin.

"Alright... We'll tag along, any excuse to find a new sword." Suigetsu groaned.

Dwarfed by the massive silhouette of Jūgo, Suekoku soon approached this small group of friends. Magnified by his ear-booming chuckle, Suekoku's bald spot glimmered like a jewel.

"I owe you a lot, travelers. We owe you." Suekoku proclaimed.

Encouraged by the distant screams of Tayuya, Naruto hastily nodded with agreement before running outside. Trailed by Jūgo, Suigetsu and Isaribi, these young teenagers were consumed by rays of the setting sun.

Naruto didn't know it, but he just gave Suekoku a forgotten gift from his childhood. He gave him hope, a valuable trait for anyone, especially an elderly fishermen.


	109. Chapter 109

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **A/N: A lot of references in this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 109: I'm Not Afraid! The Constraints Of Emotion.**

 _Monday 9:07am, July 26th 58SSP._

Resting her pale face against a soft pillow, Tayuya's red hair was sprawled against her petite body. Laying on her stomach, Tayuya waved each of her naked feet through the air, occasionally kicking her heels together.

Allowing the fabric of her Anbu robe to unravel, Tayuya's black shorts could be seen, clinging to her thighs. This brought attention to a distant chair, stacked towards the ceiling with a pile of hats.

Tayuya was quietly sulking inside of Koyuki's cabin, disturbed only by the constant sways of the ocean. Wrinkling her nose with boredom, Tayuya crossed both arms in front of her face, staring at the wall.

Focused on the broken outline of her silver flute, Tayuya's favored weapon was spread atop a nearby table. The damaged remnants from her battle with Amachi, Tayuya's flute was shattered into two pieces.

Staring at these cracked remains, Tayuya's brown eyes were partially obscured by several strands of red hair. This exposed the blank expression in her eyes, eyes that were usually filled with hatred.

Interrupting Tayuya's mind, the door to her cabin was suddenly opened by Naruto, holding a piece of paper. Closing the door behind him, Naruto scratched his whiskers before sitting down beside Tayuya.

"I'll get you more hats when we reach the Land of Waves. I should be able to finish your list by today." Naruto exclaimed.

Holding the scribbled list of Tayuya's demands, Naruto was met by an awkward silence. Usually, Tayuya would insult Naruto, or make a joke about him, but she was too distracted to care.

Following Tayuya's eyes, Naruto eventually noticed the broken silhouette of her flute, cracked in two. Standing up, Naruto approached this distant object before picking it up with both hands.

"You already broke your new flute? Well, I can help you fix it." Hearing Naruto's mumbled voice, Tayuya flew into a rage.

Leaning up off the bed, Tayuya slammed both fists against her mattress, snarling at Naruto. Tilting her neck to the side, Tayuya was briefly blinded by crimson hair, hiding her entire face from view.

Unleashing a hostile gust of wind from her mouth, Tayuya blew this hair to the side, revealing her narrow eyes. Crouched on both knees atop her soft mattress, Tayuya bared her rabid teeth at Naruto.

"I don't need your help! I can fix it all by myself! I just don't want too!" Tayuya snapped.

Throwing her only pillow against Naruto's face, Tayuya scowled before dramatically falling on the bed. Stretched across her mattress like a limp kitten, Tayuya was defined by her growling face.

Responding with a whiskered-filled smile, Naruto rummaged through Tayuya's flute. Unscrewing one of the disjointed sections, a glimmering razorblade fell atop his foot.

Startled by this revelation, Tayuya leapt to her feet before charging forward, shoving Naruto to the ground. Snagging her razorblade with one hand, Tayuya concealed this sharp edge under her sleeve.

"What did I do?!" Naruto stuttered, quickly met by a barrage of fluffy hats, pelted against his face.

"Mind your own business! I don't need your help!" Tayuya shrieked.

Straining to speak, a fluffy-eared bear hat was lodged into Naruto's throat, forcing him to visibly gag. Continuing her relentless bombardment, Tayuya buried Naruto under a pile of hats.

Sighing with a breath of relief, Tayuya hid her razorblade inside a nearby satchel, tucked behind her bed. Pulled from this moment of suspense, Naruto's head poked out from Tayuya's pile of clothes.

Ignoring Naruto's cute face, Tayuya strolled in front of a distant table, sitting down on a wooden bench. Combing one hand through her crimson hair, Tayuya littered the floor with loose strands.

"Hey, Tayuya?" Naruto mumbled, completely buried to his neck.

Inspired by Naruto's voice, Tayuya rolled each of her brown eyes before glancing outside. Twirling a handful of hair between two fingers, Tayuya was distracted by her own thoughts.

"Why do you carry a razorblade?" Caught off guard by Naruto's question, Tayuya stuttered in response.

"I don't know." Speaking with a casual tone, Tayuya bit her nails.

Crossing both legs atop the wooden bench, Tayuya slouched her back while hiding her face. Staring at the floor for several moments, Tayuya tapped the table with a nervous tick.

"It's just weird, ya'know? You're the last person I would expect to carry that stuff around." Scratching his nose, Naruto glared at Tayuya's back.

"That's why I keep it hidden, so no bothers me about it." Tayuya spat out.

Holding her chin with one hand, Tayuya couldn't stop biting her nails, a distinct sound that polluted the room. Pierced only by Tayuya's nervous tapping, this red-haired kunoichi was breathing through her nose.

"That doesn't make any sense... Why go through the trouble of hiding it?" Naruto tilted his head to the side.

Stomping onto both feet, Tayuya promptly kicked her wooden bench to the floor, punching the nearby table. Grabbing another handful of hats, Tayuya hurled these fuzzy objects at Naruto, bouncing off his face.

"Because I said so! I can handle it by myself!" Tayuya seared with rage.

Charging forward, Tayuya abruptly tackled Naruto to the floor, created an explosion of fluffy hats. Wrestling under this rainfall of garments, Tayuya pinned Naruto in place, scoffing with triumphant.

Allowing strands of red hair to drape across Naruto's face, Tayuya held each of his hands against the floor. Distracted by her own laughter, Tayuya didn't even notice how close she was to Naruto.

"Please, tell me why you have it." Naruto cut in, robbing Tayuya of her joy.

Leaping off Naruto's lap, Tayuya sprang to her feet, crossing both arms in front of her chest. Shoving her foot against Naruto's stomach, Tayuya earned an audible groan in reply.

"I said no! I don't need any help! I've always done this by myself!" Tayuya shouted at full volume.

"Even if it doesn't help you... I think it will help me." Rubbing his stomach, Naruto struggled to speak under Tayuya's foot.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Tayuya sighed after hearing Naruto's voice, lowering her pale face. Obscured by various strands of red hair, Tayuya released a hostile snort from her nose.

"I keep it incase I lose all my other weapons. Incase I need a way out..." Slurring her sentence, Tayuya couldn't look Naruto in his eyes.

Staggering backwards against a rustic shelf, Tayuya was caught in a moment of panic. Searching for the right words to say, she bit her own lip out of frustration.

"A way out? Out of what? I thought you were happy?" Muttering this statement, Naruto leaned up off the floor.

Flinging her arm through the air, Tayuya swept a shelf-full of books and vases to the floor. Magnified by a sparkling eruption of glass shards, these shattered remains were flung across the room.

"That's because you don't understand me! No one does!" Shrieking with anger, Tayuya didn't even acknowledge the glass in her feet.

"I don't care what you say, you're a little kid! I'm an adult! You'd never understand!" Grinding her teeth together, Tayuya grabbed the collar of Naruto's outfit.

Panting a breath of rage, this gust of air forced Naruto's whiskers to rustle. Looming over Naruto, Tayuya was defined by her waist-length red hair, clinging to her static-filled outfit.

"I could try." Whispering his reply, Naruto was dropped to the floor.

"Whatever... Sometimes, I just feel like everything is too much trouble." Tayuya spoke with a solemn tone, staring at her feet.

"If I carry that blade around, If I know there's a way out... It helps." Rubbing the side of her arm, Tayuya glanced at a distant wall.

"I thought you didn't need help? Naruto murmured under his breath.

Met by a rabid snarl from Tayuya, this red-haired kunoichi hurled a bundle of hats at Naruto's face. Stomping her foot against the floor, Tayuya's flat chest swelled with each breath.

"I don't! That's why I keep it hidden!" Tayuya snapped.

"But why are you so unhappy? You have so many hats." Naruto exclaimed.

"Because I'm tired of you helping me! I can do everything by myself! I always have!" Shouting her words, Tayuya was fuming.

Disturbed by the constant swaying of Koyuki's ship, Tayuya gripped her tiny waist with both hands. Undaunted by her small size, Tayuya was enthralled with rage, the only emotion she understood.

"I don't need anyone! I don't rely on anybody! I grew up faster then anyone else!" Twitching as she spoke, Tayuya narrowed her brown eyes.

Instead of waiting for a response, Tayuya gripped her table before flipping it over. Spreading half-eaten food across a mixture of shattered glass, Tayuya clenched each of her fists.

Crawling onto one foot, Naruto propped himself up against a wooden chair, exposing his violet eyes. Inspired by his vibrant Rinnegan, Tayuya's chest became flustered, reaching out with both arms.

Wrapping her hands around Naruto's throat, Tayuya's face was possessed by a sadistic expression. Tightening her grip with each second, Naruto didn't even react to Tayuya's strange display.

Tayuya didn't want help, she didn't want to rely on other people, because she's never had anyone else. An orphan for as long as she could remember, Tayuya never had a childhood.

Concepts like trust or love were completely foreign to Tayuya, she never had time to develop them. The only pride Tayuya had was her skill as a kunoichi, but that was just a swallow wall.

Struggling to squeeze the life out of Naruto, Tayuya couldn't stop her hands from trembling. This constant twitch eventually spread to her legs, barely able to stand with a downcast face.

"You can never understand me... Because I don't understand myself." Mumbling under her breath, Tayuya's arms fell limp, but she continued to grip Naruto's throat.

"I thought life was supposed to be easy, fun... I wanted a world without pain, without regret." Sliding to the floor, Tayuya buried her face against Naruto's stomach.

Pulling the loose fabric on Naruto's outfit, Tayuya's trembling hands yanked his attire. Shaking both shoulders with an eradicate twitch, Tayuya felt like a helpless child.

"No body ever wanted me. So I hope they all die." Spitting these words out, Tayuya was muffled by Naruto's stomach.

Filled with the familiar emotion of rage, Tayuya's trembling abruptly stopped, replaced by a searing hatred. Tayuya didn't just hate the world, she also hated herself, and everyone else.

Digging her nails against Naruto, Tayuya's hatred grew more profound with each moment, grinding her teeth. Overwhelmed by repressed emotions, Tayuya couldn't feel the glass in her feet.

"Then why did we kiss?" Naruto asked with a hushed tone, but Tayuya didn't hear him.

"No body cares if I exist. So they can all die." Groaning against Naruto's stomach, Tayuya's eyes glimmered with a red aura.

Grinding her teeth with such force, Tayuya's mouth began to bleed, dripping streams of blood from her lips. Wiping this crimson liquid across Naruto, Tayuya stained his black robe.

"Then why are you holding me?" Naruto spoke out, but Tayuya ignored him.

"My life will never get better. I should just die." Panting without end, Tayuya could taste the blood in her mouth.

Without warning, Tayuya's burst of hatred was dampened by her own thoughts, clawing the fabric of Naruto's outfit. Tayuya developed an odd addiction for Naruto, a habit from their time together.

Tayuya didn't want to rely on Naruto or ask him for help, but she just couldn't push him away. And that's because Tayuya didn't want Naruto to leave, she wanted to stay with him.

"Then why are you here?" Brushing one hand through Tayuya's hair, Naruto caressed her like a child.

Finally roused from her mind, Tayuya pulled her face from Naruto's stomach, glancing up at his violet eyes. Strangely, Tayuya's eyes were engulfed by a tint of red, matching her hair.

"Is it... Is it okay for me to be here?" Barely able to speak, Tayuya reached for Naruto.

Focused on Naruto's face, the same face that casually shot her several days ago, Tayuya's hand instantly froze. Hovering mere inches away from Naruto's face, Tayuya recoiled backwards, crawling across the floor.

"No! No! You betrayed me! You betrayed my feelings!" Shrieking with insanity, Tayuya ran out of the room.

Shoving the door open, Tayuya dashed through a wooden hallway, stumbling upon Isaribi and Karin. Pushing these girls to the floor, Tayuya charged upstairs, reaching the mist-covered deck of Koyuki's ship.

Blinded by faint rays of sunlight, Tayuya raised both arms in front of her pale face, obscuring her discolored eyes. At the same time, the distinct sound of seagulls could be heard, polluting the air.

Straining to open her eyes, Tayuya noticed that Koyuki's ship was engulfed in a dense layer of mist. Climbing a wooden sail, Tayuya eventually pierced this thick fog, allowing her crimson hair to sparkle.

Gasping with shock, Tayuya gazed upon the Land of Waves, encompassed by a constant flow of trading ships. A minor nation, the Land of Waves had seen much change over the past two months, and even more to come.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

"Oh boy, I'm so excited... What do we do?" Paku exclaimed, clapping both hands together.

"Don't ask me, I've never been here." Kahyō muttered in response.

Each of these Yuki clan members were standing in the freshly constructed ports of Kai. Naming their new capital city after Kaiza himself, the Land of Waves paid homage to their ancient protector.

But more than just a new city, the Land of Waves was now stocked with a fully-realized shinobi village. Organized by Zabuza Momochi, this legendary shinobi found a place for himself in this distant land.

Claiming the title of 1st Namikage, Zabuza established himself as the protector of Kai. Shrouding the entire village in a constant mist, Zabuza enjoyed his status as an elite and high ranking shinobi.

"Don't worry, I know who we're looking for." Naruto cut in, standing beside Paku.

Dispersed by a running group of young academy students, these shinobi-in-training all wore a paper Naruto mask. Trailed by a single kid, wearing a Gato mask, these playful children ran through the crowded docks.

"Get back here! You're cutting class!" A familiar yet odd voice could be heard.

Accidently charging against Naruto, the youthful silhouette of Inari was knocked on his backside. Groaning under his breath, Inari prepared to insult his strange opponent, before recognizing Naruto's whiskers.

"Big bro!" Leaping to his feet, Inari wrapped both arms around Naruto, barely reaching his chest.

Still just a child, Inari had evolved from fishermen to shinobi, a cadet at the Naruto Academy. Boasting the lowest grades in his class, Inari had taken a great deal of inspiration from Naruto.

Defined by black eyes and his spiky black hair, Inari's skin was sunbaked from constant exposure to the sea. But, Inari still wore his white and blue-striped bucket hat, a gift from Kaiza.

Matching his hat, Inari wore an ankle-length jumpsuit with blue-tinted camouflage, blending in with nearby mist. Also, Inari wore the swirled headband of Kai around his neck, designed by Naruto.

Similar to his jumpsuit, Inari wore a pair of blue-tinted shinobi shoes, contrasting his black wrist-guards. Finally, Inari had various satchels strapped against the back of his waist.

"Who's cutting class?" Naruto mumbled, earning a casual handwave from Inari.

"Don't worry about them. If they stay gone for too long, Haku will track them down. And scar them for life." Inari spoke with experience.

Interrupting this conversation, Paku instantly grabbed Inari by the waist before violating his personal space. Shocked by this display, Inari was left speechless by Paku, creating a deep blush across his young face.

"Haku?! Where?! Where!" Paku pleaded, shoving her face against Inari's.

Stuttering a timid reply, Inari pointed down the road, forcing Paku to evaporate into a gust of snowflakes. Screaming a complaint through the frigid air, Kahyō charged after Paku, disappearing from sight.

"That was actually pretty cool... I want to do that." Inari admitted, scratching the side of his neck.

"But anyway, what brings you back so soon?" Speaking with a friendly tone, Inari crossed both arms in front of his chest.

Since Naruto's previous adventure over two months ago, the Land of Waves had enjoyed unprecedented wealth. Gifted with security, commerce and food, the Land of Waves was unshackled from their ancient plight.

"Haku, actually. I owe Princess Koyuki for her ship, and she wants to be on good terms with your nation." Naruto exclaimed.

Releasing an ear-grinning scoff in reply, Inari raised an iconic thumbs up towards Naruto. Grabbing Naruto by his wrist, Inari led this blond-haired shinobi through the streets of Kai.

"Looks like you gotta talk to my step-dad!" Inari chuckled with joy, running through a crowd.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"Uuuh." The stern voice of Zabuza Momochi could be heard.

Rubbing the bridge of his mask-covered nose, Zabuza was adorned in the ankle-length attire of a Kage. Basked in a pale tone of blue, Zabuza's Kage hat was draped against the back of his neck.

Rubbing one hand through his spiky black hair, Zabuza was seated in front of an ornate desk. Positioned inside the center of a stone citadel, constructed by Tazuna himself.

Exposing the sharpened outline of his legendary Kubikiribōchō, this sacred blade was propped against Zabuza's desk. Surrounded by endless stacks of paperwork, Zabuza's mind was completely fried.

Suddenly, the door to Zabuza's office was kicked open before Suigetsu charged into view. Lunging across the room, Suigetsu was defined by his shark-tooth grin, jutting out from his lip.

"Zabuza Momochi! I challenge you for your blade!" Suigetsu chuckled with delight, leaping forward.

Caught at the last moment by Naruto, Suigetsu dragged his feet across Zabuza's desk, struggling to reach him. Yipping like a young dog, Suigetsu drooled at the sight of Kubikiribōchō, a legendary blade.

"We're here for help, not a fight." Naruto muttered, earning a depressed sigh in response.

Standing up from his desk, Zabuza towered over Suigetsu, forcing the white-haired shinobi to swallow a wad of spit. Falling to the floor, Suigetsu crawled behind Naruto, hiding from view.

"Well, the runt is all grown up." Zabuza spoke out, strolling around his desk.

Looming over Naruto, Zabuza crossed both arms in front of his muscular chest, lowering his face. Gazing directly into Naruto's eyes, Zabuza could sense the weight of chakra that filled them.

"I sure am!" Inari cut in, jumping atop Zabuza's desk.

Using this wooden base to increase his height, Inari stood taller than everyone else in the room. Enjoying this prestige for several moments, Inari was soon pushed to the floor by Zabuza.

"Ignore my step-son... He can be a handful." Zabuza sighed.

"Fat chance! I'm the only reason you and mom got together! We both thought you were a monster!" Inari protested.

A side-affect for his new found affection, Zabuza was almost a completely different person. He was married man, he was father and he was a Kage, but above all, he was still an elite swordsmen.

"I actually brought some shinobi with me, to help out with your village." Naruto explained, met by an inquisitive eyebrow.

"The Yuki clan up north heard about Haku, and they wanted to reach out. So they sent some supplies." Going over these stages of events, Zabuza groaned with approval.

Walking towards the distant door, Zabuza encouraged everyone to follow, strolling into a stone hallway. Shuffling through this narrow passage, everyone trailed behind the 1st Namikage.

"That gives me an excuse to get away from the paperwork... Before Haku gets back." Zabuza breathed a sigh of relief.

"What should we do, boss? It took Naruto over two weeks to get here!" Inari interrupted, poking his head over Zabuza's shoulder.

Gripping his mask-covered chin with one hand, Zabuza didn't even react as Inari clung to him. Humming under his breath, Zabuza soon approached the front door of his office, stepping outside.

"Take the rest of the day off." Zabuza declared.

"You and your friends can stay at my place, it's the least I can do." Speaking with sincerity, Zabuza snapped his own neck before walking down the street.

Grabbing Suigetsu and Naruto with one hand, Inari dragged these shinobi through a large crowd. Rushing to the docks at full speed, Inari was already planning a sleepover.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

"You're insane! You're completely out of your mind!" Inari shrieked, stomping his foot against the ground.

Standing in front of Karin, these arguing figures were positioned in a large aisle of DvD's. Leaning closer with each word, the entire store listened to their argument.

"If you seriously think Count Kunoichi is a better movie than Shinobi Zombie 7, I can't even talk to you." Shrugging both shoulders, Inari rolled his eyes.

Shaking her face from side-to-side in protest, Karin held both arms against her small chest. Pushing her glasses up with one hand, Karin glared at Inari with a condescending expression.

"The characters are so well-written in Count Kunoichi, and the author knows how to break the fourth wall at just the right moment." Karin proclaimed.

Throwing his hat to the floor, Inari shouted at the top of his lungs, forcing the store to fall silent. Shoving his nose against Karin's, this was the closet Inari had ever been to a girl.

"Breaking the fourth wall?! I hate that! It ruins immersion!" Inari complained.

"Says you! You're just an expository plot device our author uses to show progression!" Karin snapped.

Dispersing this conversation with a hostile snort, Tayuya stomped into view. Adorned with her fuzzy panda hat, this smiling fabric deeply contrasted the frown on her face.

"You're both a bunch of losers... Pick your lame movie and let's go already." Tayuya complained.

Walking through the background, Gaara, Suigetsu and Jūgo each held a stack of DvD's. As this occurred, Isaribi anxiously twirled her fingers together, using fresh bandages to hide her scales.

"What about this one? It's my favorite horror movie." Naruto intervened, holding a DvD box with both hands.

Squealing like a school girl, Inari and Karin both jumped for joy after seeing Naruto's decision. This flamboyant display also garnished the attention of Tayuya, struggling to look at Naruto.

"Swamp Ninja?! Yes!" Inari and Karin screamed in unison.

Grabbing this DvD and charging to the front counter, Suigetsu, Gaara and Jūgo were all gathered by Karin. Ignoring these words, Tayuya downcast her face, concealing her red-tinted eyes.

"A nice horror movie sounds fun, right? That sound help?" Naruto spoke out, leaning in front of Tayuya.

Inspired by Naruto's voice, Tayuya grinded her teeth together before brushing him to the side. Running to the front of the store, Tayuya was trying to forget the entire day.

* * *

 _Three hours later._

"No! No! Don't go in there! Don't do it!" Karin screamed at a big-screen TV.

Crouched atop a fluffy carpet on the floor, Karin didn't even notice as Inari checked out her butt. Scratching the bridge of his nose, Inari's face was polluted with a faint blush.

Sprawled across the nearby floor, Jūgo, Suigetsu, Gaara and Naruto were enthralled with the spooky movie. Also, Isaribi and Tayuya were stretched out on a nearby couch, watching from a distant.

Despite the twisted experiences of their youth, everyone in the room was horrified by the Swamp Ninja. Illuminated by distorted beams from the TV, everyone in the room was sprawled in flickering lights

Defined by a continuous scream for help, the sound of bubbling ooze polluted the room. Magnified by an eerie black screen, Isaribi crawled behind the couch, looking for safety.

Amidst this moment of horror, Tayuya was shaking with anxiety, pinning both knees against her chest. Hiding her bundled array of emotions, Tayuya pinned both hands across her nervous face.

Pierced only by the sound of rainfall, bombarding the roof of Zabuza's house, Tayuya's feet began to tremble. Roused by a pillow against her head, Tayuya glanced up, gazing at Karin's smug face.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid? Little girl." Karin teased, giggling with delight.

Swelled with a sudden rush of rage, Tayuya leap off the couch, tackling Karin against the wooden floor. Rolling in place for several minutes, these wrestling kunoichi forced Gaara, Jūgo and Suigetsu to move.

"No I'm not! I'm not afraid!" Tayuya shrieked with a rabid tone.

Slamming Karin's skull against the floor, Zabuza's TV lost all power, replaced by a loud screen of static. This harsh sound hastily disrupted the wrestling kunoichi, followed by an eerie silence.

"I'll check the power. It's probably because of the storm." Inari proclaimed.

Standing up, Inari rushed towards a nearby lamp before flicking it on, but nothing happened. Grabbed his chin with an inquisitive hum, Inari tried to open a window, but it wouldn't budge.

"That's weird... I open this all the time." Talking to himself, Inari investigated the entire house.

Startled by a sudden strike of thunder, Tayuya accidently hid behind Naruto, before pushing him away in anger. Concealing her face behind both knees, Tayuya couldn't stop herself from shaking.

Poking her head over Tayuya's shoulder, Isaribi glanced from side-to-side, shaking with fear. Adjusting her glasses with one hand, Karin released a confident snort from her nose.

"Don't worry, everyone. I'm sure Tayuya knows exactly what to do." Teasing her rival, Karin displayed a wide smile.

Instead of responding with words, Tayuya gripped her twitching head with both hands, biting her own tongue. Dragging a pair of nails across her skull, Tayuya's downcast eyes became blood red.

"I can't get outside! All the doors and windows are locked!" Inari panicked, running in front of the TV.

Without warning, the entire house was polluted by a blood-boiling scream, causing Isaribi and Karin to hug. At the same time, Suigetsu, Jūgo and Gaara leapt to their feet, filled with confusion.

"Was-... Was that from the movie?" Naruto asked.

"Yea. But that doesn't make any sense, the movie is right here." Suigetsu remarked, holding the DvD box with one hand.

Seeping through walls of wood, a hazy mist shrouded Zabuza's living room, earning an accusatory glare from Inari. Sinking deeper into her crouch, Tayuya didn't even acknowledge this approaching mist.

"Oh no! It's just like that movie! Witch Samurai!" Karin panicked.

"Everybody! Run upstairs!" Inari pleaded, escorting his guests to the stairway.

Pulling Tayuya's trembling hand, Naruto dragged her upstairs, rupturing out from a thick fog on the floor. Barricading the stairway behind him, Inari rushed to a nearby window, but it wouldn't open.

Groaning with interest, Jūgo reached out before punching a hole through Zabuza's window. Yanking his arm free, Jūgo gasped as the window instantly healed itself, engulfed by red chakra.

Panting for air, Tayuya jerked her hand from Naruto, sliding onto both knees while staring at the floor. Running through the background like a headless chicken, Karin squealed with concern.

"Oh no! This is bad! I'm the comedic side character! That means I go first!" Karin exclaimed.

"And you two! You're the cute romantic side couple! So you're next!" Pointing at Isaribi and Suigetsu, Karin's chattering jaw hit the floor.

"Calm down... I'm sure Zabuza is just messing with us." Naruto muttered an excuse.

Jolted by an abrupt boom of thunder, Isaribi jumped into Suigetsu's arms, twirling her fingers together. Inspired by her own fear, Karin also leapt into Suigetsu's arms, knocking him to the floor.

Suddenly, the wooden ground morphed into a bubbling pool of slime-covered swamp water. Rushing to aid their friends, Naruto, Jūgo and Gaara all struggled to pull them loose.

Forcing his violet eyes to bugle, even Naruto's Rinnegan couldn't overwhelm this dense liquid. Grasping Karin's arm with both hands, Naruto's feet were stained with swamp water.

"See?! See! I told you! Comedy goes first!" Karin squealed, pulled below the murky water.

Followed by Suigetsu and Isaribi, this band of friends were completely swallowed by the floor. Reverting back to a wooden surface, the previous puddle of water vanished from sight.

Distracted by her own meltdown, Tayuya twitched as Naruto combed one hand through her hair. Pushing him away, Tayuya leapt to her feet, rubbing both eyes with her trembling hand.

"Are you okay? You've been acting weird all day." Naruto mumbled, earning a viscous elbow-jab to his stomach.

"I'm fine! Everything's fine! Fine, fine, fine!" Tayuya spat her reply.

Catching of glimpse of Tayuya's blood red eyes, Naruto's mouth fell open, murmuring under his breath. Walking away from Naruto, Tayuya raised one hand towards the ceiling.

"Listen up, losers! I'm in command now! Because I'm the only person who isn't afraid!" Causing her chest to swell with each word, Tayuya could barely speak.

"That's it! I know why this is happening! It's because of Is-..." Cut off midsentence, Naruto was interrupted by the sound of broken glass.

Spewing out from the distant window, streams of murky swamp water reached inside the room. Contorting around his body, this water gripped Naruto before dragging him through the air.

Rushing to Naruto's defense, Jūgo, Gaara and Inari tried to free him, but the water was too strong. Traumatized by this sudden appearance, Tayuya staggered against a wall, panting for air.

Yanked outside, the broken window was instantly repaired by red chakra, stealing Naruto from his friends. Striking the glass with streams of sand, even Gaara couldn't break outside.

The storm was so intense that it blotted out the sun, shrouding the Land of Waves with a foreboding darkness. Engulfed by a swirling vortex of thick mist, Zabuza's house was isolated from society.

Enthralled with rage, Jūgo punched a massive hole through the wooden wall, quickly healed by strange chakra. Flipping a table over with contempt, Jūgo could barely control his frustration.

"Does anyone know what he was gonna say?" Gaara spoke out.

Met with a booming chorus of thunder, Inari, Jūgo and Tayuya all shook their heads in response. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Gaara was already anxious about the long night ahead.

* * *

 _Five minutes later._

"If we can't get outside, we can still turn on the circuit breaker." Inari explained, standing in front of a small vent.

"This airduct leads to the basement, when we get there. We get power back to the house." Unscrewing the vent, Inari detailed his plan.

Looming in the background, Jūgo, Tayuya and Gaara all stood over this small child. Standing like a giant, Jūgo's face was infected by hesitation, looking at the small vent.

"I can't fit in there..." Muttering his words, Jūgo scratched the back of his head.

Scoffing in reply, Tayuya crawled into this narrow vent, using her petite body to wiggle down the shaft. Trailed by Inari, Gaara dropped his gourd of sand before shuffling inside.

Shoving both arms ahead of him, Jūgo dented the entire vent on entry, crushing the fragile metal with ease. Submerging his head and shoulders, Jūgo's legs were soon concealed from view.

"This is pretty tight, even for me." Tayuya blurted out.

"It's the best our village can afford! Don't mess it up too bad! Or my step-dad will kill me." Inari cut in.

Shifting through narrow passages and corridors, this group of friends crawled for what felt like hours. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tayuya was interrupted by the distinct sound of skittering paws.

Rupturing out like a tidal wave of black fur, hundreds of red-eyed rats scurried through the vent. Swarming Jūgo, Inari, Gaara and Tayuya, these frantic shinobi cried out in panic.

Puncturing the vent with a single punch, Jūgo forced the ceiling to collapse, knocking his friends to the floor. Landing in Zabuza's kitchen, Gaara, Inari and Tayuya were surrounded by thick mist.

Rescued from their previous predicament, Jūgo completely vanished from sight, consumed by rats. Leaving each of his friends with an odd sense of desperation.

Stuck in a hostile environment, Inari knew that something was terribly wrong.


	110. Chapter 110

**The Pantheon of Nine**

 **By: Finn Mertenz**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

 **Chapter 110: I Want To Be Alone! The Burden Of Repression.**

 _Monday 1:37pm, July 26th 58SSP._

Sneaking through a mist-infected hallway, Inari, Tayuya and Gaara tip-toed through Zabuza's house. Opening a wooden door, Inari exposed a stone staircase, leading to his underground basement.

"In and out, real quick." Inari proclaimed, rushing downstairs.

Followed by Tayuya and Gaara, these teenagers could barely see anything in the dark room. Tripping over a rusty bucket, Inari faceplanted the concrete floor, squealing like a girl.

Surrounded by half-stacked piles of dirty laundry, Inari's basement was lavished with a washing machine. Pulling his face from the floor, Inari rubbed his sore nose with both hands.

Rushing towards the nearby wall, Inari flipped the switch on his circuit breaker, but nothing happened. Distilled with dread, Inari repetitively flipped this switch, yanking it on and off.

"What's wrong?! The power should be on now!" Looking over his shoulder, Inari pleaded for help.

Cracking an underground window, the basement was abruptly flooded by murky swamp water. Soaking her ankles with thick slug, Tayuya ran up stairs, quickly trailed by Gaara.

Approaching the exit, Inari screamed for help, inspiring Gaara to turn around but Tayuya didn't even hear him. Creating grey sand from crushed stone, Gaara reached out before pulling Inari to safety.

Throwing Inari upstairs, Gaara was yanked below the water, littered with moss and clumps of algae. Slamming the basement door behind her, Tayuya and Inari both panted in unison.

"We have to get out of here! We need help!" Jumping to his feet, Inari brushed the moss from his outfit.

Defined by her blood red eyes, Tayuya gripped the collar of Inari's jumpsuit, slamming him against the wall. Baring her rabid teeth, Tayuya's eyes forced Inari to swallow a wad of spit.

"Stop saying that! I don't need help! I can do handle this all on my own!" Tayuya shrieked.

"I'll never rely on anybody! I can live all by myself! I don't need anyone!" Dropping Inari to the floor, Tayuya turned around.

Oblivious to the traumatized twitch in Inari's black eyes, Tayuya walked down a narrow hallway. Clenching both fists, Tayuya's legs wouldn't stop shaking, straining to stand.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up." Glancing over her shoulder, Tayuya glared at Inari.

But instead of finding the young boy, Tayuya quickly realized that she was isolated in the hallway. Standing by herself, with no friends or family to hold, Tayuya cowered against a iron cabinet.

Startled by a stomach-churning scream, Tayuya blindly ran through the hallway, running from her own emotions. Eventually, these screams morphed into a chorus of laughing children, mocking Tayuya.

Pinning both hands against her ears, Tayuya tried to ignore these voices, but they infected her mind. Crawling under the kitchen table, Tayuya curled up like a baby, shrouding her face with both arms.

Standing in front of Tayuya, a young six year old girl phased into sight, engulfed by an aura of red. Holding the beheaded remains of a poorly-stitched teddy bear, this girl was defined by bloody eyes.

"Tayuya? Tayuya? I'm sorry about your stuffed animal..." The innocent voice of Kuoyuki spoke out.

Revealing her bright green hair, Kuoyuki was the only child that acknowledged Tayuya in her youth. However, over time, even Kuoyuki began to mock and belittle Tayuya, a homeless orphan.

"Tayuya? Do you remember me?" Reaching out, Kuoyuki's voice became distorted.

Swatting one hand in reply, Tayuya brushed Kuoyuki away, knocking her beheaded teddy bear to the floor. Trembling without pause, Tayuya didn't even notice the twisted expression on Kuoyuki's face.

"Get away from me! I want to be alone!" Tayuya screamed, shouting the same words from her childhood.

Jolted by an abrupt shift in tone, Kuoyuki released a cheerful, child-like laughter, choking the mist-filled air. But this giggle soon evolved into a horrific groan, scarring Tayuya's ears.

 **"But, you are alone."** A demonic voice polluted Tayuya's broken mind.

Clawing streaks of blood across her face, Tayuya howled with horror, beating her skull against the floor. Unable to move, Tayuya was slouched on her trembling knees, as pale as a corpse.

"I'm not afraid... I'm not afraid... I'm not afraid..." Tayuya muttered with twitching eyes.

Encouraged by Tayuya's rejection, the voices in her mind grew more chaotic with each second. At war with her own psyche, Tayuya felt like her brain was going to explode.

Recoiled by repressed memories from her childhood, Tayuya began to cry for the first time in ten years. Her tough exterior had finally crumbled away, revealing the lonely child inside.

 _-Flashback-_

"It's okay, dear. We have all trouble expressing ourselves." The tranquil voice of a 25 year old woman could be heard.

Adorned with tan skin and auburn brown eyes, this woman was defined by her shoulder-length red hair. Wearing an ankle-length black kimono, tattered with holes, this woman was comforting her child.

"But, I don't like it... I don't want to express myself." A timid Tayuya mumbled in response.

A memory too deep for her own good, this was an ancient event from Tayuya's childhood. A moment so horrific that she buried it under the disguise of hatred, acting like it never happened.

A 4 year old child, Tayuya was dressed in dirt-covered black shorts, matching her torn shirt. Stained with mud and scoffs of dust, Tayuya's brightest quality was her crimson hair, covering both ears.

Receiving a gentle pat from her mother, Tayuya stared at the floor without pause, ignoring the piles of trash. A poor family living in a poor village, Tayuya's family barely scraped by from day-to-day.

"I know, dear, that's because you're an Uzumaki... We have trouble with our emotions." Gripping her daughters chin, the face of Sutako released a radiant smile.

Using her sleeve to wipe the dirt from Tayuya's face, Sutako displayed great pride and love for her daughter. Grooming Tayuya for a joyful future, this mom was interrupted by the nearby door.

Sweating beads of alcohol with his neck and brow, Tayuya's dad stumbled inside the disgusting house. Revealing his brown shirt and hole-covered pants, Tayuya's dad spilled sake across the floor.

"Roku! I've told you a thousand times! Don't drink that stuff in front of your daughter!" Sutako shrieked, holding Tayuya behind her.

Crawling over his own feet, Roku unleashed a bellowing chuckle from his large stomach. Defined by a glimmering bald spot, Roku's most prominent feature was his waist-length red beard.

"But that's just it, baby! I've finally found a way for us to move up!" Panting a breath of alcohol, Roku stumbled in front of his wife.

Grabbing Sutako with both hands, Roku kicked Tayuya in her stomach, knocking her to the floor. Struggling to protest, Sutako was backhanded by Roku, spewing drops of sake across her face.

"We can sell it! I found a nice underground market that pays good Ryo. If we sell her while she's still young, they pay extra." Violently shaking his wife, Roku cheered with delight.

Slapping her husband, Sutako was promptly shoved against a wooden table, breaking the cheap surface. Wiping the fresh tears from her face, Tayuya was sniffling in the background.

"We're not selling her! She's our daughter! She's deserves a good home!" Sutako pleaded.

"That's why I'm doing this! For her! For us!" Leaking sake from his mouth, Roku slurred his words.

Watching her parents scream and argue without end, Tayuya hid her face as Roku beat her mom. Enthralled by the painful groans of her mother, Tayuya eventually cried.

Grabbing a rust-covered lamp, Tayuya flung this flame-filled object against her father's skull. Knocked unconscious, Roku spilled his sake in all directions, igniting an explosive mixture of flames.

Polluting Tayuya's house with a cloud of smoke, this young girl crossed both arms in front of her eyes. Straining to see, Tayuya didn't even notice as the ceiling collapsed above her.

Moving with maternal instinct, Sutako hastily pushed her daughter to the side, taking Tayuya's place. Crushed by a beam of rotten wood, Sutako was pinned against the floor, surrounded by a fiery blaze.

"Mom! Mom!" Coughing her words, Tayuya's face was obscured by smoke.

Yanking on the wooden pillar with both hands, Tayuya was too small to help, she was just a young child. Leaking tears from her face, Tayuya struggled in vain, gagging on smoke.

"Mom! Mom, I'm afraid!" Sniffling with each word, Sutako wiped the tears from Tayuya's face.

Undaunted by the sweltering heat around her, Sutako gently caressed her daughter. Combing one hand through Tayuya's crimson hair, Sutako kissed her daughter's forehead.

"That's fine, dear. You're going to be afraid, you just need to find someone who makes you happy." Whispering these words, Sutako embraced Tayuya with both arms.

"Now go, my sweet baby. Go find someone who makes you happy." Pushing her daughter to safety, Sutako was consumed by the falling roof.

Scarred by a barrage of flickering embers against her young face, Tayuya's eyes widened in horror. A moment that traumatized her entire childhood, Tayuya constantly buried this memory, until now.

 _-Flashback ends-_

"No! Don't make me think about that! I'd rather die!" Tayuya pleaded, screaming at her own demons.

Holding her tear-filled eyes with both hands, Tayuya was slouched atop a wooden floor. Twitching without control, Tayuya's static-filled hair clung to her Anbu robe.

Distracted by her thoughts, Tayuya didn't even acknowledge the fiery blaze throughout Zabuza's house. Transforming the previous mist into smoke, Tayuya was hidden under a kitchen table.

Briefly protected from the nearby flames, sweated soon dripped from Tayuya's pale face. Exposing the eerie red tint in her eyes, Tayuya didn't have to strength to move.

"If I have to cry... I should just die." Whispering to herself, Tayuya was possessed by the memory of Naruto's face.

"If I can't be alone... I should just die." Ignoring Naruto's face, Tayuya continued to sulk.

"If I need someone else... I should just die." Roused from her words, Tayuya was reminded of Naruto's warm touch.

Blotting out Tayuya's mind, the hulking silhouette of a giant sea turtle pierced her conscious. Reaching out towards his jinchūriki, Isobu was trying to communicate with Tayuya.

Dragging Tayuya to a different plane of existence, Isobu lowered his visible red eye in front of her. A tailed beast with vast respect for humans, Isobu could feel Tayuya's internal conflict.

 **"Then, why do you cry?"** Grumbling under his thick shell, Isobu blinked his crimson eye.

"Because-... Because I want him to help me." Tayuya explained, focused on Naruto's face.

 **"Then, why can't you be alone?"** Groaning with a demonic tone, Isobu loomed over his jinchūriki.

"Because, I want to be close to him." Tayuya mumbled.

 **"Then, why do you need him?"** Hovering mere inches above Tayuya, Isobu waited for her reply.

Clenching each of her trembling fists, Tayuya glared at the transparent floor with a downcast face. Leaking tears from her discolored eyes, Tayuya bit her lip out of frustration.

"Because he makes me happy. When I see Naruto, I don't want to die." Tayuya finally admitted her deepest secret.

Abruptly torn back to reality, Tayuya realized that sweat from pouring from her face and neck. Crouched under the burning remnants of Zabuza's table, Tayuya was engulfed by smoke.

"Because-... Because I don't want to die...!" Tayuya repeated, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Infected by a radiant smile across her dirt-stained face, Tayuya ruptured out from Zabuza's table. Charging through a flame-littered hallway, Tayuya was giggling like a school girl.

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" Laughing with joy, Tayuya was unaffected by the intense heat.

Sprinting through the charred ruins of Zabuza's house, Tayuya soon approached a glass window. Leaping through this burnt surface, Tayuya broke free from the crumbling home.

Tackling Naruto into a patch of wet mud, Tayuya couldn't stop herself from laughing, exposing her brown eyes. Cured of her childhood depression, Tayuya finally found a purpose in life.

'Naruto! I don't want to die! I don't want to die, because you make me happy!" Beaming with laughter, Tayuya nuzzled Naruto's face.

After searching for ten years, Tayuya finally found the happiness that her mom told her about. Rubbing, stroking and sniffing Naruto's hair, Tayuya resembled a completely different person.

"No! No! My house! My step-dad is gonna kill me! Literally!" Inari cut in.

Falling to both knees, Inari threw his hat to the ground before screaming with anxiety. Comforted by a gentle nudge from Karin, Inari felt like a dead man.

Surrounded by Jūgo, Suigetsu, Isaribi and Gaara, these friends were illuminated by Zabuza's burning house. Doused under a constant barrage of drizzling rain, this fire eventually died out.

Glancing at the ash-littered remains of his previous home, Inari promptly glared at Tayuya. Too distracted by Naruto's cute face, Tayuya didn't even acknowledge the burnt house.

"Maybe we can build a new one, before he gets back?" Gaara muttered, instantly shrouded by Zabuza's shadow.

Twitching with shock, Gaara accidently tripped over his own feet, leisurely caught by a stream of sand. Fuming with demonic rage, Zabuza's shark-like teeth torn through his white mask.

"Okay, now... Dad. I know this looks bad." Inari spoke out, trying to butter Zabuza up.

Without warning, Inari was viciously smacked upside his head, unleashing a loud howl through the air. Walloping a handful of whelps against Inari's skin, Zabuza was actually being really nice, for a demon.

"Okay, stop, stop! I need an explanation!" Karin interrupted, stomping her foot against a puddle of mud.

Slipping on this wet surface, Karin accidently faceplanted the ground, tasting a mouthful of mud. Gagging with disgust, Karin took several minutes to regain her composure.

"It was Isobu… When Tayuya bottled her emotions inside, they went straight to him." Naruto explained.

Blushing with a nervous hesitation, Tayuya sat up on Naruto's lap, scratching the side of her neck. Blowing the hair from her eyes, Tayuya grabbed Naruto's hand for comfort.

"Wait, so you did that whole thing?!" Karin shrieked, shoving her mud-covered face in front of Tayuya.

"The mist, the swamp floor and the screams... That's so cool!" Cheering for her friend, Karin raised one hand towards the sky.

"Can you do that for Halloween?" Wrapping one arm around Tayuya, Karin was dripping with mud.

Tightening her grip on Naruto's hand, Tayuya rolled her auburn brown eyes in response. Ignoring the mud that stained her vibrant hair, Tayuya prompted her chin against Karin's arm.

"Maybe." Tayuya murmured, displaying a genuine smile.

* * *

 _One hour later._

"So... Who are you again?" Karin muttered, pushing her glasses up.

"I've already said my name, four times." Haku replied with a feminine smile.

Adorned with an ankle-length blue kimono, held in place by a white sash, Haku resembled a beautiful girl. Defined by wooden sandals on his feet, Haku's shoulder-length black hair rustled in the breeze.

Squinting each of her crimson eyes with suspicion, Karin dramatically leapt around Haku. Observing him from several different directions, Karin pointed at Haku with an accusatory glare.

Standing in the center of Kai's trade district, Karin and Haku were sent out on an errand for food. But, always filled with an inquisitive nature, Karin was determined to ask questions.

"That's a boy's kimono! You picked the wrong dress!" Karin teased, brushing up against Haku.

"Like this part right here! It hangs way too low!' Grabbing Haku's groan, Karin's entire face turned blood red.

Leaping back with a panic-filled shriek, Karin accidently bumped against a pile of wooden barrels. Knocked loose, these barrels rolled down a desolated street, slamming against a cart of cabbages.

Creating an explosive mixture of freshly-watered produce, these pristine cabbage were scattered across the road. Stained with dirt, insects and filthy footprints, dozens of cabbages were instantly ruined.

"Why does this keep happening?! My cabbages!" An elderly shopkeeper cried with tear-filled eyes.

Blushing without end, Karin hastily gripped Haku's hand before dragging him down the street. Disappearing behind a narrow alleyway, this young couple was consumed by wooden planks.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Do you... Do you think they really like us? Do they like me...?" Isaribi stuttered with a nervous tick.

Drifting atop the bottomless reef of Kai, Suigetsu and Isaribi were swimming in the ocean. Snagging stray fish for a bite to eat, Suigetsu offered a nibble to Isaribi.

"Does it really matter what they think?" Suigetsu groaned, shoving a live fish into his mouth.

Chopping on a mound of flesh and bone, Suigetsu's shark-like teeth shredded this harsh mixture into jelly. Swallowing a mouthful of fresh fish, Suigetsu groaned with delight.

"Mmm...? Mumbling under his breath, Suigetsu swam beside Isaribi, wrapping one arm around her shoulder.

"Because, I like you." Chuckling with a shark-tooth grin, Isaribi was instilled with an anxious blush.

Staring at the ocean's surface with twitching eyes, Isaribi twirled her trembling fingers together. Swishing her webbed-feet through the water, Isaribi could easily drift in place.

"But-... What do you like about me?" Isaribi questioned, staring at her deformed reflection in the water.

Isaribi didn't want to be a shinobi, or some type of rabid experiment, she just wanted to be normal. But her bandaged reflection was a complete distortion of her dream, she felt like a monster.

Gripping Isaribi's chin with one hand, Suigetsu rubbed the scales underneath her bandages. Exposed to a sudden burst of sunlight, Suigetsu's white hair sparkled like a diamond.

"I like your face." Suigetsu chuckled, defined by his violet eyes.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

Obscured by shifting columns of sand, Gaara was being directed by the elderly outline of Tazuna. Gagging on a mouthful of sake, this alcohol was fuel for his art.

Wearing the ornate jacket of well-respected stonemason, Tazuna's lavished fabric was drenched with sake stains. This brought attention to Tazuna's black pants, contrasting his wooden sandals.

"So... Naruto's back in town for one day, and my home's already burnt to the ground." Tazuna grumbled.

"Never a dull moment." Infected by a wide smile, Tazuna chugged his bottle of sake.

"Too bad I sold my old lake-house, or else, we'd just sleep there!" Laughing, Tazuna's large stomach swelled with volume.

Carving an archway out of crumbled sand, Jūgo carried massive boulders from the shoreline. Dropping these rocks in front of Gaara, an endless supply of sand was established.

"It would take too long for wood to settle, but with your sand as the bedrock. We'll be done by nightfall." Filled with pride, Tazuna had never worked with sand before.

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

"Do I have to wear this?" Naruto mumbled, crammed inside of Tayuya's tight shorts.

Adorned with a petite crop top from Tayuya's own closet, this purple shirt loosely clung to Naruto. Exposing his naked shoulder and stomach, Naruto scratched his whiskers with confusion.

"Yes, I said so!" Tayuya ordered.

Wearing a similar attire to Naruto, Tayuya's crop top was colored bright red, matching her hair. This also revealed her petite stomach, pale from lack of sunlight.

As these half-dressed teenagers stood in an isolated cabin of Koyuki's ship, Snowball was sleeping in the background. Defined by various chakra-rods that protruded out from his fuzzy body, this cat was sleeping the day away.

"We have the whole day off! So I wanna have some fun!" Shuffling through her game console, Tayuya found a pair of controllers.

Strapping a bundle of mechanical devices against Naruto's wrist and ankles, Tayuya jumped for joy. Pulling a cushioned mat across the wooden floor, Tayuya ordered Naruto to stand there.

"Okay, this is my favorite game! We just have to dance!" Displaying a radiant smile, Tayuya strapped her controllers on.

Yanking on Tayuya's borrowed shorts, Naruto readjusted his crop top, but it barely covered his chest. Staring at her favorite boy, Tayuya became distracted by Naruto's tight shorts.

Shaking this cute image from her mind, Tayuya turned the TV on before stretching, popping her legs. Sliding her panda hat over Naruto's head, Tayuya briefly marveled over his whiskers.

"I still don't understand why I'm wearing this...?" Naruto muttered.

"Because I'm hungry, and you look like a snack! Now do what I say!" Tayuya snapped.

Inspired by the techno beat of her video game, Tayuya forced Naruto to dance with her. Twirling, stepping and grinding around each other, Tayuya couldn't stop herself from smiling.

* * *

Forty minutes later.

Standing in front of a porcelain sink, Tayuya was dripping sweat from her neck and face, drenching her exposed stomach. Wiping the sweat from her hair, Tayuya rubbed this liquid against Naruto's stomach.

Blushing as she touched him, Tayuya caught herself peeping at Naruto's shorts, swelled with hesitation. Grabbing her toothbrush, Tayuya splashed a handful of water against her face.

"Okay... That was really fun, but we still have more stuff to do!" Tayuya explained.

Flinging water against Naruto, Tayuya used her naked hand to wipe his sweat away, biting her own tongue. Ignoring the urge to hug Naruto, Tayuya dramatically poked him in his nose.

"This is a race! The winner can do anything they want, all day!" Spraying toothpaste across her brush, Tayuya leapt into action.

Fighting over the sink, Naruto and Tayuya both leaned over this rushing water, rubbing their faces together. Gargling and gagging on paste, Naruto and Tayuya viciously scrubbed their teeth.

Straining to push each other away, Naruto and Tayuya were both defined by paste-covered mouths. Spitting several insults under her muffled breath, Tayuya continued to brush her teeth.

Hovering in front of a glass mirror, Tayuya and Naruto shoved their faces against this shiny reflection. Pushing Naruto down at the last moment, Tayuya spit a mouthful of paste before washing her brush.

"I'm done! I win! So today is my day!" Using her toothbrush to point at Naruto, Tayuya giggled with glee.

Standing up and rinsing his mouth out, Naruto wiped the paste from Tayuya's lips, met with a nervous glare. Pulling on Naruto's hand, Tayuya led him into a wooden hallway, looking for more fun.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later._

Strolling down the crowded market place of Kai, Naruto was dragging a wooden palette behind him. Stacked towards the sky with a pile of endless hats, Tayuya was collecting her payment.

"I can't believe I'm still wearing this..." Naruto murmured, glancing at his crop top.

Enraged by a group of giggling school girls, checking Naruto out, Tayuya leapt into a frenzied assault. Baring her teeth, Tayuya easily dispersed these peeping girls, hiding Naruto behind her back.

"Shush! It's my day, and I like that outfit!" Tayuya argued, turning around.

Flinging several strands of hair against Naruto's face, Tayuya poked his stomach with dreamy eyes. Wearing a perfect match of black shorts and colored crop tops, Tayuya felt really cute beside Naruto.

"That's why we aren't wearing any shoes! Fun! Fun, fun, fun!" Grabbing Naruto's waist, Tayuya shook his entire body.

"But why do you like this? It barely covers anything." Naruto cut in, pulling the loose sleeve of his crop top.

Stuttering under her breath, Tayuya's anxious face turned bright red, matching her crimson hair. Waving both arms through the air, Tayuya struggled to find an excuse.

"It covers too much, if you ask me." Karin teased, poking her head over Tayuya's shoulder.

Pushing Tayuya forward, this red-haired girl tripped over her feet, falling against Naruto's bare stomach. Catching herself with one arm, Tayuya's hand accidently slid inside of Naruto's shorts.

Leaping back with a nerve-wrecking squeal, Tayuya's blushing face infected her entire body, spreading to both arms. Yanking her panda hat from Naruto's head, Tayuya shoved this fabric down his throat.

"Can't you see we're busy? Go hang out with your girlfriend somewhere else!" Tayuya complained, pointing at Haku.

Met with a condescending scoff from Karin, Haku was shoved in front of Tayuya, revealing his black eyes. This also brought attention to a sparkling ice necklace, draped in front of Haku's partially exposed chest.

"Actually, he's a boy! Isn't he cute?!" Karin proclaimed.

Ripping Haku's kimono open, Karin rubbed his flat chest, completely violating his personal space. But instead of complaining, Haku just smiled at Karin, humming a tranquil tone under his breath.

"A boy...?! He looks like a trap." Tayuya blurted out.

Stomping her right foot in protest, Karin swept one arm through the air, magnified by a hostile snort. Ignoring the nearby civilians that glared at her, Karin pushed her glasses up.

"Then I've been caught! He's adorable!" Karin shrieked.

Interrupted by the distinct squawking of Shisui, this black raven casually perched himself atop Tayuya's shoulder. Shedding a handful of black feathers, Tayuya didn't even acknowledge this bird.

"Yea, yea... Take your boy toy somewhere else. I have plans with mine." Tayuya stuttered, panicked after hearing her own words.

"Onward, my nerd!" Rushing Naruto down the street, Tayuya was shrouded by her pile of hats.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later._

"This is nice... You've been here before?" Tayuya mumbled, sprawled atop a section of grass.

Tayuya was laying beside a sparkling stream of water, coursing through the forest outskirts of Kai. Located next to Tazuna's old house, this was the stream that Naruto and Kakashi sat beside, over two months ago.

Resting her head against Naruto's lap, Tayuya was pulling grass from the ground, twirled between her fingers. Burying her face against Naruto's naked stomach, Tayuya felt a warm sensation through her body.

"Yea, but it was a long time ago." Naruto murmured, playing with Tayuya's hair.

Swishing his bare feet through a stream of water, Naruto basked under the chirping of distant birds. Illuminated by faint rays of the setting sun, Tayuya's crimson hair glimmered like garnet.

Smacking her lips together, Tayuya breathed a dramatic sigh of relief, nuzzled against Naruto's warm stomach. Distracted by her happiness, Tayuya didn't even notice Naruto's violet eyes, gazing down upon her.

"You said you wanted a fun life... A world without pain or regret... What if I could create that world?" Brushing Tayuya's face, Naruto was hypnotized by her hair.

Enthralled by Naruto's gentle voice, Tayuya wrapped both arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Pressing their noses together, Tayuya combed both hands through Naruto's hair.

"That sounds fun." Whispering her reply, Tayuya instinctively kissed Naruto.

Startled by a jolting splash of water, Tayuya rolled out of Naruto's lap, jumping to her feet. Glaring at the shark-toothed face of Suigetsu, this shinobi was bathing in the stream.

"Oh, hey." Suigetsu chuckled.

Throwing a rock against Suigetsu's skull, his face abruptly dissolved into a puddle of water. Replaced by chakra-filled streams, Suigetsu sighed before cleaning the water from his ear.

"Fuck you! You ruined my moment!" Tayuya spat out, snarling with rage.

"You're half-dressed and alone in the woods. What kind of moment were you hoping for?" Scratching his nose, Suigetsu was defined by his shark-tooth grin.

Left utterly speechless by Suigetsu's words, Tayuya accidently bite her own tongue, unable to speak. Concealing the deep blush on her face, Tayuya hurled another rock at Suigetsu.

Poking her timid face out of the water, Isaribi slowly crawled onto the shoreline, trailed by a headless Suigetsu. Healing his wound with ease, Suigetsu crossed both arms in front of his chest.

"Go fuck yourself..." Slurring her reply, Tayuya grabbed Naruto's hand before dragging him away.

* * *

 _One day later._

"So... this is our new home? Not too bad." Kahyō spoke out.

"Yea! I love it!" Paku squealed.

Standing in the crowded dockyard of Kai, these Yuki kunoichi both stood beside Haku. Crushing his bones under her icy grip, Paku hugged the young boy from her childhood.

"You've really grown up! You're cuter than me!" Giggling like a school girl, Paku poked Haku's nose.

Roused by this display of affection, Karin ran through the crowd before blocking Haku from view. Repetitively poked by Paku, Karin eventually bit her finger, incased by a hardened layer of ice.

"Relax... He's basically my little brother, his pants are all yours!" Caught off guard by this sudden tease, Karin blushed.

Strolling through the background, Tazuna was escorted by Gaara and Jūgo, stained with clumps of sand. Holding a bottle of sake with one hand, Tazuna raised this liquid to his lips, drowning himself.

"Excellent work... That house will last for at least fifty years." Tazuna choked on his alcohol.

Merging together from nearby mist, Zabuza ruptured into view, holding Inari in the air with one hand. Defined by his legendary Kubikiribōchō, this ancient blade was strapped against Zabuza's back.

"Why is everyone mad at me? I didn't do anything! Naruto's girl did it! She went insane!" Inari declared.

Nodding in agreement, Karin held her chin with an inquisitive posture, standing beside Haku. Gazing up at the morning sky with crimson eyes, Karin soon wrinkled her nose.

"He's not wrong... I feel like Tayuya lost her mind in this chapter." Karin muttered.

Shrugging with a carefree attitude, Karin shoved Haku onto Koyuki's boat, pushing him up the wooden stairway. Caught at the last moment by Paku, Haku became the center of a fierce tugging contest.

"Let go! He's coming with me!" Shrouded by her spiky red hair, Karin leaned over Haku's face.

"No, he's not! I came all this way to see him!" Paku shrieked in response.

Pinching the bridge of her nose with exasperation, Kahyō was shaking her head in the background. Standing behind the bulking silhouette of Zabuza, this elite shinobi dropped his step-son to the ground.

"Actually, I have a mission they could take on, if they need Haku's expertise." Zabuza grumbled.

Concealing the blush on her face, Karin's brief hesitation was hidden by her crimson glasses. Raising one finger in front of her red face, Karin winked with confidence.

"Yea, his expertise. That's what I'll call it." Karin stuttered.

"Have you talked to Naruto about this?" Gaara cut in, but Karin completely ignored him.

Seeping deep into conversation, Karin searched for any excuse to bring Haku with her.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later._

Standing at the end of Koyuki's ship, Tayuya was propped against an iron railing, gazing up at the blue sky. Shrouded by the overcast shadow of a massive bridge, Tayuya scoffed with annoyance.

Startled by Naruto's footsteps, Tayuya abruptly straightened her back, trying to look calm and cool. Sniffling for air, Tayuya scratched her nose before casually yawning, stretching both arms.

"Look at that stupid bridge, I wonder what kind of lame name they gave it." Tayuya rolled her eyes.

Leaning against Naruto, Tayuya rested her chin atop his arm, smacking her lips before sneezing. Wiping her nose clean, Tayuya ignored the rapid pounding inside her chest.

Constricting Naruto's hand, Tayuya buried her face against his neck, tightening her grip with each breath. Wiggling closer, Tayuya could feel the warm beat of Naruto's heart.

"That's actually my bridge. It's named after me, do you like it?" Naruto spoke out, scratching his whiskers.

Dropping her jawline in shock, Tayuya hastily stuttered for an answer, biting her lip out of frustration. Seated atop an iron railing, Tayuya wrapped each of her legs around Naruto, holding him in place.

"Whatever... It's pretty big." Tayuya slurred her words.

"But what are we doing now?" Poking Naruto's nose, Tayuya couldn't get close enough.

Brushing Tayuya's face with his warm hands, Naruto stole the breath from her lungs, pressing their lips together. Knocked loose by her twitching feet, Tayuya's sandals fell to the floor.

"We're gonna have fun." Smothered by Naruto's voice, Tayuya finally felt happy.


End file.
